South-east Nigeria may be best known for kidnappings but the Church has been celebrating the arrival of the Gospel 150 years ago and gearing up for a major evangelism drive.  CMS Web Editor Jeremy Woodham joined them.

In their thousands they come, streaming through the gates under the bell tower with its fins like an upside down space rocket.

With 10 minutes to go, choir members in blue, red, purple robes hurry into position across the field onto the podium, shoes picking up golden sand that has been spread to soak up the vast puddles of Nigeria’s rainy season.

But the dominating colour under the inky sky is the deep yellow of thousands of identical uniforms. Nine out of ten people are clad in home-sewn outfits the colour of egg yolks, mottled by black dashes and red shield motifs – “150th Anniversary of the Diocese on the Niger”.

But in the heat and humidity the real reason for the celebration is not the 150th anniversary of this Anglican diocese as such.

It is 150 years to the day since Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba freed slave, landed in Onitsha on the east bank of the River Niger with his all-African CMS mission team.

It is 150 years to the day since the arrival of the Gospel.

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Fed up or fired up?
“Praise, praise, praise the Lord!” The Rt Rev Ken Okeke, Bishop on the Niger, is working the crowd. There might be 10,000 people here, chorusing “Allelulia!” in response.

The stream of people coming thorough the gates hasn’t abated in two hours. Canopies sheltering hundreds each make up three sides of the square completed by the podium.

Hundreds more fill the incline at the back. It’s like Henman Hill at Wimbledon.

Bishop Ken is introducing the cutting of the celebration cake, a huge “150” with white and yellow icing. It’s a surreal sight to see a dozen bishops – not forgetting General Secretary of CMS Canon Tim Dakin – joining forces to do the ceremonial slicing.

This is light relief for the crowd after the address by their Primate, Peter Akinola, Archbishop of Nigeria. His words are bracing but not entirely predictable.

One thing is for sure. He’s fed up of the gay issue.

“If you’re a man and want to marry a man – go ahead! Just leave us alone,” he shouted, to the roars of the crowd. It was clearly a message he wanted his Western visitors to take home.

Canon Dakin had already promised the crowd that the Gospel was alive and well in Europe, though committed Christians may not be vast in number.

“I’m glad to hear Tim say the Gospel is alive in Europe,” Akinola exclaimed. “I wish you would take me and show me where!”

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Published: 11:33 AM :: Friday, August 10, 2007 :: 861 views :: 1 Comments :: :: Evangelism, Historical, Media, Leadership, Women, FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS