Literature Outreach in Nigeria by Jim Mason

Literature Outreach in Nigeria J IM M ASON

FROM THE INCEPTION of its work in Nigeria, SIM was a mission committed to literature. Presented here is the story of how SIM’s literature outreach began and developed over the decades—until missionaries handed over to ECWA, the Nigerian church that grew out of SIM’s endeavours. Several who were personally involved in SIM’s literature work from the 1950s onwards have told their part of this history in their own words.

Literature Outreach in Nigeria A History of SIM Literature Work 1901 - 1980

J IM M ASON

Literature Outreach in Nigeria A History of SIM Literature Work 1901 – 1980

Jim Mason

Copyright © 2009 by Jim Mason This first edition copyright © 2009 by Jim Mason 35 Cardill Crescent, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3Y6, Canada jimmason@rogers.com ISBN 978-1-903689-61-5 All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Copies of

Literature Outreach in Nigeria: A History of SIM Literature Work 1901– 1980 are available from: Jim Mason 36 Cardill Crescent Waterloo, ON N2L 3Y6 Canada Email: jimmason@rogers.com Tel: 519-725-0492 SIM Canada 10 Huntingdale Blvd Scarborough ON M1W 2S5 Canada Email: info@sim.ca Tel: 416-497-2424 1-800-294-6918

Literature Outreach in Nigeria A History of SIM Literature Work 1901 – 1980

Jim Mason

In Appreciation The publication of this book would not have been possible without the backing of two churches and three long time supporter friends. I express my heartfelt gratitude to: • Knox Presbyterian Church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Northside Community Church, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada • Doug and Gladys Broderick, Stayner, Ontario, Canada • Dr Jake and Agnes Dick, Barrie, Ontario, Canada • Gerry & Mary Dorland, Toronto, Ontario, Canada I also want to thank Pieter Kwant and Isobel Stevenson, both of whom worked on the Africa Bible Commentary, and who were always ready to give encouragement and advice in my writing of this history of SIM’s literature work in Nigeria.

Grateful thanks to numerous missionary colleagues – many of whom I have worked with in the past. Not only did they provide me with outstanding subject material, but they were willing to read parts of the manuscript to help in checking accuracy.

I must give special thanks, also, to Della Watson and Maybeth Henderson, who gave me invaluable assistance with proofreading and editing. They have made this history much easier and more understandable to read than it would have been otherwise.

The writing of this history has been a delightful journey that has brought back so many memories. May you also find joy as you read it, and be reminded time and time again of God’s amazing grace and faithfulness.

Ever in His service, Jim Mason December 2008

Contents In Appreciation Preface CHAPTER 1 FIRST SIM STATION

iv vii 1

CHAPTER 2 NIGER PRESS 1910-1924

10

CHAPTER 3 NIGER PRESS 1925-1950

16

CHAPTER 4 SIM BOOKSHOPS

26

CHAPTER 5 BOOKSHOPS, BOOKMOBILES AND BOOK CYCLES

33

CHAPTER 6 THOSE WHO SERVED

45

CHAPTER 7 LITERATURE DEPARTMENT (SIMLIT)

105

CHAPTER 8 PASTORS’ BOOK SETS NIGERIA – BORN OUT OF NECESSITY

132

CHAPTER 9 THE STORY OF AFRICAN CHALLENGE

144

CHAPTER 10 DISTRIBUTION AND PERSONNEL INVOLVED

155

CHAPTER 11 MORE DISTRIBUTION PERSONNEL

165

CHAPTER 12 COUNSELLING AND READERS’ CLUBS

171

CHAPTER 13 PERSONNEL IN EDITORIAL

175

CHAPTER 14 PERSONNEL IN THE PRESS

179

CHAPTER 15 OLWYN KEYTE

191

CHAPTER 16 NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS

198

CHAPTER 17 NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS 1960-1963

202

CHAPTER 18 NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS – SEPTEMBER 1964–MAY 1968

216

CHAPTER 19 CHAMPION – CHALLENGE COUNTERPART

222

CHAPTER 20 CLAUDINE LUTHY’S (DEMIÉVILLE) REMEMBRANCES 226 THE DEMISE OF CHAMPION

235

SUMMARY

236

APPENDIX 1 BIAFRA

239

APPENDIX 2

242

A BRIEF OF THE TUCKS’ STORY POST - APN

247

Preface

S

ome years before retirement loomed, I often wondered and prayed about what I might become involved in at retirement. Before retirement came in September 2007, Larry Fehl of International being aware that SIM had made significant impact in Nigeria in four areas and wanting to see them properly documented, asked if I would write the “History of SIM Literature in Nigeria” for SIM Archives. The four areas where SIM made an impact in Nigeria were clinics and hospitals; primary schools, secondary schools and teachers’ colleges; Bible colleges through to seminaries; and of course in literature. Having had exposure for 50 years in literature, even though not a writer, who better to give it a try?

I started with African Challenge in July 1957, and then with a change of plan for distribution of Challenge, I had six months in Hausa language school in Kano. After language school I was assigned to bookshop work in Gusau, Sokoto Province and in the assignment I got the three things I did not want: 1) Be the single worker on a station; 2) Be in Sokoto Province; 3) Have anything to do with accounts. I survived two monthly trial balances, for the bookshop and Business Department.

With reorganization of the bookshops, the smaller branches were coming under the area shops; Gusau came under Kano Bookshop. I was transferred to Ilorin, where Mary Anderson was going on leave and not wanting to return to bookshop work. I was there for eighteen months before getting married at the end of my term, ending up with a honeymoon in Switzerland on the way home.

While in Ilorin I met veteran F. X. Stanley, who had spent over fifty years in Nigeria with SIM, and I wondered whether I could achieve that same goal.

I even wondered if I would last that long, or if SIM would “put up” with me for that length of time. During my time in Ilorin, Mr Stanley left Nigeria for retirement. When the business manager at Yaba guest house, making the booking for England and Canada, mentioned that Mr. Stanley had come to Nigeria on an Elder Dempster ship 50 years earlier, the shipping company gave the Stanleys a luxurious trip to England in the Governor’s suite.

After home leave, Leona and I went to Jos, relieving for General Manager Trevor Ardill. After that, it was to Lagos to Challenge compound for thirteen years, where we had an idyllic spot for children growing up. Heather, though born in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, was in Nigeria before she was six weeks old. John was a month old when we transferred to Lagos in October 1963. Glenn was born in August 1965.

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Ghana for Thirteen Years When the bookshops were transferred to the church, I was asked by Virgil Kleinsasser, the Ghana district superintendent, if I would go to Ghana. At first I said no, but as I was saying it I knew that was where we would go. We transferred there in September 1976.

Essentially Challenge Enterprises Ghana did all that Nigeria bookshops and Challenge did, only on a smaller scale. In finding out what had gone on before, I started reading the files and discovered my predecessor had corresponded with AIM at Kijabe, Kenya, from where they operated “Cinema Leo” (Cinema Today). With Board permission I went to Nairobi to see if this would work in Ghana. You might say the rest is history, because today, 29 years from the start in February 1980, seven Cinevans, soon to be eight, are operating on monthly predetermined routes throughout Ghana, showing Christian films and challenging people to trust Christ.

Pastors’ Book Sets were started in 1980, through which a pastor was provided with a set of books at a tenth of the normal retail cost. A second PBS was held in 1988, and then in September 1989 we left for a new assignment as Literature Consultant mission-wide. This brought us home to Canada. In this new role the PBS was spread to 37 countries in South America, Asia and other countries in Africa and in five languages – French, English, Spanish, Hausa and Amharic.

Ben Boateng took over from me and strengthened Challenge Enterprises to the place where there are 18 bookshops today, plus the many enlarged ministries of YSL (Young Sowers’ League), Counselling, Bible Correspondence, Prison Chaplain and visiting AIDS patients at the Korle Bu Hospital. Ben has been a man of integrity before God and man. Presently the Board of Trustees is considering who will replace him as he is due to retire in 2009.

We had thirteen wonderful years in Ghana, making many Ghanaian friends.

I considered everything learned in Nigeria as background and preparation for Ghana, where God did many wonderful things for us at Challenge Enterprises.

In 1989 I left Ghana to be involved in literature mission wide. The crowning achievement to those18 years as Literature Consultant was the production of the Africa Bible Commentary, produced by 70 African scholars, with Pieter Kwant as production manager and Isobel Stevenson as editor. After five years in production, the ABC was launched in Nairobi on 3 July 2006. SIM participated by raising $1,250,000 to produce the ABC in English and French.

The history writing task has been enjoyable, giving me something to get my teeth into. When this is complete, edited and typeset and a few books published for supporters and those who provided information, the manuscript will go to SIM Archives, for the eyes of researchers. Then I will begin the history of literature in Ghana over the last 56 years.

Jim Mason, December 2008

CHAPter 1

FIRST SIM STATION

T

hree attempts from 1893 to establish work in Nigeria failed, but in 1901 four men, Albert Taylor, Charles Robinson, Mr Anthony and A. W. Banfield sailed from Liverpool to Nigeria and established the first Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) station at Pategi in 1902. To learn Hausa, the major language of Northern Nigeria, Taylor from Hamilton Ontario, Canada, and Robinson from the USA, went to Tripoli (Libya) to 1901 Party, plus Dr Bingham and Canadian study with a colony of Hausa traders Board Member living there. After their studies they met Anthony and Banfield in England. Anthony was from Michigan and was superintendent of the Michigan Conference of the Brethren in Christ Church.

Banfield was from Toronto.1 A week’s delay in their departure gave them opportunity to meet Frederick Lugard (later, Lord Lugard), returning as High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria.

Lugard encouraged them to travel with him, and was quite willing to help them find a place to establish a missionary base.

Lugard later reported to the British government, “Dr Miller of the CMS and Rev Anthony…afford us every confidence 1901 party, E.A.Anthony, A Taylor, that both missions will be of great value in A.W. Banfield, C. Robinson the work of civilization and progress.”2

1 2

Clare Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001, page 20-21.

Ibid., page 22.

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GETTING ESTABLISHED The four men left Liverpool 30 October 1901 on the Royal Mail steamer Bornu. The ship’s doctor predicted: “You see that young man, Banfield; you will bury him out there in six months; he will be the first of your party to die.”3 Banfield was the youngest in the party and was for many years the only survivor.

In God’s mercy, in 18 months Banfield was the leader; Anthony, who had been leader, and Robinson were forced to return home due to illness. Albert Taylor died of black water fever a short time after he moved to Bida with some new missionaries who arrived in 1903.

At the mouth of the Niger River they changed to a small paddle ship for five days upriver to Lokoja, the British Government HQ. They stayed for four months; during that time they reconnoitred a two-day canoe journey up the river, and two days down the river, eventually deciding to start their mission among the Nupe people at Pategi, two days upriver. Their move was made on a shallow-bottomed boat allowing them to get close to the bank at Edogie on the south side of the river, a small landing about 3 miles (4½km) from Pategi which was inland.

3

Clare Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001, page 23.

3

first siM stAtion

There were three smaller emirates on the south side of the River Niger: Shonga, Lafiagi and Pategi. Shonga and Pategi had been separated by the then head British officer from Lafiagi in 1833 as two rivals for the kingship of the Nupe fled from Usman Dendo and Masaba, the two sons of the Fulani Mallam Dendo, who had seized the throne of Lafiagi Emirate. These three emirates south of the river Niger were independent of the larger emirate of Bida. Pategi was the first emirate going north, approximately opposite where the Kaduna River flowing south joined the River Niger. The British installed Idirisu Gana as the Etsu or “King” of Pategi in 1898, taking it out of Lafiagi’s control. Idirisu died in 1900, so it was from his son Muazu Yissa, the new King of Pategi that the four missionaries asked permission to work in his area.

Lugard probably considered the Nupe, a tribe controlled by the British and one of the smaller emirates, a safe place for inexperienced missionaries to start. From the Etsu’s point of view he could hardly refuse a request from the white men who had brought his family back from exile to kingship.4 Pategi was a town of 10,0005 which had reached this size in recent times.

Slavery had been outlawed by the British, though when slaves ran away they were often pursued. It was known that if a slave reached Pategi he would be safe from recapture, so many ex-slaves headed there. This caused the rapid growth of the town.

EDOGIE LANDING Banfield wrote about landing at Edogie: “We did not know where we were going to sleep...we could not speak to the people…

As soon as the boat had left us, we knelt under a tree and asked God to direct us in our new life and lead us to a place where we could put our goods and also sleep for the night.”6 Once again God provided.

The SIM group lived a short time at Edogie, which means “small village”. They could not speak any Nupe, but the chief understood what these white men wanted right away and gave them three huts to live in and store their loads. They found it so hot that on the second night they slept outside under their mosquito nets.

4 5 6

Boat unloading at Edogie

Pategi party unloading goods at Edogie

Clare Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001, page 31.

Ibid., page 31.

A. W. Banfield, Life Among the Nupe Tribe in West Africa, H.S. Hallman, Berlin, Ontario, (now Kitchener), Canada, 1905.

4

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The Etsu of Pategi gave them some land and promised to have some grass huts built for them which took about three weeks. Since it was rainy season, the building of a more permanent structure was left till the next dry season.

BANFIELD A LINGUIST Accepted because of his mechanical skills and practical handyman ability, Alexander Banfield was not satisfied to be an appendage; he determined to be a missionary. “The intoned language was one of the most difficult in the vast field. Though he had very little of the usual preparation for mission work, Mr Banfield applied himself wholeheartedly to mastering Nupe.”7 Banfield had a personal quest to “get” the Nupe language. The others quickly realized that Alex had a gift for the language, and arranged activities freeing him from many of the daily duties so he could study. Consequently, in less than 12 months, Banfield was able to hold Gospel services.

Alex Banfield later wrote: King of Pategi visting SIM building site

At once I applied myself diligently and strenuously to Nupe, spoken by a million people in the middle Niger. For the first two years I never read a book or paper of any kind in English, except for my Bible. I determined to get this language at all costs. I lived in it; I thought in it; I dreamed in it. So great was my passion to learn it that I even put it before my health and life. At no time, during my years of language work, did I ever have as a teacher a Nupe man who knew a word of English. I struggled for and hunted out every word I learned. I never forgot a word.8 While studying with a Nupe teacher I have added to my vocabulary on average 15 words each day or 2-3,000 in a year.9 Banfield’s aim was to translate Bible passages into Nupe so that missionaries could read these Scriptures on visits in Pategi with the builders and in marketplace preaching, all of whom were Muslims.

Banfield prepared a first draft of John’s

Banfield in Language Study 7 8 9

Clare Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001.

Ibid., page 33.

An interview with Rev A. W. Banfield, The Bible in the World, 1908.

first siM stAtion

5

Gospel in 18 months. He wrote: “I have all of John’s Gospel translated, and six chapters in Mark.”10 We can assume that Banfield’s translation was not too exact but it was a good foundation for revisions. It was a remarkable achievement even for someone with good self-study habits and the simplest of academic help.

He worked in the phonetic system he had learned in Toronto.

Choosing the Roman script letters of the alphabet to write the language, he used certain letters together such as “gb” to bring out specific sounds in the Nupe language. He based his Gospel translation on the English Revised Version of 1881, since he had not studied Greek.11 R. V. Bingham, co-founder of SIM said: “Mr Banfield applied himself wholeheartedly to mastering this difficult tongue. Into it he began to translate the precious Word of God. He compiled his own dictionary and when he returned from his first furlough he had ready the manuscript which the British and Foreign Bible Society printed, so that he was able to Studying the Language take back to the field these portions of the New Testament (the four Gospels) to the two or three million people who spoke the Nupe language.” Bingham later said: “A.W. Banfield set the standard and tone for SIM’s translation programme.”12 Banfield realized early on that among the partially Islamized Nupe it would not be easy to produce converts quickly. There was hope, however, with his language teacher whom he does not name. He writes: “Until lately he had not had any interest in the message of salvation, but only a few weeks ago our teacher has said he desires to know God and to believe on Jesus Christ, and on asking him some questions, he seemed to be quite clear about the matter. We would like it if this one would be remembered in your prayers.”13

DR STIRRETT ARRIVES While Banfield was field leader, Dr Stirrett began to learn the Hausa language and with Edward F. Rice, a newcomer, he moved into the Kontagora emirate farther north establishing a station at Wushishi on the Kaduna River, where he 10 Pioneering

in the Soudan, Africa Industrial Mission (SIM), 1903.

Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001, page 46-47.

12 R. V. Bingham, Seven Sevens of Years and a Jubilee, Evangelical Publishers, Toronto, Canada, 1943.

13 Clare Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001, page 35.

11 Clare

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gained more facility in Hausa. This was in November of 1904. Stirrett later became SIM’s representative and a key member of the Hausa Bible Committee.

In the same month Banfield, weary of sickness (four attacks of black water fever - an advanced stage of malaria), left Nigeria with six others, reaching Toronto in January 1905, broken in health. Andrew Stirrett became SIM field leader.

Dr Stirret going to open Wushishi. Bacho Back in Canada in 1905 and with Wushishi Railway returning health, Banfield set himself some projects. The first was to marry his fiancée, Althea Priest, on March 1st. She was a missionary in Toronto with the City Mission Workers Society.

Secondly, being a keen photographer and going to Nigeria with equipment to produce good photographs, with the help of the editor of the Church of the Brethren denominational paper, Henry S. Hallman, he now used 137 of his pictures with suitable commentary and printed 5,000 copies of the book, Life Among the Nupe Tribe in West Africa. This was printed in Berlin (Kitchener), Canada, in both hard and soft cover editions. The commentary beside each picture “...gave details and stories about life in Nigeria as he saw it. Banfield showed he had an appreciation for the richness and the needs of African culture.”14 Letters home by Banfield and the original leader of the team E. S. Anthony, who returned to his former position of superintendent of the Church of the Brethren Mission Conference in Michigan, had inspired the various conferences to become interested in overseas mission. With this increasing interest, the Banfields were asked if they would return to Nigeria and open up a mission work for the Church of the Brethren. This mission later became known as United Missionary Society (UMS). Throughout all the years until the present, relationships between SIM and UMS have been most cordial and cooperative.

Alex Banfield resigned15 from SIM and returned to Nigeria with Althea, on 17 August 1905.

At the mouth of the Niger they transferred to a smaller steamer and made their way upriver, but it was not until October at the end of the rainy season that they reached their destination. From his previous The House from Canada experience in Nigeria, he knew he 14 Clare

15 Ibid.,

Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, page 36. page 37.

first siM stAtion

wanted to settle in the most westerly of the three emirates on the south side of the Niger River, at Tsonga, which became known as Shonga. This was about 160 miles (290 km) north of Pategi. Banfield brought with him a wooden house which he built on concrete pillars to protect it from termites.

Anglican Bishop Herbert Tugwell suggested that the missions interested in the Nupe come together in a conference to decide on matters related to translation questions. These missions were the Anglican Church Missionary Society (CMS), SIM and the newly formed Brethren Mission (UMS).

Their first meeting was held at Pategi in 1906 where they settled on a working alphabet. They also planned to translate the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. Banfield was asked to be the secretary. The second meeting in 1907 was at Shonga, and later meetings were at Pategi in 1908 and 1909.

At the first conference J. L. McIntyre (CMS) was asked to write a Nupe grammar. Banfield was to revise his translation of the Gospels. After the committee decided his translation of the Gospels was good quality it went to the Bible Society and they were printed in 1908. The Banfields were on furlough 1906 Nupe Language Comm. CMS, SIM & UMS and were able to be in London when the Gospels were being printed.

EARLIER TRANSLATIONS The Nupe Literature Conference’s work was not the first attempt at Bible translation into Nupe...It is likely the Anglicans made Banfield aware of earlier efforts. As early as 1877, Samuel Crowther had a translation of the Gospel of John printed by CMS in London, fruit of his many contacts with the Nupe and attempts to open the kingdom to Christian missionaries. In 1886-87, the BFBS published the four Gospels translated by Archdeacon Henry Johnson and a later revision

by J. L. McIntyre and T. W. Bako in 1889. This same Thomas Bako also had a translation of the Psalms, with revisions by Obadiah Thomas and J. J. Williams, published in 1903 after Bako’s martyrdom.

As they met, the 1909 Literature Conference urged Banfield to continue translating. 16 16

Clare Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners,

7

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Literature Outreach in Nigeria

Later in 1909 Banfield reported that for the last six months he had been working on almost nothing else but the book of Acts and stories from the Old Testament, sometimes struggling with one verse for an hour. This experience comes to all those who wish to translate God’s Word accurately.

Some of his supporters in the churches in Canada might have wondered why Banfield was not out there preaching,17 but Alex Banfield was looking at the benefits in years to come. It was known that the Yoruba Bible which had been translated 30 years before, had for the last three years been selling in thousands.

A more recent observation by the late Professor Kwame Bediako of Ghana may help bring into focus the importance of the translation Alex Banfield was doing. Professor Bediako wisely observes: “The most valuable service that missionaries provided was the translation of the Scriptures, because God through the written word can then speak to individuals directly.”18 The book of Acts was published by the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) in 1912; Banfield assisted Rev McIntyre of CMS with the Nupe Grammar, published in 1915 by SPCK (Society for Publication of Christian Knowledge). In 1910 a catechism and some hymns were published, also a booklet, “One Hundred Controversial Questions with Mahommedism.” A Nupe Dictionary in two volumes of over 13,000 words was also published; volume 1 in 1914 and volume 2 in 1916.19 A unique work being prepared in those years (1910-1915), but published in 1916, in Nupe and English, was a collection of 623 Nupe proverbs which today would still be a valuable foundation for Nupe studies.

The crowning of Banfield’s work in these years was the completion of a draft of the whole New Testament in 1914. Banfield produced a thousand copies on the Niger Press and the Bible Society printed their edition a little later; a revision was made in 1927. Much of this work was done by the committee with Banfield’s drafts. At one stage the committee consisted of Banfield, Ira Sherk (UMS), F. Merryweather (SIM), A. E. Ball and C. H. Daintree both of CMS. This inter-mission group met in 1913, but when the First World War disrupted things it was not until 1926 that the next inter-mission conference was held. Actually the Nupe Literature Committee continued as before. They asked Banfield to push on with Bible translation drafts; they asked him to work on Psalms, Romans, and the letters of John, Peter and Jude.20 The press was managed by Banfield, with young Nupe men hired to learn the printer’s trade. They did the typesetting, printing and binding, though not the 17 Fuller,

Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001, page 48.

Bediako, Akrofi Christaller Institute, Akuapem, Ghana, said this to the author in 2003.

19 Clare Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001, page 49.

20 Ibid., 2001, page 49.

18 Kwame

FIRST SIM STATION

9

proofreading, which had to be done by those who knew the language involved.

Banfield noted that “their work is a marvel to all who see it.”21 Clare Fuller (a missionary with UMS, now called World Partners), and who is still in Nigeria, visited Shonga several years ago and met a man who worked at Niger Press with Alex Banfield. He said that Alex taught him and that he used to do all the hardcover binding for the books which were produced.

The question may be asked, “How did Banfield publish so many works?”

The answer is that he became a printer to the missions in Northern Nigeria.

21 Clare

Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, page 49-50.

CHAPTER 2

NIGER PRESS 1910-1924

T

he Joint Missionary Conference of Missions in Northern Nigeria, held on the CMS Station located at Lokoja, in July 1910, adopted the following resolution:

That it is desirable to have a common Mission Press and that Rev A. W. Banfield’s offer to supervise the working of such a Press, be gratefully accepted. (The enthusiasm with which Alex took up this new responsibility gives you the impression it may have been his suggestion.)22

(a) That the Trustees of the Northern Nigeria Literature fund (which forms part of the Pan-Anglican Thank-offering Fund) be asked to guarantee a sum not to exceed £50 to cover the expenses of the first year, and that each Society pay for the work actually done for it on the Press. (b) That all the details of the carrying out of the scheme be left in the hands of the Rev A. W. Banfield, and that calculating the amount to be charged for printing, 25% be added to the cost of materials and labour, in order to cover loss by depreciation and spoiled work.23 With the £50, which was kindly increased to £72, Rev Banfield had delivered from England to Shonga, a hand-operated press and paper cutter, type, ink, type cases and paper. The machinery arrived at Shonga in December 1910, and was set up in a small round mud house. Probably it was a later printing press (a bedplate) that took 20 men a whole week to drag from the riverside to Shonga, for Banfield was adding better equipment over the years. Mr Banfield had already decided that this printing press was to be called the “Niger Press”.

Mr Banfield had no previous experience in printing, but his engineering background served him well, and together with a few young men he started printing. Orders were sent in from a number of mission stations, government 22 Clare

Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, page 50.

Turaki, An Introduction to the History of SIM/ECWA, self published, page 199.

23 Yusufu

NIGER PRESS 1910-1924

11

officials and traders, and it was soon evident that the Press was meeting a real need. The plant was too small, so orders for new type, paper and printing materials were sent home almost every month; still, the Press could not keep up with the orders.

The first item printed by Niger Press was a Monthly Prayer Cycle for the use of all missions at their stations in Northern Nigeria.

In 1912 Mr Banfield went on furlough, and while in Canada was successful in raising considerable funds for the work of the Niger Press. He was able to buy a larger printing press for £400, which he took with him when he returned in 1913; included was a larger stock of paper and binding material, and also hundreds of pounds weight of new type. Money had also been given for a new building which was to house the growing plant. From this time the business went ahead by leaps and bounds; there was always work to keep the staff busy.

The Niger Press had become well known and patronized. In 1915 Banfield added a cylinder press with a petrol (gasoline) engine to run the press.

The 1913 Missionary Conference resolved the following: Rev A. W. Banfield reported that the small printing press bought with the money advanced by the C.M.S. Literature Fund had proven a success, and that he had on his last furlough raised about £400 for a large press and a special building. The Conference decided: (a) That the Rev A. W. Banfield’s offer to take entire responsibility of this newly constructed “Niger Press” be gratefully accepted. (b) That the amount originally advanced by the C.M.S. Literature Fund be repaid by installments so that the entire Press become the property of Mr Banfield. (c) That in order to place the Press on a proper financial footing Mr Banfield be encouraged to add to the actual cost of the work a sufficient percentage to allow for depreciation, interest on capital, expenditure, etc., and also that donations towards the initial cost of the new machinery and buildings be invited. (d) That the missionaries pledge to do their best to support the Press, by sending printing work to Mr Banfield, and by endeavouring to secure apprentices for the work.

In 1914 the Press was in full swing, a staff of seven efficiently trained Nigerians being employed. Printing and binding were done in twelve languages: English, Yoruba, Hausa, Nupe, Gbari, Munchi, Yergum, Angas, Sura, Bachama, Jukun and Burum.

The Press did not feel that any job was too large or difficult as the following list of books will show: Scripture portions, dictionaries, prayer books and Bible stories, hymn books, readers, primers, catechisms and reading sheets. Not only

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were these printed, but suitable covers were made and the books bound, a credit indeed to the under 18 years of age Nigerians who did the work.

In 1915 Mr Banfield went on furlough and, when passing through England, ordered a cylinder press and gas engine to be sent out to Shonga. But before these were shipped, a change took place which altered the future of the Press.

During his 14 years in Nigeria, Mr Banfield spent a great deal of his time on the Nupe language, completing a translation of the New Testament into Nupe.

This brought him to the attention of the British and Foreign Bible Society of London, who were looking for someone to be their Secretary for West Africa.

BANFIELD LEAVES The Bible Society wrote to the UMS Board in Canada, asking if they would release Rev Banfield so they could appoint him as Bible Society Secretary for West Africa. After considering the request, UMS decided to loan Rev Banfield to the Bible Society.

The Niger Press was still very dear to Alex Banfield’s heart, so he recruited a young missionary to carry on the work since the Bible Society would assign him to Lagos. Mr Panabaker of Cambridge, Ontario, the new man, was to receive his salary from the profits of the Press. After a trial of eighteen months it was found this plan was not working well so a new plan for the Press had to be adopted.

EVANGELICAL PUBLISHERS

E.F. Gerorge and wife with C.V. Nelson

24 E.

Because of the interest and financial contribution of the SIM toward the upkeep of the Niger Press, Rev Banfield invited SIM to take over the Press. But SIM declined on the ground that “It would serve the interests of all the missions on the field in a better way if the Niger Press were under the direction of an independent corporation to serve all missions on equal terms.” SIM suggested that Evangelical Publishers be contacted. The leader and co-founder of SIM, Rev Rowland V. Bingham, was also the founder and editor of the magazine, The Evangelical Christian and Missionary Witness (MW) published by Evangelical Publishers, Toronto, Canada.

In July 1917,24 with full consent and permission of the contributors, Mr

F. George, The History of Niger Press, 1925, SIM Archives, Niger Press, page 17.

niGer Press 1910-1924

13

Banfield handed the Press over to the “Evangelical Publishers”, a corporation affiliated with Sudan Interior Mission, based in Toronto, Canada, who agreed to maintain the high ideals for which the Press stood. At that time, the value of the printing plant and stock supply had reached over a thousand pounds.

With a gift of five thousand dollars from the “Stewart Trust”,25 Evangelical Publishers sent out new equipment to upgrade the Press in 1918. Also in September 1918, Mr and Mrs E. F. George were sent to Nigeria to manage the Press. Mr George had wide experience in the printing business. Evangelical Publishers also decided to move the Press to Minna in January of 1919.26 Minna was a more centrally situated town on the railway and within easy reach of various mission stations, and it was SIM’s HQ in Nigeria. It was no small undertaking to move the many hundreds of pounds of type, paper, heavy press machinery, but it was successfully moved into a new building at Minna.

E. F. George recalls the move to Minna: When we first arrived here it was decided to move Niger Press from its present location at Shonga to Minna. This meant a river journey and also 150 miles by railroad. We proceeded to Shonga, and with the help of the good missionaries and the native carriers the equipment was carried to the river and placed in native canoes. We left Shonga on a Monday at noon and reached Jebba, a three-day journey upriver on Thursday morning, where we loaded all the materials into a freight car and left the rest to the railway; in due time the car arrived at Minna.

After operating the Press for a year at Minna, it was found that the old hand-powered press, originally purchased, was inadequate to cope with the growing need. Also the need of a new power press was now laid before the Lord in prayer and prayer was answered; thus a brand new 12 x 18 Chandler & Price Gordon Press was added in 1921.

Ernest & Mrs George, C V Nelson Minna Press 1922

The day the machine arrived was remembered as a day of thankful rejoicing to the Lord. The old way of printing had been a hard, slow grind and caused much waste of paper, time and energy. About 1000 impressions were considered a fair day’s work, but the new machine 25 Associated 26 Clare

and administered by Evangelical Publishers.

Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001, page 66.

14

Literature Outreach in Nigeria

revolutionized the output to 3,000 impressions daily, marking a new day at the Press. 27

INGENUITY NEEDED What about power? This obstacle was overcome when Mr George rigged up a bicycle as motor power, attaching the chain to the axle of the machine. A good strong Yoruba by the name of Bello peddled the bike while Mr George fed the press. Output was trebled from the old-fashioned hand power.

A new stitching machine for the bindery was added and then a new mediumsized paper cutter for trimming printed books. Step-by-step the Press became more efficient. Then in July 1922, Mr C. V. Nelson arrived to assist in the work which had grown considerably under capable management.

A new day dawned for the Press with the addition of a 3 h.p. Fair­banksMorse gasoline engine. “We were able to retire the “improvised motor,” running our press almost as fast as the printers at home.”28 At full capacity the average was around 1000 impressions an hour.

The staff members consisted of eight young men: Gana - bindery and bookshop; Amaga, Peter, Bamayi, Ladipo and Thomas - all printers; Bello press feeder; Timothy on errands. They all learned their responsibilities well, and all were Christians, professing to love the Lord. They represented seven different tribes, all speaking Hausa.

Up to 1924 the Press had printed Gospels and Scripture portions in twenty different languages. These included: Angas, Iregwe, Agni, Jaba, Bachama, Jukun, Burum, Kamui, Chawi, Munchi, Fanti, Nupe, French, Sura, Gbari (Matayi), Yoruba, Tangale, Gbari (Gengeyi), Yergum and Hausa. In addition, much was printed in English, with many missions having their letterheads and office printing done at Niger Press.

SERVING ALL MISSIONS The Press, being under the direction of the Evangelical Publishers of Toronto, was able to serve all the mission societies on an equal basis with the aim to give printing at cost to all the Missions, plus a small percentage to cover loss in depreciation of the plant. This required that staff from overseas be supported from home.

The desire of those at the Press was twofold: that their efforts be a spiritual success, where the books were used of God to bring people to Christ, and that it would be a financial success where the cost of supplies would be covered by prices charged.

For a long time it had been felt that something must be done to replace the type which had become badly worn and which rendered good printing 27 Evangelical 28 E.

Christian, February 1921.

F. George, The History of the Niger Press, 1925, SIM Archives, page 17.

NIGER PRESS 1910-1924

15

impossible. At the beginning of 1923 friends were informed to pray that a way would open so they could have new type.29 The cost to land this equipment in Nigeria was $4,000. Mr Blackstone of Evangelical Publishers, administering the Stewart Trust Fund, offered $1,500, if SIM could find the remainder for the Typecaster. Though cheered by some who sent gifts for the purchase of the Thompson Typecaster, weeks became months without the full amount being donated.30 After many months, Mr Blackstone wanted SIM to release the funds since they (SIM) could not raise the remaining funds. While in prayer at a council meeting, there was a phone call saying a cable had come from across the Atlantic and the words were, “Will make up any balance on the Thompson Typecaster.” On 12 December 1923 the Press at Minna received a cablegram “Typecaster Promised”. The machine would be on its way as soon as an order could be placed. There was much rejoicing in Toronto and Minna at God’s wonderful provision. Both the quality and speed of production were vastly improved.31 The Evangelical Publishers, who operated the Niger Press, recounted this regarding the Typecaster in a 1936 brochure: Within the last three years the whole New Testament in two languages - Tangale (1932) and Igalla (1935).... An amazing feature is - all the type in the main text of both books was manufactured in our plant by melting and moulding lead on the Thompson Typecaster. This machine was literally a godsend to the press and came to us in 1924. It has done splendid service during the past 12 years. By this time printing at the press was being done in over 40 languages.32

29 The

Niger Press, Brochure 1936, Evangelical Publishers, 366 Bay St. Toronto.

Toronto.

31 Ibid.

32 Ibid.

30 Ibid..

CHAPter 3

NIGER PRESS 1925-1950

E

rnie George was the first manager of the Press for seven plus years under Evangelical Publishers. He came from outside Toronto, and on returning to Canada, Ernie started a press in King City, north of Toronto. Mr Nelson became manager, then after Nelson, Bob Kitch was manager.

Mr George, the manager of the Press, went home to Canada in 1925. He was not well and he did not return. Mr C. V. Nelson was not yet back from leave, but there was an unknown person with experience in printing who stepped in until Mr Nelson returned. It appears that he continued as manager until he went home on furlough in 1938. He never did return, entering the presence of the Lord on 2 September 1939. By this time, Robert Kitch had been at the Niger Press for 4-5 years. From 1939, when he became manager of Niger Press, and after 27 years at the Press, he ended up on medical retirement shortly after Niger Press and African Challenge joined forces in Lagos in 1959.

Mr C. V. Nelson, who had run away from home when 17, had many experiences before he came to the Lord. He was a hobo in Chicago,33 and had only known the rough side of life until he trusted Christ. He began work at a printing press in Georgia where he was trained to become a highly skilled typographer. It was at this time that he began to feel the call of God on his life and he headed for Chicago where he planned to attend Moody Bible Institute. Circumstances prevented him from taking classes, but he became an usher at Moody Church.

One Sunday, Guy Playfair of SIM Nigeria was speaking at church; he first told of his own life and spoke of some of the needs in Nigeria.

Nelson 1929 Nelson’s heart burned within him and he felt

33 Evangelical

Christian, Toronto, Canada, November 1929.

NIGER PRESS 1925-1950

17

he must speak to Playfair after the service. Many people were around Playfair, but Nelson waited and finally was able to ask him if he would have lunch with him. Playfair replied that he already had another engagement, and as Nelson was moving off, Guy Playfair asked: “What do you do? What do you work at?” When Nelson replied he was a printer, Playfair’s face lit up and he said, “Perhaps you are the very man the Lord wants me to speak to about Niger Press.” Indeed, Nelson was the man, and God had called him.34 Mr Nelson had a problem with high blood pressure. Two doctors said there was no way he should go to Nigeria, but a third doctor, more sympathetic, felt that he would live as long in Nigeria as he would at home. On that word SIM accepted him and Moody Church gave $600 towards his passage and support.

It took eight more months before he was on his way. When he finally left, the ship ran aground in fog and was damaged between Montreal and Quebec City which meant another delay, this time for four days. When he reached Nigeria, immigration would not let him enter because of some irregularity in his passport, but after a few hours of questioning he was allowed in.

On his second furlough, his blood pressure was down from 240 to 180. The doctor reported that he was in better health than when he first went to Nigeria.

The doctor mentioned that if SIM had been looking for a health resort for Mr Nelson, we could not have sent him to a better place. Few would consider Minna a health resort, but when one is in God’s will He takes care of our problems.

NIGER PRESS MOVES TO JOS Minna on the railway line was half way between the tropical forest of the south and the sandy north; it was troubled by the harmattan winds from the desert that brought clouds of dust that covered everything. On one occasion the press was so troubled by a heavy harmattan it had to close down for one month. This climate took its toll on the Press, whose rollers turned hard and cracked. By this time SIM had been thinking of moving the HQ to Jos, which was on a plateau at 4,000 ft above sea level and central to the growing number of stations. With this climate, Niger Press also made the decision to move in 1928.

BOB KITCH Bob was having his throat swabbed by the nurse in the dispensary at Moody Bible Institute. The nurse asked if he had seen the call for a printer in The Evangelical Christian. Looking it up, Bob read a telegram sent to the editor by C. V. Nelson of Niger Press - it read “PRINTER DESPERATELY NEEDED”.

This was Robert Kitch’s call to the mission field - a call in print for a printer.

Bob Kitch was single when he arrived in Nigeria in 1933 and married Dorothy McDowell there on 19 October 1938. He became manager of the 34 Evangelical

Christian, Toronto, Canada, November 1929.

18

Literature outreach in nigeria

Press and held that position for 22 years. During his first year, standing at the door of the Press, a young boy selling oranges came up to him and said, “White man, I want a book. I want to learn to read.”35 The boy’s beseeching voice came through to Bob as an echo and confirmation of his call back in America a few months before.

Bob went back to his desk piled with orders, with staff at their tasks busy around him, gluing, printing, composing and stitching. His brain throbbed with the cry “Give me a book; give me a book; give me Bob Kitch in Niger Press a book!” This sustained Bob and his wife through their years at Niger Press - the knowledge that what was produced at Niger Press was being used of God to bring people to Himself.

Electric power came to Jos in 1937, allowing for electric motors to bring increased efficiency and output. A new Monotype Composition Typecaster was sent in 1945, which arrived damaged. Bob Kitch, who had been trained on a linotype, found this machine entirely strange, but he took the machine apart, repaired the problem, and got the machine working. All this was accomplished without the usual company mechanic sent by the printing company. The monotype was still being used until 1966 when it was retired.

JOHN GRANT Johnny, a Canadian, arrived at Bununu in 1938, and married Kay (Kathryn) Hengst in June the next year.

Johnny had attended Prairie Bible Institute, where his work assignment was in the print shop. As a missionary his love was for “bush” work, preaching the Gospel, teaching and training. However, because of his background in printing, whenever a crisis came at the Niger Press, Johnny was called in, sometimes to help until the crisis was over, other times it was to relieve for John Grant and Leona someone’s furlough. This happened over a period of Mason 15 or more years and finally in the mid-1950s he was assigned to the Niger Press, and found his fulfillment in his extracurricular work: in Night Bible School and prison visitation, preaching and teaching wherever needed. Johnny was happy to serve.

Johnny had been helping Bob Kitch, but in 1948 went home on furlough.

This was a banner year for the Press, with only Bob Kitch and his wife, and the 35 White

Man Give me a Book, Harold Fuller, SIM Archives, Box 081.

NIGER PRESS 1925-1950

19

Nigerian staff, sometimes working until 10pm. Fifteen million pages of Gospel literature were printed in a variety of languages for Nigeria that year.

One day when Bob Kitch was on leave Johnny sat in the office at Niger Press, looking at a stack of orders, presses already running full tilt. “If only we had another press!” That day a letter arrived from Bob Kitch telling of the Lord’s provision of a new press that he would bring back with him. It was in 1949 when the new press, a power wire stitcher, and a folding machine were installed. A new power paper cutter was added in 1951.

SIM ASSUMES OWNERSHIP OF NIGER PRESS Through the 27 years of ownership by Evangelical Publishers, Toronto, there had always been close cooperation with SIM. Those working at the Press were missionaries who were recruited by the Evangelical Publishers, but were looked upon as part of the SIM family in Jos. They were paid their monthly allowance

by SIM and accounts were held for Niger Press by SIM at HQ in Jos. Before 1 April 1944, the matter of SIM taking over responsibility for the Press had been raised by the Mission, but it was not until then that Evangelical Publishers was willing to pursue the matter. At that time Mr Stock, managing director of Evangelical Publishers, was able to meet Mr Playfair and Bob Kitch in New York. SIM Nigeria had been making Evangelical Publishers aware that demand was increasing, and that when the war ended there would be a great surge in print orders and more equipment was needed. So after due consideration and valuing the investment, Mr Stock decided to sell to SIM and the terms were these: 1. That whatever cash was on hand and shown by the books of the Niger Press as at the purchase date (for discussion purposes we have set the date as at the beginning of the fiscal year, April 1 1944) be settled at 100% valuation.

2. That the accounts receivable, as shown on the books which, by the way, are reported on by your own auditors as being in a good, healthy condition, be figured at valuation 90%.

3. That the inventory be valued at 90%.

4. That the valuation of Buildings, Machinery, Equipment and Type be independently appraised and sold to you at 50% of such valuation. In other words, so far as the Plant and Equipment are concerned, we would like to donate to the Mission half of its true value; that is, for every dollar the Mission puts up for physical assets of the Niger Press, we will give outright the same amount.36

36 Letter

081.

from Evangelical Publishers to Guy Playfair, 22 August, 1944, SIM Archives, Box NCP

20

Literature Outreach in Nigeria

Niger Press with all its assets was valued at well over $20,000, but realizing that SIM might have difficulty raising this amount to assume ownership of Niger Press, Mr Stock proposed the following in a 22 August 1944 letter: That SIM assume ownership of the Press from 1 April 1944.

It was suggested by Mr Stock that Evangelical Publishers transfer all assets of Niger Press to the SIM as at 1 April 1944, for the sum of $20,000 (New York funds) payable in eight equal instalments of $2,500 over a period of four years, without interest.

This allowed SIM to make these payments out of current earnings of the Press without undue financial strain. Though SIM’s decision is not recorded, it can be assumed they agreed to these terms, and SIM most likely paid in full before the four years was up.

A BOY’S EYE VIEW On a field trip from an SIM mission school a group of boys had the experience of going through Niger Press to see the printing press at work. Some of their uncorrected comments written after their return to class follow: “On the 26 May 1951, we visited Jos for Geography observation.

We visited Niger Press which was most important for me, because since I was born I never see such wonderful engines (machines).

When we arrived, the man in charge took us round the room and showed us how the engines do their work. He was very pleased and also the workers were very pleased to see us. I was very impressed in seeing how the engines were working. Some of them were printing and some were cutting the edges of the books which had already been printed. When we departed from there I thought about the engines and the man in charge deeply, and it came to my mind that the man and his workers are assisting the Christians very well, because through their work we get different kinds of books containing the Word of God.....My mind is full of thankfulness because of their work.”

Another, “I was greatly amazed by what each special individual plays his part in printing books I have been familiar to. I could not understand, for instance, why one person in a closet (The Monotype operator) sits down, using a machine as a typewriter (having red letters that allow spaces in words) makes holes on a piece of paper.

This paper in turn is taken to another worker on the other part of the room. With guidance of this the machine melts metal pieces and prints letter on them. This I cannot understand.”

NIGER PRESS 1925-1950

21

Several of the boys were impressed with the fact that the work of the Press was for their good. “I even saw my language there in the Niger Press. It was a Hymn Book, that I even have it at home.”37

A JOURNALIST VISITS NIGER PRESS Having seen printing presses before, a visiting journalist was impressed with what he saw at Niger Press. Printing presses to produce books with the message of Christ and the salvation He offers is one thing; but in Nigeria a press many years old and still printing is quite another thing. His account is below.

I made a trip of my own through the Niger Press. Unlike the school boys, I had seen busy print-shops before, but I had never seen anything like Niger Press. The sight of those Africans, grinning at me as they helped print the Word of God for their fellow tribesmen was more unusual than the “strange engines”.

Just inside the door of the long, concrete block building was Robert Kitch, weathering a storm of letters, manuscripts, orders, and printed “proofs” on his desk. Johnny Grant was in the workshop, sawing through a two-inch section of gear to replace a broken one.

“Oh, we’ve cut bigger ones than this,” he smiled, wiping the perspiration from his face. “We stop at nothing in fixing machinery.

You can’t depend on getting work done out here, and spare parts are impossible to buy. We have to improvise a lot.”

Grant showed me one machine that was “improvised”. Kitch had turned a hand-operated ruling machine into a power model by hooking a motorcycle gear box to it with a chain drive. It has been ticking away for twelve years.

I wondered what another outfit was that somehow resembled the under-side of a truck. It was another “improvised” machine for sharpening the precision-ground 36-inch long knives of the power cutter. The material used added up to this: three yards of half-inch water pipe threaded nearly its full length to move the blade steadily, two lengths of angle iron for the blade-rest, two housings of truck differentials which acted as stands, a sand grindstone, a one-third horsepower electric motor. That is missionary mechanics.

“We had just got our new Gordon Press when the old one literally flew apart,” Grant told me. “A heavy rod shot out and landed in another press, whizzing past the operator’s ear. The other press would have been smashed too if it had been operating at that moment.”

37 White

Man Give Me a Book, Harold Fuller, 1951, SIM Archives, pages 9-10.

