list of missionaries that came to nigeria

They did not take into consideration the already established cultural characteristics; Igbo religious traditions had long been engraved into the African society. He was among the missionary staff involved in mission work in Nigeria between 1944 and 1948. Here is the list of the early schools, mission, private or government owned. 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. 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 glory of our Church!". 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. Until almost the end of the colonial period education was still largely in the hands of the churches. Pastor Douglas Weiser accepts the call to be a visiting missionary to Nigeria after visiting since 1997 and serving as WELS Liaison to the field from 2002 to 2014. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. Called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. Within a short time the missionaries spread their activities inland. They helped them by establishing better medicine. In the 19thh century, too, Afro-Brazilians returned to Benin and Nigeria with Catholicism. African people did not have to give up their cultural identity in order to follow something Western and foreign. The vast majority of the people of The Gambia are Moslems; but a sizeable percentage of the population, especially in and around the capital Banjul, are Christians. The CMS began to work in the freed slave villages in Sierra Leone in 1804 and the Methodist in 1811. * St. Thomas College, Ibusa; (CMS) 1928; *Edo College, Benin, 1937. Wm. She arrived in Ibadan in 1852, and with her husband, David Hinderer, they set up a mission in Ibadan and also built schools for young children which she taught and ran the affairs. From 1937 until her demise in 1838, she carried on evangelical duties within West Africa. 3 (2002): 555-584. Another important fact about this region is that to the West of the territory Nigeria has today, people were often enslaved or involved in slavery which came to this land in the seventeenth century. *United Memorial Grammar School, Ibadan, 1928; READ ALSO: Soyinka is unfair, Christianity is a peaceful religion - CAN, How 2 useless presidential candidates will emerge in 2023 - Sanusi goes prophetic. It was founded in 1895. A history of African Christianity 1950-1975. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. *Queen of the Rosary College, Onitsha, 1942; It is doubtful that many of the early missionaries were well, if at all, prepared for this aspect of their mission. 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 Accessed February 28, 2021. A notable example was the Asafo Company, a purely military and social organisation of the peoples of Ghana, which was condemned by the early missionaries because of its presumed connection with fetish practices. 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 early missionaries set up craft centres as part of their educational programmes. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. When God pleases to convert the heathen, he will do it without your aid and mine.". * Abeokuta Grammar School, Abeokuta, (Anglica), 1908; Its the generous support of our ministry partners that enables us to continue our eternity-shaping work. 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. Oates, Joan. Christianity reborn: the global expansion of evangelicalism in the twentieth century. Missionaries -- Nigeria Cecil F. and Marie Roberson were Southern Baptist missionaries in Nigeria between the 1950s and 1970s. These included the Basel Missionary Society, founded in Switzerland, and the Breman Mission formed in Germany. He started this massive campaign in the Great Britain stating that African slaves should be freed. For the West Africans, the acceptance of Christianity meant the total rejection of most of the cherished institutions upon which their society rested. 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. In Sierra Leone, among the earliest higher institutions which the C.M.S. *Baptist High School, Bodija, Ibadan, 1940; Longman Group Ltd. London and Basingstoke, 1986, Fage, J.D. For several years they paid attention to slave trade rather than evangelization and Christianization of the people of West-Africa. West Africa and Christianity. 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. 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?" All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. 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. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. One gift God has given to every man equally is the gift of time. Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. He was a missionary of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod that arrived Nigeria in 1937 to lead the mission work of WELS. Church history, history of Christianity, religious history: some reflections on British missionary enterprise since the late eighteenth century. Church History 71, no. History. 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. 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. BREAKING: Edo 2020: Oshiomhole finally breaks silence, reveals why he was moved to tears on election day. The lead was followed by other missionaries, notably the Roman Catholic, whose first higher institution was St Edwards Secondary School in Freetown. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:12-14), Be nice to bandits, Sheikh Gumi tells Nigerians, releases tips on how to live peacefully with them, Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! (Luke 6:22), The beginning of the history of Christianity in Nigeria. He was a missionary that participated in missionary work in Ibesikpo under the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod during the mid-1940s. LITERACY - Total Population: 86.7% . Henry Townsend, Sarah Townsend was a missionary under the Christian Missionary Society. Robert Murray M'Cheyne. Falae, Vivien. The origin of Christianity in the North of Nigeria. House, 1967. Barely ten years later, after the first missionaries arrived, the Methodists, for example, had started a station as far inland as MacCarthy Island. Slessor saved hundreds of children during her time in Nigeria; even adopting one young girl as her own daughter. She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. So, when talking about the impact of Christianity in Nigeria, we should mention how the helped them advance this area. He resigned from BMS when it emerged that his Jamaican housekeeper was pregnant with his child. 