list of missionaries that came to nigeria

From 1937 until her demise in 1838, she carried on evangelical duties within West Africa. 1876 - In September, a rusty ocean steamer arrived at a port on the Calabar River in what is now Nigeria. It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (legitimate commerce, i.e. This is when conversion numbers started to rise and more locals became keen to this new religion. The following year, its female arm, Methodist Girls High School, Lagos, came on the scene. Christian missionaries believed that their dedication to Christianity would be enough for conversion. Establishment of Christian Churches In Ghana. Here, the history of Christianity turns its new page in the 1840s. Please click this link to download the chapter. When the missionaries arrived, some of these evils practiced stopped. 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. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. He and other missionaries facilitated the abolition of human sacrifices in the Calabar area. The original Yaba College in Lagos has grown into a polytechnic. West Africa and Christianity. 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. 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. Of the moment he met God for the first time, he said: "right then and there joy and peace came into my soul. 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. The early success of the missionaries included areas like Freetown and surrounding villages. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. 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. In due course leprosariums and orphanages were built to supplement their medical services. Today, I want to briefly share with you how God leads. Missionaries -- Nigeria Cecil F. and Marie Roberson were Southern Baptist missionaries in Nigeria between the 1950s and 1970s. The Hope Waddell Institute is named after him. Soon after secondary schools were opened in other parts of southern Nigeria, including Bonny High School, which was taken over by government in 1904. *Government College Umuahia, 1927; ", When he decided to give up sport to pursue a career as a missionary, he said: "I know that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come.". My only joys therefore are that when God has given me a work to do, I have not refused it.". However, despite all the efforts of the Portuguese missionaries, there was not much fruit from this. The identity of each is easy to decipher. NUUT Co. Ltd. Kumasi, Ghana, 2011, Baarkinado. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. 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. The education provided in schools in early days also tended to place great emphasis on the superiority of western culture. After ordination in England in 1843, he returned to Abeokuta, and he and his wife Sarah Townsend remained until 1867. *Ibo Boys High School, Uzuakoli, (CMS), 1923; The others include the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804, which was tasked with the responsibility of promoting the translation and printing of the Holy Bible. Africa Christian Press, 1996. As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. * Abeokuta Grammar School, Abeokuta, (Anglica), 1908; They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. She participated in establishing mission presence in Abeokuta for over two decades. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. non-slave trade), Christianity, Civilization and Colonization. A short history of education in British West Africa. That part of Africa was then known as the White Man's Grave. For several years they paid attention to slave trade rather than evangelization and Christianization of the people of West-Africa. Tinubu said in his administration workers will find a dependable. In the meantime, the Middle Belt is where people we know as pagans lived. *Methodist Girls High School, Lagos, 1879; Chaplains were assigned to forts, but their role was to serve the Europeans, not to evangelize Africans. She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. William Carey William Carey is regarded as the "father of modern missions". A permanent station was established in Lagos in 1868, soon followed by others at Lokoja, Abeokuta and Ibadan. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. West Africa, 1919-1925. Next, branches of the C.M.S. These missionary societies laid the foundations of the Roman Catholic Church in West Africa, which lasted through to the independence period when African clergy replaced the white pastors. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. As they could not recruit British missionary volunteers initially, the Church Missionary Society sponsored the services of German missionaries, who were Lutherans, to come out to Sierra Leone. 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. 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. 1813-1873. 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. 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. https://bebegolf.com/history/. Vol. 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. *Queen of the Rosary College, Onitsha, 1942; This page is not available in other languages. Unfortunately, a lot of conflicts, sometimes even military ones took place here and in between the tribes. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. 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. The next stop was Ibadan, St. Annes School, Molete, Ibadan. They were not strangers from a foreign land, they were native people. Legit Nigeria. *African Church School, Kajola, Ifo, 1943; station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. An American missionary with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod(WELS) began the preparatory work for WELS in Nigeria, alongside his wife in 1936. 