22

Literature Outreach in Nigeria

After the rod on the Gordon Press had been repaired, a main casting broke. Grant “improvised” again and the press operated once more.

“We have been waiting for a new casting for nearly two years,” he said.

It took him two days to cut and fit one casting for which he had only a catalogue photograph to work from.

“We want to sing the Hallelujah Chorus when we use a new machine like our power emery wheel, which saves us labour and precious hours.”

“We are now running the Gospel of John in the Yoruba language, if you would like to see how it is done,” Grant said.

Upstairs we went first to see the initial stage of putting a translation of a Gospel into actual print. Ayuba, a dark-skinned man from Lake Chad in the far north, typed carefully on his monotype keyboard. On a paper roll the life-giving words came out as punctured holes - the thing that so amazed the school boys. We followed a complete roll downstairs to the monotype composition caster, where we found Samandi, the “brother” of Ayuba (“brother” usually means that he comes from the same tribe or town). Grant explained that he had trained Samandi, who had no previous experience, to operate the complicated machine, which translates the holes in the paper roll on to rows of type that cast the letters into lead.

The Kagoro tribespeople of the next man, Munkai, had savagely hunted for heads, but through the faithful missionary work at Kagoro he had come to Christ; Munkai was “pulling a galley proof” - making a test print of the type.

Proof reader John Eke diligently inspected the proofs for mistakes.

Although from the Ibo tribe - sworn enemies of the Yoruba, he was gladly doing his part to give the Yoruba people this printing of the Message of Peace.

Corrections were made by several compositors, all from different tribes. And there was Bello, no longer pumping the bicycle as he had done in 1921, but now working as a modern compositor.

We had to hurry on, for every few minutes Johnny Grant would be called off to some corner to sort out a puzzle that one of the Nigerians was unable to solve. So we saw now the corrected type was finally “locked up” in its forms and put on the “pony press”.

A Yoruba, Hausa, Guri, and Tangale - all professing believers folded the stacks of pages coming off the press. As the completed

NIGER PRESS 1925-1950

Gospels came into shape, they were stitched and trimmed on power machines.

I talked privately with some of these men as they worked, to see what their attitude was.

“Are you happy in your work?”

“Yes.” “Why?” “Because it is the work of Our Lord.”

“Why did you come to work here?” I asked another.

“Because I wanted to help to spread the Word of God. My people are reading it.”

“I am learning to bind books and many other useful things, for which I am thankful,” one told me.

“There were lots of other jobs in Jos,” said another when I asked him why he had come to work at the Press, “but I would not have heard the words of God in them like I do here. This work is useful because we are preparing the message of the Gospel for others to read.”

This attitude means a lot in a country where the native mind is ready to embrace Christianity if it means a job, but showing little interest otherwise.

These same men meet every morning before work for a half hour of hymn-singing and Bible reading, It is no secret that there have been employee troubles - once they threatened to strike - and the men often need close supervision, but those in charge are thankful for a general attitude of Christian harmony.

“It is the working of the Lord,” Kitch feels. “Of course, the work is steadier and in better surroundings than in many other places. They are paid as well as elsewhere, too.”

He has seen the African staff grow from nine to 60 employees, the recent addition of labour-saving machinery has reduced the staff to 35, a more easily managed number.

Kitch tries to work with them if they have trouble and they appreciate this. “We are sure God put him in this work,” Gana, the power-cutter operator, told me. “If we follow what he says, the work is all right.”

Gana’s expression impressed me...his flashing eyes set in an ebony face which tapered down to a stubby beard. I learned that he had

23

24

Literature outreach in nigeria

grown up with the Niger Press, starting in1914 when there was only one small, hand-powered machine in a round mud hut.

His parents were Mohammedan but he turned from the Crescent to the Cross when he heard a missionary preaching. John 3:16 was the verse that his faith stood on - to think that Christ had died for him and was his OWN Saviour.

Gana chuckled as he told me of Bello on the bicycle and other incidents of early days.38

WILLIAM TODD Bill was the second in a family of five, born in Detroit, Michigan - but his later childhood years were in Glasgow, Scotland, returning there in 1935 with his Scottish parents. He came to know Christ at 16. At the beginning of the Second World War, while others were being called up, Bill had the opportunity to enter the printing trade. When he reached conscription age he opted for the Merchant Navy, and later volunteered for the Royal Air Force. This took him away from home for five years. When the war was over he spent five more years learning the printing trade.

God was preparing him. Until then he had thought that the part of the church at home was to be abreast and up-to-date with what God was doing in different parts of the world.

But leaving a missionary conference at church, a furloughing missionary from Congo asked him about his part in God’s programme. His response was that he was willing, but as a printer, had no special calling.

Within one week, in September 1950, he met Willie Watson, the Scottish representative of SIM, and after one year at All Nations Bible College, Bill was in Hausa Language School in Minna. After three months, Bob Kitch, being in poor health, called him to come to Niger Press.

As Bill says, “Twelve years from being an unsaved apprentice to serving the Lord in a foreign country, great is His faithfulness.”

Little did Bill know that his future life partner was here - Marjorie Ganoe whose first husband had been killed while stationed in Niger, the country to the north of Nigeria, on the edge of the Sahara Bill & Marj Todd Desert. So when Bill married he became 38

White Man Give me a book, Harold Fuller, 1951, SIM Archives.

NIGER PRESS 1925-1950

25

the father to two beautiful children - a four year old daughter Edith, and a five year old son Ralph.

Bill came to Niger Press in 1953 and was there when the Press moved to Lagos, combining with African Challenge. He served there until the Press was sold in 1966, then continued with the company buying the Press until 1972. This was desired by the purchasers of the Press, but it also served SIM’s purposes because an agreement was worked out ensuring that SIM printing was continued properly. It was also agreed that SIM pay only 10% above cost of production.39

39 Information

from Bill Todd, retired, at SIM Sebring, USA, May 2007.

CHAPTER 4

SIM BOOKSHOPS

M

inna was on the railway line from north to south, in a Hausa settlement in the middle of Gbagyiland. However, it was mainly Hausa and Yoruba people that SIM wanted to reach, so SIM opened a mission station there. It was in 191440 that SIM opened a bookshop in Minna.

The only record we have of this is correspondence between Mr J. F. Cotton and Dr Bingham where it is mentioned in a monthly report including the sales. In Niger Press documentation after the Press moved to Minna, there is mention of the messenger at the Press helping in the bookshop.41 The insistent demand from the larger towns for Christian literature led SIM to meet that need through establishing the bookshop in Jos, but Minna is documented as having had the first SIM Bookshop.42 The story commonly remembered is that SIM Bookshops started in Jos and that a Mr Henshaw began with a table on the front veranda of his house; sales for the first week were 3/6 (three shillings and sixpence - Nigerian and British money at the time. In today’s money this amounts to £0.17 or $0.35.) This was in 1924, the year after SIM established the Nigerian HQ in Jos. When Niger Press moved to Jos in 1928, Jos became the literature HQ for SIM in production and distribution. Expanding the bookshop locations was unspectacular; the next one to open after Jos was at Kafanchan in 1935 and Ilorin in 1945. Both these towns were on the railway line. It was not until the end of the Second World War in 1945, and when Nigeria gained self-government in the 1950s, that bookshops seriously expanded rapidly establishing up to 26 bookshops. Perhaps it would be useful to list the bookshops and when they opened as near as we can get.

40 Yusufu

Turaki, An Introduction to the History of SIM/ECWA, self published, page 236.

Archives Correspondence between Mr Cotton and Mr Bingham.

42 Correspondence between Mr J. F. Cotton and Dr Bingham, founder, 1914 from Minna, plus ‘Trial and Triumphs in Nigeria’ The Missionary Witness, Sept 1914, page 279. Notes on SIM as per Minna Archives SR25A. 41 SIM

siM BooksHoPs

1. Minna, 1914 3. Kafanchan, 1935 5. Katsina, 1945 7. Ibadan, 1964 9. Akure, 1955 Challenge 11. Kaduna, 1957 13. Potiskum 15. Bauchi,1955 17. Abuja 19. Bukuru,1954 21. Ilesha, 1960 23. Okene 25. Zaria

27

2. Jos, 1924 4. Sokoto, 1940 6. Ilorin, 1945 8. Kano, 1945 10. Lagos, 1960 12. Port Harcourt, 1965 14. Keffi,1954 16.Gombe,1954 18. Gusau 20. Lafia 22. Mushin43 24. Aba 26. Apapa, 1963

Added later were: Isanlu Benin Uyo 44 Station Rd Enugu 1965

Enugu New Bookshop 1970

JOS BOOKSHOP The first bookshop in Jos was a steel frame, corrugated iron building; it was a small business that stocked Bibles, other Christian literature, and some books and stationery. By the late 1930s the Mission had doubled in size. In1936 there were 38 stations, but the bookshop had quadrupled in business and size with a new stone building built in 1937. It was called Kent House, and was to be the main distribution point for the Hausa Bible in Northern Nigeria. It honoured Thomas Kent one of the SIM founders who laid down his life in Nigeria in 1894. The bookshop was spacious, with upstairs accommodation for the manager. This is the same bookshop in use today.45 Sales of the bookshop in 1938 were:

43 Yusufu

Murray Pandwe from Rhodesia training at Jos

Turaki, An Introduction to the History of SIM/ECWA, self published, page 205. page 205.

45 Sudan Witness, Sept-Oct 1938, page 16.

44 Ibid.,

28

Bibles Testaments Readers Hymn Books

Literature Outreach in Nigeria

Hausa 1144 810 3283 3711

Other Languages 539 1 1033 145

Totals 1683 811 4316 385646

This was also the first year that Jos Bookshop entered the publishing field with the printing of the Hausa Hymn Book. The first order was for 5,000 and the above sales represented those sold from that first printing. During this time there was a colportage ministry carried on throughout the Bauchi and Plateau mining camps, and in the crowded markets of Kano Province. During this same time there was also a need to enlarge the bookshop outreach, but there was a lack of staff for expansion.47 Mr Henshaw was the first man we hear of as being in charge of the bookshop; there may have been others. We know that Alex Dodds from Glasgow, Scotland, took over from Miss Ruttkay,48 and is the next one recorded. He arrived in Nigeria 29 January 1930; originally he came out to be the business agent, and was assigned from February to December 1930 to “Playfair’s Canteen.” Insomuch as all shops were called Canteens, we can assume that Alex Dodds was assigned to the early version of the SIM Business Department. They bought groceries and other supplies which, along with mail, were shipped to the different “bush” stations every week.

Alex Dodds took over the bookshop work from 193349 until he went on leave in December 1934. He lifted sales to what they were in 1928, prior to the depression when the tin mines on the plateau had experienced a boom. Sales in the bookshop were now back at 1928 levels. His home church was St George’s Tabernacle in Glasgow, Scotland.

By 1934 the Bible was available in three languages plus English - the Hausa Bible was printed in 1932 - with sales running to hundreds of copies annually; add to that the New Testaments and Scripture portions and tracts in many languages. In 1935 the bookshop sold 614 Bibles, 166 New Testaments, over 4,000 primers and readers, about 1,000 hymn books, 288 Bible study books and a large number of tracts. The largest numbers sold were in Hausa, the lingua franca of Central Nigeria.50 Alex Dodds came back to the bookshop, and wrote in 1938 “Bookshops are recognized as the most efficient means of circulating the Scriptures.” He also mentioned that the bookshops were self sustaining and never required subsidy.

Rather, 10% of profits were put into a Field Itineration Fund to support travel 46 Sudan

Witness, Jan-Feb 1939, page 3.

Witness, Jan-Feb 1938.

48 West Africa Council Minutes 16-18 April 1930, Archives ME-1.

49 Sudan Witness, 1938, page 5.

50 Sudan Witness, 1935, page 4.

47 Sudan

siM BooksHoPs

29

aspects of mission work. We begin to see from this the establishment of the practice of looking at the bookshop as profit making and therefore charging a percentage of the income to subsidize other literature work. I will write more on this later.

Dodds went on leave in 1940, turning over the bookshop to a Norman Hunter also from the UK. Norman was single and a very personable individual who had many friends across the spectrum of the different groups in Jos - expatriates, missionaries and Nigerians. Because of this, sales soared under his watch. He later became manager of CMS bookshops in Eastern Nigeria, and then secretary of the Bible Society in Lagos.

Murray Pandwe in Jos Bookshop It might be useful to list the managers of the with Jim Mason & staff bookshops from the beginning: Mr J. F. Cotton – missionary in charge, so Minna Bookshop in 1914 came under him.52 Mr Henshaw – Jos, -started the Bookshop from the front veranda of his house in 1924.53 Alex Dodds - 1934-1940. -from Scotland, married an American; on leaving Nigeria they went to the USA, Alex becoming a pastor.54 Norman Hunter - 1940-1948 went on to CMS bookshops in Eastern Nigeria until 1952. Norman was Secretary of the Bible Society from 1952-1960, when he went to South Africa with the Bible Society. His final appointment was in Mauritius in 1970.55 Mr John Henderson - 1948-1950. -was from Scotland. His wife died and he remarried a Canadian, so they went to Canada on leave. He returned alone for a few months, and then became International Treasurer at SIM Canada. Mr Henderson was father of Isobel McKie, who with husband Ira went to Kaduna Bookshop.56 Phil Osbourne - 1950-1952. -came from Britain to work with the Railways.

He fell in love with Mary Lagomarsino an SIM missionary, went back to the UK to Bible School, returned to Nigeria and married Mary. Phil’s work in Nigeria was in literature, either in bookshops, colportage or as director of a newly established SIM Literature Department where he guided all SIM printing 51

51 West

Africa Council Minutes 16-18 April 1930, SIM Archives ME-1.

Archival material on Minna.

53 SIM Archival material, 1901-1927. Main stations of SIM page 85.

54 SIM Archival material on bookshops, Nigeria.

55 CMS Bookshop Centenary Document, and Bible Society UK. 56 From Isobel McKie, daughter, December 2007.

52 SIM

30

Literature outreach in nigeria

and publishing. Phil began Kaduna Bookshop.57 Trevor Ardill - 1952-1967. Mildred and Trevor were from Northern Ireland, attended Moody Bible Institute, becoming USA citizens. When he left Nigeria it was to become SIM Director for USA.58 Vic Stuart - 1967-1971. -was South African, but with his wife Mavis he became a Canadian citizen. Vic later became SIM Canada Secretary.59 Gordon Stanley - 1971-1980. Gordon and Helen were from New Zealand.

He was the one charged to take the bookshops forward into National ownership by ECWA, the church that had come out of SIM work. Gordon then went to USA to become a Deputy International Director.60

CONSOLIDATION OF BOOKSHOPS The main bookshops in centres such as Ilorin, Kano, Katsina, Gusau, Sokoto and Kaduna had missionaries in charge, with Nigerian staff to assist. At different times in the 1950s consolidation under a general manager had been considered at Mission council level, but it was not until 1958/59 after Dr Helser became general director that a final decision was reached and the bookshops were consolidated under a general manager in the person of Trevor Ardill who had managed Jos Bookshop Trevor and Mildred Ardill with its nine branches since 1952.

In 1960 the Nigerian staff in Sokoto, Gusau and Katsina were promoted to managers, coming under an area manager. Sokoto, Gusau and Katsina came under the area manager at Kano.

The Sauls who were at Katsina moved south to Aba in Eastern Region becoming representatives for African Challenge, the Christian magazine that SIM published. The remaining centres with missionaries were Ilorin, Kano, Kaduna, Jos and Lagos. Until 1960 the bookshop on the Challenge compound in Mushin, Lagos, was under African Challenge; this now became an SIM Bookshop and very soon thereafter we had a second bookshop on the main street of Lagos.

57 SIM

Literature Committee minutes and from Osbourne’s daughter.

Ardill, San Diego USA, August 2007.

59 Vic and Mavis Stuart, Toronto, Canada, January 2008.

60 Write up of day together in New Zealand, January 2008.

58 Trevor

SIM BOOKSHOPS

BOOKSHOPS BY AREA Jos: Bukuru Kafanchan – plus railway kiosk Gombe Potiskum Minna - plus railway kiosk Lafia Keffi Bauchi Abuja Jos - railway station kiosk Kano: Katsina Gusau – plus railway kiosk Sokoto Bookmobile Gusau and Sokoto Bookshops later came under Kaduna.

Kaduna: Gusau – plus railway kiosk Sokoto Zaria Bookmobile Railway station kiosk Ilorin: Ilesha Isanlu Okene Benin Bookmobile Railway station kiosk Lagos: Mushin Lagos - Broad St Apapa Bookmobile Bicycle Colporteurs61 Ibadan - plus bicycle colporteurs 61 Personal

knowledge of Jim Mason working in bookshops for 19 years.

31

32

Literature Outreach in Nigeria

Enugu: Bookmobile Bookcycles Port Harcourt: Aba Uyo Bookmobile62

62 Personal

knowledge of Jim Mason working in bookshop for 19 years.

CHAPter 5

BOOKSHOPS, BOOKMOBILES AND BOOK CYCLES

T

revor Ardill became aware in 1964 that Dab Beer in Jos was discontinuing the use of Volkswagen vans to advertise, so he was able to buy a number of those vehicles.

He realized that SIM couldn’t put bookshops everywhere so thought of the idea of bookmobiles. These bookmobiles could reach schools, market places and small towns in the rural areas.

The motivation was to move out with bookmobiles and provide Christian literature, especially Hausa, Yoruba or Ibo Bibles, and a range of good Christian Before Conversion books, particularly for students. This also helped to find out where branch bookshops were needed; as a result several more bookshops were established.

Jimmy Miller revamped the bookmobiles. Jimmy was a converted Scot who had worked with a mining company and now had a service garage in Jos. He repainted them in black and yellow SIM Bookmobile Bookshop colours.

Profits that the major bookshops generated were able to pay the expenses of the bookmobiles as they travelled to areas where there were secondary schools and people who were literate; this was where the bookmobiles did well in distributing Christian literature.

One day Herb Pollard, a Canadian, roared up to the Ilorin Bookshop on his motorbike. Herb had come to Nigeria to see if he could fit in somewhere helping in some Christian work. He continued on to Jos, met Trevor, and

34

Literature Outreach in Nigeria

stepped right into outfitting the bookmobiles with racks and shelving. He was a wonderful help in getting the bookmobiles fitted and ready to go.

Herb then took one of the bookmobiles to Ilorin and operated there for about a year. A second bookmobile became available for Ilorin, so two operated out of Ilorin Bookshop for a time. Before leaving Ilorin, Pollard trained a Mr Makande and a Mr Akande to operate the bookmobiles after he left for Port Harcourt. Later Herb moved to Kenya and worked with AIM. Herb married there and on one visit to Kenya, I had the privilege of having a meal with them. In retirement Herb gave some years in the print shop at Source of Light Mission in Madison, Georgia.

When Alistair Bradley arrived in Jos he was assigned to bookmobile ministry.

He was extremely capable in organizing the work of the bookmobiles, the drivers and the supplies. Alistair travelled all over Northern Nigeria, selling quantities of literature, and had a tremendous variety of experiences, including introducing many people to the Lord. The bookmobiles operating out of the other larger bookshops were restocked weekly or whenever they came in.

The bookmobile operators did not just sell books. Oftentimes schools asked for a class or even the entire student body to be addressed. Before the Nigeria Civil War ended in 1970 Alistair Bradley had opportunity in Enugu to give devotions on the radio and introduced many to the Lord.

Bookmobiles operated from the area Bookshops: Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Ilorin, Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu and Port Harcourt. They continued for about a decade and eventually numbered 16. When a missionary operated a bookmobile it more or less covered its expenses. When with a Nigerian, there were wages and other expenses to consider, and this was expensive. The attitude of the person on the bookmobile was fundamental to its success. Was this just a job or did he look upon it as a ministry of Gospel outreach?

An account from Lagos: At the end of January (1968) a new bookmobile began work in the villages between Lagos and Ibadan - 100 miles (150 kms) to the north. The salesman driver, Christian Adeoye’s father was an Oba or King, so he is rightly called Prince. Christian knows the area and the people and has a fine testimony.63

BOOKCYCLES In the late 1960s we started using men on bicycles outfitted with large front carriers. A box was made to fit into the carrier with book storage at the bottom and two sections on top that opened up to display books across a four foot spread (1.3 meters). We employed men from the local churches. When Igbaja Seminary was on holiday a dozen men on commission went out daily.

63 Niger-Challenge

Press monthly letter, 1968.

BooksHoPs, BookMoBiLes AnD Book CyCLes

35

They travelled all over Lagos and the larger metro area and more than one found the 20 minute ferry ride to Apapa gave them a captive audience. The ferry always brought good sales, and some of the men were so successful they made more money through their 20% commission than the men on the bookmobile.

Proving their success in Lagos, Bookcycles were soon sent to each of the main areas of Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Ilorin, Ibadan, Enugu and Port Harcourt.

They sold penny Gospels, Bibles, New Testaments, tracts, Moody Colportage books (selling at $0.39 in huge quantities), plus whatever other good literature we had at an economical price.

Bookcycles Mushin Bookshop In a letter home Leona Mason wrote about a picture in an issue of Africa Now in 1968: A recent issue of Africa Now has a picture and a story of our bookcycle men. Did you see the young man in the hat? He sold £228 of Christian literature during January! A total of £537 was sold by all the men. Isn’t that thrilling? God is certainly using this to His glory!

At one time Ross Manning, Secretary of the Bible Society, placed an order with the former Niger-Challenge Press for over a million Gospels which he planned to retail at 1 penny. I said to him, “Ross if you are planning to do that, you had better be able to follow with tens of thousands of New Testaments, then after that many thousands of Bibles.”

Regretfully it did not work out that way. The Gospels were a great boon to the men on bicycles who sold tens of thousands. When however the time for New Testaments came, Nigeria had entered difficult economic times when it was almost impossible to get foreign exchange to pay invoices from overseas.

Instead of a regular large supply of New Testaments and Bibles, the Nigerian Bible Society only received annual allotments from the Bible Society in the UK; but only so much can be done when no money can be sent out of the country to help pay for the books. Availability of Scriptures was always very restricted and, unfortunately, for the next 25 years there was always a shortage of Scriptures in Nigeria.64

MAIL ORDER DEPARTMENT The idea of having a Mail Order Department was first raised by General Manager Trevor Ardill in 1961, but it was in the last quarter of 1963 before it started operation. Ardill reported on 10 April 1964 at the Bookshop Advisory 64 Personal

interaction of author with Ross Manning.

36

Literature Outreach in Nigeria

Meeting, that sales in the first 5 months amounted to £4,165.17.11 which represented 544,839 pieces of Christian literature.65 Marion Klippert and Isobel Kennison made a trip to Ibadan University, looking for contacts with students and others, determining where they might aim the thrust of the mail order. Marion later said: “I don’t know where we got all the names and addresses, but once we got known many wrote in and we would send books by mail.”

A lot of pastors from villages, who had no bookshop access, wrote requesting books. We made up book lists and a little catalogue which we sent out periodically. It was amazing how sales built up. When the VIPs (Vernacular Illustrated Publications) were distributed, we gained many names as people wanted these little VIPs; they could buy those from us and with the circulation - sometimes over 500,000 in 20 languages - we had 10,000 names on our mailing list and it was very gratifying, especially during the Biafran War.66 We sent out large quantities of vernacular Bibles, as well as hymn books to soldiers - to both sides at the beginning of the conflict.

This was very satisfying to me. We were sending VIPs all over the continent. I believe they went out to most countries in Africa and even to Iceland. We sent VIPs to Reykjavik. I remember the beautiful stamps we used to get on these letters from such widely scattered countries. VIPs were a big help in making the mail order known.

People became increasingly aware that we had a wide range of books and Bibles as well as other materials, so mail order flourished and was a real blessing to many people. I was happy because through mail we could meet the need of so many people who did not have access to Christian literature.

Children used to write in and sometimes they would send back the envelope we enclosed for their use, and other times they would just put on the outside, “Return to Sender.” I thought it was a wrong address. A number of times I would open the envelope and there was an order, the children had sent their order in the original envelope to avoid having to pay postage. As a result we had to watch carefully all mail that came in.

Some letters brought a smile; the following is an example. Giving his return address, someone wrote and asked for a Bible. At the end of his letter he wrote: ‘PS Don’t worry about payment; God will take care of that!’

65 Bookshop 66 Interview

Advisory Minutes, 10 April 1964. with Marion Klippert at SIM Sebring, August 2007.

BOOKSHOPS, BOOKMOBILES AND BOOK CYCLES

37

Bibles were big sellers. The pastors especially wanted Bibles and study books, and one of their favourites was Dakes Bible as well as other reference Bibles. We were happy to get them into their hands.

For about ten years this went on; it was then turned over to trained staff. We had a good staff until the war, when Chimela (my “right hand man� and a nephew to Paul Onwuka, a man of integrity), had to go to the East (Biafra), leaving just two of us. One staff member and I were doing the mail order. Then I was asked to go back to Pategi and Nigerian staff took over. It went well for some time, but with the deteriorating postal service in Nigeria and packages lost, the Mail Order Department finally closed.67

CHALLENGE FILM LIBRARY From churches of different denominations came a steady demand to show Christian films. To meet a growing need ECWA/SIM decided it would purchase extra copies of the various films making them available for rental to the churches. The Challenge Film Library began in Lagos in 1960. At that time few churches had their own projectors, so it usually meant a missionary going along with a projector, but in later years Nigerians showed the film and gave the challenge. Some films shown at that time were Martin Luther, Sadhu Sundar Singh, and When the Grass Gets Hurt.

When a film was shown it always was with the proviso that whoever brought and operated the projector would have the opportunity to give a short additional presentation of the Gospel with a challenge to accept Christ.

Many put their faith in Christ at these film shows. These events also gave opportunities to sell books. Through the years this was so successful that funds earned from the renting of the films and sale of books purchased replacement films, thus greatly increasing the number of films in the library.

With the passage of years more churches had their own projector, so it weighted toward film rentals. The entire concept was so successful, and with requests coming from other places, film libraries were opened and operated from Jos and Kaduna. On occasion films were sent by hand to towns outside the main centers. This happened with churches that had their own projector.

COLPORTAGE DEPARTMENT Colportage in Jos was established in 1944 and acquired a building in downtown Jos. By 1954 a church was built beside the Colportage. The Colportage Department began as literacy increased and people needed something to read, yet they could not afford the price of books even though book prices were low. People came off the street to sit and read at the tables in 67 Interview

with Marion Klippert at SIM Sebring, August 2007.

38

Literature outreach in nigeria

the reading room at the Colportage. They could also buy books. It was from Colportage that 5-600 packages of magazines were mailed each month.

At the time when the church was finished in 1954 there was an effort to have a campaign with SIM missionary Cliff McElherin as the speaker. In the walled open courtyard next to the Colportage and church, Youth for Christ meetings were held each Friday evening, a film was shown and a challenge given to trust Christ. Each week a crowd of 500-600 sat on the concrete benches, while young people perched on the surrounding walls to watch Martin Luther or other films. In fact, Martin Luther was steadily requested and was usually shown twice each year.

Those in charge of the Colportage asked people from their home countries to send their good used Christian books and magazines such as Moody Monthly, Evangelical Christian, Decision magazine and tracts which could be sent inexpensively by post.

The idea was to distribute these free or at a small cost to help cover the expenses of Nigerian staff. Through the years the Colportage has always sent packages of magazines through the post. On different occasions that number was 500-600 monthly.

You can imagine when a need like sending good Christian magazines was mentioned in SIM literature at home, thousands took up the challenge, so there was a steady flow of literature keeping the Colportage busy.

When I was in Hausa language school in Kano in early 1958, there was a backlog of unopened packages of magazines in the bookshop warehouse, having built up for months, because there was no one to care for them.

I offered to open, sort and tie them in suitable packages for distribution after my language study was finished each day. It took a while but when finished, distribution began at the Saturday night Distributing Literature Packets Sabon Youth for Christ meeting. Later, Loyd Gari - Kano Wickstrom loaned his pick-up to carry them and it took two days to do the distribution in Sabon Gari (New Town), Kano where all the southerners, Ibo, Yoruba and others lived.

In Kano at that time was a Mr and Mrs Tay from Ghana. He was a magistrate in the “Native Court� and lived in Sabon Gari, Kano. On one occasion when I was in Kano at Hausa language school he and Mr & Mrs Tay his wife invited all the missionaries (at least

BOOKSHOPS, BOOKMOBILES AND BOOK CYCLES

39

25-30) round to their house for a meal. Later he was called back to Ghana

by President Nkrumah, “to come back home and help the nation.” He later became Ghana’s ambassador. He was also chair of the event celebrating the amalgamation of Challenge with Niger Press.

Because so much was given away, keeping out of debt was always close to the mind of the one who managed the Colportage. Early in 1961, Colportage was put under SIMLIT, which meant that a larger department had oversight. The idea also was that it would allow for a downtown display of the books SIMLIT was producing in English, Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo as well as Ajemi (Arabic script Hausa), while continuing to get literature out as the Colportage had always done.

The Sudan Witness April 1946 reported that The Colportage Dept has grown tremendously. Literally hundreds of thousands of Christian books, booklets, papers, magazines, pamphlets, tracts, Christian calendars and mottos have been sent out, and the demand is rapidly growing.68 All of this was happening because of the growing English readership in Nigeria.

Even deeply devotional books and material were sought, read and studied.

SIM MISSIONARIES AS COLPORTEURS Among the number of SIM missionaries who sold literature was Al Neilsen operating out of Garin Gabbas, a northern town. Though deep into Kano province in the Muslim north, Al made selling literature a part of his outreach ministry. He even built a special trailer so he could open it up and display many books, tracts and Bibles in Hausa and in English. In those days, before the 1966 pogrom against Southerners, those whose lingua franca was English could be found in almost all the towns.

Others did colporteur work either fulltime or as they were able: Hattie Miller sold £70 monthly; Lydia Jantz and George Hoover sold £50 a month; Lloyd Thompson, Gerry Troutman, and Jim Jacobson averaged £10-12 a month.

Some concentrated on Hausa books and tracts, others on Ajemi, but the available time for this varied with each individual.69 Verna Pullen, who had charge of the Jos Colportage, made trips for short periods to a conference or in rural areas selling literature. She also took some medicines to help out where she could.

The amount sold each month may not seem like much, but two things must be remembered; first, we are speaking of sales 45-50 years ago; second, most of what was sold was literature at 1 penny each and there were 240 pennies in £1. Also, many had other tasks and responsibilities as shown below in the story about Lydia Jantz.

68 Sudan 69 From

Witness April 1946, page 6. personal knowledge and SIM Bookshop Advisory and Literature Committee minutes.

40

Literature Outreach in Nigeria

During the Civil (Biafran) War (1967-1970) Lydia Jantz distributed thousands of pieces of literature to government soldiers being trained in Kaduna. Then as they were leaving the railway station for the war front she would take as much literature as she could carry and distribute it on the platform, handing it out to the soldiers. She also had a service each Sunday at the military hospital with the wounded soldiers, and she sent parcels of books to those whom she knew at the front. So through the years there have been many ways of getting literature into the hands and hearts of people.

Missions were in Eastern Region of Nigeria (Biafra) before the war. African Challenge representatives, ones from Scripture Union and other such groups were there. At the beginning of hostilities missionaries left; only one lone English Scripture Union Secretary by the name of Bill Roberts stayed and helped many, but towards the end he himself had to leave; I do not know how, but possibly on one of the flights that arrived nightly to supply the rebel side.

All cities were deserted, people having run off to the bush, so Christian work was non-existent except what was carried on in greatly restrained circumstances by pastors and Christians who had run from the cities. At the same time there were many stories of God’s provision for his people throughout that time.

NIGERIANS AS COLPORTEURS Nigerians also served as colporteurs, but it was hard work. To get a Nigerian willing to stick with the job for more than a few weeks was a rarity; carrying books out in the sun all day is a tough job. There were a few who did last; there was a man who sold outside the Kano Post Office in the late 1960s, displaying his books beside the Communist literature. He would average £26 monthly.

In Jos, during a Kagoro Bible College vacation some of the students who sold books in town would average 19/- daily, which comes close to the £26 per month that Joseph the man in Kano managed. These men were paid a flat £4, plus 20% commission. Such young men operated from most of the main bookshops through the years. Some were on bicycles, but there were always men on foot.70

COMMERCIAL ASPECT OF BOOKSHOPS SIM Bookshops were major players in distributing Christian literature in Nigeria along with the many CMS bookshops (Anglican) throughout Nigeria.

SIM area Bookshops were well stocked with Christian books, school books, children’s books, a few general books and stationery. To meet the requirements of the expatriate and business community, Olympia typewriters, stationery, Omega watches, Parker pens and cameras were also stocked.

Some of our own missionaries objected to these items. At one meeting the area bookshop managers mentioned how much time they spent dealing with 70 Bookshop

Advisory Committee minutes 15 April 1965 and 17 April 1966.

BOOKSHOPS, BOOKMOBILES AND BOOK CYCLES

41

issues having nothing to do with Christian literature. Once, for instance, after I transferred to Ilorin Bookshop in December 1959, I was told there were a couple of missionaries who felt bookshops were too commercial and should emphasize Christian literature. To answer this I began to keep a record of Christian literature sales at the cash register; later we got cash registers that did this for us. At that time the average was 25-30% for Christian literature sales.

When these individuals came in, as they did at least once a month, we had coffee and biscuits in my office, and I shared with them how much literature was sold in the bookshop the previous month. After sharing, I never heard another complaint.

When this was recounted to area bookshop managers, they began to keep records of Christian literature sales. All of them were surprised and delighted at how many Christian books and Bibles were distributed through their bookshop.

With these sales through the bookshop as well as Bibles and Christian books in large quantities through the Wholesale Department, it was a revelation to each manager who now saw this from a different perspective.

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY CMS was the missionary service of the Anglican Church. CMS missionaries first went to Nigeria in the 1840s. At that time, as missionaries went out to the west coast of Africa, they took their coffin with them which was sometimes used within months of arrival.

By 1869 they had established a bookshop in Lagos. At the centenary in 1969 a paper was written on the first 100 years of CMS bookshops. That document shows that the Anglican missionaries felt as did some SIM missionaries - the bookshops were too commercial, we should concentrate on Christian literature.

“We should sell the bookshop and only have Bibles and Christian books.”71

LITERATURE COMMISSION ON SALES – 5% Back in the days of Alex Dodds in the 1930s, the bookshop was able to care for its own expenses, and then some of the profits were channelled into other areas of mission growth. In researching, I concluded this help had the input of Alex Dodds, the bookshop manager. Initially funds were designated to itinerant travel, though latterly the profits went to a literature growth area.

This developed into a “tax” by the SIM on bookshops. When I arrived in Nigeria in 1957 the bookshops were taxed at 5% of sales. These funds were used by SIM to assist areas of literature where funds were lacking. In this way it was possible for SIM Nigeria to finance a variety of literature projects without always having to appeal for funds from home. It also meant these projects were moved along more quickly.

71 CMS

Bookshop Centenary Document, 1969, CMS, Oxford, UK.

42

Literature Outreach in Nigeria

LITERATURE COMMISSION AND ITS USE Ways these funds were used: The following amounts were distributed in the years 1960-1962 SIMLIT £11,690. 8. 1 Bookshops Dahomey, Niger, & Upper Volta 2,850. 0. 0 French magazine (Champion) 500. 0. 0 Niger Challenge Press, equipment and reading units 3,113.11.10 Bookmobiles 500. 0. 0 Nigeria Independence Day Literature and Display 72. 0. 0 Colportage – Jos Bldg. & follow-up 342.18. 6 Kagoro 50. 0. 0 ECWA for literature & follow-up 1, 052. 0. 0 Bible Correspondence 1,400. 0. 0 Bible Correspondence Building 1,200. 0. 0 Housing 1,519.13. 2 Miscellaneous 566. 4. 7 TOTAL £24,856.14. 272 (In USA dollar terms, these figures should be multiplied by three in 1962, and by six or eight in 2008.)

Mr John Pickett (an accountant, but at Kaduna Bookshop) suggested that it would be more realistic if commission was paid at 25% of profits, rather than on the 5% of sales as it is at present time.

The reason for the above is perfectly illustrated from another minute from Publications Advisory Committee minutes in 1959. The minute reads: SELLING OF LITERATURE The committee unanimously recommended that SIM Publications (later SIMLIT) sell at 1/3 discount only to SIM Bookshops who will in turn sell at the same discount to all SIM missionaries who purchase £3 or more. This same help will be offered to approved colporteurs.

We were paying 5% to the SIM literature fund on a no-profit sale. There were many transactions through the year where other sales were handled at no profit yet we paid 5% tax; fortunately within two months of that meeting, Bill Crouch, the SIM director in Jos, agreed to bookshops paying 1/3 of our profit to the literature fund. This was higher than suggested by John Pickett, but more equitable than 5% of sales.

72 Bookshop

Advisory Committee minutes, 11 April 1963.

BOOKSHOPS, BOOKMOBILES AND BOOK CYCLES

43

LITERATURE EVANGELISTS AT BOOKSHOPS Bookshops were also active in the area of evangelism as Bible College students on holiday were paid a flat salary of ÂŁ4 a month plus 20% commission to go out and sell while sharing the Gospel. Students from Kagoro Bible College and Igbaja sold in this way. This was equitable for the time.

Some of the bookshops had permanent evangelists operating in the area.

Church services were held in the bookshops where there was no church.

The church in Bauchi began in the bookshop through Yusufu the evangelist, followed later by Dan Ladi.73 Services were being held in four languages.

Eventually the chief gave land and a church was built opposite the bookshop.

Not all understood that men on bicycles were selling books from the area bookshops. One thing is certain, those of us in bookshops did not communicate as we should have. We should have issued a monthly update to SIM missionaries in Nigeria (600 in the late 50s and 60s) recounting what was being accomplished in distribution of Bibles, books and other Christian literature, and the number of churches that had been launched and individuals led to Christ. Doing this we would have informed while soliciting prayer. Thus we could have averted the charge of too much commercialization.

One thing is clear, had we not sold items other than Christian literature, we would not have had the larger number of people entering our shops. Many, who did not come for a Christian book, went out with one.

50th ANNIVERSARY OF BOOKSHOPS The 50th Anniversary was celebrated in 1974 because we thought that was the date of the first bookshop in Jos. This research has found that the first bookshop opened in Minna in 1914. Not knowing, we celebrated 50 years in 1974 and did three things at that time.

We ordered 50,000 copies of Moody Press’s mini-book Keep Yourself Pure

by Charles Hostetter. Charles had been the pastor on the Mennonite Hour on radio for 15 years before he came to live in Lagos. He was a well known and popular speaker, having spoken at student conferences and many churches in Nigeria. This was the type of book that Christians and many university students bought one or two dozen at a time to give their friends in witnessing situations.

We also had 25,000 special stainless steel key rings with the bookshop insignia and specially designed inserts on the front as a witness and challenge.

A writing contest with prizes was run in Eastern Nigeria, to get things moving there again after the Civil War.

73 Bookshop

Advisory Committee 17 April 1966.

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Literature Outreach in Nigeria

CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SALES IN BOOKSHOPS In the 1974/75 financial year, bookshops had sales of $3,000,000. That broke down to $1,000,000 for stationery and related items, $1,000,000 for school and general books and other items, leaving $1,000,000 in Christian literature sales. This was the last year before handing the bookshops over to ECWA.74

A STORY OF BOOKSHOPS If you worked in bookshops, you knew about exercise books. There was a most embarrassing incident for the person who covered for Trevor Ardill’s home assignment 1956-57. Exercise books used in schools were sold in all our shops, which greatly helped schoolchildren and their teachers. The bookshop was running out, so it was determined an order for 10,000 gross (gross=144) be placed. When the order was mailed it read 100,000 gross – and the mistake was not noticed.

This order went to John Dickinson, the stationery manufacturing company in the UK. We had been dealing with this company for many years, and when they got the order, they wondered – it was more than what SIM Bookshops Nigeria would order. When telegrams came from Nigeria asking, “Where are the exercise books?” all doubt was removed, and they put one of their factories on 24 hours a day schedule producing exercise books for SIM Bookshops Nigeria.

It was not until the exercise books began arriving in Jos in full railroad cars that the mistake was discovered. Trevor, who was on leave, was immediately contacted and asked to go to the UK to meet with John Dickinson and try to get the printing of exercise books stopped. He did and was successful while retaining good relations.

One benefit coming out of this mistake was the enlargement of the bookshop warehouse, with SIM administration requesting a second storey, thus providing the administration with a new and enlarged HQ office above the bookshops. This is the location that most of today’s “old-timers” remember as the Mission HQ in Jos. Six years later, while filling in for Trevor Ardill, I disposed of the remaining exercise books at discounted prices, thus getting that money into circulation once more. The only loss to bookshops was the tying up of money for more years than desirable.

74 Jim

Mason as General Manager at the time remembers this well.

CHAPter 6

THOSE WHO SERVED

I

t would be good to record the story of some SIM missionaries who were involved in bookshop work from the 1950s until the bookshops were turned over to ECWA in 1974. Each of the individuals mentioned below was asked to tell his/her story. What you read below are their stories with only slight editorial changes.

TREVOR AND MILDRED ARDILL Trevor and Mildred Ardill came from Northern Ireland, but attended Moody Bible Institute, in Chicago. They applied to SIM from the USA and landed in Nigeria in 1950. After language school they were assigned to Roni, a bush station with a boys’ secondary school. It was while there that baby Sharon, just a few months old contracted a very difficult form of malaria and started to waste away. She couldn’t eat or drink, so Mildred and the baby went to Jos. Sharon however got worse, and the administration, with their Superintendent Dr Albert Helser, decided they needed to go home. Trevor met Mildred and Sharon in Kano and left that night for London and Northern Ireland where Sharon entered the Children’s Hospital in Belfast. The specialist at the hospital said Sharon was so full of anti-malarial drugs that they could not give her any more, but they did give her a blood transfusion in the head. Little by little this began to make a difference and eventually they were able to leave the hospital and go home to their family.

When the Ardills returned to Nigeria, the SIM administration decided, because of Trevor’s background in business, that they should be assigned to the bookshop in Jos. It may have been as early as 1953/4 that the Mission administration began thinking it would be good if the bookshops were centralized under a general manager. This would enable central buying, and bookshops would obtain better prices. This Trevor Ardill in Jos Bookshop centralization under a general manager did not

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take place until the end of 1959 with adjustment time into the early 1960s to bring about the change. Even then, it took some time before things worked smoothly. But it was not until 1973 in Lagos, which by that time had become the central bookshop warehouse that a centralized Ordering Department under Brian Anderson was properly set up. Lagos was also the port of entry for all imports.75 It was under Trevor that the bookmobiles began operating both in the North and South of Nigeria. He also started the Mail Order Department which continued to grow until the time of the Civil War, during which it declined because of the deteriorating postal service.

On one furlough in the USA, I met Arthur F. Glasser the Director of OMF, the former China Inland Mission. He said: “Trevor, in China we taught the people to read but the Communists supplied the literature. Don’t let that happen in Nigeria.” So we prayed, “Lord, don’t let it happen and with your help it won’t happen.” So that was our motivation to move out with the bookmobiles and get Christian literature, especially Hausa, Yoruba or Ibo Bibles, and whatever else, into the hands of the students. That then helped us to find out where we needed branch bookshops and as a result of that we planted a number of other bookshops and I think we probably ended up with 26.76 Trevor now tells the interesting story of how a Bauchi Bookshop 65 miles east of Jos was opened. We already had a leprosarium on the outskirts of Bauchi town.

We had tried a number of times to get a branch bookshop into Bauchi, a very strong Muslim centre and the chief wasn’t interested.

I felt the Lord telling me to go to talk to the chief so I made an appointment, went to Bauchi and met him. He received me with all his court and I said, “Sarki (Chief), I want to ask for permission to put up a Christian bookshop in Bauchi.” And the answer was, “Well, we will consider it.” And that was the end of it.

In another year I hadn’t had an answer from him and went back to see him again and I said, “Sarki, I haven’t heard from you but I wanted to give you some bad news and some good news. The good news is that Keffi and Gombe and Potiskum (towns all around Bauchi) have bookstores and the high school graduates are getting literature and the people are developing. We would like to put a Christian bookstore here in Bauchi where you have many school graduates but they have no literature.” So he said, “Where do you 75 Taken

from interview with Trevor Ardill, 9 August 2007. with Trevor Ardill, 9 August 2007.

76 Interview

47

tHose WHo serVeD

want to put a bookshop?” So he went with me over to the place on the Potiskum road where we had previously selected a site which was at an intersection on a busy road we felt would be a good place.

There were huts on the site already and I said if these huts were cleared away, this would be a good place for it. So he said “What area do you want?” So we measured the area that we wanted for the bookshop and he said “I’ll see that you get it.”

We went down to the Bauchi mission at the leprosarium, and they sent men up who demolished the huts on the site. They cleared them off. Then we sent for Okonko, our famous builder, and when I asked Okonko to build a bookshop in Bauchi and showed him the plan which was the same plan we used in other places, Okonko looked at it and I said, “I want you to give me a price for building this bookshop in Bauchi and I want it done soon.” So he came back after a little bit and he said, “Sir, would you like the price with the level or without the level?”

Okonko was asking, do you want it built with square corners as the “white man” would build or as we would build - the price was different.

So I told him I wanted the price with the level. So he built a bookshop from local stone. I remember that was a special one. When the bookshop was complete I took a young man called Nuhu Bature, who worked with us in Jos, out to Bauchi, installed him in the living quarters of the bookshop. We opened the bookshop and it looked wonderful. Very soon after that, we got an evangelist called Yusufu to work out of the bookshop as an evangelist in the market in Bauchi. It wasn’t long until he had a number of converts and they decided to meet in the bookshop on Sundays for church. The bookshop wasn’t very big but when filled, people sat outside.

Nuhu and Yusufu went to the chief of Bauchi and said, “Sarki, we’re having services and there isn’t enough room for the people to meet. They’re sitting outside and inside.” And they asked the chief, “Could we have a piece of land on the other side of the road to put up a church?” And the chief gave them the piece of land to put up the church and that’s the church that’s still there. The church was built and it filled quite quickly and they had services in four languages on a Sunday morning. And that

Bauchi Bookshop

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church is alive and active today. We thank the Lord for getting us into the bookshop and then from the bookshop to the church and then the church reaching out to the different tribal groups.