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. While it has brought undoubted benefits, it has also harmed the traditional way of life. Speaking at morning Mass in Rome, the Pope praised Christians who had given up everything to share their faith. The writer gives us not only melodious measures, but also valuable truths. Well sustain improvement in workers welfare- Gov Yahaya, May Day: Tinubu assures Nigerian workers of better wage, social, economic justice, 9th Assembly has performed credibility well- Lawan, Gov. CUP Archive, 1979. Accessed February 28, 2021. Missionaries and the intellectual history of Africa: a historical survey. Itinerario 7, no. Of the moment he met God for the first time, he said: "right then and there joy and peace came into my soul. opened, in Freetown, the first boys secondary school in the country and another for girls in 1849, later renamed the Annie Walsh Memorial School. A Scottish missionary with the Scottish Presbyterian Church. 2 (1983): 116-143. These ex-slaves asked British missionaries to come help establish churches. https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section8.shtml, https://bethanygu.edu/missions/missionary-involvement-in-nigeria/. *Barewa College, Zaria, 1921; William F. P. Burton missionary pioneering in the, This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 14:42. Henry Townsend who went from Sierra Leone to Badagry in 1842 in his company was the Rev Ajayi Crowther. Hope Waddell started pioneering work, in 1846, in Calabar. It was difficult for the European missionaries to communicate freely with the local people. Up to Guggisbergs time, the church schools did not receive grants from the government. *Olivet Heights, Oyo, 1945; As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. *Ibo Boys High School, Uzuakoli, (CMS), 1923; 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. The pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. In such situations, the message sometimes appealed to the local people depending on the efficiency of the interpreter. The Roman Catholics established their first secondary school, St Augustines, at Cape Coast in 1936. "I'm thinking of them in their last moment on earth, far from their homeland, their families and their loves ones, who said: 'What I did was worth it! Shaw, Mark. D. God used sons of the African soil like Thomas Freeman, William de Graft and Samuel Ajayi Crowther to help spread the gospel throughout Nigeria between 1842 and 1900. Those who were once enslaved and got their freedom back were more likely to support Christianity, come back to their own home and help share the religion there. Establishment of Christian Churches In The Gambia. After ordination in England in 1843, he returned to Abeokuta, and he and his wife Sarah Townsend remained until 1867. Although modern scientific research has confirmed the medicinal properties of these concoctions, traditional medical practice had several shortcomings. In the field of education, however, the missionaries had to adjust their programmes to fit in with the policy of assimilation. About the same time, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) headed by the Rev. 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. The Methodists founded the Boys High School in 1874, and another high school for girls six years later. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language, and in 1874 the Rev. Rendall) wife of Rev. 11 March 2021 | Finally, they established new missions to keep up the good work. *Etinan Institute, Etinan, Akwa Ibom: 1915; This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. President-Elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pledged to put in place a living wage for Nigerian workers. As a result, many African converts began breaking away from European churches and forming their own. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. The Hope Waddell Institute is named after him. The education provided in schools in early days also tended to place great emphasis on the superiority of western culture. In the days of Portuguese contacts with Nigeria, Catholic priests had established missionary stations in Benin and the neighbourhood. He is also reputed to have helped Rev. Thus, in the South of Nigeria, mostly Yoruba and Edo groups were ruling and dominating. 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). If youve been impacted by our resources, we invite you to make a year-end gift before December 31. A short history of education in British West Africa. He became known as the "Apostle to . 2017: Pastor Weiser retires in June, and Missionary Jeff Heitsch is called to serve Nigeria half-time from Cameroon. https://wasscehistorytextbook.com/6-christian-missionary-activities-in-west-africa/. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004. Within ten years the C.M.S had opened twelve more schools in what is today Cross Rivers State. Among the first missionaries was the Rev. 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. The identity of each is easy to decipher. *Ibadan Boys High School, Ibadan, 1938; Major World Religions ISLAM. 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. By 1914 there were barely thirty schools in that vast area. 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. 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. John G. Christaller (described as the Father of Twi Literature) produced a Twi grammar and dictionary, a collection of Twi proverbs, a Twi translation of the Bible as well as prayers and hymns. A new attempt to spread Christianity was made when the Church Missionary Society (CMS) arrived from Britain in 1821. The story of Africa. The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. As an institution introduced by agents with radically different values, the Christian religion damaged the culture and traditional beliefs of the people of West Africa. What is the impact the Christianity had in the state? In 1876 the college became associated with Durham University in England, which awarded degrees to students of the college. Although Lokoja had a small C.M.S. He travelled extensively from east to west . And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. They believed in juju, magic and witchcraft. Development of Education in Sierra Leone. "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. Scottish minister. 