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. That is why, they had a contact with the rest of the world throughout the whole time, especially during the Middle Ages. Within ten years of Father Bergheros visit, the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria had become so well established that it ceased to be under administration from Dahomey. The only woman on board that ship was 29-year-old Mary Slessor, a missionary. 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. Randy was interviewed by his local church, Good Shepherd, for their annual Global Outreach weekend. In the field of education, however, the missionaries had to adjust their programmes to fit in with the policy of assimilation. 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Trained as a shoemaker, William Carey became known as the 'father of modern missions' for his missionary work in India. Within a short time the missionaries spread their activities inland. In 1892, the Church Missionary Society opened the Iyi Enu Hospital in Onitsha which is today a leading hospital in Anambra state. 2 Timothy) are used to provide aid without requiring conversion. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. By the 1800's, various parts of Nigeria had a rooted Catholic Mission presence. However, the early missionaries established medical centres, at first at their mission posts, and later far and wide, to attend to the sick. He and other missionaries facilitated the abolition of human sacrifices in the Calabar area. 1813-1873. One of the few ethnic groups that were always open to the influence of different religions is the Hausa people. The people in Nigeria and their traditions which they believed and worship God. A new attempt to spread Christianity was made when the Church Missionary Society (CMS) arrived from Britain in 1821. Thanks to their faith and hard labor here, around 45% of all the population in the area became Christians. Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. Prior to advent of the Christian missionaries and indeed well into the pre-independence period, most sick people depended for cure upon concoction herbs and roots and barks of trees. As a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society, he wrote hymns and translated the Bible into the Yoruba language. nook and crannies of southern Nigeria. How did Christianity come to Nigeria? Ex-policeman who claims to be reincarnation of Jesus Christ finally arrested (photos). Speaking at morning Mass in Rome, the Pope praised Christians who had given up everything to share their faith. The American Episcopal Evangelical (A.M.E.) Zion Church owes its foundation in Ghana to Bishop J. Bryan Small, who started work first at Keta in 1898. *Christ the King College, Onitsha, 1933; The lead was followed by other missionaries, notably the Roman Catholic, whose first higher institution was St Edwards Secondary School in Freetown. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. Pope Francis has said that missionaries are the "heroes of evangelism". 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. Renewed evangelisation started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). Longman Publishing Group, 1980. It was however in the coastal territories filled with mulattos and other European trading communities that Christianity won some of its early success. 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. The Roman Catholic Sisters provided medical care in the Upper and Northern Regions of the country before the government started to provide hospitals and clinics in the regional and district headquarters. Also, Christian missionaries in Ghana were as zealous as their counterparts in Nigeria in pioneering medical services. For instance, on 2nd October 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed followed by the interdenominational London Missionary Society which was established in 1795. In 1858 the Rev. Here are six Christian missionaries who gave up everything for Christ. Kaffraria (South Africa), 1885-1908. After ordination in England in 1843, he returned to Abeokuta, and he and his wife Sarah Townsend remained until 1867. In the beginning of the 19th century, Christian missionaries were launched with unprecedented vigor to Africa. 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. As happened in parts of Yorubaland in the last century, some of the Christian missionaries often engaged in local politics and took an active part in helping the colonial authorities in their wars of territorial expansion. Barely ten years later, after the first missionaries arrived, the Methodists, for example, had started a station as far inland as MacCarthy Island. *Igbobi College, Lagos, (Anglican) 1932; C.M.S. The Church of Nigeria is the second largest province in the Anglican Communion after the Church of England. Ages enduring gratitude the nation owes them all. Baker Pub Group, 1996. He travelled extensively from east to west . In 1858 ten years after the founding of the first college, the Presbyterians opened a sister college at Aburi for the training of women teachers. They believed and practiced rituals to make money and do many things like killing of twins. Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. He was a missionary that engaged in preaching engagements in Ijaye after he arrived from Abeokuta in 1853. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. They were replaced in Sierra Leone by the Holy Ghost Fathers in 1864, who made converts in large numbers not only among the pagans but also among the members of the then competing Christian churches. Christianity in West Africa: The Nigerian Story. 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. Aged just 28, she sailed to West Africa in August 1876 and was assigned to the Calabar region. 1876 - In September, a rusty ocean steamer arrived at a port on the Calabar River in what is now Nigeria. Secondary Schools in the Protectorate started later, following the establishment of Bo Government Secondary School in 1906. The first missionaries in the Western regions were Methodists and Baptists. *Queens College, Yaba, 1927; They were able to successfully establish churches in Ibesikpo. She is regarded as the first solo female missionary to Nigeria when she arrived in 1876. By the 1970s a lot of missionaries cam to Nigeria to help spread the Christianity here. 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. Among the first missionaries was the Rev. The late Eighteenth Century witnessed the rise of Christian groups in Europe that resorted to the evangelization of Africa. However, despite all the efforts of the Portuguese missionaries, there was not much fruit from this. Miss Alice Olstrander (SIM Teachers Training College, Igbaja) 2. Christianity in Nigeria was first introduced in the 15th century by Portuegese Catholic priests during the Age of Exploration. Meanwhile, the research by the Pew Research Center that same year showed at least 52% Muslims, 46% Christians, and 1% non-religious individuals. The Presbyterians, also, opened hospitals in several parts of the country, including the one at Agogo in Asante-Akyem. 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. He was in charge of the Ake Church in Abeokuta originally erected by Rev. Timeline of Great Missionaries (and a few other well-known historical and church figures and events) Dates. churches were firmly established in several important towns, such as Abeokuta (1846), Lagos (1851), Ibadan (1853), and Oyo (1856). Mr & Mrs Jim & Doris Guth Custer (served at SIM Teachers Training College, Igbaja) 4. *Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta, 1923; He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. The identity of each is easy to decipher. 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'. Tinubu said in his administration workers will find a dependable. The story of Africa. The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. 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. In Sierra Leone, among the earliest higher institutions which the C.M.S. The History of Christianity in West Africa. For several years they paid attention to slave trade rather than evangelization and Christianization of the people of West-Africa. 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. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. Falae, Vivien. The Church of Scotland started missionary work in the area of Calabar. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. This happened after He resurrected and showed up to the disciples. Among other things the regulations required that all teachers should be registered, and a minimum salary was fixed. opened was the Christian Institute, established in 1814 for the training of teachers, catechists and priests. 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. Europeans were seen as ruling Africans both in political and ecclesiastical matters'' (Falae). Badagry was so receptive to missionaries at that time, so he moved to Abeokuta before finally settling in Ibadan in 1853, where he carried on preaching engagements and educating young children with the aid of his wife, Anna Hinderer. 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. They brought educational programs to fight off the illiteracy through different educational programs and institutions. Noble were the exertions, labour and sacrifice that went into giving Nigeria foundational materials Gov. These churches incorporated their old religious and cultural ideals with their new teachings of the Bible. Two important private schools with strong Christian influence must also be mentioned: Accra High School, founded in 1923 and Accra Academy, established in In 1845 the C.M.S. Ekechi, Felix K. Colonialism and Christianity in West Africa: The Igbo Case, 19001915. The Journal of African History 12, no. That God called me to China and I went in spite of utmost opposition from all my loved ones. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20). From the second half of the eighteenth century, a fervent wave of evangelical spirit developed in the United Kingdom, Europe and the New World which inspired men and women with the missionary fervour to found religious societies whose members would go out to Africa and the other lands. Dr & Mrs H. Henry Budd (the third Principal of ECWA Theological Seminary, Igbaja) 3. Grammar School for Boys in 1859, St Gregorys College opened by the Catholics in 1876, Methodist Boys High School 1878 and Methodist Girls High School 1879. He also founded Serampore College to train local ministers. This was where the Efik people lived; a community that believed in traditional West African religions and had particular superstition of twins, who were often killed or abandoned. 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. In the 17th century, the Roman Catholic missionaries found their way to Nigeria. 