list of missionaries that came to nigeria

*Wesley College, Elekuro, Ibadan, 1905; *Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta, 1923; Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. Baker Pub Group, 1996. 2 Timothy) are used to provide aid without requiring conversion. Today, I want to briefly share with you how God leads. Christian missions also took a leading role in the campaign to end the slave trade and to suppress slavery. In 1892, the Church Missionary Society opened the Iyi Enu Hospital in Onitsha which is today a leading hospital in Anambra state. Its message was that of love and the universal brotherhood of mankind. Jim's journal, which famously features the quote "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose", has also been read by thousands of believers around the world. The Story of Africa| BBC World Service Abstract. The emergence of the Christian Church in this region had to struggle with the difficulties three different contexts brought. Porter, Andrew. *Government College, Ibadan, 1927; For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. The first context was that of the Islamic raids which got so popular that people not always could escape from it and choose what they wanted to believe in. He successfully established churches in Ibesikpo, which gave rise to the present Lutheran Church of Nigeria. Henry Townsend. She also adopted a number of orphans, leading around 100 to safety during the Japanese occupation, and became known as 'i Wi D', meaning 'Virtuous One'. ", Comparing them to the apostle Paul, Francis added: "I think it is only right that we give thanks to the Lord for their testimony. *Baptist Academy, Lagos, 1885; Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican missionaries were all trying to convert the native African people, often coming into conflict with one another. Missionaries in Pre-Colonial and Early Colonial Nigeria Essay A history of African Christianity 1950-1975. 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. As happened in Ghana, the development of training colleges in Nigeria was slower than secondary schools, though the C. M. S. had opened the first training college at Abeokuta as far back as 1849. By 1844, he erected the Ake Church in Abeokuta. These included the Basel Missionary Society, founded in Switzerland, and the Breman Mission formed in Germany. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba. They came into cities like Benin and Warri where they preached Christianity. By 1885, they had become the largest European-led churches in Nigeria, spreading further inland. He shares some of his family's experiences visiting missionaries. Indeed, in some situations the converts were taught to feel that they were absolved from obeying their own traditional rulers and certain laws of the state. 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. Groundless fears that the converts would become contaminated with paganism led some of the Christian missionaries, notably the Presbyterians, to separate the Christians from the rest of the township. While the protestant evangelical movements were gaining ground in West Africa, similar movements were being promoted by the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. How did missionaries try to reach out to the Africans? They were of much interest to different scientists and religious activists from all over the world. Operating from Whydah in what is today the Peoples Republic of Benin (formerly Dahomey), Father Berghero, in 1860, visited Abeokuta and Lagos where freed Catholic slaves from Brazil welcomed him warmly. 6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa This single problem made the missionary work very difficult. This fact only proves what God said about those who will persecute those loving Jesus. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. The early Christians saw an especially urgent need to spread their faith before the second coming of Christ, which they believed was imminent. *Edo College, Benin, 1937. Also, the traditional doctors more often than not could not diagnose illness accurately. Christianity in northern Nigeria. Establishment of Christian Churches In Sierra Leone. Name. Russia 146.02. This was the work of the great missionary, Thomas Birch Freeman, who placed two missionaries, Mr and Mrs. de Graft, in charge of the school. The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. The first secondary school in the East was Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar, now Cross River State capital. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. 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. *Methodist Boys High School, Oron, 1903; God the Creator of all, including time, has packaged everything in this world in time. Soon after the start of elementary schools, the missionaries started opening higher institutions also. Two other training colleges opened by the missionaries, in the early days, were the Wesley College in Kumasi (1922) and the Roman Catholic Training College at Amisano, near Elmina (1931) which in 1936 moved to the campus of the newly founded secondary school, St Augustines College at Cape Coast. 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. 