Mzuni Press, 2018. https://wasscehistorytextbook.com/6-christian-missionary-activities-in-west-africa/. Accessibility Statement. Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, List of missionaries to the South Pacific, List of Protestant missionaries to Southeast Asia, "Uganda's White Man of Work: A Story of Alexander M. Mackay", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Christian_missionaries&oldid=1151997040. Today, I want to briefly share with you how God leads. Thus, as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. Mission Africa - Katie Morrison Katie Morrison is a missionary with Mission Africa in Nigeria. Also, the traditional doctors more often than not could not diagnose illness accurately. They often attributed natural ailments to supernatural causes and resorted to mystic cults to appease the unknown spirit, before applying medicine to the sick person. Accessed February 26, 2021. Before the missionaries came to Nigeria, there were no Christians in the country. He resigned from BMS when it emerged that his Jamaican housekeeper was pregnant with his child. Lewis, Donald M., ed. *Wesley College, Elekuro, Ibadan, 1905; In the meantime, the Middle Belt is where people we know as pagans lived. Longman Group Ltd. London and Basingstoke, 1986, Fage, J.D. Again, in West-Africa, the efforts to go beyond the coast to reach those inland with the gospel coincided with the southwards expansion of Islam which posed some threat to the expansion of the work of Christian evangelizing missions. Also the missionaries set up model farms where scientific agriculture was taught and new crops were introduced for the people, to go alongside longstanding indigenous production. Why I don't want to become godfather like Oshiomhole, Tinubu - Obaseki gives reasons. South Africa, 1919-1928. We recognize sophistry and cant. The missionary traveler David Livingstone (1813-1873) believed that the slave trade could only be suppressed by a combination of Christianity and trade. He was a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society of the Church of England that arrived in Nigeria in 1843. *CMS Grammar School, Lagos, 1859; To follow suit and take a bow is Methodist Boys High School, 1878. The story of the planting of Christianity in Nigeria would be incomplete without a mention of the Italian Roman Catholic priest, Father Berghero. Up until the 19th century, European missionaries were not especially successful. *Government College, Katsina-Ala, 1914; In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. His efforts were successful in Great Britain, so in the 1840s the country sent three huge ships with people who were supposed to bring peace and establish healthy trading relations with people living in the Niger state. By the 1800's, various parts of Nigeria had a rooted Catholic Mission presence. African people did not have to give up their cultural identity in order to follow something Western and foreign. The early European Christian missionaries in West Africa experienced a number of difficulties, some arising from factors outside their control and others of their own making. Later on, she and her husband, Rev. Clara Anne Williams (ne. Registered in England and Wales 5090917, Christian Today, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN, Persecuted Christians read Bible for first time in their own language after 182 year wait, Meet the Christian woman who adopted EIGHT children from a Russian orphanage, Watch the amazing moment six Christian converts get baptised in the Amazon, The man who converted Ireland: 10 things you might not know about St Patrick, God is on the move in the broken Anglican Communion, Church of England bishops urged 'to step back from the brink' on same-sex blessings, Lessons for today from the Salem Witch Trials. Accessed February 28, 2021. Prepared by Doug Nichols, Action International Ministries, (and a few other well-known historical and church figures and events), Bible Translation, founded boarding schools with Carey(India), A missionary leader with the British Baptist mission(India), Jamaica One of first American missionaries, Pastored first black church in America and becamemissionary to Sierra Leone, With Rev. They believed in evil spirits, and other things peculiar to this religion. As a result of such unstable situation, the Christian missions only got here in the 1840s. She championed women's rights, and set up a mission hospital for the local people. B. et al. Christians who came to Africa to help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ tried to do several things which would demonstrate the love of Christ to people living here. Rendall) wife of Rev. Between the period of 1841 and 1900, the Church Missionary Society of the Church of England, the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society from England, the French Catholic Society for African Missions, the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the Southern Baptist Convention of the United States, carried out missionary expeditions of significant success in the then Niger Area, presently regarded as Nigeria. Stay up to date with the latest Christian news! The challenge for Christian missions was of two kinds: (l) to stop the spread and influence of Islam in Africa; and (2) to win Africa for Christ before it was too late.. Missionaries who served at Igbaja from 1950-2000 1. He was a missionary that participated in missionary work in Ibesikpo under the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod during the mid-1940s. He was an American missionary with the Southern Baptist Church. Hilliard, F.H., 1957. C.M.S. 1931. In the 19thh century, too, Afro-Brazilians returned to Benin and Nigeria with Catholicism. *Igbobi College, Lagos, (Anglican) 1932; A Scottish missionary with the Scottish Presbyterian Church. