About ABWE
Ellen W. Martien
Miss Ellen W. Martien first went to the Philippines in 1919, under the Women's American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. She co-labored with Dr. and Mrs. Raphael Thomas under the American Baptist board until she resigned to join the Thomases in forming the Association of Baptists for Evangelism in the Orient (ABEO), later to become the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE).
Before going to the field, Miss Martien was trained at Columbia and Oxford Universities. For thirteen years she served as Dean of Women at Stetson University, located in Deland, Florida. This education and experience prepared her for the mission assignments given her throughout her missionary service.
With the American Baptist missions agency, she served as matron of Doane Hall, which led to a similar assignment with ABEO, first in Iloilo and later in Manila. While in Iloilo she served as Dean of Women and taught classes in the Doane Evangelistic Institute, later to be named Doane Baptist Bible College.
When Miss Martien was transferred to Manila, she became matron of a dormitory for unsaved girls who were students at the local university. This plan was devised as an evangelistic tactic and to establish contacts for the Evangelistic Institute, later named the Baptist Bible Seminary. In conjunction with this ministry, she held Bible classes and led young women to the Lord.
Ellen Martien's ministry with ABEO/ABWE stretched from 1927 to 1941 when she was forced home by the impending war at age 73. She remained in close contact with ABWE even after her retirement. She passed into the presence of the Lord on December 21, 1959 at the age of 89.
ABWE's former president, Dr. Harold Commons wrote, that "As one of God's gentle women, she was a worthy example to all who knew her." In reporting her attendance at the 25th anniversary of ABWE's founding, Dr. Commons wrote, "Her engaging personality and witty reminiscences contributed much to the evening program." She was 84 years old at the time.
The year Miss Martien died, she selected Psalm 71:17-18 as her verses for the year. "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength to this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come."