2 (1983): 116-143. One of the few ethnic groups that were always open to the influence of different religions is the Hausa people. In 1925 the Governor introduced measures which helped the efforts of the missionaries. In this respect the Christian religion therefore differed from the traditional religions of West Africa, which along with an acceptance of one Supreme Being worshipped a hierarchy of gods. J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. churches were firmly established in several important towns, such as Abeokuta (1846), Lagos (1851), Ibadan (1853), and Oyo (1856). The early African converts to Christianity, were made to abandon their ancestral culture and way of life as pagan therefore to be shunned. He travelled extensively from east to west . However, by the turn of the Nineteenth Century there was systematic efforts by churches of Christian Europe, namely: Anglicans, Methodists, and Baptists who were active in Sierra Leone and, with Presbyterians, in Nigeria, while Methodists also set up missions in Ghana, Gambia, and Dahomey. Called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. *Christ the King College, Onitsha, 1933; To supplement these missionary efforts in the field of higher education, the government opened its own secondary school in Lagos in 1909, this was Kings College. 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. Privacy Statement Development of Education in Sierra Leone. Early Missionaries THE KONGO In 1490 the first missionaries came to Sub-Saharan Africa at the request of King Nzinga of Kongo (also known as the Manikongo). Get the hottest stories from the largest news site in Nigeria, BREAKING: Photos emerge as president-elect Tinubus ADC assumes duty, Bride-to-be insists friend must shave hair for fear she will upstage her on wedding day, List of new courses NUC approves for Nigerian universities, "How much did you spend?" Isichei, Elizabeth. 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. Waterville Pub. However, despite all the efforts of the Portuguese missionaries, there was not much fruit from this. Christian missionaries believed that their dedication to Christianity would be enough for conversion. While it has brought undoubted benefits, it has also harmed the traditional way of life. 26. They were followed by other major missionary bodies, including the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. This special relationship continued until 1960 when Fourah Bay became a college of the newly reconstituted University of Sierra Leone; the other constituent college located at Njala developed from a training college founded in 1920. Missionaries -- Nigeria Cecil F. and Marie Roberson were Southern Baptist missionaries in Nigeria between the 1950s and 1970s. Christianity in Nigeria was first introduced in the 15th century by Portuegese Catholic priests during the Age of Exploration. She encouraged womens rights and protected children, notably, in the abolition of infanticide of twins in the Efik regions. Step forward CMS Grammar School, Lagos. *Government Secondary School, Ilorin, 1914; *Olivet Heights, Oyo, 1945; For instance, on 2nd October 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed followed by the interdenominational London Missionary Society which was established in 1795. Origins of the Niger Mission 1841-1891, by K. Onwuka Dike (1957) *Ondo Boys High School, Ondo, (CMS), 1919; Missionary Involvement in Africa (Historical & Current) *United Memorial Grammar School, Ibadan, 1928; This influenced the country greatly too. The problems created by the white missionaries themselves arose largely from a misconception of what Africa represented. Clara Anne Williams (ne. In the beginning of the 19th century, Christian missionaries were launched with unprecedented vigor to Africa. Christian Missions in Africa: Primary Sources - Mission Records As the abolition of slavery progressed in the different European colonies, converting freed slaves became a powerful motive for setting up European Christian missions. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. Daystar Press, 1978. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. How did Christianity come to Nigeria? Major World Religions ISLAM. Purple Hibiscus Research: Christian Missionaries in Nigeria They were instrumental in setting the scene which would meet the colonists when they started arriving. Poju Oyemade: Biography, Career and Lots more, Fathia Balogun: Biography, Career, Movies & More, Prospa Ochimana Biography, Career & Lots More, Aliko Dangotes Private Jet: What We Found Out, Liz Benson: Biography, Career & Other Details. Oates, Joan. North Kaffraria, 1883-1904. 3 (2002): 555-584. T. Nelson. The Methodists founded the Boys High School in 1874, and another high school for girls six years later. In this chapter, we shall examine how Christianity and Western-style education influenced West Africans values, attitudes and life-styles. Renewed evangelisation started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. History of christianity in Nigeria - Legit.ng Library Catalog Christian family to appeal after court dismisses school Pride parade complaint, British public don't want a secular coronation, poll finds, Relic of crucifixion cross to be used in King Charles' coronation, Challenged by the faith of those who suffer. Thus, the first missions came to this area around the same time the trade and colonialists came here too. Slavery: An Unlikely Catalyst In the fifteenth century, Christianity came to Africa's coastlines through forts established by European slave traders. This happened after He resurrected and showed up to the disciples. He was an American missionary with the Southern Baptist Church. Barely ten years later, after the first missionaries arrived, the Methodists, for example, had started a station as far inland as MacCarthy Island. Their luggage and other necessities had to be carried on heads and took a long time before reaching the missionaries. 