December 2: Channing Moore Williams, Missionary to Asia

Bishop Williams is remembered today by both Episcopalians and Lutherans. I always like to provide each commemoration with a picture of the person or event for the day, but I had great difficulty this morning finding a good icon, photograph, or picture of Channing Moore Williams. The best I could find of this great Christian misisonary is his statue at Rikkyo University, now a Japanese institution of higher education whose roots go back to Williams' Christian labors in Japan.

The Episcopal church was among the first Protestant denominations in Japan and founded Japanese Anglicanism. Channing Moore Williams entered Japan in 1859 and in 1866 became Japan's first Anglican bishop.

More information about his life and witness may be found at Channing Moore Williams.

Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your Servant Channing, whom you called to preach the Gospel to the peoples of Asia. Raise up, we pray, in this and every land heralds and evangelists of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Saviour Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.