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004. Unlike the Portuguese, the French colonial officials encouraged the Christian missionaries in the promotion of formal education and social services, notably health. European missionaries in southern Africa: the role of the missionaries Christian converts were indoctrinated to frown upon the use of indigenous first names in favour of Christian ones. Thomas Birch Freeman - Anglo-African missionary and colonial official in West Africa Francis Dunlap Gamewell - chief of fortifications, Boxer Rebellion, China Mary Ninde Gamewell - American missionary in China; writer Mary Porter Gamewell - American missionary in China George Richmond Grose - missionary to China She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. In conclusion, Christianity planted its roots only when a more secretic form was formed. Another important German missionary was Wilhelm Johannson, better known by the English version of his name, William Johnson, who is revered in the history of the CMS in West Africa. The others include the French trading posts at Grand Bassam (Ivory Coast), Assinie and Libreville in Gabon. Ex-policeman who claims to be reincarnation of Jesus Christ finally arrested (photos). Teacher training colleges in Ghana did not expand as fast as the secondary schools. *St. Annes School, Molete, Ibadan, 1896; Europeans were seen as ruling Africans both in political and ecclesiastical matters'' (Falae). In spite of the division, the parent Methodist missionary church played an important role in the history of Christianity in Sierra Leone. Ages enduring gratitude the nation owes them all. The emergence of the Christian Church in this region had to struggle with the difficulties three different contexts brought. The history of this religion actually roots back to the days when Jesus commanded to take the Good News that He saves those believing and trusting Him to the ends of the world. SOURCES: Nov 2021, joshuaproject.net . At the time, the Waodani were one of the most violent known people groups on earth, who regularly practised homicide and fiercely defended their territory against those wishing to exploit the rich Amazonian land. I knew then what it was to be 'born again,' and the Bible which had been so dry to me before, became everything. 26. Other difficulties they faced were the problems of the many languages and dialects and their ignorance of the true meaning of the various cultures, beliefs, values and ways of life of the people whom they set out to convert to Christianity. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. Meanwhile, at the same time, the Fulani and Jihadists forced people living in the North to support Islam. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. Timeline of Great Missionaries - Eternal Perspective Ministries Kalu, Ogbu. *Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Anambra, 1927; The Quote from a decent work on the history of Christianity in Africa can help you gain a better understanding of what the missionaries work there looked like as well as what goals these people had. That was 1879. https://www.legit.ng/1145690-history-christianity-nigeria.html. Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. They helped them promote better situation with the translation and literature in the state to help them keep up with the rest of the world. Etherington, Norman. Cohn Teaguefirst American missionariesto Sierra Leone, Devotional writer and promoter of missionary awakening(South Africa), Slavery abolished throughout British colonies, Indian pioneer in educational and medical missions, Norwegian missionary to Swaziland (South Africa), William Henry Shepherd (African American), Canadian missionary to China and Indonesia, Literacy pioneer and missionary (Philippines), Founder of SIL/Wycliffe and missionary to Guatemala, 1991 - 2023 Eternal Perspective MinistriesAll Rights Reserved. This is a list of early missionaries in Nigeria: He was part of the first British Government sponsored Niger Expedition of 1841. In January 1956, however, the five men were killed by members of the tribe as they approached them in person for the first time with the hopes of sharing the gospel. missionary / Names: Southern Baptist Convention. Foreign Mission Board West African Senior School Certificate Examination. 