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. Longman Nigeria Plc., 1994, Boahen, A.A. et al Tropics in West Africa History. The identity of each is easy to decipher. Amazingly, Elisabeth and the sister of another of the missionaries, Rachel, were introduced to the Waodani just two years after their murder, and were invited to live among the tribe. Accessed February 28, 2021. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. 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. Unlike the Portuguese, the French colonial officials encouraged the Christian missionaries in the promotion of formal education and social services, notably health. There was also a growing number of Nigerian pastors and independent Nigerian churches at the time. The story of Africa. In 1964, he became the first black Bishop of the Anglican Communion. Instead of adapting the teachings and practices of the new religion to suit indigenous values, as it did when the same Christian religion adopted Greek, Roman, German and Anglo-Saxon native practices, the early Christian missionaries condemned totally as pagan, and to be avoided by their converts, whatever they considered strange. Senate President Ahmad Lawan, says the 9th National Assembly has performed credibility well in terms of delivering democracy dividends to Nigerians, since its inauguration in 2019. LITERACY - Total Population: 86.7% . PROBLEMS FACED BY THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section8.shtml, https://bethanygu.edu/missions/missionary-involvement-in-nigeria/. It was not until 1841 that the British Government sponsored Niger Expedition, of which missionaries from the Church Missionary Society of the Church of England were part of, did progress in missionary works begin to thrive. 3. Kalu, Ogbu. The Surprising Countries Most Missionaries Are Sent From a | News The Presbyterians, also, opened hospitals in several parts of the country, including the one at Agogo in Asante-Akyem. The real success of Christian conversion came when freed Christian slaves began to return to Nigeria towards the end of the 20th century. This page is not available in other languages. Introduction, spread and effects, 6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa, 7: Scramble for and Partition of West Africa, 9: Problems of Independent West African States, 10: West Africa and International Organizations, 11: Women and Authority in West African History, 12: The Environment in West African History. They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. 1 (1971): 103-115. History books tended to exaggerate in achievements of Europeans, making no reference to Africans own great past. Accessed February 26, 2021. They also prescribed many taboos which, in the light of modern medical science, had no relation whatever with the illness being treated. The tropical climatic condition in the country was not favourable to the early missionaries who came to the shores of West Africa. No doubt, we shall continue to be in the dark, unless God leads us into His light. https://bethanygu.edu/missions/missionary-involvement-in-nigeria/. He is considered to have laid the foundation for Christian witness in tropical Africa. Bangladesh 166.99. He was among the missionary staff involved in mission work in Nigeria between 1944 and 1948. In the field of education, however, the missionaries had to adjust their programmes to fit in with the policy of assimilation. 2. He started this massive campaign in the Great Britain stating that African slaves should be freed. Furthermore, during this same period, the anti-Islamic sentiment was quite high in Europe and North America within Christian circles. In the beginning of the 19th century, Christian missionaries were launched with unprecedented vigor to Africa. Scottish minister. A Scottish missionary with the Scottish Presbyterian Church. Gladys Aylward was a British evangelical Christian missionary to China in the 20th century. The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. He saw no conversions for seven years, his son Peter died of dysentery and his wife's mental health deteriorated rapidly. But the equality of believers is an idea. 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. Finally, they established new missions to keep up the good work. Noble were the exertions, labour and sacrifice that went into giving Nigeria foundational materials for human capital development, which provided the building blocks for our social and economic development, cultivation of refinement and civilization. He was a missionary from Sierra Leone that arrived in Nigeria in March 1859. 