PCN Calabar synod to honour early church missionaries
The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (PCN) is planning to honour early Church missionaries who arrived Calabar on 10th April 1846 and founded the first Presbyterian Church at creek Town, Western Calabar in present day Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River Sate.
PCN was founded by United Presbyterian Church of Scotland Missionaries led by Rev. Hope Masterson Waddel on the invitation of King Eyo Honesty II and King Eyamba V.
And from its humble beginning in Calabar in 1846 the Church spread and has been firmly established in Nigeria with congregants across the country.
The Church which is 178 years is set to celebrate its early Church Missionaries like Rev Hope Waddel, founder of Hope Waddel Training Institution supported by Mary Slessor in 1895, William Anderson and Hugh Goldie.
In an exclusive chart with LENS Reporter, Rev. Dr. Joel Efiong, a senior lecturer in the University of Calabar disclosed that Rev. Akim Mbeh, Moderator of PCN Calabar Synod has approved a Calabar City Mega Rally scheduled to commence from Mariana Resort to Duke Town Cathedral, PCN in a 3-day programme to begin on 8th April 2024 with High Chief Prof. Eyo Etim Nyong to deliver the key note address at Hope Waddel Training Institution.
One of the missionaries to be honoured is Mary Slessor, a Scottish missionary in South Eastern Nigeria born in December 2nd 1848 in Aberdeen. Her father, a shoemaker was an alcoholic and her mother a deeply religious woman. Her family moved to Dundee in 1858 where she began work in a linen mill at the age of eleven.
She was a hard working Scottish mill girl and an unorthodox Sunday school teacher who was inspired by David Livingstone to became a Missionary in Calabar arriving in 1876 at age 28.
Slessor learned Efik language, one of the numerous local languages and began teaching with it. She fought for the abrogation of hate against woman as well as stopped the killing of twins.
She died on 13 January, 1915 at the age of 66 at Use Ikot Oku in Akwa Ibom State but was buried in Calabar in Cross River State.
Among her signature achievements, Mary Slessor united warring communities, built schools, churches, offer medical assistance to the sick, preached the gospel, teach, engaged in charity and stop the common practice of infanticide of twines in Okoyong, Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State as well as fought against witchcraft and superstition.
By Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)
