Kalu, Ogbu. That God called me to China and I went in spite of utmost opposition from all my loved ones. New missionary societies (the LMS, the CMS, the Holy Ghost Fathers, the White Fathers, etc.) 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 I joyfully acted as Christ told that rich young man to act. This single problem made the missionary work very difficult. He was a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society of the Church of England that arrived in Nigeria in 1843. A Scottish missionary with the Scottish Presbyterian Church. THE COMING OF CHRISTIANITY IN NIGERIA (I) - ClassNotes.ng A German missionary with Church Missionary Society, he arrived in Badagry on March 25, 1849. Kalu, Ogbu. She and her husband were charged by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod to lead missionary expeditions in Nigeria. 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. In spite of the division, the parent Methodist missionary church played an important role in the history of Christianity in Sierra Leone. Etherington, Norman. https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section8.shtml. Here is the list of the early schools, mission, private or government owned. Hope Waddell started pioneering work, in 1846, in Calabar. It included my own mission, the Christian Reformed Church (SUM/CRC) that eventually partnered with three different denominations.2 Henry Townsend who went from Sierra Leone to Badagry in 1842 in his company was the Rev Ajayi Crowther. 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. Bethany Global University. Longman Nigeria Plc., 1994, Boahen, A.A. et al Tropics in West Africa History. The Story of Africa| BBC World Service He married her, and was later re-engaged by the society. Missionaries and the intellectual history of Africa: a historical survey. Itinerario 7, no. Ex-slave missionary to Nigeria. Babalola, E. O. Christianity in West Africa. He saw no conversions for seven years, his son Peter died of dysentery and his wife's mental health deteriorated rapidly. 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. Trained as a shoemaker, William Carey became known as the 'father of modern missions' for his missionary work in India. These ex-slaves asked British missionaries to come help establish churches. He started this massive campaign in the Great Britain stating that African slaves should be freed. 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 were not strangers from a foreign land, they were native people. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! 1 (1971): 103-115. Both of these missionaries are working to share the Gospel with the Nigerian people. Christian converts were indoctrinated to frown upon the use of indigenous first names in favour of Christian ones. Henry Townsend, were co-principals of the C.M.S Female Institution of Lagos from 1871 until 1872. During the same period, the Student Missionary Movement was beginning to have a strong influence on the need of global evangelization in North America and Europe. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. 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. *Adeola Odutola College, (Old Olu-Iwa College), Ijebu-Ode, 1945; In the Western Region, the Catholic Sisters running a hospital at Eikwe specialized in maternity cases, and like Slessor in Nigeria succeeded in stamping out the practice of killing twins at birth. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. Christian Missionaries and Civilization in Southern Nigeria, 1841-1960 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section8.shtml, https://bethanygu.edu/missions/missionary-involvement-in-nigeria/. Timeline of Great Missionaries (and a few other well-known historical and church figures and events) Dates. Development of Education in Sierra Leone. 1991. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language and translated the entire Bible and a Bible history into Ga. Then in 1874, the Rev. They believed and practiced rituals to make money and do many things like killing of twins. Step forward CMS Grammar School, Lagos. He was a missionary from Sierra Leone that arrived in Nigeria in March 1859. Origins of the Niger Mission 1841-1891, by K. Onwuka Dike (1957) She was the wife of Dr. William Schweppe. . Randy was interviewed by his local church, Good Shepherd, for their annual Global Outreach weekend. 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. Establishment of Christian Churches In Sierra Leone. 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. 2 (1983): 116-143. He travelled extensively from east to west . Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. In conclusion, Christianity planted its roots only when a more secretic form was formed. Christian missionary activities in West Africa, https://wasscehistorytextbook.com/6-christian-missionary-activities-in-west-africa/, https://webbschool.libguides.com/PurpleHibiscusResearch2021. A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. Of the moment he met God for the first time, he said: "right then and there joy and peace came into my soul. Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. 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. 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. He was a missionary of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod that arrived Nigeria in 1937 to lead the mission work of WELS. He was an American missionary with the Southern Baptist Church. In Sierra Leone, among the earliest higher institutions which the C.M.S. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. 1.898 Billion worldwide. 3 (2002): 555-584. The Surprising Countries Most Missionaries Are Sent From a | News In . His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. The early success of the missionaries included areas like Freetown and surrounding villages. Great were the thoughts that went into establishing Mission Schools. As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. Chaplains were assigned to forts, but their role was to serve the Europeans, not to evangelize Africans. However, despite all the efforts of the Portuguese missionaries, there was not much fruit from this. Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican missionaries were all trying to convert the native African people, often coming into conflict with one another. These men encouraged many ex-slaves to become involved in preaching the gospel. The impact of Christianity on West African society has persisted to this day. 2 Timothy) are used to provide aid without requiring conversion. The first Europeans arrived at the West-African Coasts at the end of the fifteenth century. Until his last day on this Earth, he worked hard to bring God to Nigerians". 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. They were instrumental in setting the scene which would meet the colonists when they started arriving. 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. 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. Rendall) wife of Rev. Meanwhile, at the same time, the Fulani and Jihadists forced people living in the North to support Islam. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. 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). The late Eighteenth Century witnessed the rise of Christian groups in Europe that resorted to the evangelization of Africa. They were of much interest to different scientists and religious activists from all over the world. Unfortunately, a lot of conflicts, sometimes even military ones took place here and in between the tribes. Hope Masterson Waddell. *Barewa College, Zaria, 1921; The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. Until his last day on this Earth, he worked hard to bring God to Nigerians. List of Christian missionaries - Wikipedia 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. They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. About the same time, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) headed by the Rev. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Evangelical Revival began to bring to Africa an influx of missionaries whose laoburs would produce the first fruits of an enduring Christian presence in Sub-Sahara Africa. *Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta, 1923; https://bethanygu.edu/missions/missionary-involvement-in-nigeria/. 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. Many of them came to faith. 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 story of Africa. Their converts increased steadily in numbers until 1821 when a section broke away to form the first independent African, Christian church in West Africa, called the West Africa Methodist Church. CONTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIANITY TO WEST AFRICA. *Ibo Boys High School, Uzuakoli, (CMS), 1923; He was among the missionary staff involved in mission work in Nigeria between 1944 and 1948. Samuel Adu-Gyamfi And Benjamin Kye Ampadu, Ajayi, J..F.A and Michael Crowder History of West Africa. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. Registered in England and Wales 5090917, Christian Today, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN, Persecuted Christians read Bible for first time in their own language after 182 year wait, Meet the Christian woman who adopted EIGHT children from a Russian orphanage, Watch the amazing moment six Christian converts get baptised in the Amazon, The man who converted Ireland: 10 things you might not know about St Patrick, God is on the move in the broken Anglican Communion, Church of England bishops urged 'to step back from the brink' on same-sex blessings, Lessons for today from the Salem Witch Trials. Apart from the extreme south and the Horn, the interior was hardly touched by Europeans before the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. The early Christians saw an especially urgent need to spread their faith before the second coming of Christ, which they believed was imminent. *Oduduwa Grammar School, Ile-Ife (CMS), 1932: Wm. Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. "This is indeed the valley of the shadow of death to me," Carey wrote at the time. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. In honor of David Livingstone's life, she dedicated her life to spreading the Gospel in Africa. Being ignorant of the significance of certain institutions and practices of the people of West Africa, and occasionally being misled by their over-zealous followings into wrongly interpreting the peoples heritage, the missionaries compelled pupils in their schools and docile adult converts to shun their own ancestral practices. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. List of Sim Missionaries Who Served at Igbaja in Nigeria Missionaries in Pre-Colonial and Early Colonial Nigeria Essay The Missionaries' Arrival In Fiji Changed The Island Forever She was a missionary of Scottish origin with the United Presbyterian Church. Nigerians back US, UK over ban on election riggers, say it should be extended to their family members. 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Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. To follow suit and take a bow is Methodist Boys High School, 1878. In a solidarity message to mark International Workers' Day, he said his administration would leave no stone unturned to put in place measures aimed at empowering the Nigerian workers. They helped them promote better situation with the translation and literature in the state to help them keep up with the rest of the world. The government gave grants according to the strength of the staff and the efficiency of the school judged by inspection reports and the results of public examinations. 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. 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. Earlier in 1846, the Rev. Renewed evangelisation started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). 4,039 Total People Groups. 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. 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. C.M.S. A history of African Christianity 1950-1975. Christianity in Nigeria: History and Impacts - Nigerian Finder *St. Annes School, Molete, Ibadan, 1896; Legit Nigeria. Thanks to their faith and hard labor here, around 45% of all the population in the area became Christians.

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