EASTERN OPPORTUNITIES Until 1963 SIM had no bookshops in Eastern Nigeria. Bookshops were mostly in Northern Nigeria with some like Lagos and Ibadan in Western Region. This had come about because SIM - Sudan Interior Mission - as the name implies, determined from the beginning they would concentrate on the interior of Nigeria where others had not gone. With the size of the country - three times the size of the UK - there was enough to keep SIM busy in the northern two thirds of the country.

One day in Jos one of the clerks came to Trevor and said, “Sir, Sir Francis Ibiam is in the bookshop.” Sir Francis Ibiam was the governor of the Eastern Region.77 I went down immediately into the bookshop and introduced myself and he was a very gracious, friendly, godly man. As we talked he said, “Mr Ardill, you have bookshops in many places in the northern area and in the western area but you don’t have any bookshops in the eastern region. Why is that?” So I told him that SIM had concentrated on the north and west but we didn’t have any missionary work in the eastern region. And he said, “Why?” And I said, “Well we haven’t had opportunity.” So he invited me to come down to Enugu to meet with him to discuss the possibilities of opening up work in the eastern region. Mike Glerum and I went down to Enugu and met with him in his office and after some conversation he very graciously said, “Where would you like to put bookshops?” So I said, “Well, we’d certainly like to build one in Enugu – it’s the capital.” And we showed him a place on the map of Enugu where we’d want to build one. That bookshop was built with the assistance of a retired Canadian builder.

Clem Bartlett spent some years in Nigeria building for SIM. He accepted the challenge of building a new bookshop, but before that was built we already had one operating from rented quarters at Station Road Enugu, which was totally looted and destroyed during the civil war. A bookshop was opened at Aba, and then in July 1965 the Port Harcourt bookshop opened. Later during Brian and Elaine Anderson’s time in Port Harcourt, they opened a shop at Uyo. The Enugu Bookshop was built. The upstairs which was intended for a youth centre was never used and the bookshop had no stock at the beginning of the

77 Jos

Bookshop in 1964.

tHose WHo serVeD

49

civil war, hence suffered little damage. Trevor tells how the Port Harcourt shop opened.78

Enugu Bookshop destroyed in war

We wanted to put a Christian bookstore in Port Harcourt because oil had been discovered and there was a population movement to Port Harcourt because of it. I went down to Port Harcourt and stayed with an Assemblies of God missionary whom I knew from Hillcrest School and we looked around and found a site on the road a little bit out of Port Harcourt and it was quite bush so we made inquiries if that site was available and the word we got was that it was available and could be bought. So we went to the Land Office in Port Harcourt and found out about this piece of land and we bought it, getting the needed paper.

Mike Glerum was in Kano and I asked if he and Alice would be prepared to move to Port Harcourt and build a new bookshop, and Mike said he would. Winston Adams came into Kano and Mike, who had been district superintendent in Kano, left there and was available for Port Harcourt. I saw in Jos, out on the Kaduna Road, a large steel framework structure of a building, but no building, just the steelwork and I went out to look at it and it was a night soil plant. I went to the chief of Jos who was a believer, a very godly man, and I said, “Sarki I notice at such-and-such a place there’s a steelwork stand for a building but no building…would you sell me the steelwork? I want it to put up a Christian bookstore in Port Harcourt.” So he looked at me and said, “I will inquire.”

So whatever inquiries he made, he came back and said, “Yes, it’s for sale.” I sent him the price for the steelwork which was very reasonable.

78 Taken

from an interview with Trevor Ardill, 9 August 2007.

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I got a Nigerian man in Jos who had done some work for us, to go to the site with some tools and some chalk and take down the steelwork, piece by piece, and mark it. So he took the whole thing down and had it in a pile. I then talked to John Nickel who was in Miango at the time and said, “John, I have a proposition for you. I need your help.” So I took him out and showed him the steel and I said, “We need to get this transported to Port Harcourt. We’ve got a site there and we want to put up a Christian bookstore. Would you build it?” So John, always open to a challenge, said he would.

So we got Kuras with their four wheeled flat wagons who loaded the steelwork, all marked, and took it to the Jos railway station loading it into a boxcar and it was shipped to Port Harcourt.

In Port Harcourt Mike Glerum had arrived and stayed with the Assemblies of God missionary couple and went out to the site with men he had employed to cut away the bush with machetes. They were in there slashing away, cutting the undergrowth away from the ground within the markers. Then out of the bush came a whole gang of local men, “Get off my land. This is my land. You’re stealing from me.” So a big row erupted and Mike got very excited and no wonder because it looked like the beginning of a civil war. So we told them we had the paper and it was our land. We had bought it. “You bought it from the wrong people. We own it, they don’t own it. We own it. You have to buy it from us.”

Well, we didn’t, but we persisted and finally got the site cleared and John Nickel arrived and they brought the steelwork from the Port Harcourt railway station out to the site, dug the footings, poured the concrete, put up the steelwork and that was the beginning of the building. We had to buy the steel corrugated sheeting for the building but when that was put up it looked a beautiful building.

Now that the bookshop was built we needed a manager and I talked to Paul Onwuka who came from Minna Bookshop to Jos Bookshop and from Jos Bookshop to Port Harcourt Bookshop. Paul was one of the finest Christian believers I ever met in my life. He was Opening PH Bookshop manager of the bookshop and did a good job. We also got the curved Vizusell shelving; it made it a very nice bookshop. So Paul Onwuka went down after Mike Glerum. Mike and Alice went

tHose WHo serVeD

on furlough from Port Harcourt and Paul Onwuka was manager and he did an excellent job. When the civil war broke out and the rebels were fighting there were bullet holes all through the bookshop and we realised that we would have to empty the bookshop because the rebels were about to take it over. Paul did an inventory, and there wasn’t a penny missing. Not a penny.79

VIC AND MAVIS STUART TELL OF THEIR TIME WITH BOOKSHOPS At an evening service in Cape Town, Vic committed his life to fulltime missionary service after a challenging message by Dr Charles Stern. He was just 21 at the time and attending Technical College to become an electrician. He was ready to give this up to attend Bible school. Dr Stern very wisely told him to complete his studies, get his degree, and then go to Bible school. Two years later while at Bible school, Eric Bowley, a fellow South African, on furlough with SIM, spoke at one of the chapel services. As Eric told about the African Challenge ministry in Nigeria, the Lord placed upon Vic’s heart a keen desire to get involved in a literature ministry in Nigeria. Mavis was also very interested in a literature ministry as the Lord had used His Word to bring her to Himself. This made her realize how effective reading Christian literature could be upon a person’s life.

In December 1956 the Stuarts graduated from the Bible Institute of South Africa and were accepted by the SIM Council in Cape Town for ministry in Nigeria. At the time of their acceptance, they were given the green light to go ahead and get engaged and were advised not to get married until they had been on the field for six months. In June 1957 they left for Nigeria together Vic and Mavis Stuart which, unknown to the South African Council, was a “no-no”! When the district superintendent in Nigeria heard that Mavis Davidson and Victor Stuart would be arriving, Winston Adams, a fellow South African, who had arrived in Nigeria a month before, was immediately shipped off to Roni Boys’ School, about 80 miles north of Kano without any questions being asked. Their presumption was that 79 Interview

with Trevor Ardill, 9 August 2007.

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Winston was Mavis’s fiancé and should not be around when she arrived in the country. The ruling at that time was that no engaged couples should be on the same station.

On arrival in Kano it didn’t take long to realize that a mistake had been made. The next day they were advised that there was a need for an electrician at the Niger Press in Jos, and that Vic should go to Jos to fill that need while Mavis stayed at Kano to get Hausa language training. Those working at the Niger Press at this time were Bob Kitch, Bill Todd and Ken Robinson. Completing her language study, Mavis flew down to Jos where she and Vic were married. It was at this time that the Mission decided that African Challenge and Niger Press should amalgamate. To prepare for the arrival of the presses and equipment, Vic was asked to go to Lagos and do all the electrical wiring. Now they knew why the Lord had used their pastor to encourage Vic to complete his electrical studies. This was a big undertaking and took six months to complete.

They then returned to Jos to help with the packing up and getting ready for the move. It was also nearing the time for the arrival of their first baby.

October 13, 1958 was a very special day for them. Their Vicki was born early that morning and it was also the day that the Niger Press equipment was to be shipped to Lagos. Bill Todd had ordered a flatbed wagon from the Railway Company to transport everything from the Niger Press to the Jos Railway.

When the large flat bed wagon arrived from the railway, it was Bill Todd who supervised the operation. It was discovered that the big press was too big to be moved through the doorway, so they had to make a hole in one of the mud brick walls of the building and moved it out that way. This took time, but eventually with great jubilation, they were able to get it through the opening and onto the flatbed wagon.

When they had got that far, Vic went over to the hospital to give Mavis a running commentary of how things were going. The packing up took a few days, but eventually all the equipment was moved down to Lagos.

After the move, the Stuarts went to Kano so that Vic could study Hausa language. During his time in Jos before they got married he had been able to get some time for language study. Agnes Harder was his teacher, so within 3 months he was able to write his first Hausa exam. Having completed this, the Stuarts returned to Jos where Vic had been assigned to the Jos Business Department to take over from Archie McLellan as he and Myrtle were leaving

THOSE WHO SERVED

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Nigeria for family reasons. While Vic worked in the B.D. (Business Dept), Mavis did the bookwork for the Jos Pharmacy. During the time the Stuarts were involved in these ministries, Trevor Ardill who was the Jos Bookshop manager was asked to take over the responsibility of all the bookshops in Nigeria. Until then they were run independently, and not doing too well financially. Administration thought that Trevor with all his business experience would be the right person to take over this ministry. Trevor was willing to give it a try and asked if he could choose those he would like to work with. He approached Vic and invited him to become the Jos Bookshop manager.

The Stuarts felt that after two years in Nigeria they were now going to get involved in the ministry that they felt God had originally called them to do. So in 1959 they joined the Jos Bookshop staff.

At that time Mildred Ardill helped in the office, Dorothy Krell was the accountant, and Laura Best did the ordering. The number of national staff must have been around 20 or so, mostly Ibo and Yoruba, with a few Northerners.

It was some time in 1960 that some official looking Northerners came into the bookshop to see Trevor. They wanted to know why there were so few Northerners working in the bookshop. Trevor’s response was, “If we could find some good workers, we would employ them.” The men told Trevor they would find them for him.

A few days later they returned with six young men. Trevor employed them, little knowing that the men who had come to see him were union leaders and the men they had brought were union members.

They did not discover this until one day when two of the six new workers were dismissed after having been given a number of chances to improve their performance.

As shop manager Vic was asked to dismiss them. The two men went to their union leaders and told them they had been victimized by Mr Stuart who was a South African. Hearing this, the union leaders went to our ECWA leaders and reported the matter and asked them what they were going to do about this South African that they had in the bookshop. The ECWA leaders came to Ray Davis and Bill Crouch our SIM leaders to report what had taken place.

Prior to this incident, the Stuarts had been speaking to Dr Davis, their field director, about changing their nationality as they felt things were going to become difficult for South Africans in Nigeria because of the South African Government’s apartheid policy. So when ECWA approached SIM about this situation, they were told that the Stuarts were thinking of changing their nationality. ECWA reported this to the trade union leaders who accepted their word, and said that, if that were the case, they would just drop the charge.

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There were a number of changes that took place during 1960.

Reuben Peters took over as accountant from Dorothy Krell as she was leaving to get married. Reuben didn’t stay too long as he too had to return home. It was around that time John and Brigitta Pickett arrived from England. As an accountant John was asked to take over from Reuben. The Ardills went on furlough, and Jim Mason replaced Trevor as general manager from April 1962 until October 1963. In July the Stuarts’ son David was born. When the Ardills returned from furlough, Jim went to manage the Lagos Bookshop. Soon after, the Stuarts went on furlough to Canada to start working on their citizenship. They were replaced by Ed and Charlotte Brigfield who had been working in Kafanchan.

When the Stuarts got back from furlough they returned to the Jos Bookshop.

Over the next years they saw some advancement in the bookshop ministry. The first bookmobile came into being. Trevor was able to buy a second-hand Volkswagen bus in good condition from a beer company. The idea of the bookmobile was to take Christian literature to where the people were. The bus was repainted and fitted out with display racks that would hold inexpensive pieces of literature and Bibles. Room was left to accommodate a mattress so that the driver would have accommodation when he needed to spend nights on the road. Herb Pollard operated the first bookmobile. Later he trained a Nigerian to take over from him. The bookmobile was a great success and well accepted. Before long they had a number of such vehicles in various parts of the country that worked out from a major bookshop.

Later, projectors were added to the equipment and Christian films were shown in the villages.

After the bookmobiles, Jim Mason came up with the idea of bookcycles in 1967/8. Most of the bookcycles were operated by ECWA missionaries in outlying areas. Like the bookmobiles, this met a real need. They were reaching people who were not able to come into the big towns to buy literature. During these years there were also some changes among the missionary staff. The Picketts left to take over the Kaduna Bookshop, Mike Power became the accountant, and Allan and Pat Rigby - new missionaries from England - relieved for the Stuarts’ furlough. This was the furlough (1966) the Stuarts obtained their Canadian citizenship.

The Jos Bookshop national and missionary staff was also involved in Youth for Christ which was held every Friday night, weather permitting, in the Gospel Centre in downtown Jos. Every Friday afternoon one of the nationals would drive the bookshop van with

THOSE WHO SERVED

a loudspeaker attached to the roof, advertising the meeting. The Centre was filled most Fridays.

From 1967 – 1970 the Biafran War took place. After the terrible killing of many Ibos in Northern Nigeria, the Eastern Region had declared independence. The Port Harcourt and Enugu shops were closed, and there was no contact with the staff until after the war.

The Ardills left Nigeria in June 1967. Trevor was appointed USA director, so Vic took over from Trevor as general manager.

When the war ended one of Vic’s first responsibilities was to fly into Enugu to assess what damage had been done to the bookshop.

Arrangements had been made with authorities for the mission plane to land in Enugu. Vic remembers how eerie it was to land there and see no one around; just he, the pilot Dave Rutt, and Ken Kastner.

They had to force their way through tall grass before reaching the bookshop. It wasn’t in too bad a condition, but a lot of rain damage had been done to the supplies that were there. The bookshop had a hole in the roof where a mortar had gone through, thus allowing the rain to enter the building. They packed the remaining things up into boxes and secured the building as best they could. Later, the shop was looted and set on fire.

The Hurlberts who had returned after the war to rebuild Enugu Bookshop, left in June 1971. It was then Vic Stuart heard that the Selbys, a couple from England who had worked in the Eastern Region before the war, were returning. He was able to make contact with them and suggested that they might like to stay in Vern Hurlbert’s house. They were also asked to keep an eye on the bookshop and report back to Vic how things were going. Eventually, the Hurlberts, who had been helping at the Jos Bookshop since their evacuation from Enugu, were able to return.

When the way was clear, Vic also visited the Port Harcourt Bookshop. This time he flew in on one of the army planes which had had all the seats taken out. He and Jim Mason had to sit on boxes. Looters had been into the bookshop but there were still lots of supplies. Vic and Jim packed most of the goods into boxes for security. It was there while packing up these things that Vic lost his wedding ring. It was so hot that he hadn’t realized that his ring had slipped off and didn’t notice it was missing until they were on their way home.

When the Stuarts went on furlough in 1971 Gordon Stanley from New Zealand replaced him as general manager and continued in this capacity when the Stuarts returned from furlough. Vic had been

55

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appointed to replace John Price as field secretary for Nigeria/Ghana.

In 1976 the Stuarts returned to Canada as the Canadian Council had appointed them to home staff.80

MIKE AND ALICE GLERUM When I (Jim Mason) first met Mike he was district superintendent when I first met him in Kano. A bookshop was on the block-long compound that included the Eye Hospital and the Hausa Language School, it was later that Mike became involved with the bookshops. This was at the opening of a new bookshop on the airport road side of the compound. Mike Mike and Alice Glerum at the lake inaugurated that one and he also opened the shops in Port Harcourt and Accra, Ghana.

The biggest by far was the one in Port Harcourt that Mike was involved with, from the clearing of the site, to the erecting of the steel structure and then its opening in July 1965. Two years later Mike and Alice went on leave and never returned to Nigeria.

One story I recall from Kano occurred when I was in Hausa Language School. I was at the Business Department, and Linda, Glerums’ daughter a youngster of 3-4 years, was licking an ice cream cone and let the dog at the B.D. have a lick. Someone said to her, “You shouldn’t let the dog lick your cone; you don’t know where he has been.” Linda replied, “That’s okay, he doesn’t know where I’ve been.”

On another occasion when I was visiting Ghana in 1969, Mike took me out on the university golf course. I had never played golf before and I ached for three days afterwards.

INTEGRITY IN PERSPECTIVE

Enugu Bookshop Staff - Paul Onwuka on right 80 Mavis

Paul Onwuka, who was Mike Glerum’s assistant in Port Harcourt before the war, was now in Enugu. When Mike evacuated from Port Harcourt before the war he had spent one entire night with Paul, turning everything over to him in the shop. Thirty long months passed during the war when people were destitute without food, yet when the war was finished, Paul came to Enugu to see Vern Hurlbert. In his hand

Stuart, written for the History of Literature Work in Nigeria, January 2008.

tHose WHo serVeD

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was a bag and bookshop records, containing all the cash he had protected during those long, difficult days. We truly respected Paul for his integrity during this time, even though this Biafran money - old federal money now changed - was nowadays worthless. He could have used it to help the needy during those horrible years.81 Before the Port Harcourt Bookshop opened Mike had colporteurs out selling and a bookmobile on the road going into the rural areas. Sales were excellent. This continued after the bookshop opened in July 1965. “Using their garage and a bookmobile…nearly £3,000-worth were sold last year…March was the best month with £540 in sales.”82 The bookmobile in the Port Harcourt area is being handled

by Mr Henshaw. This very zealous Christian was saved in prison at Aba under the ministry of Mr Saul. He had a most effective ministry subsequent to his conversion, and the warden reported Henshaw Bookmobile driver saved in Aba Prison that the entire atmosphere under Harold Saul in the prison had changed.

Since getting out of prison, he has been very active in spreading the Gospel and selling Christian literature. He has gained permission for Saturday night open air meetings in Aba and also conducts a Bible class…He is talented and uses his talents for the Lord.83 Mr and Mrs Saul, who had been at Katsina Bookshop before centralization, moved to Aba as representatives of African Challenge magazine. They did an excellent job for Challenge at Aba, selling large quantities of books. They were close to retirement, but spent much time on the road; it was felt because of their age they should not be away from home quite so much. Harold had a VW van prepared for distribution work which the bookshop planned to buy to use as a bookmobile.

When the Glerums went on leave from Port Harcourt in 1967 and were unable to return to Nigeria, they ended up in Ghana for three years. While there they finalized the building and opening of the Accra Bookshop in 1969.

After that, they returned to the USA to take up a position of area representative based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

81

Phyllis Hurlbert, Whatever Happened to Calamity Jane, self published account, 2007.

Advisory Committee minutes, 15 April 1965.

83 Ibid.

82 Bookshop

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ALISTAIR AND ANN BRADLEY Alistair was from New Zealand and came to the Lord at nineteen as a result of making enquiries about how he could get training to be a missionary. He soon found himself at Bible College and while there saw an SIM magazine calling for 400 workers, then another article by the NZ director saying that general missionaries were still needed. Alistair considered himself in that Alistair and Anne Bradley in Kaduna category. He applied to SIM. He also spent some time in a Presbyterian Maori Mission in New Zealand teaching Bible in schools and visiting in Maori homes - a ministry he thoroughly enjoyed.

He was accepted by SIM in September 1963 and by May 1964 he was in Nigeria at Hausa Language School in Kano. While still there he was assigned to the bookshop with his specific work to operate a bookmobile throughout Northern Nigeria. That gave him a territory of one third of the country. Alistair writes: “I did this for two years and had the time of my life.”84 HungrY to rEad I travelled all over most of Northern Nigeria visiting huge villages, market places, cities and towns. There was such a curiosity and hunger for the Word of God that within minutes of stopping so many people, men women and children would push and shove to get the literature that I could hardly breathe. Usually a man would grab a stick telling people to move back and allow me to “sha iska” breathe air. We sold tracts written in the Ajami script which was the Hausa language using the Arabic script. When people saw the Arabic script, they were more likely to read it. One year during the rainy season when I visited north eastern Nigeria, Gashua and Nguru, where Kathy Jones and Lorna Downes were working at the time, I had to put the bookmobile on the train in order to get back to base in Kano because the road was impassable.

With the bookmobile, I visited high schools, teacher training colleges and universities, timing my visit with their Christian Union meeting.

Invariably they would ask me to speak with the common invitation, “Our speaker is not able to come this evening. Will you be our speaker?” While this kept me on my toes, I enjoyed these impromptu speaking engagements. It was not uncommon for roadside mechanics to come, buy some Christian literature, and then invite me to come and preach to all the mechanics. I would say to them, 84 Information

from Alistair Bradley, personal testimony, February 2007, written for this history.

tHose WHo serVeD

“Before I come we had better find out if the boss agrees.” The reply was, “I am the boss. Just come.” Wherever I went, people were open to the Gospel.

When travelling around Northern Nigeria I usually stayed at SIM or other mission compounds. I had a single burner gas cooker to boil water and make fresh tea. The small Vern & Alistair - Enugu tins of evaporated milk (Peak and Carnation) were available all over the country. Once opened it would keep un-refrigerated for a couple of days! At the market places, I would take a clean piece of paper and buy bean cakes straight from the boiling oil, take them back to the bookmobile, cut them open and put Golden Syrup on them. They provided a nourishing fresh inexpensive meal and a great accompaniment to a good cup of hot tea!

Akuso Dogari, a godly man from Kafanchan-Kagoro area, was a relative of Byang Kato, the first secretary of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa. Akuso worked in the Kano Bookshop and I was asked to teach him to drive. Akuso had never been in a private vehicle and therefore did not grow up learning some of the basic functions of a vehicle. He did not know what a rear view mirror was for. He did not know what a STOP sign was for. After some months of painstaking patience and effort, Akuso got his driver’s license.

He went on to become wholesale manager in Lagos until he was tragically killed in a road accident. tHE cIVIl War During the Civil War in south eastern Nigeria SIM was invited to go into the city of Enugu to help give the impression that everything was normal. Being single, I was asked to go. The city was not normal. The infrastructure of the city had been decimated. There was no running water, electricity or essential services of any kind. I went in with a bookmobile for six months. Each month a Nigerian pastor would join me. We could not cope with all the opportunities.

People were asking how they could become Christians. One morning when I was going into the radio station the receptionist was sitting reading his Bible. I commented to him how good it was to see him do that. He was a bit despondent at first, but I soon found out he

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had been fasting for two days and had told God he would not eat until he found peace with God. That morning he found God. I ended up staying in the upper floor of the new Enugu Bookshop, which had a large hole in the roof. A shell had hit it. Across the road was the Police Station. The policemen would visit me all the time and I had the joy of seeing many of them accept the Lord. Some days soldiers would come up to the bookmobile and were virtually in tears because they came from Christian backgrounds and now Alistair upstairs in Enugu Bookshop they were killing people. Many of the soldiers accepted Christ also. The pastors all said they had never seen such openness to the Gospel. While the war brought terrible devastation on the country, God used it to bring many people to Himself.

Kaduna BooKsHoP After Ann and I were married, we took over the Kaduna Bookshop from Ira and Isobel McKie. We really enjoyed our years in Kaduna.

Akuso Dogari ended up in Kaduna with us. Akuso was very active in the Hausa church, but he could see the need for an English-speaking church to bring all the different tribal groups together. He came and asked us for help in beginning the English-speaking ECWA church in Kaduna. The first appointed pastor was Sule Onesimus.

Sule was an officer in the Nigerian police force. When he told his superiors what he was doing they told him he was throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime. The Police Department did not understand Kingdom values. Pastor Sule was one of the finest pastors in Nigeria.

We took him to the first Campus Crusade for Christ training in Northern Nigeria. Victor Cole - a writer in the ABC (Africa Bible Commentary) - was also with us in this training.

Kaduna Bookshop was responsible for Zaria, Gusau and Sokoto.

One time during the harvest season while driving back to Kaduna from Gusau, a cow jumped out from the long dense stalks of guinea corn in front of the car; the right hand side of the car and the cow connected throwing the cow up in the air and into a ditch beside the road. The farmer came running crying out “Kawo mini wuka� (bring me a knife). I was scared. There were some students working in the fields nearby that I had met at the Gusau church. I asked them what I should do and they told me to drive off. I could not do that.

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So they helped me try to cajole the cow into standing up. It just lay there stunned, eyes bulging. Nothing we could do would budge the beast. Then the owner arrived back with the knife in his hand to kill the cow and bleed it according to Muslim custom. As he approached the cow, it jumped up and ran off. The only damage to the car was a very small dent right above the headlamp. Since I was miles from any facility, I was very thankful that the car was still operational and I headed home with a thankful heart to God. While in Kaduna working at the bookshop I was asked to be the chaplain at the Police Training College. This involved Bible study on Saturday nights and a 7am church service on Sunday morning. One of the sergeants in charge of training was a personal friend and used every opportunity to get us involved. He loved God and longed for God’s best for his people.

Our two daughters were both born in Kaduna at the Catholic hospital. When Ruth was two or three, she used to spend a lot of time outside with the woman who helped us in our home. I can remember her at the outside water tap washing her little hands.

In Kaduna, we became friends with Mrs Kencke senior and Don and Judy Kencke who owned Baraka Press. Ivan and Mary Eikenberry lived on the Kencke compound. Ivan represented all the missions in Nigeria to the Northern Nigerian Government. He and Mary were in Nigeria for more than 40 years. They were like parents to us.

Being such a young Christian when I went to Nigeria, my experiences were a large part of my formative years as a Christian.

My time in language school, my time out on the road with the bookmobile, and my time managing Jos and Kaduna Bookshops all helped mould me into the person I am today. I thank God for SIM and all that He has done through His servants in the Mission.� 85 Alistair is one of those rare individuals who in a few moments can turn a conversation round to talking about Christ and leading people into a relationship with the Saviour. When I became general manager of SIM Bookshops, and was based in Lagos, I asked Alistair if he would come to Lagos and take over the centralized buying for all the bookshops. He later said that invitation was what helped him reach a decision to resign from SIM and join Campus Crusade for Christ. Alistair served faithfully in different countries. He is now settled in the USA - still training Campus Crusade staff.

85 Alistair

Bradley, personal testimony, February 2007, written for this history.

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IRA AND ISOBEL MCKIE It was seventeen months from Ira declaring at his parents’ 25th wedding anniversary in 1950 that he knew God was calling him into service until he was at the Bible Training Institute in Glasgow, Scotland. Soon after graduating he took a nine month tropical medicine course. Four years after his calling, he was in Nigeria at Hausa Language School in Minna.

While at language school in Minna, a call came from Trevor Ardill in Jos asking if Ira McKie would help in the Minna Bookshop for a time. The manager, Paul Onwuka, was a man of great integrity who had succumbed to smallpox. Ira helped by giving guidance to Paul’s assistant until Paul was well enough to return to work. “I said ‘yes’, not knowing then that later in life I would be involved in bookselling and literature-related work. This was to be an early preparation.”

His first stationing after language school was to Talata Mafara, in Sokoto Province. This was where his medical course was of great help because, apart from helping in the evangelistic outreach, Ira was in charge of the clinic and seeing 30-100 patients daily. In a letter to the home office in London he mentioned that he was seeing 6-700 patients monthly and up 1,000 treatments because many have more than one complaint. In a letter to SIM HQ in Jos, Ira spoke of his intention that when Isobel arrived they planned to announce their engagement.

Isobel arrived at Minna in December 1953 and after two trips to see her during the six-month waiting period, allowing Isobel to get her foundation in Hausa, Ira and Isobel were married at Minna. Their stationing after marriage was to Gatawa the most distant ‘bush’ station, 105 miles from Gusau in very desert-like conditions. Ira moved there prior to the wedding.

When Ira left Gatawa for his wedding it was by a circuitous bicycle route to reach Shinkafe; the thirty-mile trip was not without a few problems. Because two men who were to carry his loads did not turn up when agreed, he loaded everything, his clothes, camp bed and all the requirements for his wedding on the back and handle bars of his bicycle. He had to cross the river three times, and the deepest crossing came first. Everything had to be unloaded and a man swam across with them on his head. The zipper bag with personal effects fell in the water. After six hours he made it to the Government Rest House at Shinkafe, where he met an expatriate from the Tobacco Company who was leaving for Gusau in one hour, so Ira had a ride to SIM Gusau where he could get the train to Minna and his wedding. The journey was relatively uneventful as he changed trains at Zaria and got the down-country train.

The wedding was on 15 June 1954; Dave Boyes, a fellow language school student, was best man and Leona Johnson (later to become Jim Mason’s wife) was bridesmaid. Isobel met her when she went for a month to assist at the Bingham Nursing Home in Jos. Both were Canadian and Leona had flown into

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Minna by SIMAIR. Mr John Hay, father of Ian Hay, a former SIM international director, tied the knot.

After some time at Gatawa, the McKies spent time at Kamba also in Sokoto Province, and from there went home on leave early 1959. They returned to Amanawa, a leprosarium 10 miles - 15 km outside Sokoto.

After Amanawa the McKies went to Moriki, the first station north from Gusau, and from there to Ira & Isobel McKie Wedding Kaduna Bookshop, where Ira and Isobel spent almost a decade. In 1969 they reported in Sudan Witness that: “Since last August we have received into stock at the bookshop 6,000 Bibles and 5,000 New Testaments, and have already sold most of the Bibles. There is a great demand for God’s Word.”86 Since returning from leave they had begun an informal Sunday evening service in their home to which quite a number of expatriates came. Apart from the bookshop they were also responsible for the guest house and had many guests for meals.87 Ira recalls: A question I was asking: Why did I find myself in Nigeria in 1954, struggling with this language and then be cast head over heels into bookselling?

I would have to relate that my Christian life has been a refining process, often through traumatic experiences, ill-health, situations and crises of various kinds. They were all there not to break me or alienate me from the loving God I had learned to trust, but to refine, to polish, to purify and make me the kind of person my Master wanted me to be. Wherever we find ourselves, in the isolated semidesert terrain or the hubbub of city life, He was always there as He had promised.

To the hubbub of the city we were assigned for our third term of missionary service. Ten years before, I had had my first taste of Christian literature distribution. Kaduna was at that time the capital of Northern Nigeria. It was the seat of the House of Representatives and an Upper House, the House of Chiefs.

86 Letter

to London Office and printed in Sudan Witness, April 1969.

McKie, Challenge of People and Places, self published, 2000, confirmed and added to by Ira Mckie, Nov 2007.

87 Ira

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I was taking over the area bookshop with some responsibility for smaller shops in Gusau and Sokoto - 145 miles and 265 miles respectively from my base.

The bookshop in Kaduna was one of the ways the more literate young people could read and hear the Gospel. The craving for literature by young people who had come up to the city, some seeking employment, others for further education, or just to get away from village life was unbelievable. Often they were prepared to read anything in print. Kaduna city was wide open to Christian literature sales.

Pastors from many different denominations would find suitable material for catechism, baptismal and discipleship classes.

We encouraged our staff to be involved wherever possible in the churches they attended to publicise any special literature. How to encourage 15 to 20 staff to be involved would be shared in our daily devotions prior to opening the shop to the public each morning.

At our devotional times we shared prayer and praise requests. This revealed that some of our staff were active disciples in sharing their faith.

We were considering using colporteurs when a young man came into my office wanting to discuss if there was any way he could be involved in selling Christian literature. He was a graduate of Kagoro Bible College, a convert from paganism, but now a living testimony of what God can do for a life formerly shackled by the powers of evil and witchcraft. Would there be any possibility of him being employed within the book足shop structure? At the time of meeting this interesting man of God we had been considering using bicycles with carriers in front as a means of furthering sales of Christian literature.

He did so well selling books that we offered for him to take charge of the kiosk in the Kaduna South Railway Station. In this he would be on wage-earning terms. This was surely what we wanted in getting literature into the hands of needy people. How sad it was for me to hear some time later that this young man was beaten, petrol poured over him and set alight. This was during anti-Christian riots which affected many places throughout the country.

In my early days in bookshop ministry we were challenged by a wideopen need in Zaria. During our time in Kaduna, Zaria had the only university in Northern Nigeria and we were distributing many copies of the magazine, African Challenge, on the university campus.

After finding a suitable place in the commercial area where a number of stores were operating, we appointed a member of staff from

THOSE WHO SERVED

Kaduna as manager, also transferring another member as helper.

So that gave me three bookshops to supervise and the main one to manage.

On a few occasions we were visited by Sir Ahamadu Bello, K.B.E., Sardauna of Sokoto, and Premier of Northern Nigeria, always escorted by a number of his ministers. The diversity of our customers warranted the diversity of merchandise we sold. His Honour may have been looking for a pen or watch; the school child, anxious to have a suitable exercise book or a book to help him with his English.

Our bookshop HQ in Jos assisted us in procuring a suitable second-hand van to convert as a further means of sales of Christian literature. This would cover areas where bookshops did not exist and make Bibles and evangelistic material available. As we had welcomed the bookcycles so we doubly welcomed the bookmobile.

An interesting point was that the second-hand vehicle had previously been used to promote Dab Beer, a company in Nigeria at that time.

So it was conversion from alcohol to Scripture sales.

I had been asked to take the five-minute slot of Christian epilogue on N. Nigerian TV in place of a missionary colleague. I had been told that I would follow an advert, but not told what was being advertised; I would be given a cue and was surprised the advert was for Star Beer the largest beer company in Nigeria. Now we had a bookmobile, formerly selling beer, now selling books and Bibles, and a radio slot after a beer commercial, both dealing with eternal issues, the same message as that epilogue would affirm.

The bookmobile covered sales to the young police recruits at the Northern Police College, the Nigerian Army in a camp close to Kaduna, Zaria, the Nigerian Air Force which was training young men, and various manufacturing companies, colleges and secondary schools in the area; all meant good sales.

The bookshop was often used as a service to the public. An illustration of this was when I was contacted by Sir Kashim Ibrahim, Governor of N. Nigeria. Could we order the complete set of Encyclopaedia Britannica for him? We did and had the opportunity of meeting him personally when I delivered it to him. As he wrote the cheque, he commented on how much our bookshop was appreciated. More importantly, at least to me, were the Bibles, Christian literature and tracts which brought people to conversion.

Other ministries worth mentioning were submitting daily Bible texts for insertion in the New Nigeria newspaper and preaching in the

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churches in the city, using the “wonderful treasure” entrusted to us.88

VERN AND PHYLLIS HURLBERT Vern was born in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, and Phyllis was born in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. They met at Prairie Bible Institute in Alberta, and both were being led to Nigeria. Vern graduated in 1952 and Phyllis in 1954. Both attended candidate school - Vern at SIM Canada when Mr Oliver was secretary, while Phyllis went to SIM New York at the time Mr Jack Percy was SIM secretary for the USA. After they were accepted, they became engaged. Phyllis recalls the interview in June 1954 with SIM: I was asked if I would be willing to work in bookshops. I answered hesitantly that, if I felt that was really where the Lord wanted me, I would be willing, but I was inwardly thinking that this was not really missionary work.

Hurlberts' wedding

Both were able to raise their support quickly and arrived in Nigeria in December 1954. Vern went to Hausa Language School in Minna, while Phyllis studied in Kano, Matazu and Fago. In those days engaged couples were separated, allowing them to concentrate on language and the first exam after six months. After that they were married in Kano and remained in that area for the rest of that first term, working at Fago, Kano, Tsanyawa, and Kaugama in evangelism, church planting, managing dispensaries and leprosy segregation villages while filling in for

other missionaries on furlough.

Vern enjoyed getting out with Al Nielson in his pick-up and trailer which opened up to display books and tracts for sale as they moved to many villages and markets in the area. Phyllis recounts: Vern and Al Neilson went trekking with the trailer behind the pickup. They had a good time, and accomplished a lot. They were able to visit 14 new villages in the 2½ days they were gone. They sold literature as Al always carries papers and books with him.89 While at Kaugama, Vern continued visiting in villages and selling literature and distributing booklets, such as the VIP “Duba Dai” (Look Here), tracts and 88 Ira

McKie, writing November 2007.

Hurlbert, Whatever Happened to Calamity Jane, self published, page 96.

89 Phyllis

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67

books in Hausa. He saw some people trust in Christ, and was slowly being drawn into literature ministry. Finally the Hurlberts requested that the SIM Council station them in a work with a literature emphasis. They were sent to Lagos as sales representatives to distribute the African Challenge magazine.

Vern’s territory in contacting schools and other outlets extended as far as Badagry, (the town infamous for exporting slaves during the slave trade) close to the Benin border and up to Abeokuta. The month before they went to Lagos, sales of the magazine were 9,000. Vern’s first month was 10,000, and it increased monthly from that point. Vern remembers that time: My work was to distribute the Challenge, especially to schools, many of which had Challenge Reading Clubs meeting after school.

Students read the paper in these clubs to improve their English; in doing so they received the message of salvation. Many trusted Christ and corresponded with the Challenge, letting them know of their decisions to follow Christ. Through the correspondence courses they were encouraged to continue in their spiritual life.

It was wonderful knowing the Word of God got into many homes through the African Challenge. In the schools I had many opportunities to talk with headmasters, principals, teachers, and to whole classes, sometimes to over 300 students such as in the Lagos Progressive College and Government Teacher Training College. I was able to get into many Muslim schools too with the Challenge.

Besides this, I had many opportunities to preach in different churches as a result. While in Lagos I often preached in the federal prison and the Police Academy. Since we spoke Hausa we often attended the Hausa church in Lagos, helping there with preaching and communion services. I taught personal evangelism to the men in a Thursday Evening Bible School for a time.90 When Niger Press amalgamated with African Challenge in1959, their bookshop was given to SIM Bookshops. From that time, Trevor Ardill was on the lookout for a bookshop site in the heart of Lagos, and God soon gave one.

The change for the Hurlberts came from distributing Challenge magazine to managing the Lagos Bookshops. For some time they wondered if they should be getting into a wider ministry of literature distribution. They prayed about whether the Lord was leading in that direction. When they offered themselves to Trevor, they were immediately accepted. Vern recalls: In August 1960 the Mission had opportunity to acquire a wonderful spot on the main street in Lagos for an SIM Bookshop. It was on the corner of the block that was generally considered the busiest and most important street in Lagos, the federal capital of Nigeria, the 90 Phyllis

Hurlbert, Whatever Happened to Calamity Jane, self published, page 132.

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focal point of all Nigeria. The bookshop was ready to be opened, but there was no one to manage it. I felt it would be a wonderful opportunity to see more literature getting into the hands of thousands of people in Lagos area, so I offered to manage the shop.

Phyllis had been working in the office at the Press, but now joined me in the Broad St shop Lagos bookshop work, mainly in the office.

Up until now we hardly admitted bookstore work was part of what we thought missionary work to be, but came to realize that folks all over Nigeria were reading. For every magazine sold and every book bought, five or six people were influenced by reading it; even Muslims could read this literature in the solitude of their own home, and the Holy Spirit could speak to them without distraction of noise and ridicule from friends.

Shortly after we opened the bookshop in Lagos, a nicely dressed Nigerian business man came into the shop, looked around, and said he did not realize it was a religious store, quickly making his way toward the door. One of the clerks met him and suggested he look around; he might find something that interested him. In a few minutes the man returned to the counter with Billy Graham’s book, Peace with God. God led him to that one book. What an encouragement to us as we began our ministry in the bookshops.

Talk about a miracle! From that time on we were convinced that God had led us into this very important ministry.91 October 1st 1960 was Nigeria’s Independence and the Government had a three week celebratory exhibition at Victoria Island. SIM and ECWA church had a stand where they sold Bibles, books and African Challenge and informed people about what SIM was doing in Nigeria. Over 500,000 visited the exhibition.

Three years later in March 1963 a Trade Fair was held. The cost of the stand was $700 so we delayed. Then when someone cancelled at the last minute, we were given the stand at $60. It was a great rush to get ready. There were over 1,000,000 visitors to this function and we again were selling Bibles, books and African Challenge and gave away many items from Scripture Gift Mission.

Fair officials suggested exhibitors donate prizes to the 1,000,000th visitor to attend the Fair. Only three responded. A local beer company gave him a year’s supply of beer, an undisclosed gift came 91 Phyllis

Hurlbert, Whatever Happened to Calamity Jane, self published, page 135.

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from the Russians, and we gave a lovely leather-bound Bible and a year’s subscription to the African Challenge magazine.92 VERN ALSO RECALLS: We were surprised to hear that the Anglican Archbishop Kale spent his entire month’s salary on books shortly after the bookshop opened on Broad St.93 Vern put in a bid to supply textbooks to the local school board which supplied books for all their schools. Because SIM Bookshops had credit facilities overseas and experience importing, Vern won the bid. It was a huge amount of work because books had to be tied in bundles of 40. Vern came down with a bad attack of shingles, so it was Phyllis who did the hard work. After Vern recovered he was able to deliver all the bundles of books to the schools.

Following this, Vern attended a bookshop managers’ meeting in Jos. He requested that a new bookshop be opened in Apapa, but was told there were no funds available. He was able to explain that funds were coming from the school textbook contract that he had won. The profits from that contract enabled Vern to open Apapa Bookshop, the location of many expatriates and Nigerian middle class. Apapa was also on the side of the lagoon where the ports were located.

When the Hurlberts went on leave, the Masons took over. On returning, the Hurlberts went to Enugu, in the Eastern Region where they got back into distribution of the African Challenge in schools and seriously selling large quantities of books and Bibles. The demand for literature was so great that Vern went to Jos to collect the bookmobile assigned to Enugu. This allowed him to multiply the amount of literature being sold. He says, I was amazed in my travelling the amount of books and other literature people were buying when we came with the bookmobile.94 All this was a precursor to establishing a bookshop. Vern explains: We located a place on the main thoroughfare to and from the railroad station. December 18, 1965 we opened Station Road Bookshop.

For years there had been turmoil throughout Nigeria with each of the three main regions quarrelling, desiring to take control of the government. In 1966 a terrible pogrom took place in the North against the Ibos, killing thousands, and driving most of those remaining back to the Eastern Region.

Just before this the Lord had opened a way to purchase a site on Zik Avenue in Enugu. With the help of a Canadian builder, Clem Bartlett, we built our second store, a beautiful, two-storey block 92 Phyllis 93 Ibid.

94 “Vern

Hurlbert, Whatever Happened to Calamity Jane, self published.

and Phyllis Hurlbert’s Literature Team”, written for this Literature History, La Mirada, CA., 27 March 2007.

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building; air-conditioned with the new contour Vizusell curved shelving. We planned on using the second floor as a Youth Center and Reading Room for students from the university.

CIVIL WAR – VERN REMEMBERS: Then a terrible thing happened. The store was almost ready to open when the Eastern Region Government decided, after the awful pogrom in the north, that they would break away from Nigeria to form their own government, calling it Biafra. Civil war broke out and terrible fighting took place. We were the only SIM missionaries left in the Eastern Region. The American government told women and children to leave, so I took Phyllis, Crystal, Anita, and Phyllis’ mother (who was visiting us) to Port Harcourt and they evacuated to Lagos and then Jos. I returned to Enugu, and in the next six weeks turned the work over to Nigerian staff who kept the Station Rd. shop open for several months.95 Then the U.S. Consulate got word to me to leave, so I did, struggling to get through the army roadblocks with my station wagon and a few personal things, clothes, and Phyllis’ sewing machine. Three days later I was stopped by the Northern army at a roadblock near Kaduna and when I told them I was a missionary, they thought I was a mercenary, so I was taken to the chief of police who listened to my story of how I left the East and was able to have 15 men get my vehicle on a dugout canoe crosswise and over the wide Niger River and on up-country. The miracle was that I was in a strong Muslim region and the police chief turned out to be a Yoruba Christian who said if I had come a half-hour later he would have been on his way to church and I would probably have been dealt with by a Muslim policeman.

The Christian police chief was from llorin. When he questioned me as to where I had spent the previous night, I said, “At the SIM in Ilorin.”

He asked who the manager was. I said, “Nolan King.” He said, “I know him.” The police headquarters in Ilorin was just down the road from the SIM, and he had visited with Nolan. Then he asked where I was spending the night. I said, “With Ira McKie, the SIM bookstore manager in Kaduna.” He replied, “I know Mr McKie.” Once again I saw God intervene in a very difficult situation. He gave me my passport and the next morning I was on my way to Jos and Miango.

95 “Vern

and Phyllis Hurlbert’s Literature Team”, written for this Literature History, La Mirada, CA., 27 March 2007..

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After joining Phyllis and the kids we went to Kano where we managed the bookshop for a short time. But when we were asked to go to Kaduna to fill in, we asked to return to the States for early furlough. We had been through a great deal and our kids were upset and dreaming about soldiers coming to get them, so we were ready for leave in the States. Few in the Mission realized what we had gone through since most SIM missionaries in Northern Nigeria hardly knew what was going on.

Hurlberts enjoyed their leave in the USA; they were much refreshed and prepared for their return to Nigeria in 1968. At that time the fighting was only a few miles south of Enugu. The Mission felt Enugu was too dangerous for a family, so they worked in Jos Bookshop for one year until they were granted permission to return to Enugu. It was during this year that Alistair Bradley spent six months with the bookmobile selling literature. Vern and Phyllis tell us what it was like on their return: After a year we were permitted to return to Enugu, leaving three of our children at the Mission boarding school near Jos. What a mess we found in Enugu! Our smaller bookstore had been ransacked and burned, and our house was in shambles having been completely looted. However, our new, large two-storey bookshop was intact apart from a mortar shell hole in the roof, broken windows and a few minor things. Because we had not moved our stock into the new shop yet, there was nothing to loot. Only bullet holes in the walls and a mortar shell hole in the roof showed signs of the war.

We found a house to stay in and began the task of repairing things.

