When Mabel Lee's father died from a heart attack in 1924, she took over his role as head of the Baptist mission in Chinatown at the age of 28.
Although this was meant to be a temporary position, it would become her life's work.
Lee traveled three times to China during the 1920s and 1930s, and even had job offers awaiting her there, but she eventually chose to settle permanently in New York and focus on her father's church.

Lee began raising funds from the American Baptist Home Mission Society and local Chinese American organizations to help fund a Chinese Christian Center in memory of her father.
In 1926, she purchased a building for this community center at 21 Pell Street in Chinatown.
The center offered English classes, a medical clinic, and a kindergarten.
Lee believed that an independent Chinese church was crucial for providing support and a feeling of freedom to its community members, who were otherwise marginalized and oppressed in American society.

Lee's view that there needed to be a Chinese Christianity and not a European American Protestantism sometimes brought her into conflict with the larger white-led Baptist mission in New York City.
In 1954, Lee was able to secure the title of the 21 Pell Street property solely under First Chinese Baptist Church which from then on became fully independent.
Paradoxically, this independence coincided with the increasing secularization of younger generations of Chinese Americans, and led to dwindling membership at the church.
However, under her leadership the church became the first "self-supporting Chinese church in America."
As a bilingual Chinese-American, Lee was able to provide significant assistance to the working class Chinese immigrant community by providing classes teaching the English language, typewriting, and broadcasting and carpentry among other useful skills.
Lee even participated by preaching and taught kindergarten and Sunday school.
In many ways the church functioned as an underground social service center for the Chinese community.

The First Chinese Baptist Church is still standing and continues to offer the social services Lee started and strives to maintain the community's civil rights she fought for.
When Mabel Lee's father died from a heart attack in 1924, she took over his role as head of the Baptist mission in Chinatown at the age of 28. Although this was meant to be a temporary position, it would become her life's work. Lee traveled three times to China during the 1920s and 1930s, and even had job offers awaiting her there, but she eventually chose to settle permanently in New York and focus on her father's church.
Lee began raising funds from the American Baptist Home Mission Society and local Chinese American organizations to help fund a Chinese Christian Center in memory of her father. In 1926, she purchased a building for this community center at 21 Pell Street in Chinatown. The center offered English classes, a medical clinic, and a kindergarten. Lee believed that an independent Chinese church was crucial for providing support and a feeling of freedom to its community members, who were otherwise marginalized and oppressed in American society. 
Lee's view that there needed to be a Chinese Christianity and not a European American Protestantism sometimes brought her into conflict with the larger white-led Baptist mission in New York City. In 1954, Lee was able to secure the title of the 21 Pell Street property solely under First Chinese Baptist Church which from then on became fully independent. Paradoxically, this independence coincided with the increasing secularization of younger generations of Chinese Americans, and led to dwindling membership at the church. However, under her leadership the church became the first "self-supporting Chinese church in America." As a bilingual Chinese-American, Lee was able to provide significant assistance to the working class Chinese immigrant community by providing classes teaching the English language, typewriting, and broadcasting and carpentry among other useful skills. Lee even participated by preaching and taught kindergarten and Sunday school. In many ways the church functioned as an underground social service center for the Chinese community.
The First Chinese Baptist Church is still standing and continues to offer the social services Lee started and strives to maintain the community's civil rights she fought for.
Mabel Ping-Hua Lee