The American Missionary — Volume 42, No. 12, December, 1888Various
History
The American Missionary — Volume 42, No. 12, December, 1888
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
There _have been_ some very successful colored missionaries in
Africa, whom the Christian world has known and honored, and the
letters I have received joyfully refer to them, and mention others
not yet widely known, but whose work attests their wisdom, piety and
usefulness. Thus one Secretary refers to a missionary, born a slave
in America and educated here, as "the most scholarly man in the whole
mission." Another society testifies, and our personal knowledge of
the man referred to confirms the testimony, to the remarkable success
of one of its colored missionaries as "a business manager, a preacher
and a teacher, showing himself fully equal to any emergency, and
remarkable in his influence with the heads of the tribes, and his
success in winning souls." The testimony in regard to two others of
its missionaries is almost equally emphatic.
The Secretary of the Protestant Episcopal Church of America writes:
"All ordained men on our missionary staff in Africa, from the Bishop
down, are colored men. I think we have concluded that, all things
considered, except for the work of higher education, colored
missionaries are more available in that field than white." He refers
with gratification to the career of Bishop Ferguson, the only colored
man who has a seat in the American House of Bishops, who was born in
America, educated in the mission schools, and has risen through the
positions of teacher, deacon, priest and rector, until he was
consecrated the Bishop of Cape Palmas in 1885, and has worthily
filled all these positions. The Church Missionary Society of London
refers to the remarkable career of Bishop Crowther, who was born in
Africa, put on board a slave ship, rescued, and landed at Freetown,
educated in Sierra Leone and in England, and at length entered his
chosen field on the Niger, reduced the language of the people to
writing, and preached the gospel to them in their native tongue. In
1861, there were reported to be 1,500 converts as the result of his
labors. He received the degree of D.D., from Oxford, England, and was
consecrated in 1864 African Bishop of the Niger. This society also
mentions others, one as possessing "special educational and
linguistic powers;" another as a "pastor and evangelist with
remarkable power and spiritual influence;" another as "a practical
organizer and administrator;" another as "very successful in
educational work," and it adds: "Many others have also shown
considerable power as educationists, pastors and evangelists."
From all these facts, the inferences are plain:
1. That Negroes have succeeded in this work, and that those in
America can be prepared for it. They can endure the climate, find
ready access to the hearts of the people, and be eminently successful
in preaching the Gospel. They should have the best training for the
purpose, and great care should be exercised in selecting and sending
forth only those of good education, mature character, sound judgment
and unquestioned piety.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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