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WOMEN
Recognizing Pauline Brown, International Mission Staff to India
40
PRESBYTERIAN
WINTER 2021
presbyterian.ca
November 10, 2021, marked the 70th anniversary of Pauline Brown’s mission service to India.
By the Women’s Missionary Society
On November 10, 2021, the Wom- en’s Missionary Society hosted an online event to celebrate Pauline Brown’s 70 years of mission work in India. Pauline and the Rev. Emmanuel Ariel, a close friend and minister in the Vindya Satpura region of India, joined the event from India where the local time was around 11:30 at night. Family members and friends from all over North America and India joined
in to share stories and accomplish- ments from Pauline’s life and to bring good wishes. The event included a presentation from Pauline’s niece, Anne Orr.
Pauline Brown dreamed of going to India when she was a child. Years later, working as a navy nurse, a for- mer missionary in India encouraged her. With no theological training nor mission experience, Pauline applied to go to India to work among the In- digenous Bhil people. The Women’s Missionary Society had been looking for a nurse for four months and rec- ognized the 25-year-old Pauline as an answered prayer. Six months later, she was on a boat. Upon arrival in India she thought, “I am home.” She felt this was where she was meant to be.
Pauline received her R. N. from Ottawa Civic Hospital. She earned a Diploma in Public Health and a Bach- elor of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa. Later, she ob- tained her Master of Health Sciences (Health Care Practice) from Mc- Master University in Hamilton, Ont. Pauline is a life-long learner, reading theology and keeping up on current events worldwide.
Pauline arrived in India in 1951 and served as a missionary nurse until retirement in 2006. She served as the Director of Jobat Christian Hospital, Madhya Pradesh, and as a teacher at the Graduate School of Nursing in Indore. Pauline spent her 55 years in India working under the Church of North India in various capacities, focusing on health care and educa- tion. She travelled the rolling hills of the Bhil region with a mobile clinic, organizing and leading community health programs, which included training in first aid, nutrition and midwifery, and teaching at schools of nursing. She also found time to participate in the women’s group at
Pauline (centre front) with members of the Southwest Ontario Synodical Executive in May 2018.
her church in Jobat, and to welcome guests and visitors to her home.
In 2000, Pauline was made a member of the Order of Canada. She holds honorary doctorates and awards from the Canadian and In- dian governments for her work in the Vindhya-Satpura Region where she established community health networks to support the Bhil people. She was awarded an Honorary Doc- torate in Divinity from Knox College in Toronto in 1998.
Pauline credits her WMS superiors for encouraging her to stay in India. Now, all these years later, Pauline says that “God is still working.”
During the 70th anniversary event on November 10, Pauline, now 96 years of age, was in her element. It was very late in the day in Jobat, but she was alert and excited to be with friends from around the world. We listened in awe as she confirmed stories of her work and shared family tales. Pauline said, “When I am gone, don’t mourn. Have a glass of wine
and celebrate my life.”
What a truly remarkable woman
of faith! Pauline has led by example over the past 70 years of serving God. Anyone who has met Pauline knows that she is a very warm and caring person, always sharing God’s love with everyone who comes into her life. We in the WMS are proud of Pauline, who was one of the first women missionaries sent by the WMS. It was truly our joy to celebrate with her on this very special day. May God richly bless Pauline wherever she is, and always!
Event Cancelled
In October, the Women’s Missionary Society made the difficult decision to cancel the Celebrate! in- person gathering planned for May 2022, due to the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic. Stay tuned for details about future events at presbyterian.ca/wms.
Christmas Come Together Celebration December 8, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Join the Women’s Missionary Society for our Christmas Come To- gether Celebration. The Rev. Theresa McDonald-Lee and her team at Camp Kintail will be leading in our last “Come Together” event of the year.
To register, email skim@presbyterian.ca or call 1-800-619-7301.