Suddenly in January 1970, the war came to a close. Book orders were placed and weeks later books arrived and we opened the store.

Phyllis gives us some insight as to what that time was like: Without much warning the war ended in January 1970. People were destitute, but we had no contact with Jos to know what to do next.

We quickly headed for Lagos to buy supplies and make contact with Jos from there. We remember people on every hand were begging for food, clothing, and whatever we could help with. Getting across the Niger River was a big problem, as the bridge was just beginning to reopen.

God answered prayer in a miraculous way on our way to Lagos. As we drove along we were talking about how we could contact Fidelis, the man under Clem Bartlett in charge of building the bookshop before the war.

We had no idea where Fidelis was during the war. Suddenly we came to a screeching halt at a road block. The soldier was angry

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and upbraided us for going a little over the line. But looking out the window we came face to face with Fidelis who was clearing a patch of the grass at the side of the road for his wife to sell some goods. We greeted him, praising God for allowing us to find him, as the soldier slipped quietly away. He agreed to go right away to Enugu to help with rebuilding.

In Lagos we met with Ken Tracy, in charge of rehabilitation in the war area, and welcomed him to Enugu on Tuesday the following week to meet with pastors from our region. The twelve of them slept all over our house as they met to discuss the rehabilitation program. They all left by Saturday morning.

Two rehabilitation programs were set up by the mission.

The first, Operation Dorcas, provided a room with sewing machines where tailors sewed uniforms for school children – pants and shirts for boys, and dresses for girls. Eventually we had a big ceremony where we turned these over to the local Mike Bonomi, Enugu schools so the children could return to school. The tailors were then able to buy their sewing machines with the money they had earned while sewing.

The second program was to provide hoes and seeds to farmers. The rainy season was coming and the people needed these tools to begin to farm and get back to providing food for their families.

Our home became Grand Central Station with the many pastors, bookshop workers, missionaries from Jos, and even one couple coming for holiday for a week just to see what was going on. Some of them were helpful, for in the meantime we were getting our house rebuilt, getting the roof and walls in the bookshop patched, besides drawing up the plans for the shelves, islands, and checkout counters for the bookshop, and getting them built.

Bookshop stock began to arrive from Jos, and within a few weeks we were able to open the bookshop on a very small scale. Soon it grew to a full-sized, beautiful shop with God’s Word getting into the homes of people in the area.

At the time of the preparation for opening the Enugu Bookshop after the Civil War, Vern was in Enugu with the bookmobile and, apart from all the other

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things he was doing, he was going to the surrounding villages and towns with Bibles and books, and making preparation to open the bookshop.

I have a service at 8:00am at the air force base and 10:00am here at the bookshop. Then I have a 4:00pm service in the prison. They want us to take the radio devotions every other week, so apart from the book sales through the van, we are kept busy.96 Before the war Mike Bonomi, a pastor, had come to Enugu to start a church where there were about 15 in attendance.

But after the war the church grew rapidly. We started with just a handful, but soon had 34 attending. The numbers grew Enugu Church meeting upstairs in Bookshop to over 100, and people were added quickly as they returned to Enugu. Before long we were averaging around 500. Folk had come out of hiding in the jungles and made their way to the cities.

When the war first began Clem Bartlett, our builder, and we were wondering why God would allow us to build the store, and then allow the war to break out before we even had books on the shelves, but there it was, ready for us to use. What a miracle! Once again God was faithful.

We saw the bookshop ministry expand, saw literature begin to flood the Eastern Region of Nigeria, and then were allowed to see a church grow out of the bookshop ministry. Whereas we had planned to have a youth center on the second floor, we saw a church grow and take over the second floor of the bookshop. There would have been no place to house a church that size after the war if not for the bookshop.

People used to ask us, “Do you do any real missionary work?� Besides managing the bookstores and distributing Christian literature, most of us who managed were also busy preaching at Youth for Christ meetings, in the federal prisons, at the army and air force bases, and at the police academies. Were we missionaries? Yes! Normal mission work? No! Was it effective?

We believe so! When we get to heaven we’ll 96 Phyllis

Vern & Phyllis 50th Anniversary

Hurlbert, Whatever Happened to Calamity Jane, self published, page 219.

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find out. Was it worth all the hard work? You’d better believe it!

Phyllis and I are so grateful for the time God gave us in this very important ministry. 97

BRIAN AND ELAINE ANDERSON New Zealanders, Brian and Elaine met and married in Auckland and at an Easter Convention in Ngaruawahia, where Major Ian Thomas (Capernwray Fellowship, UK) was the speaker, they were challenged for mission service.

From that time they felt the call of God to fulltime service and applied to New Zealand Bible College. They were the first married couple to live at the Bible College, graduating in 1962.

Brian was pastor of Oxford Baptist Church, New Zealand and being drawn to SIM, they applied. Jack Nicholson interviewed them by coming to visit and stay with them. This led to their acceptance for service in Nigeria. Apart from their Bible training their qualifications suited them for administration work, but they were assured by the Director Laurie Davidson and Jack Nicholson that they would be placed in suitable work.

They landed at Kano Airport, Nigeria, 14 January 1966, with Christine (2) and Ruth (5 months). They were met by Alistair Bradley, another Kiwi whom they knew from Bible College. He was involved with the bookshop and the bookmobile.

Rumour had it they too would be assigned to the bookshop. They arrived at the beginning of the trouble that ended up being the Nigerian Civil War which lasted Brian and Elaine Anderson for three years. Elaine explains it this way:98 First impressions! Absolute panic in the streets - missionaries did not know what was going on and were told to stay on the compound for safety reasons. We faced a political situation that had no meaning to us. Fear! Huge cockroaches, roses in 44-gallon drums (cut in half), shrubs with flowers and no leaves (the lie bush), desert-like conditions and cold nights, Kano Guest House with roses in floating bowls on each table - lovely!

A few days later when planes were flying, they were transported by SIMAIR (SIM’s air service) to Jos and reported to Trevor Ardill the managing director of SIM Bookshops. They were not specifically called to bookshop work, but said: 97 “Vern

and Phyllis Hurlbert’s Literature Team”, written for this Literature History, La Mirada, CA., March 27, 2007.

98 Taken from Elaine Anderson, “Andersons’ Journey”. Paper on Time in Nigeria, March 2007.

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We were not “called” to literature specifically nor was there any personal vision, but in hindsight it was a perfect fit. There were jobs to be done so who best to do them? And we were quite willing.

The range of merchandise was astonishing to us - better than some shops at home! School books, stationery, Bibles and Christian books of course, general books, coffee table books, radios, players, Kodak, Pentax, Tissot, Omega watches and clocks, surveying equipment, fingerprint kits, filing cabinets, school supplies and jewellery!

Challenge had a reputation for buying for a large expatriate population and missionaries as no Nigerian shops were providing this type of product. We found that SIM Bookshops were a major player in the distribution of Christian literature, along with CMS bookshops with branches throughout the country. Smaller operators were Baptist, SUM and Qua Ibo in the South East.

After a time of training at Jos, the Andersons went to Enugu to allow Vern and Phyllis Hurlbert to come to Miango (23 miles outside Jos) on holiday. Then it was back to Jos for a few months before going to Lagos to allow Jim and Leona Mason to go on home leave. Trevor Ardill phoned weekly, always enquiring after the family, before speaking about business.

The bookmobile was very active out of Lagos with Pa James as the driver. On one occasion we accompanied him to an agricultural show at Ikeja, but our 2 little blonde daughters became the main attraction - so we had to leave!

Greater Lagos was a city of at least 3,000,000 with three bookshops in Mushin, Apapa, and Broad Street, and another bookshop at Ibadan 100 miles upcountry, plus the bookmobile. One of the major problems was knowing how much stock to order. Brian, being a “systems” person, borrowed what must have been the first electronic calculator from Burroughs – all of two feet wide with coils lighting up for the numbers – to calculate all of the re-order figures on the stock cards.

One of the 12 local “messiahs” regularly visited the Mushin shop to buy copies of the book “Peace with God” by Billy Graham. When the Manager Francis talked to him about it, his reply was that he “needed to know what the opposition was up to.”

During this time the Biafran situation became more intense. It had not yet developed into civil war but Ibos were being persecuted and disappearing. One night Peter Ginikanwa, from the Apapa shop, came to drop the keys at the Andersons’ house and informed them that he was going home to the East. The shop next door to the Challenge Bookshop at Apapa was Bata Shoes, whose Ibo manager had been taken from his home at gunpoint by soldiers the night before. Three of the four SIM bookshop managers were Ibo and eventually

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they and all Ibo staff returned to the East. This was a problem as they were all experienced staff.99 Brian explains that time this way: The original plan was for us to go to Port Harcourt when the Masons returned, allowing Mike and Alice Glerum to go home on leave. I drove to Port Harcourt in the east - Biafra - to discuss this with Mike. On the way I went through a multitude of military road blocks on both sides of the Niger River - the line between Biafra and the rest of Nigeria. I was searched many times, including the batteries being taken out of my flashlight. One soldier, asking what my vitamin pills were for and being told they were for strength, asked to have some too! The political situation meant that I had to return sooner than expected; I got home to Lagos just before the border was closed.

When the Masons returned, the Civil War was still on, so the Andersons went to Ibadan and stayed on the Challenge compound beginning a bookcycle ministry. Seven bikes went out each day selling Christian literature, with Brian sometimes taking the station wagon to sell in the market places around Ibadan - the largest “black” city in Africa at that time. It was during this time they met Jane Sutton, the Scripture Union worker, and since the Andersons were experiencing water problems, Jane would have them over for a proper bath each week. From this a lifelong friendship developed.

Because the war was dragging on, they were assigned to Ilorin to relieve Alan and Bea Blake. They enjoyed Ilorin, rebuilding the bookshop clientele and appreciating the supportive encouragement from fellow missionaries. They were in Ilorin when son Ian was born.100 Brian recounts one experience from that time: I vividly remember a phone call from the manager at Isanlu Bookshop telling me to come quickly because he had lots of money and didn’t want it stolen! The money was from a large educational order with the local Native Authority which had decided that instead of a draft payment they would pay in cash.

When I arrived the branch manager was almost prostrate with relief and showed me the money, which was a wheelbarrow load of currency notes still in their pink ribbon and sealing wax packaging.

In explaining how he kept it safe, he told me how he had slept next to the safe full of money with his Dane gun which he was delighted to show me. It was a replica of probably the original Portuguese flint locks, except this edition was made with local wood, a piece 99 Taken 100 Ibid.

from Elaine Anderson, “Andersons’ Journey”. Paper on time in Nigeria, March 2007.

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of galvanised half inch water pipe for a barrel (with the thread still on it) and the mechanics of flint lock percussion to set it off! My doubtful look led to him taking me through to the back room to show me all the carcases of bush meat which he was drying - proving that his gun was very effective!

An intriguing fact from that time: We discovered our oldest and very helpful and friendly staff member Ibrahim, by name, was actually a plant by the Emir to keep tabs on what these Christians were up to. Ilorin was mainly a Muslim town.

Ibrahim was the one who did the banking and was always completely trustworthy; he had been working in the shop for many years. It was our custom to have staff morning prayers, and on the days that I was travelling to the branches the staff always prayed for safety in travel.

He recalls one man named Ajaye whose prayer was that Oga (master) would return in peace, not in pieces!

FURLOUGH IN NEW ZEALAND After furlough in New Zealand, Brian and Elaine returned and were finally able to go to Port Harcourt, since the Biafran War ended while they were home.

Mike Glerum opened Port Harcourt Bookshop in 1965. The building was actually a night soil plant which had been moved onto our property. After the Biafran War the shop was reopened by Apostolic missionaries Parry and Kitty Selby; their story will be told later. Parry looked after the rehabilitation programme, while Kitty reopened the bookshop. The programmes were: tools and seeds for farmers, and Operation Dorcas, rehabilitating tailors - the cost of the machines being gradually earned by what they sewed, such as bed sheets, clothes for children and some adult shirts. These were all donated to hospitals.

The warehouse had stacks of fabric and books when Brain and Elaine arrived.

The bookshop building was not badly damaged during the war, though there were bullet holes in one wall which Kitty Selby duly covered with posters. The petrol station next door had been demolished. The house was in reasonable condition even though it was used by government soldiers during the war.

Sales were very strong following the years of war. The need to replace school books lost in the war, stationery and Bibles, in particular Efik Bibles for the mainly Christian Calabar people was the major concern. A large expatriate population working in the oil industry led to a demand for good children’s and general books. 101 GOD’S PROVISION As Efik is the language of Calabar State, and Calabar was pioneered

by Mary Slessor, a Scottish Presbyterian missionary, the Scottish 101 Taken

from Elaine Anderson, “Andersons’ Journey”. Paper on time in Nigeria, March 2007.

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Bible Society held the copyright for the Efik Bible. When approached for the large quantity of Bibles we needed, they replied that there was no way we could have them for several years as there were other language Bibles to be supplied before us. We made this a real item for prayer to our supporters - and we received a container-load within 18 months: 20-25,000! We can both still picture the arrival of that container at the gates of the compound! What a thrill and answer to prayer by our faithful God! A THRILL FOR ELAINE Although there were three trained cashiers, one day all of them were sick so Elaine had to become cashier! That afternoon, a young man arrived looking very weary and hungry. We discovered he had walked for three days all the way from Cross River State to buy an Efik Bible. The black market price was exorbitant because supply could not meet demand, and this young man didn’t have enough money, so he walked to where he knew he could get his Bible at a fair price and for the amount of money he had. A bag of small denomination coins had to be counted. He was so thrilled when he finally held his Bible. He had certainly earned it. The staff took pity on him and gave him a chair and food and drink. A modern version of Mary Jones and her Bible story! What a thrill for Elaine!

We had armed robbers break into the warehouse early in our time in PH; they stole the cloth left from Operation Dorcas as well as calculators and easily-carried things, but were interrupted by the night watchman blowing his whistle. The Police were called and they were chased off. The next night we were disturbed by the night watchman running along the path at the side of the house and leaping over the 6 foot gate at the back of the compound. The thieves had come for revenge on the guard for interrupting their work! Our guard found refuge in his village close by and survived.

Brian had to go to Jos for management meetings and was loath to leave Elaine and the 3 kids on their own, so he visited the Chief of Police who was a Christian. The chief put an armed guard of combined Police and Army on our property for the next 18 months and insisted that we build a 6-foot perimeter fence - which we duly did. Robbers were chased off several times by these men. One who was shot ran down the road, and died on the St John’s College Seminary property. We were very glad he didn’t die on our property!

One staff member took us to see an oil flare after dark. It was quite a community with members of our staff using the light to study and people drying their washing and also their firewood! The night sky

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was always lit up along the horizon by the oil flares and the same situation continues today.

Brian was on the preaching roster for the Church of England (he was the non-conformist preacher) and also gave morning devotions on Radio Nigeria from Port Harcourt - allowed 3 minutes only!

During that time in consultation with Vic Stuart, the general manager, Brian decided to open a shop at Uyo. Christian Idio would be the manager and he and Brian visited several locations to rent for the new shop and residence for the manager. One seemed suitable, but Christian’s wife was distraught – with a word from the Lord not to take that property. She said that if we did so all of our money would turn to water. We subsequently learned that the building had been built by a well-known smuggler who had planted sacrificial slaves (human) under the foundations. We found another location and the business prospered.

A further story of Uyo Bookshop by Brian and Elaine was published in the New Zealand ’98 SIMNOW. It tells how the bookshop was appreciated and people were uncooperative when it was thought the bookshop might have to close.

Elisha Ali and Rev Samuel Damah, senior managers of Challenge Bookshops in Nigeria, had gone to Uyo, a town in Eastern Nigeria, to try to negotiate a new rental agreement with the landlord of the Challenge Bookshop premises. His family did not want the shop on their property and had taken the matter to the local court. Challenge was ordered to leave the premises by the end of the month. The landlord would not negotiate, so Elisha and Sam had no option but to close the shop and leave.

While the books were being packed ready to transfer them to the larger Challenge shop in Port Harcourt, passers-by noticed what was happening and came to question.

Why was the shop closing? It was the only Christian bookshop for miles around. Couldn’t somewhere else be found to rent? An old man appeared and was most upset. He had visited Lagos and discovered the bookshop on the main street of the city was now closed, and to find that the Challenge Bookshop in his own town was being closed was just too much. He was in tears and begged that Challenge not move from Uyo. A lorry was hired from the lorry park and terms agreed to, to carry goods

Challenge UYO truck

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from Uyo to Port Harcourt. But when the driver arrived and found he was to transport the books from the closed Challenge Bookshop, he refused the job. “Not in my lorry,” he said. “We need the Challenge Bookshop in Uyo and I will not help you close it!”

This story has a happy ending. New premises were found, in a better location, with good parking and at half the rental cost of the old premises. So Challenge Bookshop still sells Bibles and Christian books in Uyo. ElaInE rEcounts a rEarrangEd PIcnIc We were the central location for SIM missionaries in the surrounding area, as well as for folk from other missions and were visited regularly by those coming from outlying stations to shop in Port Harcourt. Ours was the only clean toilet available in town!

It was a joy to give hospitality Group At Bori Hospital and High School to these people. Loyd and Marge Wickstrom were at Aba, and later Paul and Virginia Haney and a team of teachers at Bodo and Bori, in the Delta region. The Browns, (he was a photographer), Millie Mosby and the Rideouts from Titcombe College in Egbe had planned a picnic get-together with the Haneys from Aba and the others from Bori and Bodo at our place. It rained, as it certainly can in Port Harcourt and we, all with BAs and MAs, apart from Brian and I, sat around and read Dr Seuss books to each other! We had a great time. Those were good days, but it was very hot and humid and I remember it once taking 10 days for the washing to dry. 102 ElEctrIcItY and tElEPHonE Electricity was quite reliable in part because Yomi Onayemi, who had married SIM missionary Valerie Thomson, was the chief engineer at the natural gas-fired power plant in Port Harcourt. Valerie resigned from the mission, and when Yomi was transferred to Port Harcourt, Valerie and the girls remained in Lagos, where the girls were in school and Val was teaching. Yomi who was missing his family was always grateful for the fellowship with the Andersons.

Telephones were a serious problem, and on one occasion the entire Anderson family came down with Dengue fever. There was no senior staff member in the 102 Elaine

Anderson, “Andersons’ Journey”. Paper on time in Nigeria, March 2007.

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Port Harcourt Bookshop. Brian went with a NITEL (telephone) engineer to the microwave transmitter station out in the jungle. The engineer climbed up several feet into the tower and seemed to put a couple of bulldog clips from here to there and gave Brian a phone to use. Brian contacted bookshop HQ resulting in a senior staff member being sent from Enugu until they recovered.

The recommendation (rest and Disprin) came over the SIM morning radio. On another occasion they had a phone call from Paul Haney in Aba telling them of a message on the radio that Christine, their daughter at Kent Academy, had broken her leg and was in Evangel Hospital.103 THE MOVE TO LAGOS We were asked to move to Lagos to set up a centralised Purchasing Department including all international and local purchasing, to be registered as a shipping and clearing agency. This was at a time when the Nigerianization process was well advanced and we worked closely with three Nigerian colleagues: Albert Suberu, the accountant; Sam Kolo, retail director and Jonathan Babatunde, wholesale manager. My assistant was Chimela Onwuka, nephew of Paul Onwuka who began as manager of Minna Bookshop, who was transferred to Jos Bookshop. After Jos he went to Port Harcourt and eventually Enugu, becoming the first Nigerian manager of Enugu Area Bookshop. Brian had the delight of taking Paul Onwuka to the Christian Booksellers Convention in the USA - the first time Paul had been out of Nigeria.

In addition we had to set up a clearing operation and Vic Stuart in Jos sent Eliazar Gara to Lagos to be the import manager. The logistics of managing the ordering centrally when all of the area managers had been independent until that time was a huge task.

The greatest problem of all was the fact that the Apapa Port only had 14 berths at that time and Nigeria had been on a buying spree with the oil boom. At one stage there were over 400 ships waiting outside the harbour to take their turn for a berth with many more ships waiting within the harbour. A large number of ships contained cement for massive building programs the government had initiated.

This created serious logistical importing problems for us because our supply lines were long enough without having delays of 12 – 18 months at the Port. We looked for other ways and had great help from our UK buyer and agent, Reg Pickford, to source product and also obtain access to shallow draft vessels which could be moored in the lagoon or up the creeks and off-loaded by lighter – an open flatbottomed barge. We maintained the continuity of our supply lines by 103 Elaine

Anderson, “Andersons’ Journey”. Paper on time in Nigeria, March 2007.

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planning well ahead and by the strategic help we received from Reg. Eventually we averaged 18 to 20 containers annually and increasing.

104

Brian and Elaine had developed systems for ordering supplies and training staff, and left behind a competent group in the department. They left Nigeria in June 1977 and Brian went into a systems-related ordering job in New Zealand.

Because of the crash in oil prices in the 1980s the now-named Challenge Bookshops ran into financial trouble. After being handed over to ECWA, the management in Challenge Bookshops felt they should have a branch bookshop in each of the 37 state capitals. When the oil crisis came along and they could not obtain foreign exchange to pay for imported goods, they did not reduce the branch bookshops quickly enough, running into cash flow problems because they were paying wages to multiple staff who were not producing profits because there was little to sell.

Challenge Bookshops accrued $350,000 in overseas debt. They asked the Mission to help them out of their dilemma. After about 3 years SIM decided to pay the $350,000. It was not long however, before they succeeded in building up another $350,000 in overseas debt, for which they could not get foreign exchange. This time SIM chose not to help, and by 1990 the bookshops were virtually bankrupt.

ECWA Productions Limited (EPL) had also built up overseas debt in Sterling. In 1994 when Brian reviewed this, the total debt in UK currency was £337,238.61. This was primarily to GBA Book Co, the company owned by Reg Pickford but spread over 20 other suppliers including Editions Trobisch in Germany of DM 55,876.32.

ECWA asked SIM if they could help locate individuals who could come and help. That was when I (Jim Mason) came as Literature Consultant. We tried different approaches, but it was not until 1994 when Oasis International of Wheaton, in the person of Ed Elliott, wanted to help, that things started to turn around. Oasis entered a management contract with ECWA on Challenge Bookshops. It was at this time that Brian and Elaine Anderson were approached and returned to Nigeria, giving a further six years 1995-2001 to revive the Challenge Bookshops in Nigeria.

Brian and Elaine remember with thanks that, although they were now only associate members of SIM, the New Zealand director Murray Dunn was fully supportive. When they arrived in Nigeria, they found that SIM Nigeria was strongly supportive of them personally, though a bit distant from the Oasis agenda. The director at the time was Dave O’Brien.

Brian and Elaine were a great help at the time of the Nigerian Pastors’ Book Set Conference (PBS) in 1997. Since Lagos was the base for all books entering the country, Brian assigned the Challenge import manager to clear the twenty 104 Elaine

Anderson, “Andersons’ Journey”, March 2007. An account of their time in Nigeria.

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PBS containers. The Andersons were always an encouragement on the pathway toward the completion of the Africa Bible Commentary.

GORDON AND HELEN STANLEY Gordon and Helen arrived in Kano in February 1969 and were met by Winston Adams and greeted by soldiers! After one day of rest in Kano they flew to Jos. Lassa Fever was occurring at that time and Helen, being a nurse, was assigned to start duty that night, but Ken Tracey, the medical secretary said, “No!” So she had a few days to get settled.

Vern Hurlbert was manager of Jos Bookshop. Vic Stuart was general manager and Gordon did the stocktaking at the end of March. They were going to close the shop for a week but Gordon did it without closing the shop.

The Stanleys then moved to Lagos for the Masons’ furlough in 1970 and Jim’s day-old chickens arrived a week after Jim left.

Back to Jos in 1971/72 Gordon was asked to be general manager while the Stuarts went on leave. During this time Gordon bought a big lorry and made a profit in 1972 after a loss the year before because of goods that were stolen on the train from Lagos. He developed internal checks to protect the Nigerian staff. He set up an Audit Department and advertised in an accounting magazine in the UK. Stanley received an answer from a Nigerian, Albert Suberu, who was working in the UK. He came and was stationed in Jos. His home town was Ibadan, and his name informs us he was a Yoruba.105 Vic Stuart returned as field secretary, so Gordon continued as general manager. This was the time of the thrust toward indigenization.

He set up the Board of Directors and constitution of EPL (ECWA Productions Limited). SIM Bookshops became part of EPL and were turned over to ECWA ownership on 17 March 1974.

Alistair Bradley, Gordon Stanley, Brian Anderson Gordon was managing director. and Mike Power The other directors included Mr Obi from Aba, Titus Makinjuola a Yoruba who was brought up in the SIM orphanage at Mopa, Barnabas Lekwat from Central Plateau, Tunje from Ilorin and Byang Kato the first chairman.

The company was floated with N100 capital.

The Udoje Commission was established by the Nigerian government in 1976. They studied salary rates in the civil service and decided all wages 105 From

reporting of one day together in New Zealand of Stanley, Andersons, Powers and Bradleys, January 2007.

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should be increased by 100%. Challenge had about 400 staff. It was the only international company which kept its doors open because Mike Power, the accountant, along with Brian and Gordon talked to the staff and told them they would work it through. Many other parts of the Mission were indigenised after that.

Gordon was managing director and left at the end of 1980. Mike Power was financial director and Iliya Majam took over from him in 1975. Mike finished in 1977 and then went back to Jos as financial director while Iliya Majam was on an MBA course in the UK. There were about 32 expats involved in literature ministry when Gordon came in. When Gordon and Mike left in 1980, only Chuck Truxton was left.

MIKE AND ANN POWER Mike’s association with SIM began in Ghana. He was there on a six month assignment from London in the Ghana office of the accounting firm of Midgley, Snelling, and Barnes in the UK. His commitment was for six months, and during this time his life was redirected.

Being a Christian, he took with him the page for Ghana from the SIM Prayer Guide, thinking this could be a useful contact. Mike was put up in a hotel because the company did not have any accommodation for him. Later Mike found accommodation through a Scripture Union friend with someone at the University, at Legon, and quite far out of Accra. He tried a few churches, and then in the third week he phoned the African Challenge, thinking he would contact Sam Goertz whose name was on the list. Instead Stan Todd answered and immediately there was an affinity. Stan and Etta were from Northern Ireland, while Mike was from Watford, outside London. The Todds invited Mike to their house and in conversation about church they introduced him to a Sunday afternoon fellowship at the house of John Agama, a police inspector, who later became a member of the Board of Challenge Enterprises - the former African Challenge and the literature work of SIM in Ghana.

Mike became friendly with the Todds and after the Sunday afternoon fellowship he would go back to their place for a meal, and often stayed overnight, going to work on Monday morning. He recalls meeting Doris Motley who was on a ship to Nigeria which had stopped for offloading in Accra. Without a harbour, this trip ashore had to be done by canoe coming in over the breakers. Doris braved this ride on a stormy day to visit with Stan and Etta. Mike was most impressed by this lady.

Mike had been wondering what he should do at the end of his six-month assignment; stay in the Accra office or go back to the London office. In the meantime he had met Harold Fuller who was editor-in-chief of African Challenge magazine, published by SIM in Lagos, Nigeria, but actually printed in Mike’s home town of Watford. Harold told Mike of the need for accounting help at Challenge in Lagos. Hearing that Karl Munting as business manager

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also did the accounts and was hard pressed with work, Mike decided he would try helping Challenge for a year.

While in Ghana with the Todds in 1961, Mike became aware that as the men with Challenge went around to schools distributing the magazine they also sold books; shortage of funds was a problem as well as the variety and quantity of books they could order. Mike gave £50 of his tithe to Stan to increase their buying of books. It is interesting that several missionaries Mike & Anne Power, The Stuarts and Masons give Mike credit for this gift as being the beginning of bookshop work in Ghana.

Mike went to African Challenge in Lagos in August 1961. He was there for four years and then, because of a lack of replacement for the SIM Jos treasurer, he was asked if he would stay an extra year and fill that position. It was not until 31 July 1966, that Mike got back to UK. He remembers this well as England won the soccer World Cup that day!

Upon his return to Nigeria, Mike was at Challenge in Lagos for 5 months, and was then assigned to bookshops to take over from Dennis Stevens who was going on leave. This was January 1968, and he was the bookshop accountant until 1979. Two of those years he was training branch managers as to how to correctly complete their end of month accounts and reports. 106 In preparation for the ECWA church taking over ownership of the SIM literature programme, the bookshops were renamed Challenge Bookshops making use of the name “Challenge” which was known throughout the country because of the magazine African Challenge that had been sold for 23 years. In preparation for this change Iliya Majam, who had been in Kaduna Bookshop, came to Jos and began training under Mike to become the director of finance.

This took place in 1976 while Mike and his wife Anne went to New Zealand on leave. When Iliya was asked to go overseas to get his MBA, Mike came back and filled in as director of finance during 1978/79.

After that the Powers were asked to go to Sudan where Mike did the accounting for SIM’s Southern Sudan aid programme, but he also filled the post of SIM treasurer for two and a half years. Not being able to return to Sudan, they went on to Kenya for five years. While there he was asked if he

106 From

interview written by author, edited by and added to by Mike Power.

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would be willing to come back to New Zealand and be treasurer at the home office. Mike recently retired from this position.107 PARRY AND KITTY SELBY’S CALL TO THE MINISTRY AND NIGERIA After Bible College and their call into fulltime work, Parry and Kitty Selby’s ministry was in Newcastle for 2½ years. Then the UK Church Council extended a missionary call to Calabar, Nigeria so Parry and Kitty left for Nigeria in March 1954. Eighteen months later they went to Owerri when the missionary superintendent died. They were responsible for 300 churches and 10 primary schools. The area was from Port Harcourt in the Rivers Area, to Enugu and Abakaliki in the North and the Ogwashi-uku Area in the Mid-West.

They had a very fulfilling ministry in training staff, elders and officers, and in general administration of the work.

We suffered set backs in the work as the Eastern Region declared independence from the Federation of Nigeria, calling themselves Biafra on 30th May 1967. With Civil War imminent, we evacuated to the UK in June 1967. The Nigerian Government would not allow missionaries to return to the War Zone in Eastern Nigeria.

Our missionary board asked us to go back to Western Nigeria, but we considered ourselves in transit to the East whenever opportunity offered itself.

Like Abraham, “We went out not knowing whither we went” – no plans, no destination, no defined future. When we were almost giving up hope of ever getting back to the East, we experienced God opening securely locked doors, making a way where there was no way, breaking in pieces the gates of brass.108 FIRST MEETING I first met Parry and Kitty Selby while selling literature at an Apostolic Church Convention in Calabar. At that time I was based in Ilorin and had travelled to Calabar to be at the 1961 Christmas Convention. That was when we sold all the Thompson Chain Reference Bibles and went home with orders. Sales at that convention were in excess of £600.

As the Civil War was coming to an end, the government asked SIM if they would help rehabilitate a hospital in the Eastern Region, 20 miles (30 km) from Port Harcourt. The Selbys fitted into that job and were there for 12 months. Later they were asked to supervise the rehabilitation of tailors who sewed clothes for refugees and orphanages, while earning money to buy their new sewing machine. This was done at the Port Harcourt Bookshop building warehouse. Meanwhile Kitty revived the bookshop from the looting that took place during the war.

107 From

interview written by author, edited by and added to by Mike Power. call to ministry and Nigeria, written for this history, UK, June 2007.

108 Selbys’

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I have included most of the Selbys’ account because it gives real insight into the devastation which took place, and the effort made in the rehabilitation. It shows the Lord’s provision and empowerment to those who are working for Him. god’s IntErVEntIon In tHE aFtErMatH oF cIVIl War How did it happen? While attending Church Convention in Lagos, we stayed at the SIM Guest House at Yaba, and overheard a conversation about “Operation Good Shepherd” based at Bori General Hospital in the Rivers State. It was in the plan of God that the Medical Relief Team was also in the Guest House and brought much news from the “liberated” Rivers Area.

Bori was right in the centre of 120 churches in the area for which Parry was normally responsible. We eagerly questioned the returning team about conditions prevailing in that area.

Dr Tracey of SIM, co-coordinator of the Good Shepherd Project, had difficulty finding personnel to make up the team from northern missions. As someone said to us, “We are desperate for replacements.” God spoke to us to volunteer, and we were advised to write to Dr Tracey, which we did immediately. We were not medical.

But we were willing to work in any capacity and we knew the area very well.

Dr Tracey replied by return mail: “Your volunteering in this way is a direct answer to our prayers. We have no one for September”. He asked Parry to be administrator of the hospital and Kitty to take over the drug store and act as house mother to the team.

Our Missionary Board wholeheartedly agreed for us to be seconded to the team as long as necessary and we proceeded to Bori without delay, thus we came to be involved with SIM. It was emphasized that Operation Good Shepherd had a twofold mission: to reactivate the hospital and give much needed medical assistance to the war torn area, and to pursue an evangelical outreach to these traumatized people.

Parry & Kitty Selby

We engaged a hospital Chaplain, who held services in the wards and gave counsel to the patients. We also held a Gospel service in our house every Sunday evening. We found that whole villages were

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devastated and deserted as thousands had fled before the advancing armies. Many pastors had fled with the members and what few remained were in dire need of help...Every member of the team had to be an evangelist and every Sunday we were assigned to take services where there was no pastor in Anglican, Methodist, Apostolic and Baptist Churches. There were no denominational barriers; we were united in our desire to stand in the gap, giving help wherever needed.

Christian literature played an important part in our general ministry.

Tracts and booklets were freely distributed in the hospital and at military checkpoints as we travelled.

Every Saturday morning, the team went out to specific areas and set up a clinic for around 300 children in a school or church. One vehicle would be loaded with Christian literature and after the clinic, on the way home we called at Army bases and sold our books which were in big demand. We well remember one big secondary school which housed 1,000 wounded soldiers. As soon as they saw the van driving into the compound, they rushed out to meet us thrusting money into our hands and shouting, “Give us books, give us books!”

Bored by their inactivity, they desperately wanted something to read.

It was an opportunity not to be missed as so many of these soldiers from the Federal Army were Moslems. We were able to select a variety of books that would clearly show the way of salvation.

These men would soon return to the war front and needed the assurance that only faith in God could give. As we left that compound having obeyed the word in Ecclesiastes 11 v 6, we always claimed God’s promise, “Cast your bread upon the waters for they shall find it after many days”.

It became apparent… in December 1969, when the Federal Army overran all of Biafra that war was coming to an end. By this time, Bori Hospital was operating well and with the arrival of many doctors from abroad, it was decided to withdraw the Medical Relief Team. Dr Tracey came from Jos for the formal handing over to the Government.

We were then free to return to our base in Western Nigeria. We flew back to Lagos on Christmas Eve to be welcomed by Loyd and Marge Wickstrom, at the Yaba guest house with Christmas decorations.

Loyd and Marge with their usual hospitality and kindness invited us to spend Christmas with them.

A few weeks later Parry received a letter from Dr Tracey informing him that the SIM Council had unanimously decided to ask him to

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oversee the new relief project “Operation Dorcas” to function in Port Harcourt and to reopen the SIM Bookshop which had been devastated during the war.

This proposal was obviously in the plan of God to return us to the East and we wholeheartedly agreed. We immediately returned to the SIM guest house to prepare for the transfer. The store at Yaba guest house, Lagos, was already filled with treadle sewing machines, bales of cloth and everything necessary to set up Operation Dorcas.

We were booked on a ship to take 300 cases of books and all the Dorcas equipment, but the ship was diverted to evacuate Nigerians from a troublesome part of Africa. The arrival of the ship was delayed several weeks so Parry decided to go ahead alone to Port Harcourt by road in his little van, hoping to make some headway in securing the bookshop premises and the bungalow in which we were to live.

Kitty was left in Lagos to come by boat with the Dorcas equipment and the 300 cases of books - a very uncertain prospect! Feeling the responsibility and weight of the task before her, she cried to the Lord to help her. Once again God intervened in the most amazing way. 109 The next morning, the Lagos branch of Operation Dorcas on the African Challenge compound was holding its closing ceremony and Kitty decided to attend. At that meeting she met the government official who had overall charge of the rehabilitation programmes in the East. Kitty tells what happened:

Dorcas Project Challenge Lagos

The Government official asked Kitty about the progress of the Port Harcourt project, and when Kitty explained to her the delay caused by the diversion of the ship on which Kitty was booked, she replied, “But I have planes and I could help you.” Kitty protested to her that the Operation Dorcas equipment was at least five tons in weight, but this posed no problem to her. All she needed was the cubic capacity and tonnage of the loads.

That same afternoon, an airport official rang Kitty at the SIM Yaba guest house, instructing her to be at the airport the following morning at 7am with all her loads. She hired a lorry and arrived at the airport with the five tons of Dorcas equipment. Kitty was a little fearful as she stood alone with this entire pile of baggage and not another person in sight. The plane which taxied towards her 109 Selbys’

call to ministry and Nigeria, written for this history, May 2007.

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was a Parachute Plane loaned to Nigeria by the Congolese government. She took heart when she learned that the pilot was the brother of General Gowan, Head of State.

The staff proceeded to load the plane and then invited her to take her seat.

This turned out to be an iron seat with lots of parachute harness around. She could view the landscape below through the gaps in the bottom of the door.

Parry had left Lagos four days earlier but was delayed for three days in a queue of cars and lorries, waiting to be ferried over the River Niger. It was quite an ordeal and the only way to cool down after the heat of the day, was to take a bath in the River Niger under the starry sky. When Kitty arrived in Port Harcourt, there was no sign of Parry. She took refuge at the Baptist Mission.

Parry arrived the next day.

What a scene of devastation met us as we went to survey the bookshop and bungalow! The steel shutter doors at the bookshop were bent and twisted; looters had forced entry. The place was flooded due to shrapnel roof damage and the grass was as high as the bookshop.

As for the once beautiful bungalow built by the Glerums, it was a complete shambles. It had been occupied by soldiers, fires had been lit on the block floors and doors chopped away to supply firewood.

When the soldiers left, looters had taken over and stripped the bungalow Bookshop House of every piece of glass from the louver windows. Every lock and electrical fitting and any household commodity that could be removed had been taken.

Our first priority was to repair the roof and dry out the bookshop and warehouse ready to receive the first consignment of books.

Port Harcourt was a ghost town and all stores were looted. There were no ladders anywhere but God’s Word declared “My God shall supply all your need” and so He did. In this impossible situation Parry managed to acquire some timber and nailed together an improvised ladder. The manager of a looted store in the town amazingly found one pack of rubberized sealing compound... which had escaped the notice of the looters.

On examining the roof, Parry found 32 shrapnel tears and Parry invited some of the bookshop staff to assist him in repairs of the

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roof. They were horrified and declined, but God helped Parry to do it alone and wonderfully the roof never leaked again.

Cutting the grass was another urgent task, but we did not anticipate the constant explosion of unspent bullets as we…fired the mountains of gathered grass.

The first few weeks were times of much frustration due to lack of materials… there was no alternative but to go to the market and buy back fittings that had been stolen by the looters. However arduous the task, it was a time of great joy and satisfaction…in such a work of reconstruction.

Of course, the bookshop repairs took priority...bungalow restoration was faced as time permitted. We had no furniture at all except two camp beds…we sat on cushions on the floor. Our dining table… was two upturned crates, some planks of wood and a very pretty cloth to camouflage. The dining chairs were small oil drums likewise cushioned and draped.

All the same, in our primitive setup, we entertained some very important people. Shall we ever forget the visit of Jim Mason as he was escorting Dr Bob Thompson, MP for Red Deer, Alberta, who was the Canadian parliamentary specialist on Africa, as well as the advisor to the Canadian Government on foreign aid. He needed to visit the war zone to assess the particular needs of the area such as refugee camps and orphanages. We all went to the needy areas by helicopter and what an amazing day we had.

This visit resulted in great blessings to us. Seeing our plight and the fact that furniture was unobtainable in Port Harcourt, on his return to Lagos, Jim sent us basic items of furniture by plane.

Eventually the reconstruction of the bookshop and bungalow was completed.

Olu Koleosho came from Lagos to take over the bookshop, but after a few weeks he left to pursue further education. Kitty was then asked to manage the bookshop while Parry oversaw Operation Dorcas. This involved the rehabilitation of master tailors who were supplied with treadle sewing machines and cloth to make clothes for the refugees.

REOPENING PORT HARCOURT BOOKSHOP The bookshop reopened and was greeted with great enthusiasm.

After the disruption of war with total loss of possessions, the sight of a new bookshop was a powerful magnet that drew young and old.

There was a great famine for the printed word, both educational and Christian literature, so that the SIM Bookshop was as “corn in Egypt”.

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It gave us great satisfaction to see the continual flow of supplies from Lagos and the cooperation we received from the SIM staff, particularly from Jim Mason and Brian Anderson, was superb. The work was greatly enhanced by the supply of about 14 bicycles.

This helped to rehabilitate young men who eagerly sold Christian literature and subsidized Bibles and New Testaments in schools, in market places and at the roadside.

The addition of a bookmobile greatly increased the spread of Christian literature as it could take large quantities much farther afield to church conventions and rallies. What a joy to send a loaded bookmobile and see it return completely empty, knowing that such a hunger in the hearts of people had been met.

As schools reopened, there was a great dearth in educational books. Often traders in the market exploited impoverished parents by charging inflated and extortionate prices for school books.

We decided never to sell to traders but directly to parents, whose gratitude knew no bounds.

Furthermore, we had an extensive coverage of outlying villages and markets where we sold African Challenge. This was facilitated by the use of the motorcycle sent to us by the Lagos Bookshop.

So often we found that God’s timing was perfect! We remember how we greeted the arrival of one lorry with whoops of joy. It brought 300 titles from Moody Press with lots of commentaries and study books which we placed in the store. We had just completed the offloading of the books when a minibus arrived full of pastors from our church in Calabar. Their joy was unbounded as they were able to purchase such valuable Christian literature to help them in their studies.

Another important ministry of the bookshop was to guide customers in their choice of books. One day, Kitty observed that a man was spending a very long time selecting his books and after conversation with him, she learned that he was leading a group of people, whose doctrines were in error. She was able to put a selection of books in his hand to consider. A few days later he returned looking very happy having read the books, underlining and annotating them. He then placed an order for 20 of each. This showed Kitty the possibility and importance of turning many from error to the Truth that could set them free.

We felt so blessed when Lagos supplied us with a record player and a good stock of records. Playing them in the shop brought a calm and heavenly atmosphere and proved to be a great attraction to bring in

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the customers. Often a lorry full of soldiers would crowd in and want to buy up the whole stock of records. As they would leave, we were so happy, as we imagined those lovely Gospel songs ringing out in an army camp, bringing a message of peace and hope in a chaotic war situation.

As the Dorcas Project became such a success in the warehouse, with a group of rehabilitated tailors being sent out every 3-4 months to set up their own business, we would then take in a new group. We always held a ceremony outside the bookshop. Government officials were invited and the Operation Dorcas clothing would be handed over to the government for distribution to orphanages and refugee camps.

This also served to give publicity to the work of the SIM in a wartime situation. One such occasion was very much appreciated by the Rivers State Government when a large consignment of school books was donated by SIM Lagos to assist in the restoration of schools demolished during the war.

Tailor, Operation Dorcas, Enugu

As conditions improved, it was decided to close down Operation Dorcas and with the arrival of SIM missionaries to take over the bookshop, we were then free to return to our home base, and Parry took up once again the superintendence of the Apostolic Churches in Ibo and Rivers States.

Presentation of books and Dorcas Clothing to On checking our home after Governmment - Rivers State an absence of three years, we found that it had been completely looted and was a heap of rubble. It was then that the SIM came to our rescue and offered us the use of the Enugu Mission House, now empty due to the Hurlberts’ return to the USA. This was indeed an oasis in the desert, for which we were very grateful.

We were able to live there for two and a half years, until further SIM missionaries were assigned to Enugu to work with the ECWA churches. The Lord then opened another door when one of the

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Baptist mission houses in Port Harcourt became vacant and we were kindly offered the tenancy.

As we were reabsorbed into the work in Ibo and Rivers areas we recognized that many young men had had a deep experience and a strong desire to serve the Lord. We saw the need for training them and once again SIM came to our rescue. We were able to send many to the Aba Bible College and Igbaja Seminary where they were greatly enriched by the sound teaching under Paul and Virginia Haney, Bev Clark, and Loyd and Marge Wickstrom.

Though our ministry with SIM officially ended when we left Port Harcourt Bookshop, we were glad that the wonderful fellowship we enjoyed at that time has remained to this day, as from time to time we receive letters or phone calls from many that we worked with in those difficult days.

“GREAT IS OUR GOD AND GREATLY TO BE PRAISED!”110

WINSTON ADAMS Winston was from South Africa, and went to the Bible College in Capetown with Vic and Mavis Stuart. Winston arrived in Kano a month before Vic and Mavis came, and SIM thought it was Winston and Mavis who were engaged, so when they heard Mavis was coming, Winston was sent off to the Boys’ Secondary School at Roni. Later Winston married Mary Ellen, who was the anesthetist at Egbe hospital in Yoruba country in Southern Nigeria. After they were married they were stationed at Roni Winston Adams Boys’ School.

Just before furlough in mid-1961, Mike Glerum took Winston round the Kano branches of Katsina, Gusau and Sokoto. Mary Ellen thinks it must have been decided at that time that after furlough Winston would be assigned to bookshop work. He took over Kano Bookshop in October 1962, and was there, apart from furlough, until 1971 when a Nigerian became the manager.

111

The following is an interesting story from Winston’s time in Kano Bookshop: It is a rarity in our work amongst Muslims for an educated and influential business man to inquire after the way of salvation. And 110 Selbys’

111 Letters

call to ministry and Nigeria, written for this history. to supporters, by Winston Adams, November 1963 and January 1964.

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then for such an individual to make a sincere and genuine decision for Christ, can only be described as the miracle of conversion.

Just after our return to the field, I was introduced to a certain Muslim, by name of Mr Lahan who is sales manager of a large office equipment firm here in Kano. During the riots of 1966, what he saw and what he experienced activated his thinking. He had never been through anything that made death so real to him. Having had contact with Christian missions during his youth, he began to recall the message of salvation with the promise of life after death.

He began comparing the Christian teaching with his own religion of Islam. The utter futility and emptiness of Islam, with all its insecurity, suddenly dawned on him. When he saw the utter disregard for life that was shown during these tragic months of 1966, he became acutely aware of his own need. This was how he unfolded his story to me that Islam had nothing to offer him, causing him one morning to come to my office, full of concern and inquiry.

He was without hope, and felt completely lost. He did not however, decide then and there to accept Christ. Instead he asked for literature that would help him in his seeking after the answer to his need.

This was given him and his cause brought to the attention of our missionaries, and prayer was made on his behalf. Frequent visits to my office, enabled us to engage in further discussion concerning the necessity of new birth, and I was able to discuss the consequences of him taking such a step. Little did I realize how much preparation the Holy Spirit had been doing in his heart!

I had to make a trip to Jos. Whilst in Jos, Biba Speering, who incidentally is 67, and who works with me in the bookshop, received a telephone call from Mr Lahan. When he learned I was absent, he asked her whether or not she would like to give me a message, “Tell him,” he said, “that I have decided to become a Christian!” Biba later said that’s one phone message she’d never forget!

Later he came to the office, and asked about a Bible. I had a Schofield reference Bible which I had won in a Bible quiz when still in Sunday School, but since this was such a unique request, I felt constrained to give him this personal trophy. Immediately he received it he went home to his wife and showed her his possession.

I’ve often wondered what effect our bookshop ministry is having among these people. So when I learned that the booklet “Islam and Christianity”, a copy of which I had given to Mr Lahan, was the medium through which God spoke to him, I was once again

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encouraged by the fact that God does use and is using the printed page to bring men to Himself.

God knows how much I need this encouragement, too; I become very involved at times with the administration and supervision of Kano Bookshop and our three branches with all the problems of finding committed staff.112 When the bookshops were handed over to ECWA, Winston taught Religious Knowledge, first in Kano, then in Katsina. After that he went to Roni Boys’ School where he was in administration. When he got sick the doctors never found out the exact problem. They thought he had cancer, but this proved incorrect. He was unconscious when he was sent for treatment to London, England, and died there.113 anotHEr storY FroM Kano Recently a young man in one of our teacher training colleges sold about 400 dollars worth of Christian literature during his vacation of seven weeks. His sales included the African Challenge, Moody Colportage books and a great number of English, Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba Bibles. His commission helped pay his expenses for the new term at college. How we wish that we had many more young men as eager as this one to help get the Word into the hands of the multitudes.114 The Nigerians have a custom of giving each “white person” a name that describes his/her character. Alan Rigby from the UK covered for the Adams’ furlough in 1966-’67. Alan enjoyed moving around town and the staff thought he was not in the office very much, so they named him “Mai zafin wando”, which means “the owner of fire in his pants.”

ISOBEL KENNISON Isobel Kennison, from the USA, was branch manager at Gusau when Trevor and Mildred were in Jos Bookshop.

Bringing all the SIM Bookshops under central management was discussed in SIM Council. For this to take place we needed more help so Isobel came from Gusau to talk about this new direction. Isobel was in agreement and transferred to Jos, accepting the task of branch supervisor for the nine branch bookshops in the Middle belt and North West under Jos Bookshop.

Isobel Kennison 112 Letters

to supporters by Winston Adams. supplied by Mary Ellen Adams, SIM Sebring, 4 April 2008.

114 Letters to supporters by Winston Adams.

113 Information

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Isobel drove a new Opel Caravan visiting and advising the nine branch managers in her area. She stayed several days with each manager checking inventory, suggesting improvements and encouraging each one personally.

For overnight stops she either stayed at mission stations or at government rest houses on her own. Often she was on the road for several weeks at a time.

It was very hot - and there was no air conditioning. Isobel was a congenial and considerate person to work with, and no one can remember her ever complaining. She put her full energy in her ministry for the Lord.115

MARION KLIPPERT Marion Klippert was a gracious woman whose love for the Lord was evident in her life and ministry. She had been working among the Nupe people at Pategi before going to Jos to establish the Mail Order Department as part of the bookshop ministry. Our 16 bookmobiles were reaching out to areas where there were no bookshops. High numbers of elementary school graduates who could read and wanted books and literature found it was not available. Letters began arriving at the Jos Bookshop asking for books. This was the need which motivated us to begin a Mail Order Department. Marion was the Lord’s choice to begin developing this work, sending books all over Nigeria and Africa to people who longed to read.

Moody Press supplied their “Moody Books” and in a short time we had large shipments arriving from Chicago. Moody told us that SIM was the largest customer for their specially priced Moody Books, retailing at $0.39. Under Marion’s direction this literature outreach was blessed of God. She had a godly rapport and influence on the young Nigerian men with whom she worked.

As previously commented, the director of China Inland Mission (now OMF) Art Glasser, once told Trevor Ardill that CIM taught the Chinese to read, but the Communists brought their books and magazines for the literate.

In bookshops we asked the Lord to help us facilitate the supply of Christian literature to the literate young people in Nigeria. The Lord answered and under Marion the Mail Order Department became an important part of His answer.

116

LAURA BEST Laura Best came to Jos Bookshop from Kano. Her work there included supervision of the five stock rooms out of which supplies were sent to all the branches in Nigeria. Shipping time from the US and the United Kingdom was six months. To keep supplies available, orders were placed at least six months in advance. We developed an inventory control system which helped enormously.

115 Information 116 Information

supplied by Trevor Ardill, San Diego, California, January 2008. from Trevor Ardill, San Diego, California, January 2008.

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Laura had a positive Christian influence on the Nigerians working in the bookshop.

In addition to her work in the bookshop Laura had a burden for the children whose parents were in the Nigerian Police Barracks. She arranged classes where hundreds of children met regularly while Laura taught them Bible lessons. The Lord gave Laura a very sweet temperament which made working together a never-to-be-forgotten blessing.117

MARGUERITE COCKER Marguerite was looking after accounts in the Business Department in Ilorin and for a short time was manager of the bookshop. After her time in Ilorin in 1961-62 and possibly home leave, she went to Jos Bookshop for a few months.

During her time in Ilorin the following incident took place: Late one evening she went down to ensure that all doors were properly locked. To her surprise the padlock on the front door was unlocked and hanging there. She could hear noises inside, so padlocked the door. Then she called “Who is there?” and a voice came from inside saying, “I be ‘tief’ man” (thief). The man was kept inside until the police came and arrested him.118

PHIL OSBOURNE Phil came from Britain to work with the Railways. He fell in love with SIM missionary Mary Lagomarsino, went back to the UK to Bible school, and returned to Nigeria and married. Phil’s work in Nigeria was in literature, first in bookshops and then as director of a newly formed Publishing Department, renamed SIM Literature Department, where he guided all SIM printing and publishing.

Phil was manager of Jos Bookshop and its branches 1950-1952. The SIM administration in Jos appointed Trevor Ardill to this position after he returned from Northern Ireland when his daughter had become seriously ill. Phil remained in the bookshops for a time doing the ordering, but transferred to Jos Colportage in 1954-56. In 1956 the Osbournes moved to Kaduna, where Phil built the Bookshop in 1957, and managed it until 1959.

With the development of the literature and publishing work of SIM outside the bookshop, the need was felt for a body to be formed to consolidate and guide this effort and so in 1959 SIMLIT was established. Phil Osbourne became director and served in this position until he left Nigeria.

All publications that SIM ever published came under SIMLIT. These included many still in print as well as new publications being developed. These include Kakaki, the forerunner of Vernacular Illustrated Publications (VIP); Sunday school material; and Hausa and Yoruba hymn books.119 117 Information

from Trevor Ardill, San Diego, California, January 2008. was Vern Hurlbert who brought that story again to mind.

119 Drawn from various Literature committee minutes and personal knowledge of the author.

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VINCE LOHNES Vince took over the Kaduna Bookshop from Phil Osbourne when he was transferred to Jos; he was there for one year until he left on furlough in mid-1960.

OTHER MANAGERS 1954–1974 Laura Collar was the manager for 12-15 months when she handed over for a few months to Jake Eitzen, who held the fort until John Pickett took over in September 1961. Pickett managed the bookshop, but also taught Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) in some colleges. Laura Collar left to take up work with an orphanage-type ministry in Israel. John Pickett handed the bookshop to Ira McKie in May of 1963 enabling him to give his full time to CRK. Ira was manager of the Kaduna Bookshop from 1963-1970. Alistair Bradley who succeeded him handed the position over to Iliya Majam in 1974.120

JOHN PICKETT John and Brigitta were in Nigeria for four years, initially for a few months in Lagos at Challenge, then on to Jos Bookshop as accountant. They eventually moved to Kaduna Bookshop for one year in about December 1961 until the McKies came back from furlough in May 1963. From that time until they left for home in the UK, they taught Religious Knowledge in various colleges in Kaduna. John was a trained accountant, but had been a pastor before leaving the UK. He was happiest when teaching the Word of God.121

JIM MASON On 29 May 1957, I left Toronto for Montreal to board the Empress of Scotland to sail to Liverpool. After six weeks visiting relatives in the UK, I boarded the MV Aureol - the “mail boat” to Lagos, Nigeria.

It was an exciting trip, and the farther south we sailed, the more the ocean became like a large vat of Parker blue ink. En route MV Aureol - trip to Nigeria 1957, Mr & Mrs Cairns the ship stopped at the Canary of Pategi foreground Jim Mason background Islands; Freetown, Sierra Leone and Takoradi, Ghana, before reaching Lagos two days later on 10 July. Folks from African Challenge met me and after I had collected my luggage and passed through customs, we were on our way to Challenge compound about ten miles away.

120 Evie

121 John

Lohnes, SIM Sebring, January 2008.

Picket on telephone conversation, January 2008.

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My first home in Nigeria was a trailer that would sleep six people. It had been given to Shirley Barrows (sister to Cliff Barrows of Billy Graham fame) who did not want it, but a supporter in California insisted so it came to Nigeria. The reason it was in Lagos and not up-country where Shirley was located was that the curve on the road north at the Jebba railroad/ Jim Mason's First Home in Nigeria road bridge would not allow this long trailer to pass. It was returned to Lagos and provided housing on the Challenge compound. Later it was moved to Yaba for the same purpose – extra accommodation.

By the end of July, I was involved in Challenge distribution. I had been assigned to distribute in Lagos and the surrounding area as far north as Abeokuta.

To learn some of the Yoruba greetings I went to language school at Oro Agor for October/November. Upon returning to Lagos I learned that Challenge had totally revamped their distribution. Instead of a wife offered near Benin 1957 missionaries in cars they started employing Nigerians on motorbikes. So I went to Hausa language school in Kano from December 1957 to May 1958.

I recall one day thinking about the things I did not want in my stationing: – To be a lone single on a station, – To have anything to do with accounts, – To go to Sokoto province.

I got all three in my first stationing! My assignment was to Gusau in Sokoto province, to manage the bookshop and Business Department, which meant two trial balances each month. Being stationed with Roy and Gertrude Hirons meant I was the lone single. Chris Oswold, who had taken over from Isobel Kennison, was going home on leave, but we had a short time for handover. A new house was being built and I was able to move in. From my time in Gusau, three incidents stand out for me.

During the rainy season, there can be huge storms and great winds. One night I was at Roy and Gertrude Hirons’ for supper and on my way home went out the back door. The wind was very strong and as I was trying to close the door, it was Amos in Gusau Bookshop

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blown out of my hand and taken right off its hinges. Later, and I am not sure whether it was the same night, but in the middle of the night the wind was so strong that the roof was blown off my new house.

The third occasion was when Ira and Isobel McKie came down from Amanawa. They gave me some letters to post and I asked one of the lads working on the compound to go the post office. In Hausa I said, “Tafi gidan waya, ka sa littatafai cikin rami a gidan waya” – Go to the post office and put these letters in the hole at the post office. He misunderstood my Hausa.

Somewhat confused he went and put the letters in the Gidan Baya – the toilet.

He had enough doubt about the correctness of what I said, so he asked Ira McKie. They went to the Gidan Baya which fortunately, had been emptied recently and was dry, so the letters were retrieved and mailed properly at the post office. It must be said the letters had no marks on them.

During my 18 months in Gusau, six months were spent relieving for Wally Braband at the Sokoto Bookshop and Business Department. I had the use of Wally’s motorbike, and on Friday evenings would go out to Amanawa, the leprosarium ten miles on the road south to Gusau. Ira and Isobel McKie, in charge of the leprosarium, were from Scotland, and though born in Canada, I was brought up in Scotland, so the usual fare on Friday evening was fish and chips - the backbone of the British nation.

All married couples are concerned when they see a single fellow, so Ira and Isobel said they would “help you find a very nice girl who will make a good wife for you.” I said thank you very much, but I will find my own girl and I did; I found Leona Johnson who had actually been their bridesmaid.

In December 1959 I was transferred from Gusau to Ilorin to take over the bookshops from Mary Anderson who was going on leave and did not want to return to bookshops. I was there for 18 months.

Nigeria gained Independence on 1 October 1960. To celebrate, the government had a three week Trade Fair on Victoria Island, Lagos, and I was asked to assist in staffing the SIM/ECWA stand. This was when I met Leona Johnson. Sometime later she was planting flowers when I asked her to go out with me. She said that she nearly fell into the hole she was digging for the flowers. A few weeks later I was asked to go to Lagos and relieve Vern Hurlbert in the bookshop. He was going with his family to Miango on holiday. During this time Leona and I became engaged. This was November 1960 and the wedding date was set for May 1961.

One evening Leona and I went out to the beach at Victoria Island. Sitting on the beach I asked her if she would marry me and I gave her the ring. The tide was coming in and not wanting to get her dress wet she quickly said, “Yes!” Then when we got back to the Challenge compound we met Lorna Fuller and Rae Gourlay and we said, “Why don’t you come over to Leona’s and we’ll have hot chocolate.” At 9pm, these ladies came in the door wearing

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sunglasses (it was always dark at 6pm). Of course, they wanted to see the ring. I still do not know how they even knew or suspected anything!

In SIM you ask permission before becoming engaged.

When the telegram asking permission reached SIM Jos – the Council meeting was in session. Bill Crouch, the director, came into the meeting at 2pm that afternoon and said, “Another man has fallen.” So we had our permission. The wedding was 13 May 1961 with Jim & Leona on Wedding Day 13 May 1961 Harold Fuller tying the knot and James Bolarin, assistant editor of African Challenge, giving a message.

We were asked if we would be willing to go home on leave after the wedding, and be back in time to relieve for Trevor Ardill the general manager of the bookshops. The Ardills would be on leave 18 months, allowing them to secure their American citizenship.

On returning to Jos there was a short overlap with Trevor. Vic Stuart was my deputy. Looking after the branch bookshops was Isobel Kennison with Laura Best as secretary and caring for orders. In 1963 the bookshops were in Sokoto, Gusau, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Ilorin and Lagos. Jos was only responsible for its nine branches, plus some railway kiosks.

SIM Publications became SIMLIT. Leona worked there on the VIP which followed on from Kakaki which was discontinued. VIPs were a 16-page tract that sold for a penny. One issue was on health and the next was on a Scripture story such as Elijah; the end-of-year issue, on “Flags of Africa” or “Leaders of Africa”. VIPs built up to the place where some print orders were in excess of 1,000,000122 every four months. At the peak, printing was done in up to 20 languages and distributed to Nigeria, francophone West Africa, Congo, Sudan, Cameroon and Chad.

Printing was done at Niger-Challenge Press in Lagos. When I was there from October 1963, it was the job of the bookshop to distribute VIPs going by airfreight on the various airlines. The others were shipped by SIMAIR, SIM’s own planes. Printing and shipping costs increased until printing alone was more than one penny. With time, the VIP programme was too expensive to operate, but it had lasted 13-14 years.

In October 1963 we were transferred to Lagos, taking over from Vern Hurlbert who went on leave with his family, and then transferred to Enugu 122 See

Appendix 2 from Ash Tuck at Niger Challenge press.

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when they returned. We moved into the bookshop house and were there for the next thirteen years. We truly enjoyed our time there. Heather was born in Wetaskiwin Alberta, John in September 1963 in Jos, and Glenn was born in Jos in August 1965.

Challenge compound was a six and a half acre plot with the Niger-Challenge Press, the bookshops and the Mushin Church bordering Agege Motor Road.

The residential compound with senior Nigerian staff was at the back. The missionaries were New Zealanders, Canadians and Americans, approximately one third from each country. 26 missionaries worked for Challenge or the Press while Leona was with VIP (part of SIMLIT) and I was with the bookshop.

SIM Lagos had three bookshops; one on the Challenge Compound at Mushin, one in central Lagos on the main street, and the third in Apapa in a shopping area.

A bookshop was run in Ibadan for several years, but the shop was closed in the mid-1960s when the owners dramatically increased the rent.

Apapa Bookshop Gordon Stanley was asked to take over from Vic Stuart and was charged with moving the bookshops toward indigenisation and ownership by the Church (ECWA). This meant forming a Nigerian-registered company called ECWA Productions Limited. Gordon became the managing director in Jos, and I became general manager based in Lagos. For me this meant perhaps a little more than two years until Sam Kolo, a Nupe (the tribe the first missionaries lived among at Pategi in 1901), was ready to take leadership as general manager. This was April 1975.

At the November 1975 SIM Council meeting in Jos, I was asked by Virgil Kleinsasser, district superintendent in Ghana, if I would come to Ghana and take charge of the Ghana bookshops. In January 1976 we went to Accra to look for a house to rent. We were not successful so returned to Nigeria and went on leave. Our children at Kent Academy in Miango followed on the SIM charter flight under the care of Cal and Barb Balisky weeks later.

We returned in September 1976 and after seeing the children settled in school, packed and moved to Ghana. On 24 September we drove to Ghana with the Challenge truck loaded with our goods.

DVBS Challenge Lagos

DVBS Parents attend

DVBS Handiwork

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Experiences in Ghana will be covered in the Literature Story for Ghana. I consider everything experienced in Nigeria as a preparation for going to Ghana and managing Challenge Enterprises Ghana. We loved both Nigeria and Ghana, developing close relationships with a wide range of people - many of whom became close friends.

Like all missionaries in Nigeria we had been involved in activities outside our normal mission and church work. For Leona it was Sunday School at both the army barracks and the Sunday afternoon service at the SIM guest house in Yaba, running the summer DVBS on the Challenge compound to which many children came from the army barracks, and some whose parents were in teaching colleges or in commerce. When Bill Todd could not make it to the Police College, I would speak at the service on Sunday evenings, finally taking responsibility for the service when Bill left Nigeria. I also took services in the prison. This was done in both Jos and Lagos. Along with this were opportunities for preaching in various churches in the city.

CHAPTER 7

LITERATURE DEPARTMENT (SIMLIT)

B

eginning in 1955 there was a growing sense that our publishing ought to be brought under the name of SIM. Correspondence took place between Ray Davis, West Africa Director, and Phil Osbourne who had built and opened the Kaduna Bookshop. Phil was asked to come to Jos and head up the new SIM Publication Department. Within a couple of years it was decided it should be called SIMLIT. Until SIMLIT, publishing had been on an ad hoc basis. Though SIM provided funding for some publications, others had to find their own financing.

Under the new rules, any missionary desirous of printing a book or tract had to pass it through the appropriate Literature Committee. If the committee agreed it was brought to SIMLIT, and if accepted, SIM would be responsible for funding.

At the first meeting to organize SIMLIT on 28 April 1958, Mr Davis expressed:

In the past projects have been initiated and carried through to the public by individuals, Niger Press, bookshops, and individuals at home. At times this was very inefficient and a waste of time and money, often leading to duplication of material. This committee is for the purpose of advising the administration in matters pertaining to publications.123 It was further stated that publications must be channelled through language committees and then onward to SIMLIT. The literature committees that operated were: Hausa, Yoruba, Igbirra, Nupe, English, Ibo, Ajamin Hausa (Arabic Script), Gbagyi (Gbari), francophone Areas, French, Gourma and Bariba.

The responsibility of these committees was to: • Be cognizant of Christian literature published in the language; • Keep up-to-date on development of orthography of the language; 123 Minutes

of the Publications Advisory Committee 28 April 1959, SIM Archives box 08.

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• Assess value of manuscripts presented in the language; • Ascertain the literature needs in the language, especially in regard to the churches; • Encourage indigenous writers in the language; • Check all manuscripts before passing to Literature Secretary; • Proof-read the printers proofs.124 The Literature Secretary had responsibilities similar to those of any publishing house, ensuring a flow of material coming from the committees, interaction with the printers, and ensuring that distribution was taking place. This was largely done through the bookshops, but in time SIMLIT found other ways of distributing, so bookshop distribution was no longer exclusive.

It might be helpful to think on the task of the Literature Secretary as: • Production – creative aspects of the programme, linguistics, translation, literacy, production of manuscripts, layout and art.

• Publication – editing, preparation of manuscripts for the press.

• Distribution – circulation and distribution of literature produced through sales outlets available to the mission and church.125 The Literature Secretary also held training courses for writers, working with the church for the production of relevant Sunday School material. This was begun under SIMLIT, but eventually came under ELFON (Evangelical Literature Fellowship of Nigeria) which was a cooperative body of different missions aiming to accomplish the same thing. Baraka Press in Kaduna was responsible for the distribution of material produced.

Until Phil Osbourne was able to come to Jos, Jim Jacobson acted as Literature Secretary as confirmed by this note in 4 August 1959 from the Minutes of the Publications Advisory Committee: “The committee unanimously gave Mr Jacobson a vote of thanks for the fine work that he has done as Acting Literature Secretary.”

In March 1961 the publications listed below had been confirmed by the SIMLIT Committee and were currently at the press: Bariba, Primer and Yusuf Dompago, Catechism and Revised Primer Gourma, Primers, Book I and Book II Pila, Primer and Catechism French, Catechism Nupe, Scripture Union Notes Ibo tract, Gaba Ya ‘Ki Gangami & Joshua Igbirra, 3,000 Gospels of John Kanuri tracts, Ngo Alnishirramnen, Both Roman and Ajemi Script 124 Minutes 125 Ibid.

of the Publications Advisory Committee 28 April 1959, SIM Archives box 08.

LITERATURE DEPARTMENT (SIMLIT)

Way of Salvation – Ajemi Script English: 20,000 The Best Thing in Life 10,000 Why Mr Spider Has Such a Tiny Waist 15,000 How to Study the Bible Yoruba: 5,000 Ola pe Ju 5,000 What the Bible Says about Drinking 5,000 Concordances 10,000 Omi Omi 10,000 Salvation 10,000 Two Sides to Every Question 5,000 Yoruba Catechism 2,000 Bible Study Book 2,000 each of four Labybird Books Hausa: 3,000 Koyad da Maganar 2,000 24 Bible Stories 10,000 Labarin Bulus 10,000 Mu Raka M. Dauda Haruna Kwoi 2,000 Mu Rera Ratio 1,000 Mafarin Ceto 5,000 Soja da Zakauna Biyu 3,000 Esta da Maryamu 1,000 Hanya Guda ‘Daya 2,000 Tambayoyi a Kan Almasihu Macecin Duniya Future work approved: the following books were recommended for the Literature Committee’s continued work: Bariba: Song Book Revision of Four Gospels Kanuri: Gospel of John Ajemi Heart of Man English Tracts: Old and New Nature Temptation Prayer

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Rules for Young People Hausa: Littafin Aiki a Kan Bishara Fudu Books I & II Kowa ya koyi Littafi Mai Tsarki Stirrett of the Sudan Koya da Maganar Gaskiya Book II Labarin Yakin Ran Mutum Aure da Gida Matakala Here’s How Bayannin Littafi Mai Tsarki Book I & II Dawuda Livingstone Wace Rana Haske a Kan Hanya Fassarar – Afisawa Tambayoyi – Acts to Revelation Hausa Scripture Atlas There was usually more to be printed than there was money to cover the costs.126

NLFA – NEW LIFE FOR ALL In 1963 Gerry Swank, Principal of SIM’s Kagoro Bible College, heard about the “Evangelism in Depth” programme operating in South America. He was so impressed he travelled to South America to see firsthand how the programme worked. He was deeply awed and returned to Nigeria to help get this evangelistic outreach operating in Nigeria.

SIM released Gerry to serve as general secretary for the work; SUM released Wilf Bellamy, and UMS released Willis Hunking. At the first meeting they wondered what the programme should be called. “Evangelism in Depth” translates into the Hausa language as “Evangelism in a Big Hole”. It was Pastor Yakubu Yako who asked, “Is this for everybody? Do we go to the Military?”

And he was told, “Yes!” “Then it is New Life for All.” The basic idea was to choose an area of the country and approach the churches. Then those within the churches who wanted to participate had nine months of training in evangelism. This ensured they fully understood what it meant to know Christ as Saviour and they learned how to communicate the Gospel. Groups of six to eight within a church were formed to meet for prayer each morning. When the group grew above the six to eight, they formed a new group. Much use was made of literature, both in training and in distribution during the six-month-long period of evangelism.

126 Minutes

of the Publications Advisory Committee 28 April 1959, SIM Archives box 08.

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109

NLFA made massive use of literature, some supplied by Scripture Gift Mission, some printed at the UMS Press and most printed at Niger-Challenge Press. The figures would run into millions of pieces of literature between training materials, that used in witnessing and the tracts.

The first area chosen was Zaria: Surely it is more than mere coincidence that this new outreach of the Gospel in the Zaria area is taking place in 1964 - just 70 years after the death of Walter Gowans, one of the first three SIM pioneers, in that very district!127 After one district was covered they moved on to another, sometimes widely separated, and the effect upon the church was dramatic. First of all the people trained grew personally in their faith and became a solid base of strong faithful witnessing Christians within their own church. As they went out witnessing mostly on weekends - the church growth in the area of operation ranged from 50-60% annually for a period of six to seven years.

VERNACULAR ILLUSTRATED PUBLICATIONS (VIPs) The Hausa church was growing rapidly in the late 1940s. It was then that Mrs Richmond, with SUM (Sudan United Mission), was asked to produce a bi-monthly inter-church magazine entitled Labarin Ekklesiya or “News of the Church”. SIMer Ruth Jacobson was on the committee working on the paper.

In 1953 Ruth was asked to succeed Mrs Richmond. At that time the circulation was 2,000.

A few months into the work, Ruth wrote in November 1953: I love my new job as Editor of the Labarin Ekklesiya, the monthly magazine printed in Hausa. I just revel in it and would greatly appreciate your prayers that great wisdom may be given in the preparation...I want to include as many articles and news items by Nigerians...as possible...transcribing marvellous messages by our wonderful Kagoro Chief. He’s been giving a series on “Giving.” Talk about a thrill in listening to a Spirit-taught man!128 Within Labarin Ekklesiya was a quiz which 500 readers returned. In February 1957 the name was changed from Labarin Ekklesiya to Kakaki. (The Kakaki is a six-foot long trumpet used to announce the comings and goings of the chiefs.

In those days it was used to announce the radio news, with a lone trumpeter sitting on a camel also announcing the arrival of planes at Kano airport.) The first issue was in the spring of 1957; by now it had a changed format with fewer articles but larger type.

127 Sudan

Witness 1964, page 35. from letters home, Ruth Jacobson, these will be placed in SIM Archives.

128 Information

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When Ruth and Jim Jacobson went on leave in 1957 and Ernie Maxwell took over, 18,000 copies of Kakaki were printed. With the help of earnest sales people, Nigerians and missionaries, they were distributed.129 In 1958, SIM Council in Nigeria decided that Niger-Press should move to Lagos and join forces and presses with African Challenge. Both needed new equipment, and it made sense to amalgamate the two presses for increased effectiveness. At the same time SIM considered whether the Kakaki office should be moved to Lagos, but that would isolate it from the Hausa-speaking people for whom Kakaki was prepared. The final decision was to drop Kakaki and launch a new programme of VIPs. The Jacobsons learned of this decision when they returned from furlough in 1958. Based in Jos, Ruth was editor of the VIPs. The first issue ‘Duba Dai’ (Look Here) was printed in December 1959 in four languages: Hausa, Ajemi, English and Yoruba. Ruth gives two examples of fruit from the June 1960 VIP: A decision form had been sent in from a Moslem from Bornu Province, where the Gospel has more restriction than anywhere. “We hadn’t heard from him for some time and wondered what his state was. We wrote before because he said he would like to go to Bible School. We suggested he contact the Tofa Bible School, near Kano.

Yesterday we got a letter saying he wrote to Tofa, but there would not be a new class this year, but they gave him the name of Zalanga Bible School which may even be nearer to him...He asks earnestly for more books to study and more letters to encourage him, so the prospects look good. Folks at home can hardly realize what it costs a Moslem to step out wholeheartedly for the Lord. Ostracism, hatred, even revenge are all hazards.”

This week brought another letter from a Moslem in Minna, who says “he has set his eye upon the Jesus way” and he wants all the literature he can get in Ajemi script so that he can refute the arguments of those to whom he has been speaking. It is really amazing… (March 7 1961).130 Nigerian Independence was 1 October 1960. Ruth produced a special edition format VIP 14 x 9.5 inches – “A Salute To Independence”, greatly aided by a Challenge artist, Jenny Weller, designing and doing graphics. 420,000 were printed in 12 languages. Lofty Grimshaw speaks of the distribution of that VIP: Jenny Weller

129 Information 130 Ibid.

from letters home, Ruth Jacobson, these will be placed in SIM Archives.

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My ministry was preaching and sharing the Gospel at the mining camps in the north, but now and again, because of friends I knew down in Enugu and other places, I would take off and spend a couple of weeks down country, selling books. I had a rack that I could fix on the side of my car. It was slotted with different Moody Books and booklets.

I went from Jos to Onitsha with the Independence VIPs. And without me doing anything, just standing there holding the VIP, I was constantly surrounded and having to go back to the car and get more and more, at times almost manhandled by the people to get the Independence VIP. I simply stood there right up until about eleven o’clock at night. I had hardly any time to eat or do anything at all.

I was so sensitive to the Holy Spirit working through me. That was, up to that point, one of the most glorious days I’d had in my life.131

Lofty Grimshaw

The next October 1 another special sized edition – A Salute to Progress was printed. The print order was 500,000 in 20 languages. Then for the end of the year, a West-African Flags edition calendar was published. The flags of West African nations were on one side of the calendar, with the Prime Ministers of the Nigeria regions on the other. Valerie Thompson, Challenge artist, worked on this VIP. In June 1961 the VIP was entitled Living Hope and told the story of Abraham and Isaac - a story of real interest to Muslims. An incident from that time shows how easily these VIPs sold: One of our missionaries took 5,000 of the June VIP on a trip last week and he said he could have used lots more. At a gas station a fellow bought 16 copies and wanted more. My friend said, “We’ll stop on our way back.” Upon their return the fellow had his money ready for 400 copies and took our address so he could order more.

Jim Jacobson and Phil Osbourne went down to the Eastern region of Nigeria … the Challenge field representative had had to go on a hurried furlough because of the illness of his child. He had ordered 30,000 copies of the Living Hope VIP... Jim and Phil went to sell them. They sold them all in six days, plus a lot of other literature that they had taken with them.132

131 Interview

with Lofty Grimshaw, in Toronto, August 2007. from letters home, Ruth Jacobson, these will be placed in SIM Archives.

132 Information

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Leona and I returned to Jos in April 1962. I was relieving for Trevor Ardill in the bookshop and Leona assumed editing for VIPs as the Jacobsons went on home leave. At the beginning, Ruth and SIM had been attempting to produce four VIPs each year, but it was obviously too much concentrated work, so it was reduced to three issues each year. By 1965 the VIPs were reduced to the calendar issue, then a Bible story, and the following year a health issue.

The full colour calendar edition was the large format of 14 x 9.5 inches. The calendar was in the middle, surrounded by flags of the different nations. The next year it might be Leaders of Africa. One year there was a coup in one small country and we were hoping it wouldn’t affect VIP sales. We found that since it was a small country it made no difference. It was a bit risky to do leaders because sometimes they changed so quickly. There was no question that a colourful issue on quality paper always sold out. Throughout the year, as you moved around in different offices, you would find the VIP hanging on the wall.

Apart from the calendar VIPs the titles of some of the others produced were: Elijah, Moses, Abraham, Water and Life, How to Have a Healthy Body. Some were in a portrait format of 7” x 4” or landscape 5.5” x 4”. The Bible stories were just that, telling the story of Elijah or Moses or whoever was chosen, including a Gospel message. The health issues gave valuable information on health or food while incorporating Scripture. The calendar edition had pertinent Scripture verses at the top and between the months.

The idea behind the VIP was to sell them at “one penny” and have a large enough printing to allow us to do that. On numerous occasions the print run was over 500,000 in up to 20 languages. Later printing numbers exceeded 1,000,000133, 134 They were shipped to countries where the people had seen the VIP and were anxious to participate in the programme and do the translation. Countries participating in the local languages were Congo, Sudan, Niger, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Chad, and other surrounding francophone countries.

Eventually however, with the increase in the cost of printing it became more than one penny. Thus, in the early 1970s, the VIP programme came to an end.

The first issue had been in 1959 and records show that we were still producing in 1972 and perhaps in 1973. The VIPs had a good run of 13 years.

In writing this history I am impressed with the various programmes that began and after a period of time ceased. It can be said people within SIM saw an opportunity, they took it, and “rode the wave” as long as it was possible.

In the VIP programme the artist had a key responsibility. Without attractive illustrations and good use of colour the VIPs would not sell. With attractive artwork and an interesting title the VIPs sold themselves! Artists Jenny Weller,

133 Administrative 134 Information

Set-up of the Literature Department 1970/71. from Ash Tuck Appendix 2

LiterAture DePArtMent (siMLit)

113

Valerie Thompson Onayemi, Margie Cross and Charles Ohu designed the various VIPs. Leona Mason, in correspondence home in March 1969, reported: The English edition of Water of Life VIP is ready for the press.

It will take a great deal of work to get all the vernaculars to the same place. Jim plans to take 100,000 each of English and Yoruba; that means half the print order will be sold in Lagos area. The Abraham VIP is nearly sold out. In the four Bookcycles at Mushin Bookshop months it has been on sale we have had 169 enquiries from the English alone. There isn’t an English Leaders of Africa calendar to be bought anywhere! I am looking forward to getting behind a typewriter and pounding out the story of Moses for the next VIP.

IGBAJA CORRESPONDENCE COURSES In 1953, when Bible correspondence work was established at Igbaja Bible College, Principal Al Classen heard how successful correspondence courses had been for the cults and promised the Lord that as soon as he got back to Igbaja he would see Bible correspondence courses started. While on home leave in the early 1950s, Al Classen met Keith L Brooks of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA) who gave permission to simplify any of his material for use in correspondence courses. The first course was Basic Bible Introduction, the Gospel of St John and Prophecy. The school grew rapidly, and by 1962 there were nine courses being sent out to students. One student wrote: “When I received the letter with the Bible course on How to Find Life, I was as happy as if Jesus Himself was coming to have supper at my house.”

Another wrote, “For 10 years. I went to church, but did not know God’s Word. Then I began taking courses from your Home Bible Correspondence School. It was then as I began studying God’s Word that light really came to me…Thank you for making these courses possible.”135 In 1963 Don and Betty Hall came to Igbaja to head the Correspondence Department and teach part time in the Bible College. Don simplified some of the Emmaus courses written at a higher level. He wrote some courses 135 Sudan

Witness 1969, page 46.

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himself, and asked Bill Wright to write a course on marriage. Don wrote a Sunday School Primer, and someone wrote on the book of Acts. As well as being mentioned in African Challenge, Don put an advert in the main daily newspaper in Nigeria - Daily Times - and they were cheerfully overwhelmed with requests. When Don and Betty left the Correspondence Department, there were twenty courses, enough to keep anyone involved for a long time.

Don recounts that time below: During our first time at Igbaja, my full-time assignment was to be director of the Bible Correspondence School and then to teach part-time in the Bible College, but when I got there I found that part-time was 20 hours a week of classroom contact. In the USA, any professor who is asked to teach more than nine hours feels that he’s being put upon and if he has 12 hours, he feels he’s definitely overworked. Twelve hours of classroom contact equals many more hours of preparation, grading of papers and record-keeping. I found my teaching in the Bible College was really a full-time job so I handed off being the actual day-to-day director of the Bible Correspondence School to Betty who oversaw the work of the staff.

Betty did all of the donkey work, as the de facto manager. She devised a follow-up system that kept virtually every student going as an active student. That resulted in the enrolment of the Correspondence School reaching record heights. But once a student had taken all of the courses, we could expect enrolment to drop. We therefore had to work hard at getting additional Emmaus courses simplified, printed and new courses written.

We had two full-time employees and then every afternoon the Christian work for eight college students was the grading of the courses. That was their work assignment, which meant sitting around a table marking courses - a lot easier than washing pots and pans or cutting the grass with a “langa-langa” (a wide length of metal banding fashioned with a hand grip to cut grass). Betty had the day-to-day running of the correspondence school and I fitted into the picture by getting people to produce new courses. We got Bill Wright to prepare a course; it was called “Sex and Marriage, Happy and Holy”. It should have been “Marriage and Sex, Happy and Holy” but it was immensely popular and went through several printings at Niger-Challenge Press, and we advertised it in the Daily Times.

There was a little clip-out coupon and we’d tell readers to send us one shilling in a postal order or stamps. We found that a lot of them were sending us cancelled stamps but they got the course anyway.

As noted earlier, we were using Emmaus Bible School courses and

LITERATURE DEPARTMENT (SIMLIT)

many of these were the advanced courses which we had to sell for what we paid Emmaus. These were more expensive and the English wasn’t simplified, but we had many courses that were…one was called “What the Bible Teaches” and it went through printing after printing. We had a Yoruba edition of it, too.

At one time we had 20,000 active students - an active student being someone who was returning lessons with some degree of regularity.

We reached that high number of active students by Betty devising a colour code. We painted paper clips different colours and we’d have, say, red for December. Then we would know that three months from then if we still had cards with red paper clips we needed to get out a reminder letter saying, “We haven’t had a lesson from you for the past three months.” So we kept a constant stream of reminders going out, and that kept them from putting it aside and not finishing.

Because no one would ever sign up for another course if they felt like a failure in doing the first course, we tried to keep them moving toward completion. As soon as they were completed, we looked at their record to see what they hadn’t taken and then we would recommend another course for them and through that method of reminder letters and follow-up with the next course we kept them going. The high number of active students at one time was quite remarkable for a correspondence ministry.

We learned many excellent techniques in running a Correspondence Department by visiting “Back to the Bible” in Lincoln, Nebraska, and seeing how they organized their ministry. After a while we ran out of courses to recommend, which then required that we get to work on simplifying additional Emmaus courses or writing some courses from scratch. The one by Bill Wright was written from scratch - “Sex and Marriage - Happy and Holy” and sold by the thousands. As we say today, “It flew off the shelf.” We had one on the book of Acts that was also written from scratch. I wrote one on doing Sunday School work, called “Sunday School Primer”, that enjoyed a good sales record and, we have reason to believe, resulted in some Sunday Schools starting and others being on the road to improvement. All went through several printings. So that’s how literature and correspondence ministry all fit together.

During our next furlough I went on for a graduate degree and was then sent back to Igbaja as a full-time instructor in the Bible College and the Seminary. The Correspondence School was handed over to another missionary who did an excellent job, but with new courses not being continually added, the enrolment fell from its all-time high.

115

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Bill Crouch, SIM Director, was one of the best friends the Bible Correspondence School ever had. If I mentioned a need, Mr Crouch would always somehow find the funds that were needed.136 Some of the courses that were added through the years were: Genesis, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Luke, as well as, Everyone Has a Psalm, Can We Know God?, and a new series by R E Harlow who had been a missionary in the Congo. He produced courses with a 1,000-word vocabulary and these were incorporated into the list of courses. In 1969 Sudan Witness stated that nine courses in the Yoruba language were available and about 400 were being sent out monthly.

POCKET TESTAMENT LEAGUE I am grateful to Dr Ian Hay, our former International Director, for the following information on Pocket Testament League.

In October 1958 the Pocket Testament League came to Nigeria with a vision for mass evangelism and Scripture distribution. SIM and PTL cooperated. We provided land and they the funding to build houses in what became the Niger Creek settlement in Jos. They lived in the houses and when they left, they became SIM property. I recall discussions I participated in with Ray Davis, Bill Crouch and PTL regarding their plans. We asked them what they planned to do with anyone who responded to their preaching. They said that wasn’t what they were there to do; they were to “preach the Gospel”. So we worked out an agreement that SIM would help with follow-up. Much of their preaching was going to be done in the cities in the South where SIM had no contacts or churches. So we agreed to set up a correspondence course for anyone who responded at their meetings. Here are excerpts from some of our prayer letters during this time: October 25 1958, “You have no doubt heard of the Pocket Testament League. These fellow missionaries have come to Nigeria with a vision for mass evangelism and Scripture distribution. We feel led of the Lord at this time to organize a correspondence course to be sent out to those responding to the Gospel in their meetings.

This is a tremendous task and we urgently need…your help. Three months ago after a few meetings in four cities 2800 responded…

With the plans of PTL for two years of meetings this will be greatly magnified...We know you will be faithful in remembering us and our mission in this increased labour which God has led us to undertake.

136 Don

Hall, paper on time in SIM and interview, August 2007.

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Pray for strength and ability to meet this challenge. Since none of Ian’s other activities will be reduced, much of the burden of this work will fall on his wife June...We have estimated that we can produce this course of 24 lessons for about $1.00 for each applicant.

We are going to give this free to all who apply and we are looking to the Lord to supply this need...”

March 31 1959, “We wrote to you in October telling you of our desire to open a correspondence course in order that those responding to the campaigns of the Pocket Testament League might have opportunity to study the Word and grow thereby. We are happy to say that there are now well over 2000 enrolled in the course and every day more are coming in. Some of the first ones are now doing their last papers and soon will be receiving their certificates and free New Testament. June is kept busy with this large project and she is making every effort to write to each a personal letter in order to help them to make sure of their salvation. You would be thrilled to read some of the testimonies which come in. God is working through this course in the book of John. We thank you so much for praying for us.”

January 1, 1960, “In 1960 the ministry of the Bible Correspondence Course has continued to increase. June is kept busy with her two fine Nigerian clerks in processing all of the papers which come in. There have been over 12,000 enrolled and about 2000 have completed the course and received their certificate and New Testament. Many of those who have finished this simple course in John have testified that the Lord has used it in their lives. They have now gone on to take more advanced courses which are offered by our seminary in Igbaja. Please pray that this work will continue to be a fruitful means of service for the Lord.”

June 1961, “Praise! Correspondence Course continues full force-over 1,000 enrolled in the last two months--over 13,000 since the beginning of the course.”137 Bill Crouch was a huge encouragement in all of this, as he was later with Don and Betty Hall at the Igbaja Correspondence Courses throughout the 1960s.

When Ian and June went home on leave, they turned the correspondence course work over to Doris Price. The correspondence courses later merged with SIMLIT in Jos, and finally merged with the Correspondence School at Igbaja.

137 Letter

from Dr Ian Hay, SIM International Director Emeritus, SIM Sebring, January 2008.

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HAUSA BIBLE AS A LINGUA FRANCA AND SOCIALIZING TOOL In 1902 Dr Stirrett was a wealthy pharmacist who owned a pharmacy and buildings in Toronto. When the Lord convinced him to go to Africa, he applied to SIM. The SIM Council in Toronto however considered him too old at 37 and would not accept him. He was so convinced God wanted him in Nigeria that he sold his business and buildings and gave the proceeds with some stock to the Mission and told them he was going to Nigeria on his own.

Misunderstanding Stirrett’s intention, the Mission held everything in trust until he came home on his leave when he finally convinced them he was giving Dr Stirrett all to the work of the Mission.138 In his book Seven Sevens of Years Rowland Bingham tells a story that indicates the kind of man Dr Stirrett was. His integrity was a lifelong characteristic: One odd circumstance in connection with selling his business is worthy of mention. He circularized the whole area, in which his drugstore was situated announcing that he was giving up his business and stating that if at any time he had sold anything that was not strictly as represented, he would gladly refund the money. I wish I could obtain one of these circulars, with its Zaccheus-like offer, to place in our mission annals.139 Dr Stirrett arrived in November 1902 having come out on his own. SIM wrote ahead to Alex Banfield and told him he was to welcome Dr Andrew Stirrett, whom they were accepting provisionally – to see how he would work out.

While Banfield was field leader, Dr. Stirrett began to learn Hausa and with E. F. Rice, moved into the Kontagora emirate farther north, establishing a station at Wushishi on the Kaduna River. Here he gained more facility in Hausa. This was in November of 1904.

Sometime between 1908 and 1910 the Bible Society wanted missions in Northern Nigeria to form a committee to work on a Hausa translation. Dr Stirrett became SIM’s representative and a key member of the Hausa Bible Committee.

Dr Stirrett was in Nigeria until the Lord called him home 46 years later.

Dr Stirrett must have moved back to Pategi, because he was there alone when Tommy Titcombe arrived in 1908. Tommy said of Dr Stirrett: 138 Rowland

Bingham, Seven Sevens of Years and a Jubilee, Evangelical Publishers, Toronto, 1943, pages 33-34.

139 Ibid., page 34.

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I never met a more faithful man with a greater burden for the souls of the people to whom God had sent him. Every night after supper, we would light a storm lantern and walk to the nearest Fulani camp.

There, in the midst of these nomadic cattle-herders, Dr Stirrett shared the story of God’s love, using Hausa, the trade language of the area. Week in and week out this was his life! Nothing else mattered.140 One frequently told story of Dr Stirrett happened on a visit to Canada as he was on a Toronto streetcar. Suddenly realizing he was at his destination, he began to move through the crowded aisle begging in Hausa “Gafara, Gafara dai”, meaning “Excuse, Excuse please,” with the “dai” intensifying his request.141 When SIM missionaries moved north of the Niger River, they found the Hausa language was used among the smaller tribes as a trade language. There were many tribes and languages, and in the early years the missionaries were stationed in different locations, with a group that spoke a different language.

