The Chinese Methodist Message (CMM)

Brief History of CMM

    Imagine if 55 years ago, our forefathers did not take all the pain and hardship to start publishing the Methodist Message, we would have no trace, no record of what our spiritual heritage was. Now we stand on the shoulders of the giants to continue this legacy.

The Beginning

    The Methodist Message was first published on 21 April 1951 with the name of Methodist Magazine. It had 64 pages and the size was 13cmx19cm. The contents were rich such as local and church news, sermons, articles, testimonies and even 2 pages of advertisements. In the early period, Methodist Magazine was published 4 times a year. Later because of lack of funds and contributed articles, the magazine was sometimes published twice a year or once a year. Apart from this, the Board of Literature produced books such as Survey of the New Testament, Questions and Answers for Church Members and others.

A Period of Crisis and Reform

    In the early 60s, the magazine officially changed its name to The Chinese Methodist Message (CMM). The size was bigger, 19cmx26.5cm. In 1967, with a full time salary-paid editor for the first time, CMM began to grow. However, in the early 70s, the funds from the USA Church had decreased and as the local churches could not make up the deficiency, CMM began to experience a period of crisis. In 1974, the full time editor resigned.
    In 1975, two teachers became part time editors for CMM. Together they bought CMM to another milestone. CMM gradually became a monthly newspaper. They also published books and organised writing workshops.
    In 1992, one or two pages of English articles and news were included in the CMM.

A Period of Awakening

    In 1994, CMM hired Wong Meng Lei as the full time director of the Board of Literature and editor. In the next year, CMM moved to its present office. It also obtained a publishing permit from the government and CMM launched into the era of colour printing.
    In 1996, CMM produced a youth bimonthly magazine called "Beyond". In 1998, CMM changed to a fortnightly newspaper. In 1999, a children's magazine named "Happy Children" was published alternately with "Beyond".

Extending the Territories

    Year 2000 marked a special year in CMM. This year the number of copies of CMM reached 10,000. CMM reached another higher ground. In the same year, CMM introduced a subscription package called "Friend of CMM". Through the support and subscription fee, CMM began to grow financially.
    All through the years, CMM has published over 55 books and many other booklets and gospel tracts. In 2003, CMM changed its format from newspaper to magazine. In 2004, Ling Lee Sing became the editor of CMM. At the beginning of 2005, Connection, the English station of CMM was published separately. (Winnie)