Birth:09-12-1882
Death: 24-05-1933
Native Place: Fleetwood
Country: England
Place of Vision : China
Percy Cunningham Mather was a pioneer protestant missionary pioneer of the China Inland Mission in Central Asia. Born in England, Mather worked in railways and was a nominal Christian. He accepted Christ as his personal savior through the ministry of J. H. Doddrell and committed his life to serve God. Initially, he ministered among the children and preached in and around his village. While he was waiting for his ordination, he heard the call of the China Inland Mission and offered himself to serve the Lord in China. After two years of Theological training at the Glasgow Bible Institute, he set sail for China in 1910.
He spent some time in Anqing in Anhui province to learn Chinese and later was stationed in Xuanzhou city to begin his missionary work. Using his knowledge of medicine, he provided medical assistance to the local people and used it as an opportunity to share the Gospel. He never stayed at one place; rather, he traveled from one place to another to open new mission fields. Along with his co-worker, George Hunter, he itinerated in Outer Mongolia, where they served among the Mongol tribes, Chinese traders, and border settlers until 1914. Neither the difficulties of the journey nor the physical illness (he was often afflicted with malaria) stopped him from taking the Gospel to various parts of China.
During the early years of the Republic of China, evangelism among the people was very difficult as they were trapped in superstitious beliefs, addicted to opium, and worshipped idols. Mather, however, understanding the heart of the people and their customs, always waited for the right moment to share the Gospel with them. He used his linguistic abilities to publish gospel tracts, dictionaries, grammar books, and other language study aids that helped other missionaries to get into mission service quickly. His passing in 1933 due to ill health was not in vain as his work opened the doors for Gospel in a most inhospitable place-Chinese Turkistan.