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. They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. Malaria once turned Africa into the "missionaries' graveyard" as many European missionary personnel and families perished planting the Gospel in the Continent in the 19th century . There were only bush paths, and no roads in the early times. Another important missionary doctor was J. R. Stephen who for many years headed a missionary hospital at Ilesha. To follow suit and take a bow is Methodist Boys High School, 1878. You can learn more about it, as many historians found this subject matter interesting too. He was an American missionary with the Southern Baptist Church. Tinubu said in his administration workers will find a dependable. Great were the thoughts that went into establishing Mission Schools. In 1902 the Methodists opened a clinic at Igbo-Ora. They were followed by other major missionary bodies, including the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. However, the discovery of quinine and other curative medicines in the late 19th century made the history of the missionary work in West Africa a different thing altogether. Hope Waddell was later joined by the 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. In the early missionary literature, Nigeria and indeed Africa was characterized as one of the universal den of desolation, misery, and crime, and certainly, of all the divisions of the globe it has always had an unfortunate preeminence in degradation, wretchedness and woe (Coleman, 1986). They had to speak through few interpreters who did not have sufficient education to interpret correctly. Both of these missionaries are working to share the Gospel with the Nigerian people. Catholic missionary efforts on the shores of Nigeria began with an initial attempt by Portuguese missionaries in the 15 th and 16 th centuries. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. That part of Africa was then known as the White Man's Grave. 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'. 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. https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section8.shtml. non-slave trade), Christianity, Civilization and Colonization. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba. Today 49% of the Nigerian population is Christian. There were related organizations that sprang up in Scandinavia, Holland and the USA. Longman Publishing Group, 1980. 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. Christianity in Nigeria was first introduced in the 15th century by Portuegese Catholic priests during the Age of Exploration. Here are a few verses about it in the Bible. Christian converts were indoctrinated to frown upon the use of indigenous first names in favour of Christian ones. Interdenominational Faith Missions in Africa: History and Ecclesiology. In the beginning of the 19th century, Christian missionaries were launched with unprecedented vigor to Africa. Here are six Christian missionaries who gave up everything for Christ. The Church had its strongest hold in the Senegambia area. https://bethanygu.edu/missions/missionary-involvement-in-nigeria/. Public money was spent only on the small number of government schools, totaling nineteen when Governor Guggisberg assumed office in 1919. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. One of them, Philip Quaque, returned in 1765 as an ordained priest. Gladys Aylward was a British evangelical Christian missionary to China in the 20th century. Joseph Dunwell. They lived in China for 10 years, but moved back to the UK due to ill health, before serving in India at a church in Ootacamund. 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. In 1892, the Church Missionary Society opened the Iyi Enu Hospital in Onitsha which is today a leading hospital in Anambra state. The topic of our focus is, BEHAVING WISELY. It is lifted from 1 Samuel 18:14,15 and 30. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. The training college later became part of Achimota College. 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. Their converts, for many years, were confined to the people of southern Nigerian extraction resident in the north, and to the-large non-Muslim population of the north. Arrived in Nigeria between 1944 and 1948 as part of the missionary staff stationed in Ibesikpo by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. They were able to successfully establish churches in Ibesikpo. 3:03 am. J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. Ex-slave missionary to Nigeria. *CMS Grammar School, Lagos, 1859; *Methodist Boys High School, Lagos,. By the end of the Victorian Age, (1832-1900), missionary work had started already in other parts of the world, such as China, Japan, Korea, India, South Africa and other parts of the world, except the Sudan (Central Nigeria). 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. Slavery: An Unlikely Catalyst In the fifteenth century, Christianity came to Africa's coastlines through forts established by European slave traders. At the same time, the first missionaries in the East were Catholics and Presbyterians. Like the Methodists, the Roman Catholic missionaries spread the faith notably in the interior, which later became Protectorate. He facilitated several social reforms such as the abolition of human sacrifices in aristocratic funerals, in collaboration with Rev. 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. In due course leprosariums and orphanages were built to supplement their medical services. The Roman Catholic Church was also able to build a permanent stations in Lagos, Lokoja, Abeokuta, and Idaban. 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. Will the actions of orthodox Anglicans be as strong as their words post-Kigali? Civil Servants in Cross River said the lifting of embargo placed on promotion of civil servants by Gov. Depending on the year of the survey conducted as well as the organization that conducted it, the numbers differ as well as the ratio of Muslims to Christians. From Lagos, efforts moved to the East. *Queens College, Yaba, 1927; 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. "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. Bebe Golf Ranch. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. Henry Townsend, were co-principals of the C.M.S Female Institution of Lagos from 1871 until 1872. missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. This influenced the country greatly too. Baptist Academy, Lagos, followed in 1885. 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. *African Church School, Kajola, Ifo, 1943; Kaffraria (South Africa), 1885-1908. 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. 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. J. G. Christaller produced a Twi Grammar and Dictionary. Christian missionaries believed that their dedication to Christianity would be enough for conversion. How did Christianity come to Nigeria? T. Nelson. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. The first school in Nigeria was started by the Methodist missionaries at Badagry in 1842. CONTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIANITY TO WEST AFRICA. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has pledged to continue to improve the wellbeing and welfare of workers in the state if sworn-in for his second term in office. 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. 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.
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