Released in the UK September 2008
Released in the US November 2008
Trade paperback | 208 Pages
9781845503765 • £8.99 $14.99
BISAC – BIO018000
John And Betty Stam
Missionary Martyrs
Vance Christie
Martyred for their work for God in China
Their witness gave rise to the growth of the church in China today
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church
“The fateful day began with deceptive normalcy at John and Betty Stam’s missionary residence in Tsingteh, China. Both the wood–burning stoves had been lit and were starting to heat up nicely, helping to lessen the chill that gripped the large old house that cold, early December morning. The Stams, along with the six Chinese who lived with them in the house, had already eaten breakfast.
“John hoped to study and get some correspondence done that morning. Betty was preparing to give their three–month old baby, Helen Priscilla, a bath, with some assistance from the amah Mei Tsong–fuh. The cook, Li Ming–chin, busied himself in the kitchen. His wife, mother, and two children similarly had begun their various daily activities.
“John and Betty had been in Tsingteh for just two weeks. They had come there under the auspices of the China Inland Mission (CIM) to oversee the infant Christian work that had been established in the southern portion of Anhwei Province. There were very few Christians in the area, but the Stams were thrilled at the prospect of carrying out pioneer evangelistic work to help bring the Gospel to that needy part of China.”
So begins this gripping story of missionary endeavour in China. The early church leader, Tertullian, said that ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church’. This is just one story of the people whose witness is the cause of the spectacular growth of the church in China today.
Vance Christie
Vance Christie served as a pastor for thirty–six years and has authored a number of books in the field of historical Christian biography. He and his wife Leeta live in Aurora, Nebraska and are blessed with three adult daughters, their husbands and five grandchildren. His website is www.vancechristie.com.
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Christian Focus
"Ten years ago I was apart of a traveling choir that performed a drama on the life and ministry of John and Betty Stam. I played the Communist soldier who had the missionaries killed. After the play was finished the pastor of the church closed us in a word of prayer... Thanks for the fantastic book!
"While students at Moody Bible Institute, John and Betty felt God's call to the mission field of China -- where within a few years they had been arrested by hostile Communist soldiers, held for ransom, and then beheaded. Though their mission was brief, their courage led hundreds of other young men and women to volunteer for missionary service."
"In a short book of just about 200 pages, biographer Vance Christie tells the story of the lives of these two saints. Through their short lives they made an impact on the souls of many Chinese; through their deaths, suffered willingly for the cause of their Savior, they inspired many more. And even today, through books like this, they speak of the love they had for the One who had saved them. This is a very good missionary biography and one I enjoyed thoroughly."
Tim Challies
Author, ‘Seasons of Sorrow’