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. There were only bush paths, and no roads in the early times. . All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. James Fieldhouse, produced a Wolof Grammar in 1876. If you are interested in learning more about it, then read on. Meanwhile, at the same time, the Fulani and Jihadists forced people living in the North to support Islam. Christianity reborn: the global expansion of evangelicalism in the twentieth century. 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. President-Elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pledged to put in place a living wage for Nigerian workers. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. Joseph Dunwell. *Government Secondary School, Ilorin, 1914; *Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode (Anglican), 1913; In 1902 the Methodists opened a clinic at Igbo-Ora. In the 19th century more stable missions were sent into Nigeria as European nations gained tighter control over their African colonies. As happened in other colonial territories, the government did not show great interest in the provision of education in Ghana until the missionaries had extended their services throughout the country and had set up primary schools and a few secondary schools and training colleges. As happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the gospel alone. Wm. This instruction in 1948 developed into the University College in Ibadan. The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. Here is the list of the early schools, mission, private or government owned. NUUT Co. Ltd. Kumasi, Ghana, 2011, Baarkinado. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropon on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. Stay up to date with the latest Christian news! 3:03 am. Christian missionaries believed that their dedication to Christianity would be enough for conversion. As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. Debrunner, Hans Werner. 3 (2002): 555-584. 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. That I joyfully acted as Christ told that rich young man to act. AMVERIFIED: Africas indigenous social network community. The problems created by the white missionaries themselves arose largely from a misconception of what Africa represented. The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. 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. She was rejected by the China Inland Mission after failing to pass the necessary exams, but agreed to work for a 73-year-old missionary, Jeannie Lawson, who was looking for a young woman to carry on her work in the country. What is the impact the Christianity had in the state? North Kaffraria, 1883-1904. 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. Born in Aberdeen in 1848, Mary Slessor became missionary to Nigeria under the United Presbyterian Church's Foreign Mission Board. Accessed February 25, 2021. 3. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. He later transferred to the Congo, and explored the Congo river with Thomas Comber, finding locations for mission stations. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. It is doubtful that many of the early missionaries were well, if at all, prepared for this aspect of their mission. Their luggage and other necessities had to be carried on heads and took a long time before reaching the missionaries. CONTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIANITY TO WEST AFRICA. He saw no conversions for seven years, his son Peter died of dysentery and his wife's mental health deteriorated rapidly. Originally a freed African slave from Freetown, Sierra Leone of Yoruba ancestry, was instrumental in the establishment of Christian missions in Nigeria. And for our independence and banished ignorance, for broadening minds so we could recognize liberty and freedom. Isichei, Elizabeth. From the 15th Century until the 17th Century, the efforts to evangelize made by the French, Portuguese, Catholic-controlled Italian Government, and missionary bodies in the Benin and Warri areas were futile and resulted in catastrophe. "Missionaries and other white Christians were alarmed by the idea that the equality of all people before God means they should be equal in public life. What Are The Impacts Of Missionaries In Nigeria? LITERACY - Total Population: 86.7% . He was a missionary under the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod that carried on missionary work in Ibesikpo between 1944 and 1948. People accepted Jesus Christ but still had the mentality impacted by the indigenous religions. Other sources mention that this number is around eighty-five million. But the equality of believers is an idea. He was a missionary that participated in missionary work in Ibesikpo under the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod during the mid-1940s. In his twenties, he served in the China Inland Mission, where he married missionary Priscilla Livingstone Stewart. West Africa, 1919-1925. Thus, the first missions came to this area around the same time the trade and colonialists came here too. *Lisabi Grammar School, Abeokuta, 1943; Their greatest legacy in the field of education was the foundation which the Methodist laid for what is today the Gambia High school. This made it difficult for the early missionaries to stay in the country for long. The oldest secondary school in Nigeria, it was founded on 06 June, 1859. He was ordained in 1845 and got consecrated as a Bishop in 1864. Please click this link to download the chapter. https://bebegolf.com/history/. He was a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society of the Church of England that arrived in Nigeria in 1843. opened, in Freetown, the first boys secondary school in the country and another for girls in 1849, later renamed the Annie Walsh Memorial School. Henry Townsend. 