2 (1983): 116-143. The History of Christianity in West Africa. Accessibility Statement. In 1950 Albert Academy was founded in Freetown; for-a long lime it was the secondary school in the Colony serving largely children from the provinces, among them were the future heads of state, Sir Milton Margai and Dr. Siaka Stevens. Poju Oyemade: Biography, Career and Lots more, Fathia Balogun: Biography, Career, Movies & More, Prospa Ochimana Biography, Career & Lots More, Aliko Dangotes Private Jet: What We Found Out, Liz Benson: Biography, Career & Other Details. While it has brought undoubted benefits, it has also harmed the traditional way of life. When God pleases to convert the heathen, he will do it without your aid and mine.". 4,039 Total People Groups. Abstract. Missionaries today have brought education, medical care, and Holistic Development Centers into Nigeria. *Government College Umuahia, 1927; *Ondo Boys High School, Ondo, (CMS), 1919; Reels 12-14 cover correspondence concerning the return of German missionaries to the stations in West and East Africa after World War I . The others included the Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. 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. Today 49% of the Nigerian population is Christian. 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 Methodists founded Mfantsipim (1876) for boys and Wesley Girls High School (1884). *Queen of the Rosary College, Onitsha, 1942; A Anglican missionaries in Nigeria (8 P) M Mormon missionaries in Nigeria (7 P) P Protestant missionaries in Nigeria (5 C, 8 P) R Roman Catholic missionaries in Nigeria (20 P) This is a list of early missionaries in Nigeria: Reverend Samuel Ajayi Crowther He was part of the first British Government sponsored Niger Expedition of 1841. For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. A permanent station was established in Lagos in 1868, soon followed by others at Lokoja, Abeokuta and Ibadan. There were related organizations that sprang up in Scandinavia, Holland and the USA. The couple later transferred to Lagos to become co-principals of the Christian Missionary Society (CMS) from 1871 till 1872. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. The next major Christian missionaries to go out to Sierra Leone were the Roman Catholics. 2017: Pastor Weiser retires in June, and Missionary Jeff Heitsch is called to serve Nigeria half-time from Cameroon. Missionaries in Pre-Colonial and Early Colonial Nigeria Essay The people in Nigeria had their traditions which they believed and worship God. Longman Nigeria Plc., 1994, Boahen, A.A. et al Tropics in West Africa History. Civil Servants in Cross River said the lifting of embargo placed on promotion of civil servants by Gov. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. Therefore the period for the rise of Christianizing Missions in the late Nineteenth Century has been considered as reprise. Later, Prisilla and the couple's four daughter stayed in England, while Charles worked in Central Africa until his death in 1931. That God called me to China and I went in spite of utmost opposition from all my loved ones. Falae, Vivien. Burns & Oates, 1979. So, when talking about the impact of Christianity in Nigeria, we should mention how the helped them advance this area. Its message was that of love and the universal brotherhood of mankind. Unfortunately, a lot of conflicts, sometimes even military ones took place here and in between the tribes. These trends occasionally brought kings into conflict with the missionaries and their converts. He resigned from BMS when it emerged that his Jamaican housekeeper was pregnant with his child. A history of Christianity in Africa: From antiquity to the present. Bebe Golf Ranch. 1877 - James Chalmers went to New Guinea; 1878 - Mass movement to Christ in Ongole, India. ", Comparing them to the apostle Paul, Francis added: "I think it is only right that we give thanks to the Lord for their testimony. Today, I want to briefly share with you how God leads. 6 inspiring Christian missionaries who gave up everything for Christ He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. Category:Christian missionaries in Nigeria - Wikipedia 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. But the funds and other needed materials even when available could not reach their station in time. Samuel Adu-Gyamfi And Benjamin Kye Ampadu, Ajayi, J..F.A and Michael Crowder History of West Africa. They saw a way to incorporate the loving message of the religion with their own unique lives. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. She reached Nigeria for the first time in 1876. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. Here is the list of the early schools, mission, private or government owned. North Kaffraria, 1883-1904. Henry Townsend, Sarah Townsend was a missionary under the Christian Missionary Society. However, despite all the efforts of the Portuguese missionaries, there was not much fruit from this. missionary / Names: Southern Baptist Convention. Foreign Mission Board 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. The birth of the Christian Church in the Northern Nigeria. She participated in establishing mission presence in Abeokuta for over two decades. Trans Britain: are the numbers really adding up. 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. Africa and the Winder World 3. Missionaries who served at Igbaja from 1950-2000 1. 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. If you are interested in learning more about it, then read on. Clara Anne Williams (ne. Calabar and the neighbouring communities were the areas she performed her missionary work. 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. Great were the thoughts that went into establishing Mission Schools. However, there were at least 250 other ethnic groups who were either Muslims or adherers of other religions. Hildebrandt, Jonathan. Baker Pub Group, 1996. For the West Africans, the acceptance of Christianity meant the total rejection of most of the cherished institutions upon which their society rested. The identity of each is easy to decipher. She was the wife of Dr. William Schweppe. The glory of our Church!". 