Paul C. Pitt – The Missionary We Never Knew

Paul C. Pitt’s mission was one of behind-the-scenes—he was never really seen because of his unique circumstances.

Paul was born in Germany in 1882, but lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from an early age and was raised as a strict Catholic. Upon being healed of a serious heart condition and a debilitated foot in a revival, he was forsaken by his wife and family.

The missionary call for Pitt in 1927 was to a war-torn and destitute China. These were dark days in the interior of China that preceded World War II. Missionary Extraordinaire J.H. Ingram attempted to reach Pitt, but the ravages of the Japanese invasion of China rendered Ingram helpless to visit him. Upon returning home, Ingram recommended that Pitt be received into the Church of God in absentia at the 1937 General Assembly as an ordained minister of the Church of God and he was accepted.

Paul established the ministry to the Chinese that was housed at Bethany Mission and had a membership of over 300. Plunging into Chinese customs and dress, many mistook him as a native-born Chinaman because he’d learned the language so well. Paul had unmitigated faithfulness and commitment. He refused to take furloughs, determined to stay with those to whom God had called him. Fearless of dungeon, fire, and sword, Paul remained faithful to his post, even to the end of his life. He carried out the Great Commission until his death in 1943. Since those of the Church of God never met him in person, one can only read copies of his letters and books written about him.

Pitt saw manifold miracles in his lifetime … people healed of leprosy, a man raised from the dead, a lunatic healed, a woman delivered from insanity, God led him to pray for rain in the midst of a horrendous drought and it came, and untold numbers of people were led to Christ in China. Paul became known as the “Beloved of the Chinese.”

Paul’s prayerful, earnest cry was: “Oh, God, give me China, China!” He put it all into perspective when he wrote: “God is preparing His heroes, and when the opportunity comes, He will fit them into their place in a moment and the world will wonder where they came from!”