Yusufu Turaki, in his History of SIM/ECWA 1893-1993 expresses it well: The pioneering missionaries faced many great problems in the mission field, such as Africa’s diseases, hostile environment, scorching sun and heat, but the greatest of all was language barrier and illiteracy. The missionary came to Africa to communicate the Gospel by mouth and in print, but language barrier and illiteracy were huge obstacles to be overcome.

Language studies became a must for every pioneering missionary.

This task was essential; otherwise it was impossible to communicate the Gospel in Africa. For this reason, the pioneering missionaries had to learn the difficult languages. A missionary needed a communicative vehicle for reaching the mind of Africans. The first few years of the pioneering missionaries were spent in overcoming the language barrier and illiteracy. The language must be mastered otherwise there was no basis of communication.

Besides learning the languages, the pioneering missionaries had to reduce such languages to a written script. This took many years of development, usage and general acceptance.

The Central Sudan (Nigeria) consisted of many languages and dialects, and could be numbered at well over 300 languages (later it was known to be 450 distinct languages). At that time, Hausa was a trade language and the lingua franca in the Sudan and this factor tremendously reduced communication difficulties.

140 Sophie 141 An

de la Haye, Tread Upon the Lion, SIM, Toronto Canada, 1974, pages 17-19. incident SIM Old Timers love to recount.

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Until the 1930s SIM stations represented many languages of the different tribes entered with the Gospel. 142 From 1902-1936: 1. Pategi station: Nupe, Kiadia, Kupa 2. Kpada station: Nupe, Kupa 3. Egbe station: Yagba (Yoruba) 4. Isanlu station: Yagba (Yoruba), Bunu 5. Mopa station: Yagba (Yoruba), Bunu 6. Oro Agor station: Igbomina 7. Igbaja station: Igbomina (Yoruba) 8. Wushishi station: Hausa, Nupe, Ponga, Bassa 9. Minna station: Hausa, Gbagyi 10. Kuta station: Gbagyi 11. Paiko station: Gbagyi, Gana- Gana, Hausa 12. Izom station: Gbagyi, Zuba 13. Diko station: Gbagyi, Zuba 14. Karu station: Gbagyi, Koro, Yeskwa 15. Yerwa station: Gbagyi, Kwoto, Bassa 16. Kwoi station: Jaba, Koro, Duya, Kagoma, 17. Kurmin Musa station: Jaba, Koro 18. Kagoro station: K agoro, Kataf, Surubu, Moroa, Ataka, Kadara, Kaningkon, Kaje 19. Jos station: Hausa, Jarawa, Gurum 20. Miango station: Iregwe 21. Dama Kasuwa station: Giban, Chawai, Piti, Kurama, Ikulu 22. Zagun station: Rukuba, Amo, Teria, Inchaza 23. Bununu Dass station: Jarawa, Barawa, Zull, Germawa 24. Bununu Kasa station: Miya, Zaranda, Bankalawa 25. Gar station: Jarawa, Jaku, Duguri, Guruntum, Galembi 26. Tiffi station: Afawa, Butawa, Siri, Warji, Hausa 27. Katanga station: Warji, Hausa 28. Kukar Gadu station: Kerikeri, Bolewa, Ngizim, Ngamawe 29. Kaltungo station: Tangale, Awak, Kamo, Kutshi, Borak, Bangwunji 30. Billiri station: Tangale, Jukun 31. Tula Wange station: Tula 32. Gelengu station: Waja, Longuda 33. Dadiya station: Dadiya, Mona 34. Zambuk station: Tera, Fulani 35. Kano station: Hausa, Fulani 36. Garko station: Hausa, Fulani 142 Dr

Yusufu Turaki, An Introduction to the History of SIM/ECWA, self published, 1993. Chapter Mission Literature Work page 187 -212, permission granted to reword his writing.

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37. Kufana station: Kadara 38. Gure station: Gure, Kawalo, Kono, Kiwafu, Kitimi, Ruruma, Rumaya, Kahugu.

The first seven stations above are south of the River Niger. Pategi and Kpada are among the Nupe people, the next five are among the two groupings of Yoruba people south of Pategi. All others are north of the Niger River and you can see the multiplicity of tribal groups and languages, sometimes up to eight, surrounding Kagoro Station (No.18) or, Gure Station, (No. 38) nine languages. All missionaries were learning one and two languages just to begin to communicate the Gospel. After that, the languages were reduced to writing so translation of the Scriptures could begin. Along with this came the need to have a literacy programme teaching the people to read. By the 1930s, a variety of books had been published in local languages, and there was progress with the Gospel and growth of the church.

Yusufu Turaki explains this well in his book.143

LANGUAGE AND DIALECTS The pioneering missionaries, in the absence of a lingua franca, committed themselves to learning the languages and dialects of the people of Nigeria and reduced some of the languages to writing.

After mastering the languages and dialects, they embarked on the translation of the Scriptures into African languages. The Africans were taught the Roman script and alphabets as preparatory to reading and writing. Africans able to master these skills were usually highly rated and honoured, for knowing the secret of the “white man”.

For a “white” missionary to be able to read, preach and communicate in an African language meant many things...especially the curiosity which this fact generated in their minds. Reducing the languages into grammar and writing was of great value to Africans, especially in the fast-changing colonial society. Hausa and English, as colonial tools, were fast replacing the smaller languages and dialects...gradually becoming subservient to Hausa and English. Increasingly, it was unnecessary to use, learn and reduce those smaller languages into writing or use them as means of communicating the Gospel.

The early colonial language policy of “learning your mother tongue” first in education, gradually gave way to learning Hausa and later 143 Dr

Yusufu Turaki, An Introduction to the History of SIM/ECWA, self published, 1993. Chapter Mission Literature Work, pages 187 -212.

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English. All had to learn Hausa as the lingua franca, while English was becoming a civilizing language and a language of education...

Africans protested and rejected the early vernacular language and education policy of the Northern Colonial Administration and Christian Missions. It was usually viewed with great suspicion...that it was an attempt to deny Africans advanced education.

HAUSA AS A LINGUA FRANCA AND SOCIALIZING TOOL Hausa was the most widely spoken language in West Africa at the time of British colonization (it still is). Colonial language policy in Northern Nigeria made Hausa the lingua franca and...all peoples who lived in Northern Nigeria must learn Hausa. Christian missions contributed immensely in consolidating Hausa as a lingua franca of Northern Nigeria.

Quite early, during the pioneering days of Christian missions, the Inter-Mission Conferences met in 1910 at Lokoja, then capital of Northern Nigeria and made a decision of using the Roman script instead of Arabic script in translating the Bible in Hausa. Dr Andrew P. Stirrett of the SIM stated: One of the matters under discussion was what characters should be used in printing the Hausa Bible. Should it be printed in Arabic characters, or in the Roman characters as used in English?

Just about that time word reached Nigeria expressing the regret of the missionary societies in East Africa at having printed the Swahili Bible with Arabic characters instead of Roman. This turned the conference quite in favour of the use of Roman characters; hence we have the Hausa Bible in those characters. We have never regretted this decision.

The translation of the Bible and other Christian literature into Hausa were major tools in making Hausa the lingua franca. The missionaries used this translated literature to teach other ethnic groups Hausa. They were taught Hausa so that they could read and write and have a means of wider communication in Northern Nigeria. Thus, the spread and the use of Hausa...in the Middle Belt areas of Nigeria was encouraged and instituted by the activities of Christian missions. People in the areas where the missionary pioneers had already reduced their languages to writing had to learn Hausa. The gradual assimilation of all the ethnic groups into the Hausa language weakened the interest of missionaries to learn the smaller languages and dialects. It further weakened many translation projects which the missionaries had undertaken among the various

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ethnic groups. This process gradually led the SIM to abandon language studies and translations of the many languages and dialects as Hausa was becoming a “socializing tool and a symbol of being a Northerner.” 144 HAUSA BIBLE 1932 The history of the translation of the Hausa Bible began with a German, John Frederick Schon who visited Sierra Leone in the late 19th century and met some Hausa refugees who had escaped from slavery in Nigeria. He learned Hausa from these people but it turned out to be of the Sokoto dialect and not the popular dialect of Katsina, Kano and Zaria. He translated the entire New Testament and several books in the Old Testament – Isaiah, Psalms, etc.

It is interesting to note the comment by Barbara M. Cooper In her book she says: The earliest Hausa grammar, which was written by a CMS missionary of German origin, Rev J. S. Schon, was probably assembled in part from notes assembled by Samuel Ajayi Crowther, who accompanied the ill-fated Niger Expedition of 1841. Crowther was an acute observer and brilliant linguist himself, but he was not a native Hausa-speaker.”145 The second attempt at translation of the Bible into Hausa was done

by Dr R. W. Miller. He went to Tripoli, North Africa to learn Hausa. His Hausa helper was a boy named Audu who went on a pilgrimage with his father from Katsina. While at Tripoli, Miller translated some portions of the Bible into Hausa. When he came to live as a missionary with the CMS in Zaria, he translated the Synoptic Gospels, John, Acts, the Epistles, and later completed the whole New Testament.

In 1908-10 the British and Foreign Bible Society called for a complete translation of the Bible into Hausa, asking that a translation committee be formed, consisting of representatives from the various missions working among the Hausa-speaking people. Dr Miller was chosen as head translator with others to assist him. Dr A. P. Stirrett of the SIM was one of the assistants. The great work took many years. Most assistants left for one reason or another leaving

144 Dr

Yusufu Turaki, An Introduction to the History of SIM/ECWA, self published, 1993.

M. Cooper, Evangelical Christian in the Muslim Sahel, Indian University Press 2006, page 121.

145 Barbara

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only Dr Miller, Dr Stirrett and a young Hausa office worker from Zaria. The work was concluded in 1931 and printed in 1932.146 Writing on “The Hausa Bible - A Translation Triumph”, Dr Stirrett said: I feel sure that you and all readers of your esteemed paper will rejoice with us here in Nigeria when you hear that on the 3rd of November there arrived in Lagos, printed and published for the first time in the world’s history, the complete Hausa Bible. Hallelujah! Amen.

Hallelujah, for the Lord Omnipotent reigneth! It did not reach Jos until November 5th, and the day following (Sunday the 6th), it was displayed in Bishara Hausa Church, Jos. What a time of rejoicing among the members and adherents as they beheld for the first time the complete Word of God! Elsewhere Dr Stirrett recounted his joy over the completion of this work: Hallelujah! Oh, what a glad day that was when the first complete Hausa Bible, beautifully and strongly bound, and in good distinct type, arrived in Jos, in Kano, in Zaria! Well may we call upon the whole wide Sudan to rejoice in that day. Here, now, is the Sword of the Spirit with which to liberate Moslems and…to give them the Light of Life in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Having a complete Hausa Bible coincided with the entrance of Christian missions into the Northern Muslim Emirates in the early 1930s. Having a complete Hausa Bible was, in itself, a powerful tool for reaching the entire Sudan with the Gospel of Christ. This instrument was highly cherished by all Christian missions in the Field.147 NUPE BIBLE 1927 This work was undertaken by Rev A. W. Banfield, the leader of the Sudan Party of SIM. He directed the building of the first SIM station at Pategi in 1902 and resigned from SIM to found the Mennonite Mission (UMS) in Nupeland in 1905. He worked closely with SIM in translation, printing and literature.

In 1906 at Pategi, the Language Conference of Missions appointed him to translate the Four Gospels into Nupe. This assignment led him to complete the translation of the entire Bible into Nupe in 1927. The remarkable achievement of A. W. Banfield in the mission field was stated by him: During my years of language study I never once had a teacher or an assistant who could understand a word of English, or even read his own language. Now, after twenty-five years of delightful work, I have completed a translation of the entire Bible into the Nupe language.

146 Dr

Yusufu Turaki, An Introduction to the History of SIM/ECWA, self published, 1993.

1993.

147 Ibid.,

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This language is spoken by half a million people living in Nigeria in the vicinity of the Middle Niger River.

Also while engaged in this stupendous task I compiled and printed a dictionary of the language in two volumes containing over thirteen thousand words; wrote a one hundred and eighty-six page grammar; collected and published a book containing six hundred and twentythree Nupe Proverbs; to say nothing of the many Primers, Hymnals, Catechisms, Text Books, etc., and all these years I was Secretary of my Mission. During those years, I built five mission stations and travelled very extensively in the Nupe country.148 Alex Banfield completed a draft of the New Testament and printed 1,000 copies at Niger Press. The Bible Society printed their edition one year later at Niger Press.149 In 1915, Banfield assumed responsibilities as Bible Society secretary for West Africa, so his main translation work of the Nupe Bible lay ahead of him. When finished in 1927, including a revision of the New Testament, it should have been printed. The UMS at one point said the number of Christians in the UMS, CMS and SIM churches who read Nupe was small, stating that it was a factor in the Bible Society decision. In 1932 the Bible Society in correspondence pleaded “lack of funds” as their reason for not printing the Nupe Bible. It was not until 1952 that Banfield’s translation was finally printed.150 YORUBA BIBLE Banfield and the other three men, who landed at Pategi longed for the time when they could have the Bible in Nupe. The Yoruba Bible, they thought, had been available for the previous 30 years. But that was not true, because the Yoruba Bible was only completed in 1885 and published in 1887. Though SIM was not involved, I mention it because it is a fascinating story that few have heard. Dr Andrew Walls of Edinburgh and Princeton Universities says this of Samuel Ajayi Crowther who translated the Yoruba Bible: The most outstanding African Christian of the nineteenth century… representative of an African Christianity in waiting. Yet in his day he was cruelly misjudged and since has largely gone unrecognized.151 Ajayi, born in 1807, was a Yoruba torn as a slave from his home village near Abeokuta, Nigeria, by Fulani raiders, sold to the Portuguese and put on a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. That ship was stopped by the British Navy in 1822 and in the ensuing battle half the slaves died. Ajayi felt, “all this war on land and now on sea…”152 The surviving slaves were landed at Sierra Leone.

148 Dr

Yusufu Turaki, An Introduction to the History of SIM/ECWA, self published, 1993.

Fuller, Banfield, Nupe and the UMCA, World Partners, 2001, page 51.

150 Document received from Clare Fuller, May 2007, will be deposited in SIM Archives.

151 Yes, CMS magazine May-August 2007, editorial, page 3.

152 Yes, CMS magazine May-August 2007, editorial, page 3.

149 Clare

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At Crowther’s birth, a tribal diviner had forbidden that the boy enter any of the local deity cults because he would grow up to be a servant of Olorun, the God of Heaven. This story illustrates how Christians could easily develop the traditional belief system already based around the Supreme Being.153 Ajayi was baptized in 1925 and took the name of the CMS Home Committee member, and was sent to England to school at Islington. He returned the next year to become one of the first students at Fourah Bay College. In 1830 he was appointed the headmaster in Regent’s Town, Sierra Leone.

CMS (Church Missionary Society) saw the potential in Samuel Ajayi Crowther. He was ordained in London in 1843, and the next year began a journey up the Niger River, with government and mission personnel. In 1845 he arrives back in Abeokuta from where he had been captured and he met his mother and sister.

In 1840 he began the translation of the Yoruba Bible, and in 1864 he was consecrated Bishop of the Niger in Canterbury Cathedral; he was also granted an Honorary D.D. from Oxford University.

History credits Samuel Ajayi Crowther, with amalgamating the disparate Yoruba tribes into “one nation”, with one language; it credits him with the translation of the Yoruba Bible which was finished in 1885 and published in 1887.154 It is felt since Crowther never reached the slave markets of the Americas, he still had the “uncorrupted” world view of an African, thus well suited for the translation work.

It was Samuel Crowther who, in a response to the turmoil caused by the slave trade, brought together several regional dialects into one language called “Yoruba” and so laid the foundations of a new national identity. Crowther is the Father of the Yoruba….

It was the missionaries who began to talk of “the Yoruba people”.

It was through this influence under the powerful unifying force of Crowther’s single Yoruba language that the people came to think of themselves as part of one distinctive culture.155

EVANGELICAL LITERATURE FELLOWSHIP OF NIGERIA (ELFON) ELFON was started to meet the need of Sunday School instruction in the churches. This was in the context of 16 founding churches and organizations realizing that alone they did not have the resources to accomplish the job.

153 Ibid.

154 Yes,

CMS magazine May-August 2007, the entire magazine is on S.A. Crowther, and will be deposited in SIM Archives.

155 Ibid.

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Their first meeting was at the UMS Theological College in Ilorin on 22-23 February 1967.

Judy Kenke from Baraka Press in Kaduna who would be printing the lessons ended up being one of the mainstays in getting things underway. Though the different organizations appointed people to the “advisory committee�, they kept going on leave, so it was some time before things got properly underway.

In fact it was Jim Plueddemann who was Christian Education Director within SIM Nigeria who suggested that Judy set deadlines and get things moving.156 So it was after stops and starts and living with a postal system that took up to six weeks to deliver letters, that the first Sunday School lessons were distributed to the churches with editions translated in Hausa, Tiv and Yoruba for use starting January 1972. By year three in 1974 a full range of books were offered in lesson books, teaching pictures, and take-home papers with adult lesson books. These were in English and Hausa, with fewer books in Tiv, Yoruba and Igala, with take-home papers translated from English being used for the Yoruba and Tiv editions.

Jean Chilvers was appointed as chair of the Jean Chilvers SUM from UK committee in the early years. I include a report from Jean just before retiring in 2003. It is encouraging that from the time of the first Sunday School lessons, even prior to ELFON, Sunday School materials, except for a short hiatus have always been available.

JOINT PROJECT FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL and BIBLE STUDY MATERIALS HIstorIcal BacKground 1966-2003 Until the late 1960s most individual churches, where there was any Sunday School ministry, used locally produced training materials.

These were often duplicated notes produced every few weeks with little obvious syllabus structure. Some churches still continue in this way and others rely on gifts of free materials from North America or other sources.

ElFon and scrIPturE PrEss MInIstrIEs (usa) In the late 1960s permission, together with a small grant, was given

by Scripture Press Ministries to the Evangelical Literature Fellowship of Nigeria (ELFON) to adapt and translate their Sunday School 156 From

material provided by Judy Kenke, formerly of Baraka Press in Nigeria, May 2007.

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teaching materials for printing by Baraka Press in Kaduna. Nigerian writers set to work and the first set of books for primary children went on sale in 1970. Gradually materials for four different agegroups were introduced and proved to be a great blessing to the Sunday School ministry. Training manuals for teachers were written and training programmes for teachers were held each year. A weekly half-hour Teachers’ Preparation Programme in Hausa was broadcast on Radio ELWA for a number of years.

Materials were translated, complete or in part, into seven different Nigerian languages, as well as eight other African language including Amharic for Ethiopia and Shona for Zimbabwe. These books were re-cycled in Nigeria for the next 12 years with only one major revision undertaken by the group which had then been re-named Christian Media Fellowship (CMF).

CMF AND CHRISTIAN LEARNING MATERIALS CENTRE (CLMC, NAIROBI) By 1985 teachers in a number of churches were asking serious questions about the need for new materials. CMF had no funds for development themselves, so began a survey to find any other group in Nigeria that might have materials that could be developed.

Nothing was found, but news came from Nairobi that CLMC, an arm of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA), had been established for the express purpose of producing materials for Christian Education ministries in Africa. Sunday School materials were their first priority.

Toward the end of 1987, CMF received 35 sets of materials, 12 months after the order had been placed, and a trial survey using CLMC materials was conducted in 15 different churches. The survey results were very positive, and leaders from 17 different church organizations met to discuss the possibility of printing the materials in Nigeria. Sadly, the royalty fee required by CLMC was very high, so the negotiations were discontinued. Meantime, financial constraint overtook CMF and the organization faded out of existence.

JOINT PROJECT AND CLMC However, the churches’ concern for new materials did not fade, and in 1991 the COCIN (Church of Christ in Nigeria) Sunday School co-ordinator re-opened negotiations with CLMC to see if the royalty fee could be reduced so that materials could be published under licence in Nigeria at a reasonable cost.

LITERATURE DEPARTMENT (SIMLIT)

By 1992, a workable agreement was reached and it was decided to invite other churches and Christian groups to join together to make the publishing of these materials in Nigeria a joint project so that as wide a group as possible could benefit. In January 1993 a committee was formed of members representing the seven churches who had responded positively to the idea and the name Joint Project for Sunday School Materials (JPFSSM) was adopted. Two other churches joined the project later in the year.

Work began immediately in an office at the ECWA Christian Education Department under the direction of a five-member working committee. English material from Nairobi was edited, sometimes re-written and then translated into Hausa.

God was at work, and encouragement came from member churches through gifts and part-payments for advance orders. Together with a generous grant from Tearfund UK, which came just at the right time, sufficient funds were available for a down payment to Ehindero Press for the printing of the first set of materials for teachers of primary children.

On 17th September 1993, a group of church and Sunday School leaders gathered in Jos to celebrate the publication of this first book and to give thanks to God for the commitment of His people to the building and strengthening of faith in the lives of young people in our churches.

JPFSSM A three-year cycle of lessons for younger children was added to the four-year cycle for primary children and other materials followed.

In 1995, a seven-year Youth Bible Study curriculum was introduced and in 1996 the format was changed to be much more user-friendly for inter-active Bible studies for teenagers.

In 1999, an attempt was made to bridge the gap between the primary age group and the youth. In order to try to stimulate older primary children to begin to think for themselves about their faith, a workbook was provided in English to be used by the children alongside the primary lesson book. Workbooks were published for the next three years, but they never really caught on. This may have been due to the cost of providing a workbook for each child, but also because many teachers did not seem to understand how to use them well in their classes.

Material written for CMF was reprinted for adult Bible study groups for a number of years, but in 2000 a new Adult Bible Study Series

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was introduced, to encourage discussion of Bible passages and to lead to positive action in response to needs of Christians in Nigeria today. Pastors and theologians have given their time, reflection and skills to prepare draft materials for these studies.

In 2000, as all the materials for the primary and younger children series had been re-cycled, it was felt the time had come for a revision.

In looking at the situation in more depth it was finally agreed that a complete re-write of the syllabus was needed and the present four-year syllabus was drawn up. Materials for the younger children and for the primary children both follow God’s Handprints in the Old Testament and Jesus’ Footprints in the New Testament; both use many of the same Bible texts but the lessons are written at different levels. This has proven to be a mammoth task, and even with the help of many willing writers, Primary Book 1 was not published until December 2002 and the book for younger children followed in late February 2003.

Churches were concerned at the lateness of these publications, and the Joint Project staff have been under pressure to have materials for 2004 out on time. With feed-back from churches and a growing desire to have more interactive Sunday School teaching, a new lesson format for both levels of materials for children has been introduced, together with coloured pictures. The Lord has been gracious and given strength and skills to the office staff so that we believe all the books for 2004 will be on sale before the end of this year (2003).

This writers’ workshop has been planned so that we can catch up on our deadlines for publication, and also to have input from a wider group of gifted people who are willing to use the skills God has given. Much prayer has gone into the preparation and we are looking for draft lessons that will be interesting and relevant to the presentation of biblical materials in a way that will lead our children to a faith in Christ that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

As the Lord opens the way, we also hope to be able to publish additional materials like the Stories from West Africa published for the first time last year.

CONCLUSION The Joint Project now has 13 active member churches and the project office has grown from the early beginnings of one full-time editor and three part-time staff. We thank the Lord for bringing to us three dedicated full-time staff and three part-time staff who give more than a part-time commitment. From one small room in ECWA

LITERATURE DEPARTMENT (SIMLIT)

Education Department we now use four rooms and are presently seeking larger premises.

God has given strength to face the many daily challenges and we pray we may be found faithful as we move forward together in the service of His Kingdom 157

157 Report

Dr Mrs J. Chilvers, October 2003

provided by Dr Jean Chilvers, SUM, now retired in UK, August 2008.

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CHAPter 8

PASTORS’ BOOK SETS NIGERIA – BORN OUT OF NECESSITY

A

rriving in Ghana in 1976, I faced the problem of being totally dependent upon donations to operate the bookshop. When there is no money to buy, the burden was simply how to help pastors get the books they so desperately needed to do their job. Most have little training in Bible teaching or preaching, and no commentaries or resource books. Consequently, Christian teaching is very shallow, sometimes erroneous, and open to influence by cults and thus the churches are weak in their witness.

In the midst of my dilemma God gave the idea of putting together a basic set of books for pastors. I would ask publishers for special terms or even donated books, and then raise the funding to pay for shipping and other expenses. This would enable us to offer pastors a set of study books for which they would only pay in-country costs (in their own currency) for clearing, warehousing and distribution.

Along with the books there would be conferences where pastors would receive instruction in the use of the materials, along with Bible teaching by outstanding speakers - some of them authors of the books in the set.

It was a Matching Fund Project, where money was raised overseas to buy and ship the books.

Recipients paid $75 in local currency which usually worked out to 10% of the retail value of the books. Having to make a contribution helps the recipients to be serious about using the books.

What pastors paid covered all in-country expenses including airfare and costs to bring in two Pastor with Book Set speakers, plus food for all at the conferences, staff wages, and rent for facilities. This project proved

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so successful it became the model for future PBS conferences which have been held in many countries in Africa, South America and Asia and continue today.

NIGERIA Dr Yusufu Turaki, then General Secretary of ECWA, the SIM-related church in Nigeria, wanted a Pastors’ Book Set (PBS) for ECWA pastors in Nigeria.

I asked, “How many understand English?” He replied, “1,500-2,000” insufficient numbers! Asked if his vision was big enough to include pastors of all denominations in Nigeria, he said, “Yes!” And so the Nigerian PBS was born.158 One Saturday in 1991, Dr Turaki and I sat for 10 hours discussing the pros and cons of 50 books. By the end of the day we had a basic set, with investigations to be carried out into other possible books. We agreed on an individual with organizational abilities to lead the project. Paul Todd was approached and accepted, but unfortunately he resigned a year later. This resulted in a hiatus of three years, though work with publishers proceeded. In 1995 Bill Foute stepped down as SIM Nigeria Director and accepted leadership of the PBS Project.

When Bill Foute took charge, he wanted to see the distribution conferences held from August to October 1997 with 15 conferences of 1,000 pastors each.

Three venues in different areas of the country would be used. This is the model we followed. Two speakers came for a two-week period, changing venues from Lagos to Owerri or Jos for their second week, so they saw different areas of the country.

Speakers were drawn from various SIM countries; Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and America. This gave SIM considerable exposure in the home countries as speakers returned enthusiastically recounting their experiences. A list of speakers is included in the appendix.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER Forty-five thousand pastors and another 5,000 students in Bible Colleges and Seminaries in Nigeria told us 15,000 PBS was our number. In the end thousands of pastors missed out because there were insufficient sets. Our figures were correct for main denominations, but we had not counted on some other groups having thousands of pastors and evangelists. On the other hand 15,000 sets at U.S. $75 dollars each amounting to $1,125,000 was enough for us to handle!

FACING THE SITUATION Nigeria is three times the size of the UK or 1/10th the size of Canada or the USA, so choosing locations had problems. We knew many would have to travel, 158 The

content of this section is taken from my report on the Nigeria PBS in December 1997, deposited with SIM Archives.

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finding accommodation with friends. Jos was chosen for Nigeria’s North, Owerri in the South-Eastern area, and Lagos and Ibadan in the West. Lagos is the commercial centre, the main port and most heavily populated area of Nigeria. Six conferences were held in the west - three of those in Ibadan, 100 miles north of Lagos.

VENUE SITES After deciding the conference cities, Bill located venues - large churches willing to allow us to use their facilities. St Piran’s Anglican Church, Jos; Anglican Cathedral of Transfiguration, Owerri; St Anne’s Anglican Church, Ibadan; Yaba Presbyterian church in Lagos. The largest number of pastors, about 1,500, attended the last conference in Lagos. Each church welcomed us, giving full use of their facilities and full cooperation. They were delighted to be a part of providing the book sets to pastors. We were most thankful for their wholehearted cooperation.

VENUE LEADERS Along with heading the project Bill Foute led the four conferences in Jos. My friend Ken Bennett, retired in the UK, asked in 1996 if there was anything he and Phyllis could do to help with the PBS in Nigeria. (I knew Ken’s fluency in Yoruba, the dominant language of the Lagos and Ibadan area.) Knowing his experience, I immediately said, “Yes, yes!” When asked, Wilf and Jean Rose from the SIM Toronto office eagerly took responsibility for Pastors claim their bag of books - Jos Owerri.

Living in Jos, Bill and Lorraine Foute were able to recruit help for the tasks related to distribution. In Owerri Wilf and Jean say they would not have survived without the wholehearted backing of Sunday Umune and sons David and Uche, as well as others recruited. Sunday came to the Lord in the mid ’50s under SIM and Preparing pbs packets continued to faithfully serve the Lord until killed in a car accident in the early 2000’s.

Now his two sons continue the outreach into the forgotten villages of Iboland.

In Lagos, Ken and Phyllis Bennett were on familiar territory. They had spent 17 years in Nigeria up-country in the Yoruba area around Egbe, Omu Aran, Ibadan, then latterly as superintendent in Lagos on Challenge compound. Their task was really the task of two couples. Ken said to Leona later that if they had

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seen a video of what were to be their responsibilities, they would have responded, “It is absolutely impossible! We could never do it.” Having been through it and survived, he is praising the Lord for health and strength while saying, “PBS was the highlight of our missionary career. We would not have missed it for anything.”

Speakers commented on the dedication of Wilf and Jean. It seemed that they were doing the work of two couples. On reflection the Roses agreed, yet they are glad there was not a second couple because it meant that they had to work with Sunday Umune and depend on him and others.

They feel it was a unique opportunity for getting to know and work with Nigerians.

They say, “This has been the highlight of Wilf & Jean Rose our lives. We would not have wanted to miss any part of it.” The Foutes expressed similar feelings to me on my brief visits in Jos.

BRIAN AND ELAINE ANDERSON Without the Andersons, the entire exercise would have been more difficult.

Brian loaned us Stephen Oyetunji, his clearing manager, who did the clearing of goods from the port. He ensured that import permission was obtained.

This was not a small task. Occasionally, along with Ken Bennett, Stephen was responsible for clearing everything through the docks. Clearing shipments was timely and most books arrived before the first conferences. Those which did not, were handed out on set days after a future conference. This happened with only a few books. Brian was always available as a wise counsellor as various problems arose, whether that was at the docks, banking, or locating extra staff.

Brian was always willing to advise and help.

Elaine kindly offered to prepare the evening meal for the speakers, the Bennetts and Bev Clark. This greatly relieved the pressure on Phyllis Bennett, enabling her to give attention to conferences. Around the Andersons’ table each evening was a fellowship time, and I was pleased to be a part of that on different occasions.

AT THE DOCKS On one occasion Stephen Oyetunji anticipated problems with clearing a container of books. Knowing that Ken Bennett was fluent in Yoruba, he asked that Ken accompany him to the docks the next morning. They were at the customs office before the customs men arrived for work. When they came through the door Ken greeted them with “Ekaro” (Good morning in Yoruba), which would not be too unusual. Ken prostrated himself on the floor - this is a

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Yoruba custom of honour and respect, (but “prostrating” is normally done by a younger to an older person), and here Ken at 72 is doing this to those who were younger men! Then he got up again still greeting them in Yoruba.

Bemused, the customs men began testing his Yoruba. As he answered, they tested his Yoruba more deeply and Ken answered. They finally tested him in “deep” Yoruba and got a proper reply. They were all amazed that an expatriate knew their language so well, and started laughing saying, “Oga (Master), what do you want? We will do it for you.” Papers were presented and clearance asked of them. Within an hour they had all nine signatures for clearance. Once they found a truck, their container was loaded and taken for inspection. By 10am they were on the way out of the port.

In all, twenty containers of books came through the port, and on no occasion did they wait longer than a week. In the inspection and importing of 585,000 books, only six books were “lost” to insistent officers at inspection.

FINANCE

Bev Clark

With her expertise in accounting, Bev Clark had oversight of PBS finances. With the largest currency note valued at $0.58 and the next highest at $0.23, she had much counting to do.

Others helped, but Bev bore the brunt of final checking. At one time she had over N5,000,000 (Naira) in her house ($58,000).

Similarly, Wilf and Jean Rose, staying at the Diocesan Retreat Centre, Owerri, had cash in every drawer, cupboard and suitcase, and in boxes under the bed. Buying a bank draft one had to pave the way, requesting favours to ensure things happened. Many people were aware of the large amounts of cash that were sometimes stored. Surely God watched over our people and finances.

CONCERNED PUBLISHERS One of the first tasks in a PBS is negotiating with publishers. I want to pay tribute to the wonderful concern and commitment of Christian publishers.

I had worked with these people for 30 years and found them a delight to work with. Several took it upon themselves to approach authors, asking them to forego royalties for this special outreach. I don’t know the cost of the books, but my background allows me to discern proximity, and I know some publishers gave their books at close to cost. The largest book in the set Willmington’s Guide to the Bible, was an outright donation by Ken Taylor of Tyndale House Publishers.

FREE BOOKS Thirteen free books were included in the set. There was also the one above given free which we considered a financial donation. Some publishers donated

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a book as something extra for the pastors. Some books came from Foundations that raised funds to pay for books. Revival Movement Association of Northern Ireland gave a packet of tracts and booklets weighing 1 lb (one pound) for each of the 15,000 sets.

PASTORS’ COMMENTS ON BOOKSETS RECEIVED “If you do nothing else during your time in Nigeria, this has been enough.”

“This is the greatest thing SIM has ever done in Nigeria. In the history of the church, nothing like this has ever happened before.”

“This has been a turning point in my life and ministry.”

“You who do not know me have cared so much…to promote my spiritual growth.”

“I had many challenges about my meekness. I will be changing from now.”

“The set of books is a complete school on its own.”

“I will use these books to bring people to the knowledge of the Son of God.” “Indeed, this is the greatest thing that has happened in the history of Christianity in Nigeria.”159

SPEAKERS’ ASSESSMENTS “After the Owerri conference, I sat in a corner of the church, exhausted. A pastor sat in front of me, not knowing I was there and unpacked his books.

He said out loud to himself, “This is good, my spirit is glad.” He told me how his library had just grown from six inches to three feet ... This was one of the most worthwhile ministry occasions that I have been involved in; count me in for the next time.”

Dr David Cook, Sydney Bible College, Australia.

“What a productive time it has been for the Kingdom!…It is hard to think of anything that could be done in terms of service or contribution to the church in Nigeria that would carry the immediate effect and long term promise of Ian Campbell with Pastor Port significant help that this project and the conferences Harcourt will have…The hard work involved in this project, and yet carried out with joy, faithfulness and steadiness by missionaries who should be allowed to ‘enjoy retirement’ amazed me.”

Rev Ian Campbell, Calvary Church, Canada “It was an experience I will never forget…the vibrancy of people was a tonic... the people are so generous and spontaneous...The dedication of the people fronting the conferences was incredible...I grew to love each of them…keep 159 From

Pastors’ Comments written at the PBS in Nigeria, August 1997.

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the conferences directed by older people with credibility and respect in the host country, but have them recruit young, enthusiastic, responsible short-termers with whom they know they can work well, to come and do a lot of the detailed work…I reckon you could have distributed 25,000 book sets.”

Rev Paul Windsor, Principal Baptist Bible College, Auckland, New Zealand “The impact of the conferences at this particular time in Nigeria’s history goes far beyond the distribution of the books…It brought denominations and leaders together who would not normally have anything to do with each other, and caused them to experience a sense of unity and community in Christ that could be very important for the church in the days ahead…Since ‘denominational tribalism’ is one of the serious problems of the church in Africa, these conferences could have a profound influence on the whole church in Nigeria for unity and cooperation.”

Dr Bill O’Donovan, SIM Ethiopia “This is easily one of the finest libraries that has been selected and made available to pastors in Asia, Africa and Latin America. I’m hoping that the project can be reproduced large scale to provide the tools and training for nearly 2,000,000 functional leaders of churches in those parts of the world.”

Dr Ramesh Richard, professor, Dallas Seminary, USA “What a touching sight it was to see pastors receive their individual book set and open it up and go through each book with utter amazement and tears of joy. Many probably had never seen such a wide array of valuable tools before and couldn’t believe that it was now their personal prized possession.”

Rev Benji Devadason, SIM Ethnic Focus Ministry, Toronto Canada “As they rejoiced, I heard not a few joyfully exclaim, “Glory! Hallelujah!

Glory!” Indispensable to the whole enterprise were the skills and efforts of SIM missionaries.”

Dr M DiGangi, Knox Church, Toronto Canada “It was an honour to be included as a teacher in the Pastors’ Book Set Conferences in Nigeria. Thank you for renewing my vision for leadership development…Several pastors told me they were ministered to as well as taught the mechanics of sermon preparation.”

Larry Fehl Rev Larry Fehl, SIM USA “Never in all my Christian life have I been so profoundly affected by a mission happening as I have through the PBS. My heart has never been so moved and touched in my entire time with the Lord! ...Only eternity will reveal the people who will be born into the kingdom through this effort.”

Dr Nevine Alwine, Liberty University, Virginia USA

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139

“What touched me most was SIM’s willingness to reach out and raise money for pastors who were not SIM/ECWA. At a ratio of four other denominational pastors to one ECWA/SIM, this is almost mind-boggling. I commend the vision and was grateful to have been a part…This is the finest opportunity our ministry (Discipleship) has ever been given. Many who receive this report were not able to see the joy of the pastors when they received their set of books in hand. I did, and it was something to see. Many thought they had died and gone to heaven.”

Rev David Dawson, Equipping the Saints, USA “Person for person, hour for hour, dollar for dollar, I’ve not witnessed a more profitable equipping endeavour in all my years in the Lord’s work.”

Rev Allen I. Crawford, Calvary Baptist Church, Oshawa

SIM’S ASSESSMENT “The Pastors’ Book Set project is one of the most significant things SIM has done in Nigeria. My hope is that as a result, believers in 15,000 churches will experience more effective leadership and inspired preaching. Ultimately, this will influence hundreds of thousands of people for the glory of God and the growth of Christ’s Church.”

Jim Plueddemann, SIM General Director “The PBS conferences could not have come at a better time. This is God’s timing.”

Rick Calenberg, SIM Director, Nigeria “Having taught in an African theological seminary over 16 years, the lack of quality textbooks stands out as one of our students’ most pressing needs.

Thanks to…Pastors’ Book Set projects in Nigeria we now not only have 15,000 equipped pastors who can influence not only their churches, but also hundreds of theological schools that can enhance the training of their students for Jesus Christ.

Nigeria will become the third largest country in the world behind India and China by 2050, at its present population growth. Because of the faith of those who participated in the PBS many of those millions will benefit from enriched teaching, preaching and evangelism that will significantly contribute to the greater growth of the church for the Lord’s glory!”160

Paul J. Fritz, PhD Associate Professor,

Jos ECWA Theological Seminary

BOOKS INCLUDED IN PASTORS BOOK SET – NIGERIA (all prices in US$) ZONDERVAN: 1. International Bible Comm.

2. NIV Study Bible 3. Touch the World Through Prayer 160 All

speakers’ quotes October/November 1997.

34.99 7.99 5.99

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4. Love Life for Every Married Couple TYNDALE: 1. Willmington’s Guide to Bible

5.50 43.99

BAKER: 1. Master Plan of Evangelism 2. The Heart of the OT - Youngblood

4.99 4.99

BETHANY: 1. Kingdom of the Cults 2. Todays H’book Solving Bible Prob.

19.99 19.99

INTER-VARSITY PRESS-UK: 1. New Bible Dictionary - Concise

24.60

EERDMANS: 1. Working the Angles

12.99

HARVEST HOUSE: 1. The Bondage Breaker

9.95

GOSPEL LIGHT: 1. Victory Over the Darkness

10.00

MOODY: 1. Living by the Book 2. Spiritual Leadership

14.99 10.99

EVANGELICAL PRESS: 1. Missions Today

11.82

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE SOCIETY 1. All Nations Dictionary

10.00

FOCUS PUBLICATIONS: 1. The Apostles’ Creed 2. Bible Guidelines - Prime

6.70 6.70

STL-UK: 1. Biblical Christianity in African Perspective

15.00

LION PUBLISHING: 1. Lion Handbook of the Bible PB

18.36

DAN FULANI KORE: 1. Culture & the Christian Home

3.00

WILLIAM STILL: 1. Biblical Teaching on the Devil

3.50

PASTORS’ BOOK SETS NIGERIA – BORN OUT OF NECESSITY

EQUIPPING THE SAINTS: Equipping the Saints BRUCE AND CAROL BRITTEN: Answers for Your Marriage Additional Books: 1. STL: The Work of the Pastor 2. Discovery House: Waiting for the Second Coming 3. Oswald Chambers Trust: Studies on the Sermon/Mount 4. REACH Foundation: (Baker Pub. Scripture Sculpture, Ramesh Richard) 5. Radio Bible Class: 1996 Annual Our Daily Bread 6. Radio Bible Class: 1997 Annual Our Daily Bread 7. Radio Bible Class: Shepherding the Flock 8. ARISE Boldly With Power, Elijah Maswanganyi & Bruce Britten 9. Life Challenge: 10a. Dear Abdullah 10b. Reach Out 11. A package of tracts & booklets included in each set 12. Pastors at Risk 13. Twelve Prophetic Voices ANGUS HUDSON: 1. Student Bible Atlas

Pastors’ Book Set Conference Schedule – Nigeria – August-October 1997 OWERRI August Conferences 18-22nd Owerri Speaker 1st Conf. Dr Nevine Alwine - U.S. Author 1st Conf. David Dawson - U.S. Support Leader : Wilf Rose - Canada Venue: Cathedral of Transfiguration Accommodation: Diocese Retreat August Conferences 25-29th Owerri Speaker 2nd Conf. David Cook - Australia Author 2nd Conf. Graham Cheesman - N. Ire. Support Leader: Wilf Rose - Canada Venue: Cathedral of Transfiguration Accommodation: Diocese Retreat September Conferences 15-19th Owerri Speaker 1st Conf. Brooke Solberg—U.S.

141 5.00 10.00 7.50 12.00 10.00 12.00 3.00 3.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 2.00 9.99 7.99 5.00

142 Author 1st Conf.

Support Leader: Venue: Accommodation:

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Dr Dan Fulani Kore –Nigeria Wilf Rose—Canada Cathedral of Transfiguration Diocese Retreat

September Conferences 22-26th Owerri Speaker 2nd. Conf. Paul Windsor-New Zealand Author 2nd Conf. Bill O’Donovan –Ethiopia Support leader: Wilf Rose—Canada Venue: Cathedral of Transfiguration Accommodation : Diocese Retreat October Conferences 20-24th Owerri Speaker 1st Conf. Ian Campbell - Canada Author 1st Conf. Gordien Okezie - Nigeria Support Leader: Wilf Rose - Canada Venue: Cathedral of Transfiguration Accommodation: Diocese Retreat LAGOS / IBADAN August Conferences 18-22nd Lagos Speaker 1st Conf. David Cook - Australia Author 1st Conf. Graham Cheesman-N. Ire. Support Leader: Ken Bennett - U.K. Venue: Yaba Presbyterian Church Accommodation: ECWA Challenge Compound August Conference Speaker 2nd. Conf.

Author 2nd Conf.

Support Leader: Venue: Accommodation:

25-29th Lagos Dr DiGangi - Canada David Dawson - U.S. Ken Bennett - U.K. Yaba Presbyterian Church ECWA Challenge Compound

September Conferences 15-19th Ibadan Speaker 1st Conf. Paul Windsor—New Zealand Author 1st Conf. Benji Devadason—Canada Support Leader: Ken Bennett—U.K. Venue: St Anne’s Anglican, Ibadan Accommodation: Bishop’s Court September Conferences 22-26th Ibadan Speaker 2nd Conf. R. Richard—U.S. Author 2nd Conf. Gordien Okezie—Nigeria Support Leader: Ken Bennett—U.K. Venue: St Anne’s Anglican, Ibadan Accommodation: Bishop’s Court

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October Conferences 20-24th Ibadan Speaker 1st Conf. Allen Crawford - Canada Author 1st Conf. Robert Coleman - U.S. Support Leader: Ken Bennett - U.K. Venue: St Anne’s Anglican, Ibadan Accommodation: Bishop’s Court October Conferences 27-31st Lagos Speaker 2nd Conf. Ian Campbell - Canada Author 2nd Conf. Ron Wiebe - U.S. Support Leader: Ken Bennett - U.K. Venue: Yaba Presbyterian Church Accommodation: ECWA Challenge Compound JOS August Conferences 11-15th Jos Speaker 1st Conf. Dr Graham Ng - Singapore Author 1st Conf. Dr Harold Willmington--U.S. Support Leader: Bill Foute - Nigeria Venue: St Piran’s Anglican - Jos Accommodation: SIM Fellowship Centre September Conferences 15-19th Jos Speaker 1st Conf. Henry Budd—Canada Author 1st Conf. Joe Wasmond—U.S. Support Leader: Bill Foute—Nigeria Venue: St Piran’s Anglican—Jos Accommodation: SIM Fellowship Centre October Conference 20-24th Jos Speaker 1st Conf. Larry Fehl - U.S. Author 1st Conf. Bill O’Donovan - Ethiopia Support Leader: Bill Foute - Nigeria Venue: St Piran’s Anglican-- Jos Accommodation: SIM Fellowship Centre October Conference 27-31st Jos Speaker 2nd Conf. Danny McCain - U.S. Author 2nd Conf. Howie Brant - U.S. Support leader: Bill Foute - Nigeria Venue: St Piran’s Anglican--Jos Accommodation: SIM Fellowship Centre At each conference Nigerian experts gave instruction on discipling and ministry to Muslims.161 161 All

Information on the PBS comes from the report written December 1997; a copy will be placed in the Archives.

CHAPTER 9

THE STORY OF AFRICAN CHALLENGE

T

o understand the reason that the African Challenge magazine was so successful, one has to go back to the end of the Second World War when many soldiers from the colonies such as Nigeria and Ghana fought with the British forces. During this conflict they saw different parts of the world, saw the life others lived, and desired this for their own nation.

They came home with an enthusiasm about the possibilities of what could be done in their own country. Thus the former soldiers hastened the development of education, literacy, transport, communication and politics, which eventually led to nationalism, and to independence which Britain granted in due course.

