Showing 1 results

Mary had a strong sense of her role in history. Following her return from China her roles as Principal of Deaconess House and as Head Deaconess saw her taking a unique position in women’s ministry, she was tireless at taking every opportunity to address church groups of various kinds on her twin loves as missionary work in China and women’s ministry; she kept copious diaries.[See Series 2, 1932-1996] She played a major role in many organisations developed to foster women’s ministry and she was a figure in some secular organisations This sense of being chosen led to her prepare an autobiography. The manuscript was offered to Anzea Publications but on 1 March 1975 the Manager advised that no-one was available to edit the manuscript for publication. It is unknown whether she offered it to other publishers.
The original order of the manuscripts in this series is unclear. There is one major sequence of 88 pages but many drafts particularly of her period in China. The major section was originally in a folder with several other sections. The page numbering was not helpful in determining the order so this material has been treated as one item. Other sequences were identified separately and each sequence has been considered separate item.
It is possible that she prepared more than one draft. And also likely the the various drafts on her period in China were used as source material by Margaret Yarwood Lamb whose partial biography 'Going it Alone: Mary Andrews - missionary to China 1938 to 1951' published by Aquila Press in 1995 is confined to Mary’s formative years and missionary service.
This series also includes material that appears to have been collected for the purposes of a biography - letters, reports, short histories. This material includes letters to family members and circulars for the mission field; her license to serve as a female Deacon in Shaohsing-Chekiang, March 1948; news clippings.