1876 - In September, a rusty ocean steamer arrived at a port on the Calabar River in what is now Nigeria. The early missionaries set up craft centres as part of their educational programmes. Kaffraria (South Africa), 1885-1908. Pope Francis has said that missionaries are the "heroes of evangelism". That I deliberately at the call of God, when alone on the Bibby liner in 1910, gave up my life for this work, which was to be henceforth not for the Sudan only, but for the whole unevangelized World. How did Christianity come to Nigeria? Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. In 1827 it grew into Fourah Bay College. By the close of the nineteenth century the major Christian missionary churches had opened elementary schools in many part of southern Nigeria with an enrolment of about 74,000 by the First World War. Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican missionaries were all trying to convert the native African people, often coming into conflict with one another. *Holy Rosary College, Enugu, 1935; He was dedicated to the growth of the Ake Church that he ordained a Priest and grew the church to a capacity of a hundred and eighty members. Born in Aberdeen in 1848, Mary Slessor became missionary to Nigeria under the United Presbyterian Church's Foreign Mission Board. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. Fiedler, Klaus. Wm. Oates, Joan. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. However, were here to serve everyone without cost, so please dont feel obligated to give unless the Lord leads. 60% of unreached people groups live in countries closed to missionaries from North America. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. David . The achievement of the purpose of these Christian Missions came with some costs. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. In the Western Region, the Catholic Sisters running a hospital at Eikwe specialized in maternity cases, and like Slessor in Nigeria succeeded in stamping out the practice of killing twins at birth. Besides education, they cared for the sick. These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. These new movements considered such ventures to be their contribution to Europes reparation for centuries of exploitation of Africans, reparation for the centuries of exploitation which the Trans Atlantic slave trade had caused to African society. Undeterred, however, he founded the Baptist Missionary Society five years later in 1792, preaching a message during which he said one of his most famous quotes: "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God". Christian Missionaries and Civilization in Southern Nigeria, 1841-1960 1813-1873. Without denying that prior to the introduction of Christianity in West Africa the people had developed their own crafts, one must admit that it was Christian missionaries who introduced modern forms of crafts such as carpentry and masonry. Falae, Vivien. Thus, for instance, in 2008, the survey by one organization showed that there are at least 53% Muslims, and 45% Christians, while the other study demonstrated other numbers which were 50% Christians and 49% Muslims. LITERACY - Total Population: 86.7% . The Methodists founded Mfantsipim (1876) for boys and Wesley Girls High School (1884). The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. He shares some of his family's experiences visiting missionaries. Bishop of Smyrna. The Niger areas were first touched by the Christian missionaries thanks to the effort of Sir William Wilberforce who fought for the freedom of the slaves. He was assigned to Cameroon by Carey's Baptist Missionary Society in 1874, and three years later his wife, Mary, died just 11 months after they'd married. James Fieldhouse, produced a Wolof Grammar in 1876. Initially, a majority of the missionary journeys was done with English-Speaking Protestants and later, in the 1820s and 1830s, they were joined by continental Protestantism from Germany, Switzerland and France. The northern area of the state was where Hausa and Bornu people lived. Later, Prisilla and the couple's four daughter stayed in England, while Charles worked in Central Africa until his death in 1931. Robert Murray M'Cheyne. There were no Bibles in local languages, likewise grammar books were scant, so the missionaries had to spend time learning local languages, and translated the Bible and wrote series of grammar books. The pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. At the time, she was doing the unthinkable: being a single woman, in Africa, on the mission field. *St. Theresa College, Ibadan, 1932; It was however in the coastal territories filled with mulattos and other European trading communities that Christianity won some of its early success. The anti-slavery issue and the humanitarian conscience also played a vital role in stimulating European interest in Africa and gave an impetus to mission work. The people received the message with indifference. https://bethanygu.edu/missions/missionary-involvement-in-nigeria/. A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. She reached Nigeria for the first time in 1876. In . Their converts increased steadily in numbers until 1821 when a section broke away to form the first independent African, Christian church in West Africa, called the West Africa Methodist Church. The late Eighteenth Century witnessed the rise of Christian