In Africa there was an environment which suddenly opened up a great hunger and need for literacy. Employment, for instance, meant that there was demand for people who could read and write.162 Christian missions were going through a similar upheaval and growth. Soldiers returning from the war, having seen the need of the Gospel in overseas countries, took advantage of the various educational programmes offered by their governments and went to Bible colleges and seminaries, and applied to overseas missions. SIM experienced a 243% increase from 1940 to 1950; a further 56% increase by 1960, then remained static until 1970 with 1257 missionaries.163 Missions had always taught the people to read and write, and essentially this was so they could read God’s Word for themselves. Now commerce was demanding literacy, so business and the country could grow and progress.

Literate people were needed by the country and, once literate, they wanted something to read. Seeing their opportunity, the Communists quickly flooded the country with their colourful literature.

162 Harold 163 SIM

Fuller interview February 2007.

Missionary Statistical Report 1984

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145

BEGINNING In 1947, to meet the need for Christian reading material, SIM started a magazine in the North called The West African Christian. It was issued bimonthly, small in format, and consisting mostly of reprinted articles from overseas - a kind of Christian Digest. The first editor was Geraldine Hamlett.

Circulation built up to 3,300 by June 1950 and when Geraldine went on leave Mary King took over. She was the editor when Trevor Shaw arrived in Jos, November 1950 from New Zealand.

Trevor had been a journalist with the Auckland Herald in New Zealand.

He had also been involved in establishing the Christian paper New Zealand Challenge. He was challenged by Jack Nicholson of SIM to use his talents in Nigeria where there was great need for Christian literature.

Trevor took over from Mary King and in November 1950 Chris Ferrier joined Trevor in the office part time. Early on Trevor made a trip around Northern Nigeria to get a feel for things and find local stories that could be written. He saw the potential. With his background in journalism Trevor was interested in reaching the masses. He came back from that trip convinced that, if SIM was to reach the mass of people in Nigeria and be active among the larger numbers of literates, change was required and he suggested two things to the SIM Council: 1. The name of the magazine should be changed from The West African Christian to African Challenge, the new name having a wider appeal. It should be issued in newspaper format, making its production cheaper.

2. The office should move from Jos to Lagos, where there is a density of literate population, but also it is the newspaper publishing centre for the country.

Lagos was the port city, so this meant lower costs of production on any printing through the elimination of freight costs.

It was Trevor’s plan to fashion the African Challenge after the N.Z. Challenge – a newsprint magazine - with a picture on the front page surrounded by suitable advertising, then further adverts on various pages throughout the magazine, thus helping to subsidize the cost. Trevor had arrived in Lagos in May 1951 to establish and begin making contacts. His wife and two children joined him June 1, with Chris Ferrier following on 14 June.164 At Yaba in Lagos, SIM had a property used as a guest house for missionaries arriving by boat and passing through to the north by train. There was one block of four rooms and room four was assigned to the Shaw family. Apart from four beds there were three tables for desks, three chairs with three adults trying to work, and one cupboard of Challenge stationery supplies. On fine days they 164 The

African Challenge. A book in SIM Archives on Challenge, page 2.

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would move out to work on the veranda, but were forced to move inside when it rained, which was a good part of the time. After all, it was rainy season!

A time of prayer on 17 June 1951 lifted the burden they were all feeling.

They realized they could not continue in the terribly cramped quarters; they had to have more room for both office and accommodation. The very next day an advert in the paper told of property for sale on Agege Motor Road. The cost was £9,000 and the owner wanted £2,000 as a down payment. Trevor went to Jos to consult and convince about that house, while the owner gave them an option for one week. SIM agreed to loan the finances, so Hector Kirk, the field secretary, returned to Lagos with Trevor and negotiated the terms.

Trevor Shaw arranged with Daily Times, the largest newspaper in Nigeria, to print the magazine, and they did the typesetting of the first issue, which was a headache. When Allen Moore arrived 4 July 1951 as the first issue was going out, he was allowed to use the Daily Times typesetting machine between 11pm and 2am after the second or third issue. In this way they were not attempting to make corrections through Daily Times staff who seemed to make more mistakes than corrections.

THE FIRST AFRICAN CHALLENGE The African Challenge magazine that was printed by Daily Times with Allen Moore doing the typesetting raised eyebrows in the home office of the parent company of the Daily Mirror in London. They were asking, “Why is it you produce African Challenge better than you produce our Daily Times?”165 At the end of June it was discovered that all the address plates for printing names had been tampered with and some had gone missing on the journey down by rail from Jos. There was a rush to get new address plates made. On 7 July 1951 the first African Challenge arrived from Times Press in Lagos at Yaba guest house. All praised God for His wonderful undertaking and faithfulness enabling them to produce the Challenge under such trying circumstances.

It was quickly wrapped and labelled, and on 9 June the Challenge was ready for mailing. The wrapped magazines were put in a zinc bathtub on top of an old Fiat and taken to the Yaba Post Office and mailed. Only 5,000 copies were printed and most of these went to subscribers of The West African Christian.

The remainder sold out quickly on the streets of Lagos. A copy of this issue, with an introductory letter, was sent to 300 up-country agents of the Daily Times. Many of them wrote in, placing an order for a regular supply of the Challenge from the August issue on.166 On 12 July the Challenge staff moved into the new property on Agege Motor Road and spent the next few weeks cleaning and disinfecting the place while at the same time preparing the August issue of Challenge. The print order 165 Information 166 The

provided by Alan Moore.

African Challenge, SIM Archives on Challenge, page 3.

THE STORY OF AFRICAN CHALLENGE

147

for August was 10,000, and for the first time 3,000 copies were sold on the streets of Lagos.

Allen Moore recalls that time: The house above was basically four bedrooms (one for the Shaw family, one for the Moore family, one for Chris Ferrier and while we were there Harold arrived and had the fourth. The office was the space in the middle. This was totally inadequate and we (the Moores) moved back to the Yaba mission compound and soon thereafter another house was rented, which we together with Chris Ferrier, occupied for a year while the Challenge compound was being developed. Jo Stevens joined us there.167 Moody Press in Chicago was impressed168 with what was being done through Challenge and indicated a desire to give some help. They were particularly interested in our wish to see a French magazine published at some point in the future.169 In November $2,500 came from Moody Press which was half the price of a second hand Linotype machine. Bob Kitch at Niger Press in Jos knew one was available from a Christian printer in the USA. Insufficient funds were on hand, so it was not until September of 1952 that a second hand Linotype was ordered from the UK through Eric Horn in the SIM London office.

This machine never met the need of African Challenge and as Allen Moore reports, a new one was ordered from the USA: Actually it was an “intertype� machine, and was unsuitable for our needs and was never used. Through the mission, I personally ordered a new Linotype machine from America which was fitted with extra type fitting to enable us to do our job satisfactorily.

Subsequently we spent a month in New York where I was able to brush up on necessary skills to maintain it.170 In September 1951, 10,000 copies were once again printed, and it seems this continued until into 1952 when 15,000 were printed in July and again in August 1952, 21,000 were printed and sold out before all orders were cared for. Subscriptions were coming in at the rate of 159 daily. Agents of the Daily Graphic in Accra, Ghana, increased their orders by 650 copies. On December 3 of 1951 there was not enough money to pay the printing bill for the November issue, but funds came in that very day. This was the continuing experience of Challenge staff at that time; money to pay bills came in so that they ended each month with all bills paid.

167 Allen

Moore in correspondence 19 July 2008.

African Challenge, SIM Archives on Challenge, page 3.

169 Ibid.

170 Allen Moore in correspondence 19 July 2008.

168 The

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SCHOOL VISITS December was also the month that Neila Moore called at four schools in Lagos to introduce African Challenge and sold over 300 copies. This was the beginning of Challenge staff realizing that schools could be a great opening for selling Challenge to young students. Eventually schools became the biggest outlet for the African Challenge, and it was through sales in schools that distribution developed. The schools were also seen as excellent access into homes.

Harold Fuller, who had passed through Lagos some months before not knowing anything about Challenge, found himself at Hausa Language School in Minna. With the increasing circulation of Challenge, editorial help was desperately needed. The administration in Jos looked through the papers of all the recent missionary arrivals. They were, as Harold Fuller says, looking for anyone who had been within ten feet of an editor’s desk.171 When they came to Harold’s papers they saw he had taken studies in journalism. He received a message at language school to go down to Lagos and help with African Challenge. So Harold was assigned as assistant editor of African Challenge in Lagos in January 1952 where he spent the next 15 years.

Sales in schools continued to increase and Trevor Shaw started viewing the market in Gold Coast (to become Ghana after Independence in March 1957). An English-speaking British colony, 300 miles west along the coast, they, too, should enjoy Challenge. Trevor went there in May of 1952, contacted the largest daily newspaper – Daily Graphic, was given addresses of all their agents and sent them copies of the Challenge with a letter of invitation to order copies.

Reading Challenge The 15,000 copies of the first anniversary edition in July 1952 sold out so quickly that a further 3,000 were printed. The front cover was changed for this issue under the influence of Harold Fuller. Adverts were moved to the inside pages and a large two-colour photo was used for the first time. A centre photo section was introduced. All this meant higher cost, but greater interest from the public and circulation increased steadily.

At this time also, the remaining funds were due on the property they were occupying. All funds had come in and one week before the deadline they went to make the payment, only to find out that the property was no longer for sale.

Talking had no effect, so they knew that the Lord had closed this door. There 171 Harold

Fuller interview February 2007.

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was a property for lease on the Apapa Road. This would mean that if they leased they would have money remaining to put up some buildings. That, too, was not to be. The final property Challenge leased was on Agege Motor Road at mile 7 on the way to the airport. It was four acres and later was expanded to 6½ acres when Niger-Press from Jos amalgamated with the African Challenge in 1959.

HAROLD FULLER Harold always had a desire to write and had written in the past. While in the navy he took a correspondence course in journalism. At Prairie Bible Institute he was challenged to put God first so Harold committed himself to that end telling the Lord he would not pursue journalism until the Lord raised it up and made it possible.

He applied to SIM and went to Nigeria in July 1951. He passed through Lagos to language school in Minna, hearing nothing about the new African Challenge magazine being established close by in Sure Lere.

It was shortly after the mid-year point in 1952 that Trevor Shaw and his wife returned to New Zealand. This left Harold with the Challenge in his lap - much like Trevor had been largely the sole editorial functionary. The one change was that Dr Herbold had arrived from Omu Aran, 200 miles north. Omu Aran and Lagos were in the Yoruba-speaking area. Dr Herbold looked after the daily business; this was a major burden off Harold’s shoulders. Harold was single. Dr Herbold was married and his wife was a very efficient secretary, as was Chris Ferrier who was deeply involved in the Editorial Department from the beginning.

So Harold and the team went to work and produced the African Challenge each month.

The circulation kept growing, and within two years it had the largest circulation of any newspaper magazine in all of Africa. In 1954 Lorna & Harold Fuller it was overtaken by The Drum, a magazine from South Africa where they had a higher literacy rate. The editor of The Drum came to visit African Challenge in Nigeria. He wanted to know how it was that we were able to have such phenomenal circulation without sexy stories and advertisements for alcohol. What was the formula?

So we told him, “Our formula is to meet the needs of the man on the street with news about developments in Africa and educational material.”172 172 Harold

Fuller interview February 2007.

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Harold began to develop further his own formula for the magazine which included: 1. Moving adverts to the inside pages, one large picture on the front cover. Babies or children were favourites, but you could not have them every month, so there was a wide range.

2. Important events mentioned, such as the eclipse of the sun.

When this took place it was on the front cover; there was a center spread on the subject with diagrams which could be removed to put on school blackboards. In the early days many government schools did not have textbooks, so African Challenge was a useful teaching tool.

3. Educational format where a science subject like “the bean� and how it grew was covered. These editions would include a centre spread.

4. We had a news format providing information on what was happening in Africa and the world, because in his Monday to Friday reading of four newspapers, Harold knew this was lacking.

5. True stories of conversions of Africans who had found the Lord and had gone on in leadership in their chosen field.

6. Fictional stories illustrating life in Africa, with a Christian emphasis.

7. The formula for Challenge was a departure from what churches and missions thought was a Christian publication. The main emphasis was to interest the non-Christian rather than the Christian. We knew if we could get his interest, the Christian would be interested as well. There was lots of material for the Christian, Bible studies and so on. But the hook was to the man on the street: the Muslim, the atheist, the nominal Christian.

There was something that would interest everyone. We had to keep this in mind constantly in order to publish material that would meet that need.

POLITICS Keeping abreast of what was happening, Harold attended many functions. On one occasion it was a campaign meeting when Chief Awolowo was running for office as premier of Western Region. Harold got there late and, though there were both white and black journalists attending, when he showed his face at the back of the hall, he was pushed forward by others so he could get a good view, but the only seat was on the platform in a chair surrounded by politicians. Chief Awolowo, who was speaking, was haranguing the colonial power of Britain, and throughout the speech Harold kept his head down not wanting to attract too much attention.

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Occasionally someone close on the platform would slap his knee or his back and laugh saying, “Sea Never Dry!” Harold learned about Nigerian humour and the lackadaisical favourite saying “Sea Never Dry”. In Nigeria this means “Okay, there’s no end to this, no end of trouble or no end to whatever. So let’s just flow along with it. The sea never dries up; the breakers keep rolling in on top of you.” In this situation, it meant “don’t worry too much about what Awolowo is saying; you’ve heard it before, you will hear it again. Like the sea, it never stops”. That was the kind Billy Graham and Harold Fuller - In of fun he had in keeping in touch with the Challenge Office people and understanding them, anticipating what their interests would be.

VAGARIES OF PRINTING OVERSEAS When Challenge was printed at Daily Times in Lagos, each issue was started three months in advance, but when it was printed overseas there was a sixmonth time lag; three months in preparation, then three months allowing it to be sent to England, have it printed and return to Nigeria and Ghana for circulation on time.

QuEEn ElIZaBEtH IssuE One issue that stands out is the one with Queen Elizabeth’s picture on the cover with a full centre spread on the monarchy. Sometime after her coronation she was to visit Ghana, and as is the practice of many missionaries, Harold was listening to the BBC news at 6pm. He heard that the Queen was expecting a baby, and immediately realized that this “did in” the cover and the centre spread. He quickly cabled SIM London, to Captain Oliver a retired Royal Navy captain who cared for Challenge business. Harold asked him to insert another photograph for the cover and change the inside. They always had a mock-up of a substitute in case something fell through and so the centre spread was also changed. That kind of thing would happen at times, but not often.

Now in spite of the “rabble-rousing” politicians, royalty was greatly admired.

Many people in North America didn’t understand that so they thought that these colonies would be anti-Monarchy. But no, they loved the Monarch; they respected the Monarchy. And in the homes of these “rabid” politicians, one would find hanging on the walls, photographs of Her Imperial Majesty.173 When the Queen finally visited Nigeria in 1956, it was the highest printing ever of African Challenge. That printing was 187,000 which was for Nigeria, 173 Harold

Fuller interview February 2007.

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Ghana, and several other countries in Africa which were served from the London office, plus the SIM home countries.

THE QUEEN’S VISIT Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Nigeria in February 1956. A special edition on white art paper, with the Queen on the cover, was prepared by Challenge to present to Queen Elizabeth, and was delivered by Dick Brant. This was a bumper issue, with extra effort put on for selling it at all special gatherings. At the main event in Lagos, a team of six was set up: one woman to keep store of the 38,000 African Challenge; two sets of two men selling among the crowd; and one man on a motorbike keeping the sellers supplied. Buyers mobbed the men who sold all their copies. One newspaper seller sold 54 copies to workers at the factory across the road from Challenge. Agents were selling two and three times as many as normal.

A Yoruba edition of the Challenge was printed Queens' Visit to Nigeria with the Queen and Prince Philip on the cover.

That edition was printed at Daily Times. The price was increased to 4d ($0.12), but circulation continued to increase. Because they ran out of the July 1957 issue of 150,000, and the same thing happening in August, the UK printer was asked to run a second printing of 10,000 copies.

PREPARING THE MAGAZINE Putting Challenge together involved numerous people. The day began with prayer. Articles came from many sources: manuscripts, writers, reprints. The article was rewritten where necessary, researched so facts were correct, checked

by Nigerians, typed, and copies sent to the lawyer and SIM Jos. Approved by the editor, it was set on the Linotype, proofread, corrected, and proofread again. The article then went to the artist who read, entitled, illustrated, arranged the page, and added fillers. A Nigerian compositor set up the page, which was then checked by the editor, the secretary and the artist. Any errors were corrected.

Once approved, the page was printed on art paper. The artist put directions for Sun Printers, UK, on the page, and retouched any little errors. Reproduced by the photographer, it was packed by the secretary, and the clerk took it to the airport to be sent by air; at least 14 people were involved in the process.

A dummy magazine was also planned in case of strikes or some loss between Lagos and London.

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DISTRIBUTION In mid-1957 there were 15 field representatives selling Challenge; that included the ones in Ghana. Challenge was finding missionaries in cars an expensive way of distributing the magazine so, by the end of 1957, they began having Nigerian staff on motorbikes doing the distribution. This was operational, especially in Western Region and the Mid-West of Nigeria.

By 1958, Challenge printed 100,000 copies monthly for Nigeria and 50,000 monthly for Ghana. During this same time the counsellor was receiving 120 letters daily. From January to April of 1958, 1,800 letters were sent out by the counsellor. At the same time Challenge was being sold in over 20 African countries, and in what some might think were unusual countries such as Czechoslovakia, Alaska, China, Japan, and the West Indies. All of these were serviced by Captain Oliver from the London office. At that time there was opposition from Catholic schools in Ghana which were no longer allowed to take Challenge.

Many headmasters in other schools saw the Challenge as a valuable teaching aid, so they required that students bring the money for each issue. This was not what Challenge encouraged, but it did help circulation. At the beginning the cost was tuppence (two pennies or 6 cents), with the price rising to thruppence (3 pennies or 9 cents). The magazine would be taken home and the literate people in the household would read it.

CHRIS FERRIER Chris had served in the Canadian Army (sergeant technician in the medical corps). After her conversion, she studied at Toronto Bible College, heard about SIM, and went to Nigeria as an X-ray technician in 1950. She ever remained “the soldier”- standing tall, shoulders back, and with the gait of an army patrol.

She never wavered in purpose, always a true, responsible, dependable friend.

(When Lorna and Harold married, Chris was the one to oversee all the bride’s arrangements. Incidentally “old-soldier” Chris was never one to accept any compliments – she’d just wave them off!

While in Jos, she helped the new editors of The West Africa Christian (a small “digest” type of publication) as an editorial volunteer. When the editors (Trevor and Grace Shaw, newly arrived from New Zealand) decided to change the limited appeal magazine into a larger tabloid-style newspaper/magazine as an evangelistic outreach, they moved their office to Lagos, the port city and centre of the largest readership in the country. They asked Chris to go with them as full-time editorial staff. Chris became a valued team member and (when the Shaws left in 1952) became Editor Harold Fuller’s main assistant in the Editorial Department.

When Chris transferred back to Canada, she became the main support for the International Publications Department in Toronto, Canada. She was Kerry

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Lovering’s “right arm,” handling his files, researching data and formatting copy. It was she who set up the International Archival System - later travelling to Charlotte to establish it at SIM International HQ. Chris also helped simplify (for ESL readers) Moody paperbacks on different aspects of the Christian life. One book she simplified was on prayer, by the prominent Bible teacher and author, R. A. Torrey. Years later, retired in Canada and living in a seniors’ retirement building, Chris got to know a Roman Catholic woman Chris Ferrier giving tracts at Trade Fair resident. They sat at the same meal table. The woman confided that she had great fears of death and asked Chris if she could help her to know how to pray. (Her concept was one of prayer to the saints and icons.) Chris wondered what she could give the woman to read. She was surprised to find in her own small bookcase (reduced to a minimum in size and books through many moves), a copy of the book on prayer she had edited in Lagos. She gave it to the woman, who later told her that it helped her to understand how to pray, and she now had spiritual peace.174

174 Harold

Fuller September 2008.

CHAPter 10

DISTRIBUTION AND PERSONNEL INVOLVED It was late 1954 or early 1955 when representatives of Challenge started visiting schools on a regular basis. Until that time schools wanting the African Challenge received it by mail. At this point representatives began delivering one month, collecting the money with the next month’s delivery.

Some of the early representatives were Eric Bowley, Bud Lavely, Don Hall, Stan Todd, Dr Albert Helser, Ernie Virgint, Dan Truax, Elijah Bingham, Kath Dick, John VanderSchie, Harold and Elsie Saul, Bill and Jessie Wright and John and Vi Bergen (who, after being in the Eastern Region, Challenge Field Reps became distribution manager in Lagos, later transferring to Ghana to take charge of Challenge in Accra). Vern Hurlbert and Jim Mason were reps in the Lagos area before both ended up in bookshop work.

Dr Helser was the district superintendent based in Ibadan, 100 miles north of Lagos, as was Dan Truax. Dr Helser was known from one end of Nigeria to the other having stayed in government rest houses. He was a person who made you feel good about yourself and what you were doing. He was a huge promoter of African Challenge, and became General Director of SIM in late 1957.

Dr Helser was a great fund raiser, and many areas of SIM benefited from his generosity. He and Mrs Helser had a principle, that whatever God sent in each month was used that month in God’s work. He emptied his bank account every month and started from zero.

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Stan Todd tells of his experience with Dr Helser when he was assigned to work in Challenge distribution:

Staff In Front of Challenge

I remember that I first went to the Helser home in Ibadan and picked up a small van that he had provided. Then he and Mrs Helser came along in their car and saw me settled into my little house in Oshogbo.

I clearly remember that he took me around some of the schools in that area where he introduced teachers and pupils to African Challenge.

Dr Helser had a great love for the Nigerian people and this came through as he spoke first to the headmaster, then to the various classes.

Several times he referred to a statement in the United States Constitution advocating equality for all. It was in that context that I now remember Dr Helser’s ability to make people feel good about themselves. When we left the school I think all who had heard him and especially the teachers had felt his warmth and were encouraged.

Once a month I would drive the 70 miles to Ibadan and spend a weekend with the Helsers. At breakfast Mrs Helser would have a notebook on the table and would jot down any item of business that needed follow-up. I would come away encouraged.

When Dr Helser realized there was a romance between Stan Todd and Etta, a nursing sister teaching at the Nurses’ Training School at Egbe Hospital, he extended Stan’s territory to include Egbe.

He then married them in November 1957 at the Yoruba Church in Egbe.

Eric Bowley first served in Eastern Nigeria, and then transferred to Ghana to open the distribution work there in December 1956. Bud Lavely was in Eastern Region. Some years later he transferred to Ghana. After being in the North, Stan Todd was assigned to Challenge and was stationed at Oshogbo.

After his marriage to Etta and home leave, they went to Ghana.

Ernie Virgint was sent to represent African Challenge in Kenya and at one stage had 2,000 copies going into the Mau Mau detention camps in Kenya.

Stan & Etta Todd, Belfast

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The Mau Mau were what today we would call a terrorist group, with the aim of expelling the colonial power from the country. It was at the end of that time that Jomo Kenyatta became the first president of Kenya.

One interesting story concerns Ernie Virgint when he was at Yoruba language school in Oro Ago. As was the custom, a school boy or girl would help keep the house clean and carry water in at the end of the day for your bath (in a zinc tub) after school. This had been done for Ernie and he thought the girl was finished, so he got into the bath. When he heard her coming again, surprised and wondering what to do he cried out “Whoa”, what you might say to a horse to stop. In Yoruba, however “Wo” means “come and look”.175 Kath Dick spent many years in Yoruba work and was fluent in the language. Her emphasis was distributing the Yoruba Challenge when it was launched. After many years of diligent work Kath resigned from SIM in 1958 and started a Youth Camp work at Mile 36 on the Ibadan Lagos Road. She had already identified two Yoruba men, James Jolayemi and Samuel Restaurant at Youth Camp Gbadeyan, sending them to the USA for agricultural training. Later this camp was sold to the Pentecostal Church which still owns it. The Nigeria Youth Camp bought a new site south of Ilorin. They still operate at this location today.

Discussions are ongoing in the family about who will carry on the Youth Camp work.

John Vanderschie was in Challenge work for about ten years. Being an evangelist, John held evangelistic meetings along with selling Challenge. He had a camper which he pulled behind a pickup and travelled for extended periods. One time when he was in the Lagos/Ibadan area, he experienced what many have experienced since that day according to Olwyn Keyte, the librarian at Challenge: In March 1955, Mr Vanderschie told us a story from his Western Nigeria journeys. At Ibadan, a man came running to him shouting, “Africa for Christ,” the motto on Vanderschie’s vehicle.

He told Mr Vanderschie that as he was passing Glover Hall (Ibadan University) in January he heard singing and went in. It was our evangelistic campaign - the last meeting. He went on, “Four ladies were singing at that meeting and the Lord spoke to me and I gave my life to Him while they sang.” It was the song, “They Nailed My Lord Upon the Tree and Left Him Dying There.” The singers were Neila Moore, Doreen Bowley, Marguerite Cocker and Olwyn Keyte.

175 Heard

when the author was at Yoruba Language School, Sept/Nov 1957.

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The next person to speak to Mr Vanderschie was one whose attention was caught by a title in a paper being read by a man near him on the bus. He gave the man 3d and bought the paper, African Challenge; on reading the article “The Door” by Tom Olson, he was converted. The pencil drawing on the cover had attracted that man’s attention and God did the rest.176 Don and Betty Hall, who were in Hausa Language School in Kano, were asked to go to Ghana and assist with Challenge distribution from Accra. While there, they had the difficult experience of losing one of their twin boys. Don recounts that story below: We arrived in Accra in March of 1958 and were cordially welcomed to Ghana by the first SIM couple to be stationed in Ghana, Eric and Doreen Bowley. Eric trained me in the ins and outs of Challenge promotion and distribution and Doreen trained Betty to take up duties in the Challenge office. In the months to Don & Betty Hall follow Eric would outline a sales strategy and each day we’d each set out in a different direction visiting secondary schools where we enlisted agents to distribute the Challenge and to keep the Challenge agency functioning at that location. We also set up street vendors as we had opportunity and never missed an opportunity while at a school to open up the back of the station wagon and do a brisk business selling Christian books, Bibles, and New Testaments.

The Challenge circulation, both the English and Yoruba editions, grew month by month.

Our twin sons, Dan and Dean, celebrated their fourth birthday in June of that year and then one day, September 18, while out visiting Challenge agents in the Accra area, the older of the twins, who had been only slightly ill the night before, took a turn for the worse.

Betty tried time after time to reach me by phone and when she’d managed to get through to a headmaster he would report, “He just left.” Upon finally reaching home about 11:30am, I found the situation to be desperate. Betty said, “Dan has gone unconscious and

176 From

Olwyn Keyte’s notes on Challenge, May 2007.

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I can’t get him to wake up.” We wrapped a little blanket around him, snatched him up in our arms and raced to the Government Hospital.

We ignored the words of the receptionist who told us the doctor already had a patient, and threw open the door to his office and rushed in. The other patient was in the process of leaving. We put Dan down on the doctor’s examining table and he put his stethoscope on his tiny chest and announced, “I’m sorry, but he’s gone.”

In those days there were no funeral establishments. We had to have an autopsy done, have a casket made, get a death certificate issued, get a plot at the cemetery, get a grave opened, and send cables to SIM Jos and SIM Lagos and one to our respective parents. And it all had to be done before sunset. Thanks to God for the incredible strength He gave us and to the incredibly kind friends He gave us, we made it. Missionary friends from the Mennonite Mission, the Seventh Day Adventist Mission, and Baptist Mid-Missions surrounded us with their love and did all of the things we could not possibly get done by ourselves. We were totally amazed and grateful that our District Superintendent, Douglas Blunt, was able to catch a flight out of Lagos and arrived in time for the funeral.

It seemed impossible. Dan was alive and responsive that morning.

Before I left the house to go out and do Challenge business, he gave me one of his “wet, sloppy kisses”. Now at sunset that day, he had been received into the arms of Jesus and his body laid to rest in the red soil of Africa. Our world, and in a very real sense, our ministry had crashed around us. SIM brought us over to Nigeria for complete physical examinations and for a time of rest at Miango.

Then we returned to Accra. For the remainder of our time there, Betty and the remaining twin, Dean, did a great deal of travelling with me. It was so difficult to leave the compound without them.

Added to this, Eric and Doreen Bowley had been in Nigeria when all of this happened and while there Doreen suffered a miscarriage.

In view of all that had happened, SIM concluded that since my wife Betty was expecting again, she should return to Jos a few weeks prior to giving birth. She and Dean went over in early April and I followed in early May. The Field Council had already concluded that it might be best to transfer us back to Nigeria. Our ministry in literature distribution in Ghana lasted a mere 13 months.177

177 Don

Hall’s report for this writing, June 2007.

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Later Don and Betty finished language school and after further studies, Don taught at Igbaja Bible College and, with Betty’s help, ran the Correspondence School at Igbaja.

Bill and Jessie Wright have a fascinating story. In providing this information to me for the history of literature, Bill said, “I get excited thinking about it. Literature was a main focus of our activity and our heart for many years.” Bill arrived in Kano in April 1948. He came

by KLM, Jessie arrived by boat 2 months later and their paths converged at Hausa Bill & Jessie Wright 08 Language School, Minna. They studied Hausa and each other, becoming engaged in November 1948, and then married in Sokoto in September of 1949.

Harold Ogilvie was a good language school teacher and something of an opportunist, so that when he saw this young man diving into Hausa, Harold gave Bill the colportage responsibilities of the station which included taking SGM (Scripture Gift Mission) books in a variety of languages into town to sell.

Sometime earlier, Ogilvie had learned Irigwe – the language of the people in Miango. He reduced it to writing and had translated 2/3 of the New Testament and other portions of Scripture by 1935. He was also asked to work on the revision of the Hausa Bible. After three months of study Harold asked Bill to take responsibility for morning devotions with the Nigerian staff. Bill did not think he was ready for that, but Harold thought it would not harm the young men, so early on Bill was immersed in Hausa.

With the end of language school, Bill was assigned with Wilf Stade to Kaingiwa, in Sokoto Province on the Northwest border. Kaingiwa was the most remote station in SIM and was known as the “Mission Siberia”. Bill tells of these early days that as he was speaking to one woman, she replied in Hausa, “I don’t understand English.” The problem was that she was speaking the Sokoto dialect and Bill had learned another dialect hundreds of miles away in Minna.

In the meantime, after language school, Jessie was stationed to Jos and worked with Niger-Press helping Johnny Grant in the office.

After their marriage Bill and Jessie went back to Kaingiwa, but within a year they were back in Jos for the birth of Ruth. They remained in Jos for about five months, August to December, with Jessie helping Johnny Grant in the Press by operating the Linotype machine and Bill helping in the pharmacy. In Jos market each evening Bill preached and sold SGM booklets. When people wanted to come to the Lord, Bill would take them from the din of the market round to the Colportage building where he could instruct and pray with them.

It was during this time that Trevor Shaw and his wife arrived in Jos. Bill speaks about attending prayer times with Trevor and his wife along with Mary

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King. They prayed about Trevor’s vision for African Challenge. Little did Bill realize, that from 1958-1967 he would be assigned to African Challenge.178 The Wrights returned to Kaingiwa. As Bill became increasingly proficient in Hausa, he was asked to translate material from English into Hausa. In this he worked with Helen Watkins and Ruth Warfield. Bill mentions they used to be referred to as “W-squared”. Helen was also the main examiner for Hausa exams. Books translated at that time were Twenty-four Bible Stories and Fiftyone Lesson Booklet used in baptismal classes. In Hausa it was called Tushen ban Gaskiya. Bill also translated for SIM Translations Department – (SIMLIT). One was called Hanyar Rai or “The Way of Life in English. As Bill says, he dictated and Jessie typed. Fifty years later it is still the same.

While still in Kaingiwa, Bill was asked to do a regular “View of the World” section for Labarin Ekklesiya, the Hausa publication when Ruth Jacobson was the editor. One of his first articles in English was “Why One Wife” for African Challenge. It was a case for monogamy for Christians.

The Wrights went on leave in July 1957, and on the way through Kano were privileged to meet Dr Bargery of Hausa dictionary fame. He edited the Hausa/ English dictionary printed in 1932. He was an old man now, but was “called out of mothballs” to work on the Hausa Bible revision with Jake Eitzen, an SIMer and renowned Hausa speaker who had been district superintendent in Sokoto. Bill asked SIM to station him to literature distribution on their return.

They were expecting perhaps to be operating a bookmobile or something like that somewhere in the North. Much to their surprise however they learned from other missionaries on the ship MV Aureol that they were stationed to Akure in Western Region, to distribute African Challenge. Akure was about half way on the road from Lagos to Onitsha on the River Niger, and quite distant from other SIMers.

While the children enjoyed the pool and other activities, Bill was in the ship’s library learning about Southern Nigeria. Bill says: “Though politically, Southern Nigeria was the same country as Northern Nigeria, in reality it was a very different land in climate, vegetation, language and the advance of western civilization.”179 Bill was met by John Bergen who had their newly purchased Volkswagen van, so they were able to take their entire luggage from the ship to the guest house at Yaba. Since they now lived in Akure, Bill moved around Ondo and Benin states with Challenge. Bill said of the van, “It became my hotel on the road, bookmobile and Challenge delivery vehicle, as well as family transport when home.”

The Challenge house was one or two miles out of town, so it was isolated for Jessie when Bill was travelling. Locked in by the jungle, unable to speak the 178 Bill

Wright in an email communication 28 June 2008.

South was under the influence of Christianity since the 1840s. It was not until the 1930s that missions were allowed to have stations in the Muslim North.

179 The

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language, and with two young children, frustration was a factor. To combat this Jessie wrote to the Lagos office asking for work to be given to her that she could do in Akure. By this time the African Challenge Readers’ Clubs had started, and this could be done anywhere, so Jessie took over as counsellor and organizer, staying in touch with up to 350 Readers’ Clubs in Nigeria and other countries. How Readers’ Clubs came about will be mentioned in more detail later.

While in Akure Bill wrote the booklet, Why One Wife. The material was the same as the article written for Challenge some years earlier, but now enlarged.

Printed as a booklet and sold at sixpence (18 cents), it went through 25,000 in three printings that Bill knows about.

Bill describes what his schedule was like at Akure, and it would be similar for many of the Challenge representatives.

I would often be on the road Monday to Friday, visiting about 200 schools a month with English and Yoruba Challenge magazines, which were sold and distributed through the school headmasters.

Total distribution was, if I remember correctly, about 12,000 copies per month. This was arduous work. I camped and cooked in the bus - and ate a lot of bananas!

After school hours, returning through towns and villages, I stopped the bus under shady trees and opened the bookrack in the back of the bus, selling considerable quantities of books, booklets, and Bibles. A trick of the trade was to give away a few back copies of the Challenge magazine, and people would then come running from everywhere, and I soon had a crowd around the back of the bus.

Then I would hold up the books and booklets, 6d, 3d, 1/- shilling. I had learned enough of the Yoruba language to ask directions on the road and to sell booklets using that language. We had support from Peoples Church, Toronto, and received a good supply of Dr Oswald Smith’s books in English, of course, which I sold at low prices. Dr Smith wrote in short sentences and easy words, which could be understood much better by African readers than the writing of most North American writers. In 1962, we again went on home leave. 180 During his time in Akure Bill contracted filaria. Though feeling the effects of the parasite, it was not discovered until they returned from home leave and he was assigned as district superintendent for Challenge in Nigeria and Ghana.181 This meant moving to Challenge compound in Lagos. Bill tells about that time: Lagos was the last place in the world where I ever expected or wanted to be. But I came to love it. For the next four years, we 180 Bill

Wright’s account for this history, 15 January 2007.

181 Ibid.

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were at the Challenge compound, Agege Motor Road, Lagos, then still the nation’s fast-growing capital. I immediately took over as business manager (something I had never done in my life!) from Karl Munting, soon to depart on furlough. I had to learn fast and much. I also became the Challenge distribution manager as well as the district superintendent for the forty missionaries in our district.

There were about 80 African staff at the Niger-Challenge Press.

I learned much and received great support from my fellow missionaries, Harold Fuller, editor-in- chief of the publications, Ashley Tuck, Allen Moore and Bill Todd in the Press, Jim Mason with Challenge Bookshops, and many other helpful people. 182 WrItIng on MarrIagE Bill tells of a trip that he and Jessie made to Eastern Nigeria. We (the Masons) were on the compound at the time, and wondered why they could not take an honest break from the office. Bill never shared that he dictated while Jessie typed.

While we were in Lagos, I was asked by the SIM Bible Correspondence School at Igbaja to write a Bible correspondence course on marriage. (Perhaps the request came because of the popularity of “Why One Wife”.) I remember a trip that Jessie and I made from Lagos to Enugu to visit our beloved Challenge reps along the way and in the Eastern Region. We were driving the ancient VW bug that belonged to NCP (Niger-Challenge Press). I improvised a wooden rack in the passenger seat to hold Jessie’s portable typewriter. All day as I drove the bug I dictated to Jessie while she typed a big part of what became the Sex and Marriage, Happy and Holy Bible correspondence course. It, too, became very popular and God blessed. Those who completed the course proudly displayed their certificates. That was just one of many courses sent out by Igbaja Correspondence School, but the one with which I am familiar. 183 Ken and Phyllis Bennett, who were fluent in Yoruba, were in Ibadan with Challenge for some years before going to Lagos to work at the guest house in Yaba, prior to moving to Challenge compound as district superintendent. Ken returned to the UK in 1971, and was warden of North Oxford Student Hostel for 18 years. They helped 182 Bill

Wright’s account for this history, 15 January 2007.

183 Ibid.

Ken & Phyllis Bennett - Minister Lovell OX UK

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many students through the years and continued to stay in touch with them after they left. Several of those former students paid for Ken and Phyllis to visit them in countries like Sudan, Singapore, Nigeria and Egypt after they became successful in their careers. Ken and Phyllis returned to Nigeria for six months to help do the task of two couples for the Pastors’ Book Set Conference in 1997.

CHAPTER 11

MORE DISTRIBUTION PERSONNEL

B

ud and Doris Lavely were in their senior year at BIOLA (Bible Institute of Los Angeles) in 1954 when Dr Albert Helser of SIM Nigeria was one of the speakers. Bud was president of the Africa Prayer Group, so was able to talk with him one day. Dr Helser said that he would like to have them on his team in Nigeria. Asking them to pray about it, he suggested that, if interested, they could attend an SIM candidate class in Pasadena after school ended. They attended and Bud tells how this happened: We felt this was something God wanted us to do, so we applied, and enjoyed meeting our hosts, other candidates and getting to know of mission opportunities in Nigeria. We were accepted into SIM in July of 1954, arriving in Nigeria, in July of 1955. Our first child, Richard Stephen arrived one month later at Jos. ASSIGNMENT TO AFRICAN CHALLENGE ABA After language school at Minna they were assigned to Eastern Region early 1956 distributing the African Challenge magazine. They were the first SIM missionaries in that part of the country, and had the privilege of introducing Challenge, Christian books and Bibles to a needy, open and appreciative people.

The early days: Our first station was a vacant Qua Iboe Mission house forty miles in the “bush�. Not exactly a prime location to launch literature ministry, but with schools and churches in all the villages, we could and did begin the work virtually on our own doorstep. The work was both rewarding and demanding. Roads were treacherous and dangerous. Not all bridges were safe. We proved that one day when a bridge collapsed under us. In rainy season in those days, many roads were impassable, which really played havoc with our schedules.

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My basic plan in those early days, before I was well acquainted with the area, was to visit schools within driving distance of our house, so I could be home every night.

At each school, I would meet the headmaster and he would invite me to speak to the student body. It was quite a novelty for a white man to visit a school, and especially if he was a Christian and had an attractive, informative teaching aid like the African Challenge, that featured Bible lessons. It should be noted that most Bud & Doris Lavely of the primary and secondary schools in those days were mission schools, and all schools were required to have courses in Bible knowledge and instruction. Since classes were conducted in English, and they really liked to hear English from a white person, my coming was an occasion for a break in the normal school routine, both for staff and students. At the end of my presentation students would indicate if they wanted to subscribe to the magazine. A teacher would be appointed to service the subscribers.

Following that, I would invite the entire staff out to my station wagon to examine the attractive selection of Bibles and Christian literature that I had on board. Since Christian bookshops were few and far between, and many books on popular subjects (home, marriage, family, Christian living, etc.) were not available locally, enthusiasm for this service right to their doorstep can hardly be overstated. It was so enjoyable to meet and befriend these highly motivated and appreciative people. The teachers were quick to realize the usefulness of Challenge as an effective teaching aid in the subjects they were teaching. transFEr to Enugu After some months of living in the heart of the rain forest, Doris developed a skin condition and nothing would help. The net result was a decision to transfer the Lavelys to Enugu, the capital of the region, 65 miles to the north. The move was good for health and, being more central to the entire region, also good for distribution of Challenge.

They lived in a rest house for a few months, in very cramped quarters while Bud worked on permits to build a house, even as he kept up with Challenge distribution to schools and vendors. This move introduced them to other

More DistriBution PersonneL

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missionaries who were a support to Doris when Bud was away. It also afforded Bud opportunities for Christian outreach. cHaPlaIncY rEsPonsIBIlItIEs Bud teamed up with a teacher from the local Technical Institute to assume the chaplaincy responsibilities at the largest regional prison. They provided weekly services for the inmates for the entire time they were in Enugu. This was an outstanding opportunity to share Christ and the transforming power of the Gospel with these needy, friendly and receptive men. lIFE on tHE road Bud’s schedule: My schedule in those days, though routine, was well coordinated, efficient and with little room for error or delay. In a culture that was not built along these lines, there were many disappointments and problems.

But ordinarily, I would leave every week early Monday morning with my station wagon completely loaded down, headed for some outlying district where I would spend the Book Display - Lavely entire week, meeting, speaking and getting people subscribed to our magazine, while offering them helpful books and literature to aid them in this study, teaching, and to help them live to the “glory of God”.

Fortunately, there were strategically located mission stations and rest houses I could stay at along the way. By Friday afternoon, I would be tired and glad to be heading home to my family. Along the way I would stop at farms and markets to load up with fruit and vegetables for the coming week.

The weekend was used in attending to home maintenance, social activities, study, recreation, church, prison, preaching and getting ready for early Monday departure. Not much down time.

After some time it was determined that I was the most strategically located to access the English-speaking part of the Cameroons, the country immediately to the east of Nigeria. This represented a very strenuous week with a lot of travel time. The people and accommodations were nice; the roads were not. Travel was slow and difficult and at times precarious. With a much smaller population than Nigeria, cities and schools were much farther apart. It was a country of considerable beauty and stark contracts. At Buea, on

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the coast, the annual rainfall is over 300 inches a year but a hundred miles to the north it is quite dry.

The story I remember about Bud Lavely from this time was that he had Michelin tires on his Peugeot station wagon and he wanted to cover 50,000 miles (75,000 km) before he had to change them. The tires were getting smoother and smoother, but they made it to 50,000 miles. For the kind of roads Bud travelled on, that was a great achievement for any tires.

In 1965, storm clouds of separation by Biafra were on the horizon, so it was decided that the Lavelys should be transferred to Ghana to continue literature work there. They landed in Accra October 1965, sharing the rented Challenge compound with John and Vi Bergen.

Harold and Elsie Saul were stationed at Katsina, north of Kano in the bookshop work. When bookshops were centralized under Jos Bookshop, Katsina came under a Nigerian manager. At that time the Sauls moved to Aba in Eastern Region and were assigned to African Challenge distribution. They would go out in their Volkswagen van fitted with sleeping accommodation.

They spent the years before the Civil War and looming retirement travelling that part of Nigeria. They were very successful, working hard and sleeping in their van until it was felt at their age they should spend more time at home base in Aba than in the van. Harold visited the Aba prison and, through the presentation of the Gospel, the man who became the first bookmobile driver in Port Harcourt was led to the Lord by Harold Saul. When they went home to Canada the Sauls settled in British Columbia.

HOW CHALLENGE WAS KNOWN AND APPRECIATED After the Civil War Vern and Phyllis Hurlbert returned to Enugu. Vern went to Jos to fetch Clem Bartlett who had built the new bookshop. They had to go through many road blocks along the way, but it is amazing how a few outdated African Challenge magazines can help to get through these roadblocks. As Vern reported: Everyone knows the Challenge, and so when they see them, they say to one another, “These are our people,” and we are allowed through.184 Another story from that time took place in Western Region of Nigeria where Challenge was delivered on motorbike. It was in January 1966, as the events leading to the Civil War were beginning, that one of the motorcycle field reps came to a group of motor cyclists as thugs came out of the bush. The other bikes were set alight, but when the thugs saw the African Challenge sign, they said, “Oh Challenge! Off you go!”

184 Phyllis

Hurlbert, Whatever Happened to Calamity Jane, self published, 2007.

MORE DISTRIBUTION PERSONNEL

On another occasion John and Vi Bergen and Stan and Etta Todd were coming from Accra for a conference at Challenge compound in Lagos. It is only 300 miles, but you had to pass through Togo and Benin (formerly Dahomey) on the way.

When Stan got to the Togo border and talked to the immigration officer, the man said: “Oh you’re African Challenge! Why, the two greatest things in the world are African Challenge and ELWA. Do you know ELWA?” “Yes, they belong to the same mission.” “They do?” And he cleared both cars and families without delay.185 ELWA was the radio station operating from Liberia.

I will let Ken Bennett tell how the Ibos working for Challenge were helped during the Civil War: There were a good number of Ibo men working for Niger-Challenge Press (NCP), and SIM Bookshops. I believe it is correct to say those who wished to return to their home area had left when the conflict began. A short time after conflict had begun there were eight Ibo men still left working with NCP and the bookshops.

There was considerable persecution in Lagos and it was felt wise to get them out from the midst of this unrest. I had a pass to get into the departure area of the airport, so I was able to take Charles Ohu out to an international flight to Ghana where he was able to study art during the conflict. Jim Mason and I took seven of the men to stay on the mission compound in Ibadan where there was relative quiet. Only a few days later I was told things would deteriorate in Ibadan, but only four wished to leave. The difficulty was to get out of Ibadan, there being strong army roadblocks in and out of the city.

