Dr. William Newbern
        Biography


 The Story of the Wuchow Bible School   pdf    doc


A Brief Biography of Dr. William Newbern

Dr. William Newbern (1900-1972) was born in Glassborough, New Jersey. His father died when he was five years old and William took a paper route at an early age to help his mother with household expenses. He also helped her buy the family home. As a boy, Dr. Newbern and his mother attended a Methodist church.

At a Methodist camp meeting while still just a lad, Dr. Newbern gave his life in total dedication to God and soon after God called him to be a missionary to China. To train for his heavenly vocation, at the age of seventeen Dr. Newbern enrolled at Nyack College. It was there that he met his future wife, Eva Aber.

Graduating from Nyack, Dr. Newbern sailed to Hong Kong to study the Chinese language. Eva soon followed and they were married on June 18, 1923. The young couple returned to the United States by working their way home on a steamship. They settled in Portland, Maine, where Dr. Newbern pastored a small church for two years. During this time their first child, William, was born.

When the Newberns returned to China, Dr. Newbern was assigned to the Wuchow Bible School in Kwangsi Province. Their second child, Dorothy, was born there.

During a later assignment to Nanning, China, the Newberns met Dr. and Mrs. Timothy Lin who subsequently were principal and matron, respectively, of the Wuchow Bible School. Dr. Newbern was associated with the Wuchow Bible School for the remainder of his missionary career.

After the Second World War, because of the Communist takeover of mainland China, Dr. Newbern was instrumental in moving the Wuchow Bible School to Hong Kong. The school’s name was changed to Alliance Bible Seminary and its graduates have ministered with life and soul all over southeast Asia-Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and elsewhere. On December 7, 1999, the Alliance Bible Seminary celebrated its 100th birthday and continues strong in the faith.

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