groups in Europe that resorted to the evangelization of Africa. The first attempts to bring Christianity to the area where the modern country is today date back to the 1470s and 1620s. Catholicism in Nigeria. Nevertheless, the first higher institution in Ghana, now the Presbyterian Training College at Akuapem Akropon, was established in 1848, first as a centre for training catechists, and later to train teachers as well as ministers of the Presbyterian Church. When Lawson died, Aylward ran the mission alone. opened, in Freetown, the first boys secondary school in the country and another for girls in 1849, later renamed the Annie Walsh Memorial School. *Barewa College, Zaria, 1921; Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. "One of the most prominent people that were largely responsible for the Christianisation of Nigeria is Samuel Ajiya Crowther, a former slave of Yoruba origin. Missionary activity in Nigeria cannot, of course, be viewed apart from the general European invasion of the West African territories from the advent of the Portuguese. *United Memorial Grammar School, Ibadan, 1928; Of the moment he met God for the first time, he said: "right then and there joy and peace came into my soul. The origin of Christianity in Nigeria in this part roots back to the 1930s when Christians were allowed to enter the territory which was previously closed to them by the Muslims. It was only after the Second World War that the colonial governments started to show a real interest in the promotion of formal education in West Africa. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. Barely ten years later, after the first missionaries arrived, the Methodists, for example, had started a station as far inland as MacCarthy Island. In Proverbs Chapter 3, the wise man admonished us to acknowledge God in all our ways. Aged just 28, she sailed to West Africa in August 1876 and was assigned to the Calabar region. Miss Alice Olstrander (SIM Teachers Training College, Igbaja) 2. Jim Elliot was among a group of US missionaries who felt called to share Christ's teaching with the Waodani tribe in Ecuador in the 1950s. One of the few ethnic groups that were always open to the influence of different religions is the Hausa people. church were founded in south-eastern Nigeria, the chief centres being Bonny and Brass. The evangelical societies founded in the Americas included the Baptist Missionary Board and the Nova Scotian Methodists, whose members went to work among the Maroons, who had settled mainly in Liberia. Evans Brothers, Ltd. London. Christian Missions in Africa: Primary Sources - Mission Records They had their own particular system of laws, administrative organization, and the strong influence of the traditionalists power. Before 1925, there were only three secondary schools and three teacher training colleges in Ghana. Will the actions of orthodox Anglicans be as strong as their words post-Kigali? Until almost the end of the colonial period education was still largely in the hands of the churches. Hildebrandt, Jonathan. Ministry/Place of Ministry. William Gladstone. The CMS began to work in the freed slave villages in Sierra Leone in 1804 and the Methodist in 1811. Paul, a former persecutor of the Christians, became one of the most influential leaders in the mission movement after he experienced a dramatic conversion to the faith. He also founded Serampore College to train local ministers. Vol. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. The Church of Scotland started missionary work in the area of Calabar. Among the early Protestant evangelical societies founded in Great Britain were the Baptist Missionary Society, the Church Missionary Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, the Wesleyan Missionary Society and what became known as the Presbyterian Missionary Society of the Church of Scotland. Ex-slave missionary to Nigeria. The early success of the missionaries included areas like Freetown and surrounding villages. The only woman on board that ship was 29-year-old Mary Slessor, a missionary. These included the Basel Missionary Society, founded in Switzerland, and the Breman Mission formed in Germany. However, this early wave had no success as local kings were more interested in obtaining guns rather than the tales of Christianity. Nigeria 213.53. * St. Charles College, Onitsha, 1929; Charles Thomas Studd was a famous English cricketer who went on to be a missionary to China, Africa and India. By 1914 there were barely thirty schools in that vast area. The Church had its strongest hold in the Senegambia area. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language, and in 1874 the Rev. Therefore the period for the rise of Christianizing Missions in the late Nineteenth Century has been considered as reprise. If youve been impacted by our resources, we invite you to make a year-end gift before December 31. A history of Christianity in Ghana. These trends occasionally brought kings into conflict with the missionaries and their converts. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. West Africa owes to the Christian missionaries not only a new religious faith which has changed the beliefs and life of millions of people, but also the foundation of western education. She went on to serve in the Chinese government as a 'foot inspector' visiting women all over the country to make sure they were following the new law against foot-binding which she saw as part of her missionary work. The next stop was Ibadan, St. Annes School, Molete, Ibadan. West Africa, 1919-1925. Under a very convivial atmosphere, the Busy Bee Society of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Lagos, recently handed over a N40 million project comprising a library, a science laboratory and borehole to Ebenezer Baptist Academy in Oshorun, Ibeshe, Lagos State. It is doubtful that many of the early missionaries were well, if at all, prepared for this aspect of their mission. The first Europeans arrived at the West-African Coasts at the end of the fifteenth century. Accessed February 25, 2021. As happened in other West African countries, many more mission-sponsored hospitals were founded in the course of the twentieth century. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! They were followed by other major missionary bodies, including the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. THE COMING OF CHRISTIANITY IN NIGERIA (I) - ClassNotes.ng Another important German missionary was Wilhelm Johannson, better known by the English version of his name, William Johnson, who is revered in the history of the CMS in West Africa. In Sierra Leone, among the earliest higher institutions which the C.M.S. This happened after He resurrected and showed up to the disciples. The effects of work done by Bishop Ajayi Crowther, assisted by the Igbo recaptive the Rev. * Abeokuta Grammar School, Abeokuta, (Anglica), 1908; They believed in sacrifice to make money and do many other things like killing of twins. Collection consists largely of historical essays and archives written and collected by Cecil Roberson to document the history of Baptists in Nigeria. The coming of Christianity to Nigeria I (Primary 6) The Church of Nigeria is the second largest province in the Anglican Communion after the Church of England. Mission Schools Opened World to Africans, but Left an Ambiguous Legacy Some early success included the Liberian coast where Afro-Americans and freed slaves were converted. Chaplains were assigned to forts, but their role was to serve the Europeans, not to evangelize Africans. Henry Townsend, were co-principals of the C.M.S Female Institution of Lagos from 1871 until 1872. Ben Ayade came late. *African Church School, Kajola, Ifo, 1943; Renewed evangelisation started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). Catholic missionary efforts on the shores of Nigeria began with an initial attempt by Portuguese missionaries in the 15 th and 16 th centuries. Christianity in northern Nigeria. List of Early Missionaries in Nigeria - Nigerian Finder *Baptist High School, Bodija, Ibadan, 1940; The story goes that in 1787, he suggested that all Christians had a duty to share the gospel around the world, after which he was told: "Young man, sit down. Church history, history of Christianity, religious history: some reflections on British missionary enterprise since the late eighteenth century. Church History 71, no. CONTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIANITY TO WEST AFRICA. With collaborations with other missionaries like William De Graft, he built a Mission house and Chapel, which was completed in November 1842. When the women of Israel sang the praise of David for killing Goliath, this made King Saul angry and envious. In the same year as the Basel missionaries settled in Akuapem 1835 the Wesleyan (later Methodist) Church was established at Cape Coast by the Rev. Catholicism arrived in the territory that would come to be known as Nigeria with Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, though their missionary efforts were largely unsuccessful and Catholicism virtually disappeared by the 17th century. The youngest of the 'Studd Brothers', who were known for their cricket skills at Eton and Cambridge, Charles played in the first Test match between England vs Australia where the Ashes were named. There was also a growing number of Nigerian pastors and independent Nigerian churches at the time. Ten Ways Missions Has Influenced Africa - IMB Year-by-year Christian missions timeline - Southern Nazarene University This is a list of early missionaries in Nigeria: Reverend Samuel Ajayi Crowther He was part of the first British Government sponsored Niger Expedition of 1841. Here is the list of the early schools, mission, private or government owned. The identity of each is easy to decipher. However, despite all the efforts of the Portuguese missionaries, there was not much fruit from this. *Government Secondary School, Ilorin, 1914; Father Jean Marie Coquard, operating in and from Abeokuta for forty years, was renowned among the Egba as a priest and surgeon in the second half of the nineteenth century. Though their first attempt was unsuccessful, these missionaries persisted and in the 19 th Century, there was a successful expansion of Christian missions in Nigeria.
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