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 Portuguese were the first to introduce the Christian faith into West Africa but following their departure from the West Coast in the mid-seventeenth century, the Christian religion survived only in Upper Guinea where a bishop was maintained in the Cape Verde Islands serving also a part of the mainland. The Church of Scotland started missionary work in the area of Calabar. If you are interested in learning more about it, then read on. Besides education, they cared for the sick. Another valuable contribution of the Christian missionaries in West Africa was the development of literature in the local vernaculars, this included the translation of the Bible into some of the important local languages. As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. It was however in the coastal territories filled with mulattos and other European trading communities that Christianity won some of its early success. *St. Annes School, Molete, Ibadan, 1896; Like the Methodists, the Roman Catholic missionaries spread the faith notably in the interior, which later became Protectorate. An American missionary with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod(WELS) began the preparatory work for WELS in Nigeria, alongside his wife in 1936. Mission History in Nigeria - WELS According to ot the Nigeria Christian Fellowship, there are at least seventy million people who consider themselves Christians. Here, the history of Christianity turns its new page in the 1840s. A new era began with the settlements of Black Christians from Nova Scotia in Sierra Leone in 1787 and the missionary advance inland from Cape Town beginning with the arrival there of J. T. van der Kemp in 1799. Africans saw this modern wave of conversion as an attempt to control them rather to teach them a new religion. Speaking at morning Mass in Rome, the Pope praised Christians who had given up everything to share their faith. Wife of Rev. 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. This made it difficult for the early missionaries to stay in the country for long. The people received the message with indifference. Within ten years the C.M.S had opened twelve more schools in what is today Cross Rivers State. Ayades lifting of promotion embargo came late, says workers, May Day: I will pay you living wage not minimum wage, Tinubu tells Nigerian workers, Pomp as women group donates science lab, borehole to school. West Africa and Christianity. The Church had its strongest hold in the Senegambia area. As happened in other West African countries, many more mission-sponsored hospitals were founded in the course of the twentieth century. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1145690-history-christianity-nigeria.html. Slessor suffered from serious bouts of malaria and other tropical diseases, and was forced on more than one occasion to return to Scotland to recover. Privacy Policy. Hildebrandt, Jonathan. He started this massive campaign in the Great Britain stating that African slaves should be freed. The Church of Nigeria is the second largest province in the Anglican Communion after the Church of England. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. *Government College, Ughelli, 1945: Pope Francis has said that missionaries are the "heroes of evangelism". Thomas Thompson, arrived in Cape Coast in 1752. However, were here to serve everyone without cost, so please dont feel obligated to give unless the Lord leads. Robert Murray M'Cheyne. Category:Christian missionaries in Nigeria - Wikipedia The others included the Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. Interdenominational Faith Missions in Africa: History and Ecclesiology. *Government College, Katsina-Ala, 1914; Here is the list of the early schools, mission, private or government owned. It included my own mission, the Christian Reformed Church (SUM/CRC) that eventually partnered with three different denominations.2 *Methodist Girls High School, Lagos, 1879; A.G. Frazer, did much to encourage the promotion of indigenous culture, but by and large the colonial authorities contributed to dwindling a good deal of our cultural heritage. . Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. However, this early wave had no success as local kings were more interested in obtaining guns rather than the tales of Christianity. The pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. Wm. 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. Africa Christian Press, 1996. The President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, has assured Nigerian workers of a minimum wage, social and economic justice. Until his last day on this Earth, he worked hard to bring God to Nigerians. Predominantly Muslim territory, the North received western education later than the South. Collection consists largely of historical essays and archives written and collected by Cecil Roberson to document the history of Baptists in Nigeria. After an unsuccessful beginning by the society of African Missions (SMA), this missionary body moved into other territories in what is now Liberia, Ghana and Nigeria. Missionaries who served at Igbaja from 1950-2000 1. Fiedler, Klaus. 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. Longman Publishing Group, 1980. It is important to emphasize that the modern history of the Christian Mission in Africa started from the late Eighteenth Century, the Catholics had been there earlier in the first centuries of the Christian era especially during the first Portuguese adventures. 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.
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