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 https://wasscehistorytextbook.com/6-christian-missionary-activities-in-west-africa/. A Scottish missionary with the Scottish Presbyterian Church. Another important Catholic missionary in this area was the Irishman, Bishop Shanahan. In the field of education, however, the missionaries had to adjust their programmes to fit in with the policy of assimilation. By the 1970s a lot of missionaries cam to Nigeria to help spread the Christianity here. "But I rejoice that I am here notwithstanding; and God is here.". Textbooks were heavily biased towards western ideas and values. Missionary schools in Nigeria | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. In Sierra Leone, the Church Missionary Society (CMS), offshoot of the Anglican Church, was the first to become firmly established chiefly among the freed captive and freed slave settlers from Britain, Nova Scotia and other parts of the New World. Mission Africa - Katie Morrison Katie Morrison is a missionary with Mission Africa in Nigeria. J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. The Muslims started the slave trade in this region. Bishop of Smyrna. Christianity reborn: the global expansion of evangelicalism in the twentieth century. *Edo College, Benin, 1937. He was a missionary under the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod that carried on missionary work in Ibesikpo between 1944 and 1948. *Wesley College, Elekuro, Ibadan, 1905; Lack of transport from the coast to the interior parts of West Africa was one of the major difficulties encountered by the missionaries. 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. They believed and practiced rituals to make money and do many things like killing of twins. They believed in sacrifice to make money and do many other things like killing of twins. Aged just 28, she sailed to West Africa in August 1876 and was assigned to the Calabar region. Please click here to learn how. They believed in evil spirits, and other things peculiar to this religion. By the 1800's, various parts of Nigeria had a rooted Catholic Mission presence. Apart from the extreme south and the Horn, the interior was hardly touched by Europeans before the last quarter of the Nineteenth 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. When Lawson died, Aylward ran the mission alone. Of 31 secondary schools surveyed from 1859 and 1037, only the government, federal or state, established seven; 24 belonged to the Missions. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. 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. A history of Christianity in Ghana. . 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". He married her, and was later re-engaged by the society. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! *St. Patricks College, Calabar, 1934; Accessed February 26, 2021. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican missionaries were all trying to convert the native African people, often coming into conflict with one another. The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. 11 March 2021 | Russia 146.02. Bethany Global University. There was also a growing number of Nigerian pastors and independent Nigerian churches at the time. 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. In the days of Portuguese contacts with Nigeria, Catholic priests had established missionary stations in Benin and the neighbourhood. People accepted Jesus Christ but still had the mentality impacted by the indigenous religions. He is also reputed to have helped Rev. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. As a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society, he wrote hymns and translated the Bible into the Yoruba language. As happened in other West African countries, many more mission-sponsored hospitals were founded in the course of the twentieth century. 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). 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. With the support of the Propagation of the Faith within the Vatican, whose Cardinal Secretary became Pope Gregory XVI, various Roman Catholic missionary societies were founded. For the West Africans, the acceptance of Christianity meant the total rejection of most of the cherished institutions upon which their society rested. Falae, Vivien. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. By 1885, the church had spread further inland, thanks to Father Joseph Lutz who started work around Onitsha in 1886 and spread the gospel in many parts of the present day Imo and Anambra States. 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. 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. As a missionary of the Scottish Presbyterian Church, he arrived in Calabar in 1846. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20). The History of Christianity in West Africa. Many of them came to faith. Henry Townsend who went from Sierra Leone to Badagry in 1842 in his company was the Rev Ajayi Crowther. The northern area of the state was where Hausa and Bornu people lived. They helped them by establishing better medicine. Yemi Osinbajo reveals why FG is not planning to increase taxes, Bulus Y. Galadima and Yusufu Turaki explored the spread of Christianity of Nigeria in the work they called Christianity of Nigeria.. Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. From that time on, the first Christians took the Gospel to all the ends of the world including the places where Nigeria is now. They believed in juju, magic and witchcraft. Isichei, Elizabeth. For seven years he carried on teaching English and converting the locals to Christianity. Abstract. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=1791737&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. Daystar Press, 1978. Until his last day on this Earth, he worked hard to bring God to Nigerians. Trained as a shoemaker, William Carey became known as the 'father of modern missions' for his missionary work in India. Christianity in West Africa: The Nigerian Story. The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. 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. They did not take into consideration the already established cultural characteristics; Igbo religious traditions had long been engraved into the African society. Kalu, Ogbu. ", Comparing them to the apostle Paul, Francis added: "I think it is only right that we give thanks to the Lord for their testimony. Ex-slave missionary to Nigeria. https://www.legit.ng/1145690-history-christianity-nigeria.html. 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. Category:Christian missionaries in Nigeria - Wikipedia 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. Pope Francis has said that missionaries are the "heroes of evangelism". 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. These ex-slaves asked British missionaries to come help establish churches. Calabar and the neighbouring communities were the areas she performed her missionary work. Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. 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. It was founded in 1895. Oates, Joan. Within ten years the C.M.S had opened twelve more schools in what is today Cross Rivers State. In 1964, he became the first black Bishop of the Anglican Communion. Hastings, Adrian. But the equality of believers is an idea. European missionaries in southern Africa: the role of the missionaries 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. Hilliard, F.H., 1957. The Methodists founded the Boys High School in 1874, and another high school for girls six years later. The Presbyterians, also, opened hospitals in several parts of the country, including the one at Agogo in Asante-Akyem. They were instrumental in setting the scene which would meet the colonists when they started arriving. However, there were at least 250 other ethnic groups who were either Muslims or adherers of other religions. The training college later became part of Achimota College. According to his biography by Norman Grubb, in one of his last letters home, Studd wrote: "As I believe I am now nearing my departure from this world, I have but a few things to rejoice in; they are these: 1. The Surprising Countries Most Missionaries Are Sent From a | News In facts, when the scientists call the Middle Belt of the country, was an area with no systems of one law and political systems. Today 49% of the Nigerian population is Christian. Mzuni Press, 2018. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. 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 . 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The people in Nigeria had their traditions which they believed and worship God. About the same time, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) headed by the Rev. 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'. CONTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIANITY TO WEST AFRICA. 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. Major World Religions ISLAM. If you are interested in learning more about it, then read on. 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. Accessed February 25, 2021. 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. Slavery: An Unlikely Catalyst In the fifteenth century, Christianity came to Africa's coastlines through forts established by European slave traders. missionary / Names: Southern Baptist Convention. Foreign Mission Board Africa and the Winder World 3. Predominantly Muslim territory, the North received western education later than the South. *Offa Grammar School, Offa, 1943; Other Roman Catholic hospitals were built in all the nine regions of the country; including those at Asikuma and Foso (Central Region), Akyem Swedru (Eastern Region), Berekum (BrongAhafo), Maase (Asante Region) and Anfoega (Volta Region). Noble were the exertions, labour and sacrifice that went into giving Nigeria foundational materials Gov. 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. 1.898 Billion worldwide. Privacy Statement Arnold, 1986. List of Christian missionaries - Wikipedia Nevertheless, when Christianity came here around the same time it did to the Western part, it met no obstacles in spreading.It It is important to realize that the religions in Nigeria were all influenced by the common traditionalists beliefs and superstitions. To provide the clear understanding of how this religion came to Nigeria, we have to mention that the state we know today was divided into several regions which had their own social and economic conditions which either stimulate the spread of it or prevented it from it. 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. 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. Great were the thoughts that went into establishing Mission Schools. But despite the work of Portuguese missionaries based on the island of Sao Tome and later of Spanish missionaries in Benin, it was not until the nineteenth century that the Christian religion was firmly established in Nigeria. The identity of each is easy to decipher. The birth of the Christian Church in the Northern Nigeria. He was a missionary of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod that arrived Nigeria in 1937 to lead the mission work of WELS. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. (Gen. 8:22) May this indeed be the season of harvest for us all. 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. 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. They preached Christianity in a way that took into consideration the geographical and cultural differences between Europe and Africa. These men encouraged many ex-slaves to become involved in preaching the gospel. David . Library Catalog 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. When God pleases to convert the heathen, he will do it without your aid and mine.". He shares some of his family's experiences visiting missionaries. She was a British missionary with the Christian Missionary Society. By 1914 there were barely thirty schools in that vast area. Spreading the Faith: Early Christian Missionaries - HowStuffWorks History. 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. They came with craftsmen who rebuilt . African Catholicism: The Birth of the Liturgical Vernacular in Igboland William Gladstone. These included the Basel Missionary Society, founded in Switzerland, and the Breman Mission formed in Germany. A history of Christianity in Africa: From antiquity to the present. But the funds and other needed materials even when available could not reach their station in time. 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. What Are The Impacts Of Missionaries In Nigeria? 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. LITERACY - Total Population: 86.7% . In Sierra Leone, among the earliest higher institutions which the C.M.S. 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.
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