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. By 1844, he erected the Ake Church in Abeokuta. The Eastern territories had no structure or organization in their lands. A German missionary with Church Missionary Society, he arrived in Badagry on March 25, 1849. List of Sim Missionaries Who Served at Igbaja in Nigeria She was a wife to Thomas Birch Freeman and was part of the missionary expedition to Nigeria. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. He was a missionary of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod that arrived Nigeria in 1937 to lead the mission work of WELS. All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. The first attempts to bring Christianity to the area where the modern country is today date back to the 1470s and 1620s. *Baptist High School, Bodija, Ibadan, 1940; They were of much interest to different scientists and religious activists from all over the world. The following year, its female arm, Methodist Girls High School, Lagos, came on the scene. Meanwhile, the research by the Pew Research Center that same year showed at least 52% Muslims, 46% Christians, and 1% non-religious individuals. Catholic missionary efforts on the shores of Nigeria began with an initial attempt by Portuguese missionaries in the 15 th and 16 th centuries. Daystar Press, 1978. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. Here are a few verses about it in the Bible. They believed in juju, magic and witchcraft. Originally a freed African slave from Freetown, Sierra Leone of Yoruba ancestry, was instrumental in the establishment of Christian missions in Nigeria. 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. The people received the message with indifference. 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. Perhaps the greatest service of the missionaries was the promotion of western education and the development of vernacular literature. *Government College, Katsina-Ala, 1914; REPORT: How COVID-19 increased child labour in Lagos state (parents, children share experiences), READ ALSO: Meet Footballers Who Converted To Christianity From Islam. *Methodist Boys High School, Oron, 1903; Besides education, they cared for the sick. They were martyrs who offered up their lives for the Gospel. Privacy Policy. You can learn more about it, as many historians found this subject matter interesting too. "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. The Church had its strongest hold in the Senegambia area. opened was the Christian Institute, established in 1814 for the training of teachers, catechists and priests. He set up a mission chapel in the Ijiaye area and another mission outpost at Ogbomosho. ", 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.". Often drumming and the harmless songs and dances of the people were condemned. (Gen. 8:22) May this indeed be the season of harvest for us all. The next stop was Ibadan, St. Annes School, Molete, Ibadan. They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. THE COMING OF CHRISTIANITY IN NIGERIA (I) - ClassNotes.ng Meanwhile, at the same time, the Fulani and Jihadists forced people living in the North to support Islam. Ministry/Place of Ministry. 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 story of Africa. This fact only proves what God said about those who will persecute those loving Jesus. Europe in those days looked upon Africa as the Dark Continent with very primitive civilizations, and most Europeans refused to adapt their religion to suit the local situation. *Barewa College, Zaria, 1921; Later on, she and her husband, Rev. Rendall) wife of Rev. The good news for the Christianity is that Islam did not come to this region until in the 1970s the civil war broke out. As a missionary of the Scottish Presbyterian Church, he arrived in Calabar in 1846. In the 19thh century, too, Afro-Brazilians returned to Benin and Nigeria with Catholicism. From the beginning of the world, the Lord has decreed that there will always be the season of harvest. William Gladstone. 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. 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. 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. 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. Their greatest legacy in the field of education was the foundation which the Methodist laid for what is today the Gambia High school. *St. Patricks College, Calabar, 1934; However, the first fruit became possible, as the Americans and British decided to free the slaves. 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. Missionary Involvement in Africa (Historical & Current) The next year, he travelled to India with his family, but his struggles continued. Shaw, Mark. 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. *Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode (Anglican), 1913; Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. William F. P. Burton missionary pioneering in the, This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 14:42. Ex-policeman who claims to be reincarnation of Jesus Christ finally arrested (photos). Accessed February 27, 2021. When the missionaries arrived, some of these evils practiced stopped. Origins of the Niger Mission 1841-1891, by K. Onwuka Dike (1957) 1813-1843. And for our independence and banished ignorance, for broadening minds so we could recognize liberty and freedom. CUP Archive, 1979. The early missionaries set up craft centres as part of their educational programmes. This made it difficult for the early missionaries to stay in the country for long. A notable example, in Ghana, was the Methodist experimental farm near Cape Coast whose crops included cotton, coffee, black pepper, mango, ginger, cinnamon and olive trees. Before they came, Nigerians were uneducated. These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. The first context was that of the Islamic raids which got so popular that people not always could escape from it and choose what they wanted to believe in. 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.