2009 Alumnus of the Year - David Chen '44
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2009 onWord magazine (Vol. 59, No. 2)
Every year, the Moody Alumni Association’s Board of Directors selects a graduate of the Institute to receive the Alumnus of the Year award. This award is given to those whose Christian life has exemplified the following three factors: Christian character, Christian service, and Loyalty to the Word of God, which is based on II Timothy 2:15, the motto of the Moody Bible Institute.
On Tuesday, February 3, 2009, the MBI Alumni Association named David Chen ’44 as the 2009 Alumnus of the Year. Chen was unable to attend Founder’s Week, so the award was presented to him earlier on January 10 in San Diego, CA. Surrounded by his family and friends, as well as fellow alumnus Glen Ruby ’57 and Alumni Association Executive Director Walter White ’78, Chen expressed immense gratitude for the honor. “He wholeheartedly expressed his eternal gratitude for this award,” said White. “He so values the experience he had at Moody and was overwhelmed that the administration would honor him.”
Chen was born in 1908 in an isolated village in Northern China. There was a terrible famine and he experienced many hardships because of it and during many other times.
To avoid starvation as a child, Chen went to an orphanage. His missionary adoptive parents, the Anglins, taught him the Bible and how to pray. Later, he worked in the office, did some typing, and learned a little English. He completed a degree at the North China Theological Seminary and served as pastor at the Jesus Chapel. God blessed his ministry and there were many conversions.
He married in 1936 and continued his ministry with his wife, Yushin. When Anglin heard of his success, he invited Chen to tour the United States. Chen traveled to the Chicago headquarters of the orphanage (now Kids Alive International) and made fund-raising tours with the Anglins.
In 1940, he attended a graduation ceremony at Moody Bible Institute and found out that it was possible to study and work your way through college. Knowing he would be able to get a good job in China with a U.S. education, Chen wanted to attend. Moody professor Dr. George S. McCune became his new sponsor and arranged some financial assistance for him until Chen could learn enough English to work.
Chen’s first semester was very difficult because there were no textbooks and the students were expected to take notes from the lectures. Fortunately, he received help from his fellow students and the faculty. In those days, Moody was an exciting place to be, and a degree from the Moody Bible Institute opened many doors.
Because of World War II, he was unable to return home after graduation until 1947. His Moody degree enabled him to teach at the Taitung Seminary. When the seminary was relocated because of the Communists, he and his wife returned to Shanghai.
As a bilingual Moody graduate, Chen obtained a job working for Fred Savage in the office of CNEC (now Partners International). Political conditions deteriorated and in 1948, Savage was forced to evacuate to Hong Kong.
Chen’s daughter was born in 1950. A year later, all churches and religious bodies had to register with the government and were not allowed to receive any foreign funds. With no income to support his family, he was forced to take a job doing manual labor.
Chen and his family’s first encounter with the Cultural Revolution was a noisy pounding on their door in the middle of the night. Because they were Christians, the family was isolated from the outside world. All of their documents and household belongings were confiscated, and they had to sleep on the floor. Their faith sustained them and spared their lives.
Chen continued to work at the factory. Then things got worse, and he was not allowed to go home. This began his four-year walk through “the valley of the shadow of death.” He was the first one held and the last to be released. Throughout persecution and close encounters with death, he attempted to follow God’s plan for his life.
After his release, he worked at the factory, and a house church held meetings in his home. His church prayed for Bibles, which were miraculously received when two American strangers risked their lives to deliver them.
Chen and his wife traveled to Japan to visit their daughter, and a miracle made it possible for them to get visas to the United States. After his wife’s death, it became necessary for him to obtain asylum here.
On December 25, 2007, four generations of his family honored him with a special dinner to celebrate his 100th “Chinese birthday.” Chen remarked that it was worthwhile living this long just to be able to enjoy all the parties.
Through all of his trials and tribulations, Chen benefited from Christian works that were established by earthly angels like Dwight L. Moody. David was honored to attend the school that Moody started, and this opportunity ultimately changed the course of his life.
In 1999, Phyllis Milkon of Burgess Creative Ventures recounted Chen’s story in the book Earthly Angels: David Chen’s Survival of Famine and Persecution. A special reprint edition for David’s 100th birthday was published in 2007. For information on purchasing this book, or to contact Chen, please visit the Burgess Creative Ventures Website, where you can send an e-mail that would be forwarded to him.