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. 2017: Pastor Weiser retires in June, and Missionary Jeff Heitsch is called to serve Nigeria half-time from Cameroon. 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. *Offa Grammar School, Offa, 1943; Teacher training colleges in Ghana did not expand as fast as the secondary schools. This is a list of early missionaries in Nigeria: He was part of the first British Government sponsored Niger Expedition of 1841. They came with craftsmen who rebuilt . Clara Anne Williams (ne. Russia 146.02. However, with time, they brought some crops, which they cultivated and which sustained them. About the same time, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) headed by the Rev. Hope Waddell was later joined by the Rev. REPORT: How COVID-19 increased child labour in Lagos state (parents, children share experiences), READ ALSO: Meet Footballers Who Converted To Christianity From Islam. The emergence of the Christian Church in this region had to struggle with the difficulties three different contexts brought. church were founded in south-eastern Nigeria, the chief centres being Bonny and Brass. Finally, another factor that the Church had to deal with was that of the British invasion which brought its own system. Baptists. Public money was spent only on the small number of government schools, totaling nineteen when Governor Guggisberg assumed office in 1919. The next stop was Ibadan, St. Annes School, Molete, Ibadan. *Oduduwa Grammar School, Ile-Ife (CMS), 1932: Before they came, Nigerians were uneducated. A Cornish missionary and explorer, George Grenfell served as a Baptist missionary in Cameroon in the late 1800s. The following year, its female arm, Methodist Girls High School, Lagos, came on the scene. The following are notable Christian missionaries: These are missionaries who predate the Second Council of Nicaea so it may be claimed by both Catholic and Orthodoxy or belonging to early Christian groups. Great were the thoughts that went into establishing Mission Schools. It included my own mission, the Christian Reformed Church (SUM/CRC) that eventually partnered with three different denominations.2 *Methodist Boys High School, Oron, 1903; The impact of Christianity on West African society has persisted to this day. B. et al. Clarke, Peter Bernard. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. Interdenominational Faith Missions in Africa: History and Ecclesiology. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. 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. *St. Patricks College, Calabar, 1934; 1809-1898. The CMS began to work in the freed slave villages in Sierra Leone in 1804 and the Methodist in 1811. They helped them by establishing better medicine. Europeans were not only curious to explore the lands but also the native people. Although modern scientific research has confirmed the medicinal properties of these concoctions, traditional medical practice had several shortcomings. The Sudan United Mission (SUM) was a conglomeration or umbrella of different mission societies whose missionaries came from all the Caucasian- dominated nations of the Commonwealth as well as the USA. Many of them came to faith. Christian missionary activities in West Africa, https://wasscehistorytextbook.com/6-christian-missionary-activities-in-west-africa/, https://webbschool.libguides.com/PurpleHibiscusResearch2021. For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. Slavery: An Unlikely Catalyst In the fifteenth century, Christianity came to Africa's coastlines through forts established by European slave traders. Bangladesh 166.99. 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. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. 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. 11 March 2021 | Missionaries provide humanitarian aid and preach the Christian faith (sometimes through sacraments). The President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, has assured Nigerian workers of a minimum wage, social and economic justice. Up until the 19th century, European missionaries were not especially successful. She championed women's rights, and set up a mission hospital for the local people. 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. From that time on, the first Christians took the Gospel to all the ends of the world including the places where Nigeria is now. The identity of each is easy to decipher. Despite the violence and persecution which follows those not supporting Islam in the different area but opt for Christianity or staying away from any religion, the number of Christianity adherers constantly grows. Accessed February 27, 2021. https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section8.shtml, https://bethanygu.edu/missions/missionary-involvement-in-nigeria/. Furthermore, during this same period, the anti-Islamic sentiment was quite high in Europe and North America within Christian circles. Another important missionary doctor was J. R. Stephen who for many years headed a missionary hospital at Ilesha. www prepacmfg content replacement part order,

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