In 1813, Adoniram Judson arrived in Rangoon (now Yangon) as the first Protestant missionary sent to Burma (now Myanmar) by the Christians of North America. He then labored in southern Burma for 38 years. After seven years in Burma, the first person was converted to his religion. He translated the Scriptures into Burmese and traveled as far north as Mandalay, where he presented the Scriptures to th
e King of Burma. However, the king refused to give him an audience and he was imprisoned in Mandalay at Aungbinlae. Missionaries started work among the Kachin people in 1877. The first Kachin converts were baptized in 1882 by William Henry Roberts. Eight years later, Ola and Minnie Hanson arrived. Although the Hanson did not grow up in the Baptist Church, they became members during Ola’s seminary years. He was ordained to the gospel ministry at Bethlehem Baptist Church and they were commissioned by the church in 1890. When the early missionaries approached the King of Burma to ask permission to teach the Kachin, the king laughed and pointed to his dog and said that they would have more success teaching his dog than teaching the Kachins. They were the wild men of Burma, illiterate animists, who sacrificed cows and chickens to appease the spirits. The Kachin consist of six tribes: Jingphaw, Zaiwa, Lisu, Lhaovo, Lachid, Rawang and Naung. They are considered to be the younger brothers of the Chin Tribes of Eastern Burma. Kincaid, an American missionary in Pyay (Lower Burma), went up to the Kachin land (upper Burma) in 1837 and met Kachin people in Bhamaw and Mogaung regions. He wrote a letter to the American Baptist mission society to send the missionary to Kachin Land. In 1878, Rev. Lyon and his wife first came to Bhamaw as missionaries, but Lyon contracted malaria within a week, and died within a month. Roberts came to Bhamaw in 1878, and started opening the mission work among the Kachin people. Dr. Ola Hanson came to Bhamaw in 1890. He preached the gospel to the Kachin people, created Kachin writings, and translated the Bible into Kachin. He handed the Bible to the Kachin people in 1927, in the time of Golden Jubilee celebration of mission work. The first seven Kachin converts were baptised on March 19, 1882, and the Kachin church was founded in that year. Kachin literature was accepted and used by the British government in 1895. Kachin Baptist churches organization, today the Kachin Baptist Convention, was founded in 1890. KBC had a centennial Jubilee Celebration in 1977 where about 100,000 Christians gathered in Jaw Bum (Centennial Mountain) in Myitkyina. 6,214 believers were baptized in this Jubilee Celebration. Kachin Literature Centennial Jubilee was celebrated in 1995 at Pin Le, Mandalay. Very many Kachin people were dying from diseases and the Kachin Nation was in danger of dying out. Salvation came to them and Kachin nation recovered, through the light of the salvation. The Kachin people through salvation have the privilege of knowing the eternal God. As our forefathers received the knowledge and wisdom of God, they established Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) in 1910. The purpose was to build up both their people and their land according to the instructions given in the Bible into a God honoring nation. Through this legacy, the leaders accross different generations, having been chosen by God, lead the congregation of churches with careful plans and laws. Those plans and laws have been formed through consultation and agreed to be put into practice. While leading the community from different walks of life, Kachin Baptist Convention drafted and approved the constitution which was confirmed through the support of the congregation. Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) is a Myanmar Baptist denominational body whose members practice the Baptist faith. It is an evangelical organization based on holistic missions. Its headquarters are in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar. It has 15 associations and over 300 churches, and is still growing [Reference: 6]. Most of the members in KBC are of Kachin nationality. Some believers within KBC are the fruits of labour from mission works to other tribes and races. According to 2000 census, KBC had more than 141,952 baptised members and more than 153,913 non-baptised members. In 2018, there were more than 400,000 baptised and non-baptised members. It currently has 449 ordained ministers and 790 un-ordained ministers. List of the 19 associations under KBC:
Manmaw
Myitkyina
Sam Mung
Hkahku
Htingnai
Putao
Kengtung
Waimaw
Sama
Nog Mung
Lawu Ga
Mungmau
Uru Seng Maw
Chihpwi
Kutkai
KBC-USA [Kachin Baptist Churches in the United States of America]
Asia Kachin Baptist Association
Europe Kachin Baptist Association and
ANZ ( Australia - New Zealand ) Kachin Baptist Association
