Rev Gerald V. Summers (1903-1945) was recognised as James Hoover's successor although there were other missionaries involved in missions work during James' 32 years of service in Sarawak. Rev Charles E Davis and Wallace Herman Minor who were posted to Sibu after James passed away.
Summers was born in Macedonia, Iowa, USA. In 1925, he graduated from Wesleyan University in Nebraska and obtained a Master of Arts in 1934. In 1940, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Theology from Drew Theological School. He married Esther Christine Andren in 1927 and they were posted to Malaya as missionaries by the Overseas Mission Board of the Methodist Church in the U.S.
They first served at the Seremban district and then at Klang for about nine years. Years before James Hoover died, he had conveyed his wish to work in Sarawak. So Summers was encouraged to learn the Foochow dialect so that he could take over the ministry in Sarawak later.
On February 21, 1935, James Hoover fell sick and was sent to Kuching for treatment. He died there at age 63 and was buried at the Anglican cemetery, Kuching. Bishop Edwin F. Lee specially sent Rev Raymond L. Archer to be the acting superintendent of Sarawak District. On June 24, 1935, the Malaysia Annual Conference officially appointed Rev Gerald V. Summers to Sibu to be in charge of the mission work in Sarawak.
On December 19, 1935, a central administrative committee of Sarawak Methodist Church was set up at the district meeting. This committee consisted of five boards (evangelism, finance, construction, education and general affairs) to help in the administration of the church. In 1936, Sibu District was subdivided into the Upper and Lower Rejang districts, led respectively by Rev Lee Hock Hieng and Rev Wong King Huo as district superintendents, one stationed in Sibu and the other in Sarikei. Rev Summers, on the other hand, was appointed as missionary while his wife as the principal of the Yuk Ing Girls’ school.
From the very beginning, Rev Gerald V Summers was diligent in both learning Foochow and expanding the gospel like Rev Hoover did. He took up what Rev Hoover had left behind. He spent two days weekly visiting the villages, overseeing the school work, discussing work of the church and the school, and visiting the community with his co-pastor. Then he would stay at his residence to work on daily affairs on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Sarawak’s five-year plan
Then, he discovered that the Cantonese living at upper Sibu were without any churches. Through his negotiations with the local leaders, he helped them set up schools and recommended Christian teachers to teach there as pioneers of evangelism. In 1936, Rev Summers initiated the “Sarawak Five-year Plan” at the district meeting to enhance training on a larger scale which would include pastoral training, academic and Sunday School training and self-reliance of the churches. He disagreed with the previous arrangement of having principals and teachers holding concurrent posts as pastors. So, he presented a series of plans for changes.
From September 21 to October 1,1936, Dr John Sung, the evangelist from Putian, China, came to Sibu to lead evangelistic rallies at Masland Church. The result was so tremendous that it led to the formation of 113 evangelistic teams, spreading the gospel to places, and bringing people to God.
John Sung in Sibu
Dr Sung first set south from China to the British and Dutch colonies in August 1935, especially to Borneo, Malaya, Singapore, Indonesia and others to do revival meetings. On September 21, 1936, he went southbound again and reached Sibu. In his diary, he stated that “The missionary who objected to my coming, Mr Hoover, had died, and the new missionary Rev Summers invited me to come here to conduct the rallies.” However, when Dr Sung reached Kuala Lumpur on October 20, he wrote: “The missionary from Sibu, Rev Summers, had written to many western missionaries in Kuala Lumpur saying that there were too many offerings being initiated which were hard for the poor residents there. The meetings were disorderly as there were many sick people coming for healing. No one was healed.”
According to a Chinese scholar, Dr Zhu Feng, Rev James Hoover died in Feb 1935. Therefore, when Dr John Sung came in August 1935, the place was chaotic because there was no leader in charge in the Christian community. The Methodist church was busy with the handing-over arrangement, and naturally they did not have time to invite Dr Sung to come for rallies. However, the Malaya Methodist Annual Conference had always been supportive of Dr Sung's rallies.
After Dr Sung came to Sibu to lead the evařgelistic rallies, Rev Summers wrote to the secretary of the Mission Board in New York about Dr John Sung. He stated, “Dr John Sung is an evangelist from China and he will be with us for 20 days, that is 12 days in Sibu and 8 days in Sarikei. There were a thousand people coming to worship last night at Masland Church. I can't explain how they came. In the morning and afternoon sessions, there were eight to nine hundred people. I would say his coming brought benefits to the Sarawak mission work. His preaching skills and theories are quite different from others, but personally, I felt that he is calling people to read the Bible and pray and to worship devotedly. A thousand and more had come to sign the repentance cards, resolving to give up smoking cigarettes and opium and stop gambling. The government has allowed the schools to take breaks during these meetings. Many schools closed so that students could come for these meetings. Our pastors also benefited a lot from the testimonies of the participants. We believe that these revival meetings have awakened the religious zeal and passion of the local churches." So from what had been said, Rev Summers wouldn't be objecting to Dr Sung's ministry as written in his diary.
On June 16, 1937, Bishop Edwin F. Lee announced the setting up of the Borneo Methodist Mission Conference. It was this year that the first ordination service was held in Sarawak where Yao Shiao Khing, Ling Mang Siu, Tiong Sung Ling were ordained as deacons. Meanwhile, China War Relief fundraising was carried out.
In 1939, Paul Schmucker was sent by the U.S. Methodist Church to set up a school in Kapit, and Lucius Mamora was posted from Indonesia to evangelise to the Ibans. In 1940, a local evangelistic fund committee was set up.
On December 4, 1941, the church leaders including the Summers, Wong Dong Jeng and Lee Hock Hieng went to Singapore to attend the annual conference. On December 8, the Pacific War broke out and all external transport to Sibu was closed. The church leaders were thus stranded in Singapore. From 1942-1945, Rev Summers refused to leave and he with the other six Methodist missionaries stood up and suffered with the other Christians.
Kept at war camp
During the Japanese Occupation, Rev Summers was kept at Changi Prisoners of War Camp. He still worried for his people in Sarawak. Once he told his fellow missionary prisoners not to cancel his name for he wanted to be back to his school in Sarawak. He still wished to serve there.
On September 1, 1945, he was released but he was down with malnutrition and was hospitalised. He suffered complex malnutrition problems from Pellagra to other related diseases. He died soon after.
Rev Gerald V. Summers and his wife had a son and a daughter.
During Rev Summers' term of service between 1936-1945, he established three parishes, seven preaching points and 10 schools. He also set up a Henghua church (currently Tieng Lee Preaching Centre) in Kanowit, and started parishes in both Bintangor and Sarikei.
