Church of England Zenana Missions in India and Sri Lanka

The zenana missions were outreach programmes established in British India with the aim of converting women to Christianity. From the mid 19th century, they sent female missionaries into the homes of Indian women, including the private areas that male visitors were not allowed to see (zenana). Gradually these missions expanded from purely evangelical work to providing medical and education services. Hospitals and schools established by these missions are still active, making the zenana missions an important part of the history of Christianity in India.

“Zenana Missions”, Wikipedia

My thanks to the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide for making this public domain book available for digitisation.

A.D., Until the Shadows Flee Away. The Story of the C.E.Z.M.S. in India and Ceylon. London: Church of England Zenana Missionary Society, n.d. Hbk. pp.247. [Click to visit the download page for this title]

Contents

Part 1: Outlines and Impressions

1. India and its Peoples
2. India Past and Present
3. Religions of India
4. Condition of India and its Women
5. India’s Women at the Crossing of the Way
6. Folk-lore
7. “Little Kings”
8. The Church of England Zenana Missionary Society

Part 2: The Story of Work Amongst the Women of India and Ceylon

1. The Border-Lnd and Over
2. Through the Sindh to the Sea
3. The Land of the Five Rivers
4. The Plain of the Ganges
5. The Central Provinces
6. In the Telugu Country
7. Madras and the Plateau of Mysore
8. The Blue Mountains and the Lords of the Hills
9. The Sacred Hedge
10. The Land of the Conch Shell
11. The Shining Land

• Afterword—As the Stars
• Appendices