This was mainly to check on what and who were getting in and out.

Jim Mason went to the roadblock out of the city, held the soldiers in conversation, and gave them old copies of African Challenge and other Christian literature. I came by three minutes later and drove by with four Ibo men in the back of the car, Jim saying “He is my friend; he is going on a journey.” Ken was able to get them to the River Niger and at night was able to get them on a small boat across the river so entering the Ibo area. Things did not improve and we had concern for the three who were still in Ibadan, I was able to get them out of Ibadan and take them to a little village in the Mid-West, which was by this time occupied by the forces from the East (Biafra).

This was an isolated area and no real danger so they were able to get from there to the river and to their homes. These men survived the war period and most came back afterward.

185 Stan

Todd in his testimony for this history, March 2007, in SIM Archives.

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Ken Bennett was stationed in Ibadan at that time, but later went to Lagos as District Superintendent. There was a bookshop in Ibadan, so Ken and Jim Mason often had to make trips there. On the return there was a 7pm curfew coming into Lagos and increasingly a long line up from 4pm. If it was too long, Ken and I would drive up to the front of the line holding out African Challenge, ensuring there was enough for every soldier and we would be allowed to go through.

African Challenge was like an “open sesame”. It was known throughout Nigeria and in Ghana, and being associated with the magazine introduced you as people who loved and served the country.

One historic fact about Challenge and how it became an integral part of Ibadan city life is that when the compound was built, and up to about 1964, it was the last compound on the only road to Lagos. The closest building was St Anne’s Church, then an Anglican girls’ school being about ¼ mile distant. As things built up around Challenge, the area became known as “Challenge” and that is what you would see on city maps today.186

186 Information

provided by Ken Bennett.

CHAPTER 12

COUNSELLING AND READERS’ CLUBS COUNSELLING DEPARTMENT From the beginning, each issue of the Challenge had a salvation article and a decision slip that people could sign indicating they had chosen to follow Christ.

This was sent to Challenge where they were promised further help. There was never a month without a response. At the beginning they were in the tens, and as the distribution grew so did the number of responses.

In 1965 the total number for the year was 2,427, occasionally the monthly total running as high as 4-500.187 In a later year the Counselling Department received over 4,000 letters from readers.188 When they wrote, the counsellor would write back including some tracts that would help. Some of the counselees’ interaction is recorded below: I have read your letter through and have studied the pamphlet, The Foolish Grasshopper, and I have seen that I was exactly like it. I went about seeking worldly pleasures and trying to enjoy life while I could. But praise the Lord because I have accepted Him to be my personal Saviour and Lord. I am now living for Him. Another: I am a Challenge reader, but this Challenge is the most wonderful one. It makes all my heart to move. The story of Pearse E. Henshaw, From Prison to Christ, seemed to be like mine.

Mr. Henshaw became the first bookmobile driver in Port Harcourt. He came to the Lord under Mr Saul’s ministry in prison in Aba. My life is full of bad thoughts. I always think of worldly things just like this very man, but he found Christ. How can I find Christ? I want to know. I want to find Christ as my Saviour. Please help me, friend.

187 Donor

letter by Eldon Howard in 1966 from Olwyn Keyte – to be deposited in Archives. from Olwyn Keyte.

188 Information

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Thank you for your letter. I understand all you said. I personally have received Jesus as my Saviour and Lord through reading your letter.

I should like you to pray and remember me so that I shall walk daily with the Saviour.189 Some of the correspondents were desirous to get some Bible material to study, so Challenge Counselling began to send out Bible courses. This continued to grow helping many people; however, eventually it became too big. Also, by this time Igbaja Correspondence School, had become strong and was more extensive both in numbers and available courses, so they were asked and agreed to take over this aspect of what Challenge had been doing.

YOUNG SOWERS’ LEAGUE Scripture Gift Mission (SGM) found that Nigerians, Ghanaians and Indians were prolific writers. SGM was inundated with the number of letters coming from these countries and sought help from SIM regarding Nigeria. This was not Challenge work, but SIM asked if Challenge could help Scripture Gift Mission in London, England.

Apart from being a secretary, Jessie Wright was assigned by SIM to take over the work of Scripture Gift Mission and their Young Sowers’ Course; she became the West Africa Secretary. YSL is a course of three levels of questions and memorization of Scripture. The student has to answer the questions sent; new material, such as a Gospel, is also sent with the answers. The student is first awarded a certificate. After the next step, a New Testament is awarded and finally a Bible. It is a very fruitful and encouraging work. Jessie says: “Our young son Jim was among those who made these achievements, laying a good foundation in mind and heart and memory.”

Through the years in Akure Bill Wright always sold the SGM booklets in a variety of languages. Later when they were in Lagos, Nancy Johnson, the Africa secretary of SGM, and Eric Cook, YSL director visited Lagos. Bill says, “It was the contact with these two SGM representatives from London that later led me to become the Canadian secretary for the Scripture Gift Mission.”

The effectiveness of Young Sowers’ League Bible courses is measured over years. Under Challenge Enterprises in Ghana, YSL was one of the departments under my (Jim Mason) control. It is uncertain when Challenge Ghana started doing the YSL work; it likely was at the same time as Nigeria. When I got to Accra in 1976, the counsellor, who eventually was over three areas plus the prison chaplain, was Albert Wright who started his journey in Christ through the YSL courses. In Ghana at one time we had in excess of 22,000 children taking the YSL course.190 189 Information

from Olwyn Keyte.

Mason Managing Director, Challenge Enterprises Ghana, May 2008. In Ghana we can point to numerous leaders, some in Christian work who got their start with YSL course from Challenge.

190 Jim

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CONTESTS Contests, either of general knowledge or Scripture knowledge, were included in the African Challenge, and they always got a good response. In one contest over 4,000 people from 30 countries entered. It is interesting also to know that the change in lives brought through Challenge was noted by others. One company in South Africa was so impressed by the impact the African Challenge had on their employees that they sent a donation to the magazine.

READERS’ CLUBS The African Challenge Reading Units started spontaneously, taking the Challenge staff by surprise.

In 1953 a Presbyterian pastor in Eastern Nigeria started a young men’s Bible Class, using the Challenge for study topics. He called the group an African Challenge Reading Unit. He wrote to the editor, the letter was published, and soon people were writing from all over, wanting to know how to start a Reading Unit. A list of rules was drawn up and the idea of one pastor grew into over 350 units, mostly in Nigeria, but also in Ghana, Cameroon, Fernando Po, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanganyika (Tanzania), Gambia, England and New Zealand.

The Reading Units met monthly to discuss the articles in the African Challenge magazine. The Rev John Dean, a representative of Scripture Union in Nigeria wrote: “African Challenge Reading Units keep springing up, giving students a desire for evangelical teaching. Alleluia!”191 Jessie Wright was the “nerve centre” of this growth. Bill tells how this happened: Work at Akure was exciting and a challenge for me, and devastating for Jessie, locked in by the jungle, with pre-school children, and unable to speak the local Yoruba language, while I was travelling with the Challenge. Jessie’s frustration became a blessing as she asked for some aspect of Challenge office work that she could do from home. In response, all the files for the African Challenge Readers’ Clubs were transferred to Akure. Groups of people found a leader and gathered to read the articles in the Challenge magazines. Letters and questions were passed over to Jessie, who became counsellor and organizer for these groups, answering personal questions with letters and explanatory literature.192 Some time later, likely in 1965, Michael Bonomi, who graduated from Igbaja Seminary, took up the post of travelling secretary for the Challenge Reading 191 Prayer 192 Bill

letter to donors 1961.

Wright’s account for this history, 15 January 2007.

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Units. He travelled around Southern Nigeria to speak in schools and was a positive influence in the lives of many young people.193

193 ELWA

P.R. piece on African Challenge 1965.

CHAPter 13

PERSONNEL IN EDITORIAL JAMES BOLARIN James’ father was a pastor in the Egbe area from which James came. James went to Lagos when Dr Herbold came to be business manager at Challenge. He obviously had talent in communication because, from the beginning, he was involved in the Editorial Department, becoming assistant editor of the English Challenge and the editor of the Yoruba James Bolarin Challenge.

In Nigeria in the 1950s if you wanted trained and experienced people, you had to train them. Since the policy of Challenge was the development of staff, many were sent on courses, overseas and in-country. In the fall of 1957 James was sent to England to take a oneyear course in journalism.

Later after Lagos University was established, James took another journalism course. He recalls that period as a time of being mocked by the others because he was a Christian. James tells of one incident: The others mocked me, but when a Muslim student was expelled for drawing a knife in a classroom fight, he first came to me in front of the other journalists and said, “Bolarin, I want to thank you for what your life has meant to me. Now I have seen what a Christian really is.”194 When the Church (ECWA) took over the bookshops, James Bolarin became the director of publications. After retirement he served as a pastor in the Ilorin area, at which time he was asked to come back as managing director of EPL (ECWA 194 W.

H. Fuller, Run While the Sun Is Hot, SIM, 1967, page 34.

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Publications Limited) for two years. EPL at that time included bookshops, Press and publications.

Harold Fuller tells us how Challenge went about training people for the magazine:

CHALLENGE – MORE THAN A PUBLICATION Although literacy exploded in parts of Africa (especially urban) in the 1950s, the arts (writing, illustrating) as a profession didn’t. Each culture had its traditional art, of course (and we have a number of excellent examples). But writing for publication was a new skill, apart from outstanding authors, such as Chinua Achebe, who trained overseas. Otherwise, “journalists” thought of newspaper writing as a form of “muckraking”.

At African Challenge, from the first, we recognized that training had to accompany editing and publishing. The first Nigerian trainee was Luckson Ejofodomi, whom the Shaws (AC’s first editor couple) picked up from SIM’s Bible school at Igbaja. As Luckson (his first name was typical of “nicknames” that Africans appended to their traditional names) gained experience, we sent him on to courses in journalism. He later studied at Syracuse University under our good friend Robert Laubach, son of the famous literacy missionary, Frank Laubach, who drafted the “Each One Teach One” method of spreading literacy.

There followed a series of “apprentice” writers. Our problem, shared by most missions in Africa, was the overall shortage of well-trained writers and editors. Challenge had a reputation for excellent training in English and in writing, and thus our staff could command prime positions and salary from secular publications. How could we blame staff, who had become (in many cases) their family’s breadwinner!

We bit our lips and trained in others.

Nigerian reporters could gain access to stories that might be withheld from an “expatriate” (as we “foreigners” were known).

Most memorable was the case (reportedly) of slavery - after a reader sent in a plea for help to free a relative. We sent a young reporter, Sunday Effion (parents often gave offspring the name of the week on which they were born), as an undercover reporter. He found a young man tied to a chair and sitting alone in a village compound. But the story had too many “ifs” to it, so we didn’t publish it. (For instance, a mentally ill person might be similarly tied up.)

There were trainees who had a sense of calling to the work of Christian publishing. James Bolarin was introduced to us by the first

PERSONNEL IN EDITORIAL

business manager of Challenge, R.V. Herbold and his wife. He had a pastor’s heart, and we worked with him, developing his writing skills. When SIM asked Lorna and me to transfer from Challenge to mission administration, we left the editorial work in the hands of James, a faithful colleague (and good friend - I chose him as my “Best Man” at our wedding).

We provided on-site experience for Bible school/seminary students during school break, our most promising one being Byang Kato. He came from a tribe whose diet majored in whole grain products rather than starch roots. Whether that contributed to his mental acumen, I don’t know, but he was brilliant. I was very hopeful that he would join our staff and one day become the editor - but Byang felt that his calling was theology. Indeed, he went on to take basic and advanced degrees in theology, including in Nigeria, USA, and Scotland. When the Association of Evangelicals of Africa needed an African leader, they begged us to release Byang - who by then was slated to become principal of SIM/ECWA’s Igbaja Seminary. For the greater good of Africa, we did release Byang for the AEA post, where he proved his leadership qualities.

Writers and editors weren’t the only people we trained. Our staff photographer, American Vester Dick, followed by New Zealander Ashley Tuck, needed a Nigerian understudy. Lorna and I gave up David Offon, the “house-help” we’d depended on. He obviously had a greater future than domestic help, and we were right. He became Challenge photographer - and proved to be outstanding, taking and processing his photos. For instance, he took the best family photograph we have ever had taken.

Challenge also needed Nigerian artists. An English artist, Valerie Thompson, and her colleagues trained in Charles Ohu and also Josy Ajiboye. Missionary staff also trained personnel for the Business Department and operators for the pressroom. Several of these went on to work for other printing organizations. We sought to help all these in their spiritual growth. Each day we paused to have staff Bible reading and prayer together.

So Challenge and Niger-Challenge Press became more than only a magazine! It was also, unofficially, a Christian publishing training institute.195

195 W.

H. Fuller, More than a Publication August 2008.

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DONALD BANKS Donald Banks came from England. He was brought up in a loving Christian home and he went to church, but “never allowed himself to become involved”.

It was not until he did his National Service of two years in the RAF (Royal Air Force), that he became a Christian and made that choice. Through others being transferred to other stations, he started to lead the “Fellowship meeting”. One of the men leaving on assignment suggested that he attend Westminster Chapel on Friday nights for the Bible study under Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He heard solid teaching on the doctrines of justification by faith, sanctification, assurance and much more, and he repeated that to the Fellowship group.

When released from the RAF, Banks attended London Bible College for two years and then applied to SIM to join Niger-Challenge Press in Lagos.

There he was an editorial advisor to the Managing Editor, Rev James Bolarin, collaborating in the planning of the magazines, while being involved in training the Nigerian staff to assume increasing responsibilities.196 Don later had the opportunity to head up the African Christian Press in Accra. He was there for some years before returning to the UK where he remained in Christian publishing and is now retired.

THE WEEKLY SERMON Some time in the late 1950s the Daily Times, Nigeria’s largest circulation paper, requested we provide them with a “Pastor’s Column” each week. Later, when the government started to publish the Morning Post and the Sunday Post, they too requested that we supply them with a pastoral message for each paper on a weekly basis. In the Daily Times, this column was called “The Pastor Speaks from the Pulpit”.

196 Information

from Sudan Witness No 1, 1965.

CHAPter 14

PERSONNEL IN THE PRESS NEILA AND ALLAN MOORE – NEW ZEALAND

F

or a time we had two sisters and one brother – three separate families, serving at Lagos, two at Challenge and one at Yaba guest house. Neila, then Ash Tuck and Hazel Elliott, were brother and sisters, all from the Tuck Family in New Zealand. It is Allan and Neila Moore and Ash and Daph Tuck we turn to now; both were at Challenge Press in Lagos.

One of the first things that come to mind was getting to Nigeria from this part of the world. We did this trip three times, once through the Suez Canal, once through the Panama Canal and once we crossed America en route to UK and Lagos. Our first trip in 1951 necessitated changing ships in Australia and in the UK, taking three months; travel was slow, but not everything was slow. Following our send-off meeting the night before we sailed we realized that we didn’t even have passports and were to sail at noon the next day and we sailed on time!

Another “incident” along the way is that at one of the many ports we visited en route we arrived back at the ship to find that the gangway had been lifted. A rope ladder was lowered and it was a matter of climbing up or staying behind - so we climbed, me carrying Dennis. Later on the same trip, when berthed at Aden, we were called to the purser’s office and informed that friends were there to meet us - and we spent a lovely day with the Modrickers (SIMers in Aden) to the amazement of all others.

Many years later we met them again at Sebring. I believe we were actually met by SIM people at every port of call and that was significant to us.

My involvement came about because of SIM’s decision to expand its

Allen and Neila Moore

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literature work which meant setting up a printing press in Lagos.

This was known in New Zealand through the late Jack Nicolson (an SIMer) through whom Trevor and Grace Shaw became involved.

Trevor was a journalist with the Auckland Herald and both were involved with a Christian mission group that published the New Zealand Challenge -which is still doing a good job here in New Zealand. We attended a meeting where Trevor was making an appeal for a Linotype operator, which was my specific interest in the printing world. Much happened in a very short period - and we found ourselves headed out to fill this need.

Part of the reason for crossing America (by Greyhound bus) was to spend time at the Linotype Factory in New York checking out the maintenance procedures, etc. for the new linotype machine that Challenge was installing.

We were too late to help with the actual printing of the first edition of the Challenge, July 1951, which was delivered to the SIM base at Yaba at the same time we arrived. We did help with the dispatch, mainly through the post, of that first edition.

Accommodation was tight in the early days. At first we shared a house with the Shaw family in one room, we in another. Chris Ferrier and Harold Fuller each had their own room and the “office” occupied the in-between space. This was not satisfactory so we moved back to the SIM at Yaba and another house was soon rented at Sure Lere, where we lived for a year with Chris Ferrier and Jo Stevens. We were the first occupants of accommodation being built at Mile 7, Agege Motor Road, the new Challenge compound. This was in a single worker’s apartment of the four-unit block, while our own house was being built. Harold Fuller and Herb Jones had their bachelors’ pad next door.

It was a bit ironical, I guess, for me to have gone out there as a “printer” as commonly thought because I worked in a printing press.

I had never printed anything in my life. However, Trevor Shaw was right. What was needed in the initial setup was indeed a Linotype operator. There was no press. The African Challenge was being printed entirely by the publishers of the Daily Times in Lagos. I became the go-between connecting our editors and the Press, which was not very satisfactory. Quite often a galley of typed matter which had been proof-read would end up worse rather than corrected. To overcome this continuing problem I persuaded the plant managers to allow me access to the Linotype machines myself - so I made my own corrections. Result: a good clean magazine with very few, if any, mistakes. This later created problems for the Daily Times people,

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whose publishers wanted to know why they printed a better paper for us than for themselves.

When we later occupied our new plant building the Linotype machine was the key to our production. By then our circulation of Challenge had greatly expanded and after a few years it was decided to print in the UK. The editing, typesetting and formatting of pages was done by us and we supplied proof pages to Sun Printers, Watford, for final processing.

Allen Moore at Linotype

As our plant grew and progressed we did many types of printing. Our first efforts were virtually on various pieces of office equipment. Ashley Tuck’s arrival was a real contribution to the development of the Press. His basic knowledge of photography, and my basic knowledge of printing, enabled us to establish the first offset press in Nigeria, apart from a government map printing plant operated by UK expatriates.

It was a great day when we installed a brand new Solna Offset press.

I had previously visited the Solna Plant in Sweden and this was their entry into the West African market. They looked after us very well.

This press enabled us to publish and print such magazines as the Yoruba Challenge, and for a time a French edition - Champion. One of my last jobs before we needed to leave Nigeria for family reasons was to place an order for a bigger press - a 25 x 38 inch sheet size Roland Parva offset press from Germany. Returning to visit the Press in 1992 I met the very man operating the Roland who had trained on that first Solna press.

A personal incident relating to that first Solna press; one day I was working late on my own after the normal staff had finished. I noted our little daughter, Maxine, coming across the floor toward me.

She passed out of sight as I was working on the off side to her suddenly the machine stopped. I raced round to discover her little hand entirely wrapped around the sprocket and chain which drove the machine and had tripped it off. I had then to retreat to the other side again and wind the machine back to release her hand. This had squashed all four fingers flat across the knuckles, and I greatly feared that her hand was ruined but they all filled out perfectly with apparently no bad effect. Our little Maxine died some months later of leukemia, and just perhaps it did have some effect. However, she

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is safe and well in our Lord’s keeping and I am well satisfied with this assurance.

Of course the merging of Niger Press from Jos with the Challenge Press forming the Niger-Challenge Press was a big development, introducing some additional forms of typesetting and expanding our real printing plant further. Mr Kitch, the manager, planned to join us and had a house built, but never made it. It was great working with Bill Todd.197

ASHLEY AND DAPHNE TUCK – NEW ZEALAND The Path to Missionary service I was raised in a godly home where we were taught the Word of God, and our need of personal faith in Christ for salvation. We frequently had missionaries stay in our home, and we became familiar with missionary work in many parts of the world.

My first serious consideration of missionary work came when I was about to begin high school. I had to decide whether to take the ‘general’ or ‘professional’ course. My decision for the latter was so that, if the Lord wanted me to be a missionary, I should probably train as a doctor!

But that wasn’t to be! Dad was a timber sawmill manager, but decided that the future for my brother and me would be better if he went farming. So, beginning the dairy season on 1st of July, six weeks before my 15th birthday, I left school and began my working life as a dairy farmer. That went well, and four years later I was managing the second largest dairy farm in our district, as Dad decided he didn’t need to stay on the farm and began his own building business in town.

In many ways I had it made! But at a Youth for Christ week-end camp the Lord really challenged me regarding my future and willingness to serve Him overseas. “Yes, Lord,” I was saying, “I am willing to serve you in PNG, India, South America, but no, not in Africa!” I really struggled on that one! Then, as clear as a spoken voice, I heard Him say, “You are using two words that don’t fit together…you cannot say “no” and also call me “Lord”. That was it!

I really wanted Jesus Christ to be the Lord of my life, so I responded by affirming that and saying I was willing to go “wherever” He wanted to send me. Well, where do you think He sent me!

197 From

write-up by Allan Moore, May 2007.

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Three years later I left the farm at the end of the dairy season (31st June) so I could begin a two-year course at New Zealand Bible Training Institute (BTI), commencing in the New Year. I was blessed as I was able immediately to start work with my dad again, this time in the building trade, and over the next several years he taught me the trade and gave me responsibility in his business.

During my first year at college I received a letter from my sister Neila, who was in Lagos, Nigeria with her husband Allen Moore, working at the recently opened African Challenge. “Ash, what do you have in mind to do when you finish your Bible training?” she asked. “We need a photographer here to do the photography work for the magazine, and I think you could do that! How about getting some training and experience in photography and coming out here to help us?”

That sounded a great idea, but…! My concern was how much weight I should place on a suggestion from my sister. I wasn’t sure!

I decided to talk to the principal, a wise and godly man. Mr Dean listened intently as I explained the situation and my concern, and then asked, “Ashley, have you ever noticed how many brothers there were among the Lord’s disciples?” He went on to give examples of many missionaries he knew who were on the field serving the Lord, who had received the Lord’s leading through a member of their immediate or wider family. He encouraged me to pursue the possibility, and recommended I talk to Mr Yolland, the senior lecturer of the College who was also an accomplished photographer.

I took his advice, and received incredible help regarding equipment and all aspects of photography from Mr Yolland. So, alongside my Bible training a new skill was developed!

But a shock awaited me! I had hardly got started; I had bought cameras and darkroom equipment, and another letter arrived from Lagos. A photographer had been accepted for the position from another country! Well, how should I respond to this news and what I had come to believe was where the Lord was directing me? I decided to pursue preparing, and continue to trust the Lord to open or shut doors as He knew best.

At the end of my first year at BTI, Daphne and I became engaged. She was doing maternity nursing training, which finished about the same time

Ash & Daphne Tuck 50 years on!

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as my course at BTI. With our training finished, we decided to get married on 26th March 1955, and I continued building and doing photographic assignments, also. We were involved in our church youth work and kept seeking what the Lord had for us to do. But why all this delay? We were prepared to head out right away, and kept our minds open to whatever possibilities were presented to us.

At one stage I had a growing conviction that we should seriously consider PNG, but didn’t mention it to Daphne for several weeks.

One day I decided to tell her what I was thinking. “I have been thinking exactly the same thing,” was her reply. We were both willing and happy to turn in this direction, and sought the Lord’s confirmation. What happened seemed strange at the time. Having confirmed our willingness to the Lord, the whole matter just seemed to fade from our minds. It became clear that the Lord was testing our openness and submission to Him. The door just seemed to close.

Sometime later another letter from Lagos brought news that the photographer who was there would soon finish his four-year term and he would not be returning! The door was again open in Nigeria.

We felt it was time to approach the mission and express our interest.

A reply came back from the chairman of the New Zealand Council asking us to meet the council the following Monday night, and invited us to come to his home for afternoon tea that day.

He also mentioned a development on the field where the African Challenge which was based in Lagos, and the Niger-Press, SIM’s printing department located on the plateau in Jos, were to be amalgamated at the African Challenge site. Also, the printing department, which was all letterpress, was planning to expand by installing an offset press and related photo-litho processing department. So the requirement for the new photographer for African Challenge was that he also be conversant with the photolitho trade and be able to set this up and train the Nigerian staff.

His closing comment was that the council was interested to know whether or not I had experience in this field.

I felt numb! I had never heard of such a printing process! I had a general idea of letterpress printing, but this was a completely new idea to me! The interview with Council was only a week away and I didn’t know where I could find out about this.

That Saturday evening was a family gathering to celebrate my grandmother’s 75th birthday. A cousin who was a printer was there, and had opened his own print shop. Maybe he could help me! As soon as there was opportunity I talked to him. “Spencer, do you

PERSONNEL IN THE PRESS

know anything about ‘offset’ printing?” I asked. “Yes, sure! I had the first offset press in Hamilton,” he replied. “Why do you ask?” I explained what I was considering, and found him to be very helpful.

He told me briefly about it, but then commented that it would be much better if I called in some time and he would show me the whole process in more detail.

With the interview just two days away I seized the opportunity and suggested ten o’clock Monday morning, en route to Auckland.

We had two hours together as he showed and explained the whole process. With my background in photographic processing I could understand what he was showing me, and I got more and more excited! I could clearly see the distinct advantage this print method had over the old letterpress. He then took me into his office and loaded me up with samples of jobs printed by this method that I could show the council.

Arriving at the chairman’s home, after greetings and serving a “cuppa”, he said to me, “Now, Ashley, tell me what you know about this offset process.” I burst out laughing! “What are you laughing about?” he queried. I explained the shock I got on receiving his letter, then pulled out the print samples and began baffling him with the technicalities of the process! The interview with council that evening went well, and we were provisionally accepted, subject to me getting the training I would need.

The time frame for arriving in Nigeria was only six months away. A four-year apprenticeship in this trade covered any two of the three aspects of the process, camera operating, film stripping and form lay-up, and plate making! Added to the problem of getting adequate training was the fact that there was a closed union system, so it was not easy to get in! It seemed impossible!

In those days the BTI also had a print-shop, but it was all letterpress.

However, I decided to discuss my situation with the manager whom I knew, to see if he had any ideas. The only possibility he could think of was a company that used to make their halftone printing blocks.

They had sold that business and had started a new photo-litho plate-making business. “This is probably the top company in New Zealand, but I don’t know that there will be much chance of them being willing to help you,” he said. “But let’s give it a try!”

He dialled the number. “Good morning, Offset Plates here.” The discussion began as the press manager explained to the owner of the business that he had a young chap with him who was going to Africa to set up an offset printing department and needed training in the

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photo-litho process. From across the desk I could hear the loud peal of laughter from the other end! “Well, he’ll need all the “xxxxxx” help we can give him if he is going out there to do that!” But he suggested that I go to see him and he would investigate what could be done to help me.

It was an up-market business alright, and the owner was a sharp operator! I was greeted with the same expletive, but he seemed genuine in his willingness to help me. “I won’t be able to pay you, and you won’t be able to work on any actual jobs in the process due to the rigid union rules we have to work with, but I will ask my process foreman to do all he can to help you and we can only hope that the staff will be co-operative!”

I spent several days in each of the three sections just observing to get a bit better overall picture of the process, before having a month in each to get a more detailed understanding, beginning in the “film stripping” department. The first day the foreman pulled out an old job and said I could “re-process” it, to get hands-on experience. The use of expensive materials was no problem to them! All of the staff were very helpful, looking over my shoulder as they passed, offering advice and teaching me good techniques and things that I should jot down in my notebook.

The second day the foreman came over to me and said, “Ash, I have this urgent job I need done. Would you mind putting that job aside and process this one for me?” From then on I worked as one of the staff! It was a steep learning curve, but I couldn’t have had a more skilled and helpful crew to learn from. This proved to be an incredible provision from the Lord.

Well, I didn’t end up using a scalpel in a hospital theatre in Africa… but I did use those same scalpels in the film “stripping” process as I prepared the film from which printing plates were made to go on the offset presses to print the good news of God’s love and salvation to distribute throughout West Africa.

Looking back it is quite clear to us that the path the Lord led us through, though we couldn’t understand where it was leading much of the time, was the best plan. How could we have anticipated that all those areas of training and work experience would meld together in such a way? We thank Him for being gracious enough to use us.

LAGOS! HERE WE COME I could hardly believe it! All our crates of personal effects were on the train heading for Wellington to load onto the MV Rangitane,

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and we were to drive down several days later. The night before we were to leave home a call came from the SIM home director to say that the money for our fare had not yet come in, and we would not be able to travel. “But we are going!” I responded. It must have seemed quite arrogant, I thought, as I reflected later, but I had not intended it that way! Having led us all this way, how would the Lord fail us at this stage? “Well, if the money is not in you will not be able to go,” he responded. “I will phone you in Wellington tomorrow evening to let you know.”

You may be able to imagine the thoughts that flashed through my mind when that phone rang and I heard, “Ash, the call is for you!”

We were right down to the wire…but the news was good…the last of the fare money needed had come in that afternoon, and we could board ship the next morning! We looked back on that final confirmation of the Lord’s call for us many times over the following years, as we faced testing and hard times. Our conclusion was that if the Lord had placed us here, then He would provide, enable, give wisdom or patience, whatever was needed to fulfill what He had placed us there to do. So we give Him the glory for all that was done to spread the Gospel through the printed page over those years.

Having two sisters and brothers-in-law in Lagos to welcome us and to help us adjust was wonderful.

GETTING STARTED The new Solna offset press had arrived and was sitting in the pressroom. However, the processing equipment had not been ordered, so my first job was to get that away ASAP! I was disappointed about this as I was keen to get it all operating, and to apply what I had learned. Now I had a whole year to get out of touch with it all…yes, that’s how long it took for the equipment to get to Lagos! It arrived the afternoon before we were to fly to Jos the next morning for our first break from the heat and humidity of Lagos. I was concerned to check that everything was OK before I left, so spent much of that night opening the crates and checking it all!

My main occupation during that first year was the photographic needs of African Challenge, Yoruba Challenge and other publications. A major part of that was the training of a Nigerian staff member to do this work in order to release me to handle the litho side.

David Offon was chosen. He was keen, and I was pleased with his progress in studio and reportage photography, plus film developing

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and making of enlargements. So by the second year I became freer to concentrate on the litho setup. Daph did the negative film and photo filing, and most of the print glazing.

However, I had squeezed into that first year the preparation of the process camera darkroom, the platemaking workbenches and tub, plus four light-top tables for film stripping and form layup, as well as filing cabinets for storage of completed job film work. Considerable electric James Bolarin at press wiring and plumbing also had to be done to connect all of this equipment, but we got it all ready!

Now the big challenge had to be met…how out-of-touch was I with the whole process? The heat and humidity was the major problem, despite having this work area air-conditioned. We soon got on top of the film processing, but I had quite some problem with the deep-etch plate-making process. I scanned my copious notes for what might cause problems and thought I had followed the suggested remedies closely. While most of the time the plates were okay, it was not always so. What could I do now? The viability of going into offset printing was on my shoulders as no one else had any experience in this area.

But there was one option. The Government Survey Department had offset equipment for their map printing, which was run mainly by expatriates from the UK. I decided to contact Billy Graham greeting the manager who would be able to help me but, Dyanne Tuck Mid- 1960 unfortunately, he was not. When I told him what we were doing he was most annoyed…to think we would break into his domain as the only offset printer in the country; this was unacceptable, and he didn’t want to know me!

What was I to do now? I really was on my own! Or so the tempter put into my mind! I had become very aware that the devil was likewise very jealous of his arena and would do “whatever” to hinder or nullify any attempt of God’s servants to enter his territory with the message of salvation for the lost. That’s what this was all about!

PERSONNEL IN THE PRESS

Starting this printing process could greatly increase our potential to spread the Gospel to the Nigerian people, and in fact much wider than that! Well, was the Lord going to come to my aid? I prayed sincerely for his help and enablement.

A couple of weeks later a call came in for me…the manager of the Survey Department Press wanted to talk to me! I couldn’t believe my ears! He seemed SO friendly! “I’m wondering, Ash, what chemicals you are using for your plate-making?” When I told him the “Howter” brand from UK, he asked whether I could loan him some etch solution as he had run out, and his order could be a few weeks away yet. “Sure,” I said “I would be very happy to help you.

How much do you need?” He was so relieved. I could hear it in the tone of his voice as he thanked me quite profusely.

“By the way, Ash, how are you getting on with the problem you were having with your plate-making?” When I told him we hadn’t mastered it yet he offered to come out the next morning and spend several hours with me to go over it. We did that, and after observing us do a complete plate process he said we were virtually spot-on, but gave me a few pointers that should help. And they did! We rarely had that problem again!

Well, the boot was on the other foot, wasn’t it? It was the last thing I expected! But again, the Lord turned that testing time into a triumph!

MISSION CO-OPERATION About this time NCP was approached by another mission (UMS) about the possibility of our co-operation with them. They had been given a small offset press with the intention of setting up a printing facility near Ilorin and Ray Hawkins was to come out to operate it.

As he considered the cost and complexity of associated equipment that was needed for all the other operations involved, he suggested that if he could install the press at NCP as part of our plant, and he join our team, all their mission printing could be produced much more cheaply and efficiently. NCP could use their press for small print jobs, and likewise our larger presses for some of their larger print jobs. Also Ray’s abilities in composing, Linotype operating and machinery maintenance would be very valuable to our whole setup.

This arrangement continued for a number of years with mutual benefit, and Ray and Marie became very valuable members of the NCP team.

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OTHER PROBLEMS DEVELOP About a year from getting the offset printer operating and going well, the benefit of this process began to get around, promoted somewhat by the local agents for the presses and process equipment.

They began to make sales! But it was one thing for a local printer to buy such equipment, and another to be able to operate it, as they soon discovered. A “poaching” of key staff began! Our process camera operator was approached by one of these printers and offered double the wages if he would come! How could he resist? Over the next two years I trained two more camera operators who were also enticed away, and similarly with the plate-making department operators. However, when one of these young men came and asked if he could come back to work with us, the exit stopped! He had found that being alone with no one to guide him, and being under pressure to perform just wasn’t worth the extra pay!198

198 From

Ash Tuck write-up, April 2007.

CHAPTER 15

OLWYN KEYTE

O

lwyn was a long time “fixture” at Challenge, serving as librarian.

Here is her story that explains how she moved from New Zealand to Lagos.

We were taken to church and meetings, going on our own as we grew. When I was 12 and my brother eight, he went forward at a children’s meeting. I looked at him and thought, “I know that I am a Christian but I never told anyone.” So out I went. Was this my actual conversion? It certainly was a dedication. We had good teaching in that church.

My mother’s youngest sister was a CIM (China Inland Mission – now Overseas Missionary Fellowship) missionary and from my earliest days, Mission was both a family and a church affair. When I was 15, my father was transferred to Auckland. We found another good church, and then at one Bible Class camp, when I was teaching a Junior Bible class, we had as speaker, Rev John Deane, Principal of the New Zealand Bible Training Institute. He opened the Word so clearly that I asked how I could learn from him. At the time, I was working at the Auckland City Council Public Libraries, doing studies by correspondence as I worked. Mr Deane said, “Are you doing any exams?” “Only Printing Presses and Printing Methods. What use is that to a girl?” “Finish your exams, and then apply to NZBTI.”199

Equipped with a Diploma of the Library Association of New Zealand, I applied and entered BTI in 1952. During the second term of my first year, a fellow student spoke of SIM in Africa. “There are 30,000 Africans to every one preacher of the Gospel,” he began.

My heart leaped up - “Oh, I’ll go! Oh, I can’t; I’m not a nurse or a teacher.” How ignorant we were, then! But the very next week, in the Africa prayer meeting to which I went regularly, I heard about African Challenge printing press! “Hey, this I do know a little about.”

199 From

material provided by Olwyn Keyte, June 2007.

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Why was I at an African prayer meeting? My old Bible class teacher was doing a short term teaching at Bingham Academy, Ethiopia.

Coincidences? I think not. And I never doubted that He had called me to Nigeria about which the student had spoken in detail.

I later learned that the student was a friend of Neila and Allan Moore, already at Challenge. He had prayed that one would be called that night.

He heard his answer 16 months later!

I was accepted by SIM in October 1953 and was told that they had been praying for a librarian. So I Olwyn Keyte was PRAYED out. When I told Mr Deane that I was accepted by SIM he jumped up in joy and said, “You were only accepted to BTI by the skin of your teeth.”

So the girl who wanted to be a better Bible class teacher finds herself on a ship for Africa, along with Ruth Cremer, also BTI 1953. (Ruth served 54 years in Ethiopia in translation work. She went home from Ethiopia February 2008 and died in March 2008). We had many missionaries on that trip, and were joined by three Christian girls in Adelaide, Australia. One of those girls is still a supporter 53 years later.

Leaving New Zealand on 9 July 1954, by 3 September 1954 I stood on the deck of a small freighter looking down on the docks at Dakar in Senegal. I felt like a block of ice! “What am I doing here?” It was rest hour and what looked like corpses lay about!

The next day we reached Bathurst in Gambia. We went ashore - the market, the people, the sounds, smells, and colour. The next day we went to an Anglican church before the ship sailed. In Bathurst, I fell in love with Africa.

On 18 September 1954, Dr Herbold collected me from the ship and I joined the African Challenge staff. That was also the day of the monthly picnic, when all the missionaries and any African staff who wished went to Bar Beach on Victoria Island. So I met many people all at once, in a relaxed fashion.

CHALLENGE, SEPTEMBER 1954 My first duties at Challenge seemed to be office work, typing contests, form letters. Although this was not my training, it helped to get the idea of what an Editorial Department was like - its duties and routines. Eventually I helped in every aspect, sub-editing, proof reading, layout, art and so on.

OLWYN KEYTE

Over the course of 15 months, I was glad for these days of learning because when the library eventually got underway, I knew what was needed for the Editorial Department. On 8 August 1955, I wrote, “I just found another reason why the Lord had me spend nine months doing editorial work before I began the library. One was that I would know how the paper was put out and what was required in my clippings file. Now I find that whereas I would have just made an ordinary classified catalogue, I must now make an analytical one.

The job is one of detail; just a paragraph or a chapter is of infinite value and these nine months have shown me which chapters I must index and which I may leave. It is a thrilling job.

Another realization was that everything one learned as a child, youth, young adult will come in useful sooner or later. It’s true, everything you could possibly have done or known is useful on the Mission Field - from first aid to Latin, etiquette to the various keys in music - I’ve been a combination of office girl, librarian, first aid assistant, music teacher, gardener, kindergarten nurse, and housekeeper today.

Not unusual either.

One discussion within a fortnight of my arrival was, “Is it right to walk always on the borders of exhaustion?” The answer was NO, but sometimes it has to happen. Harold (Fuller) and Al (Moore) just have to get the Challenge out even if they spend the day after in bed. The Issue is of greater importance than they are at the deadline date. The solution is more staff.

This over-work was an on-going problem - some staff members being ill. The editor and his secretary work every night for about two weeks a month and the sub-editor takes his work home and does it there. Unfortunately, I can’t help them in this work - it’s out of my line. But I have been able to relieve them somewhat. I’ve worked six nights in the last month.

For relaxation, there were occasional picnics, especially north of Lagos. Someone had an aquarium and we netted tiny tropical fish in ponds by the roadside. Roads were not conducive to fast travel in those days. Local people were astonished to see us cook and eat in the bush. Some Wednesdays were half-days and we shopped in Lagos. Even a walk round the compound at night refreshed.

The resultant magazine, however, was greatly blessed. The EFMA (Evangelical Foreign Missions Association) said that “If the SIM had done nothing else than start the African Challenge, then all the money it had spent would have been worthwhile.” The editor of Millions, Ivan Allbutt (CIM/OMF) said, “Challenge was probably

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the most far-reaching single venture in Protestant missions today.”

There are now eight other Challenge-type papers in print or in embryo in the world.200

YORUBA CHALLENGE The Yoruba language edition of Challenge was first published in 1954, and was being published every four months. A skeleton staff carried on the writing; some of them were part-time having responsibilities with the English edition of Challenge or other tasks. Ozra Traub of UMS (United Missionary Society) based in Ilorin was one who contributed part-time. He would come south to help editorially with Yoruba Challenge. Ozra was thoroughly fluent in Yoruba, working with SIM’s Ernie Harrison, stationed in Lagos at the guest house.

Ernie was also fluent in Yoruba. They gave 2–3 weeks in planning and checking for every issue. Olwyn Keyte recalls: It is a very big job seeing there are so very few to do the work.

Skeleton staff for a monthly is 16 people and we have no fulltime staff besides James Bolarin. Kath Dick contributed but works half-time on the English issue. We need good Christian Yoruba journalists if we’re to make this issue monthly. With free education in the Western Region and kids learning to read Yoruba at six years old, the primary schools are crying out for a monthly issue.”

The third issue of Yoruba Challenge was going to press in June 1955. The fourth issue was being prepared. The early editions were printed at Daily Times in Lagos, but it was likely in 1959 that Niger-Challenge Press began to print the Yoruba Challenge. Then later, it was printed by Associated Press Nigeria, under the new owner. After a while it became bi-monthly. In a letter home in November 1969, Ash Tuck mentioned, “We have just printed 47,500 of the Yoruba Challenge.”

The Yoruba Challenge had similar experiences as the English Challenge. People were writing in for spiritual help, with many making decisions to trust Christ. The bulk of distribution was through the schools. The experience of problems and crises through the years was similar, and living on the same compound we all shared them. One of the low times occurred when David Ajibola, one of the promising young men on the staff of African Challenge, who had just been appointed as associate editor of the Yoruba Challenge, was James Bolarin & Harold Fuller 200 Information

provided by Olwyn Keyte, June 2007.

OLWYN KEYTE

195

drowned at Bar Beach in Lagos two days after Christmas. Kath Dick said this of David: Over twenty years ago, when I first came to Africa, I took David as a young lad to educate and train him for the Lord. He came from a polygamous home (his father had 16 wives), but when he accepted the Lord, his every hour was lived for Him...His love and loyalty knew no limit. What a triumph of the Gospel he was...Two years ago he joined Challenge staff and just recently he had been appointed associate editor.201 Such are the heartaches experienced in God’s work when Satan attacks because you are invading his territory where he has been in control. Such loss is the price many have paid as they have gone forth in Christ’s name to deliver the Gospel to those who have not heard.

As African Challenge had a 25-year span of influence to numerous generations of students, Yoruba Challenge had a similar influence for 19 years. The first issue was in 1954. The peak figure for circulation was 65,000 and the Yoruba Challenge stopped publishing at the end of 1973, just as preparations were being finalized for the church to take over the bookshops and the Literature Department which would be supported by profits from the bookshops.

By July 1955, African Challenge circulation had stalled at 140,000. We needed more field reps, and perhaps our paper covered too wide a clientele.

According to Olwyn Keyte: From Standard 5 and 6, to university, professional and business people, farmers, housewives, and cabinet ministers, how can we feed all these ages, stages of education, culture and interests with one paper? Should we begin to make an intellectual, and a youth paper? Should we cater to children and forget adults? The schools are perhaps our greatest field. They use the Challenge in their basic English classes - some even use them in entrance exams.

With respect to the library work, we had two libraries: the research library at Challenge and a reading room library in the new bookshop.

This was being built in October 1954. Applications for membership of the reading room library were discussed and the library prepared to open at the end of August.

We were flat out on the Christmas issue, especially the centre four pages. Seven of us were producing a full programme, songs, mimes, readings to be illustrated by mimes for use in churches. We had to put 14 carols in tonic sol-fa, photos of each part of the play, the 201 Sudan

Witness, Vol. No 2 1957

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entire script of Scripture selections, instructions and props into four pages.

At the end of 1955, the Challenge staff put on the Christmas play, in the Mushin ECWA church - the play from the December African Challenge. It was good to do it ourselves. The audience of local people and missionaries said it was the most reverent Christmas play they had ever seen. To God be all the glory!202 When Olwyn landed at Lagos and arrived at the Challenge, one thing that impressed her was the great variety of extracurricular activities carried on by the missionaries. It was not just writing, printing, editing, proof reading and all the other activities involved in putting together a monthly magazine. Some of these extra activities included: Christian Business Men’s committee, Christian Business and Professional Women’s Council, Every Girl’s Rally (12-18 years), Saturday visitation, Visual Aid Institute, Sunday School classes, open air meetings, Bible classes, women’s meetings, services at the Police College, mental and convalescent homes, youth meetings twice monthly, Army Barracks Sunday School, prison visitation, hospital visitation, Bible study with doctors and nurses at Suru Lere Teaching Hospital, preaching in local churches, crusades in the city, campaigns in Lagos, displays at Ibadan University and displays at showgrounds. These are some of what Challenge missionaries were involved in on a regular basis.

HARVEST TIME The 1950s and 1960s were a great time of harvest! This was the time of reaping resulting from all the sowing of God’s Word through preceding years. Great numbers of people entered the Kingdom of God through faith in Christ. It was into this climate that the African Challenge was born, and it was one reason why for 25 years African Challenge was so successful in meeting a great spiritual hunger and challenging the people in the street who had no faith. At the same time it was building up Christians through challenging articles and helpful Bible studies.

Those at the African Challenge compound in Lagos had constant opportunities to speak in churches and when they did there was blessing. Bill Wright, the district superintendent recalls, “Whenever I gave an invitation, people responded, sometimes many. It was a great time of harvest before the civil war.”203 Sunday was a time when Nigerians and Cliff Barrows with Herbolds Lagos

202 Information 203 Bill

by Olwyn Keyte.

Wright in email message June 2008.

OLWYN KEYTE

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expatriates came to the Sunday afternoon services at Yaba guest house. Various ones among them ministered the word along with the missionaries.

Tony Wilmot stands out from all others who spoke. He had a long and successful career in colonial government service, starting in Ghana where he had initiated the S.U. camps which were the precursor to establishing Scripture Union in Ghana.204 Later he was managing director of Leventis, agents for Volkswagen and air conditioners as well as the department stores. With his Oxford accent Tony could speak for 45 minutes and you would be sorry when he finished, being unaware of the passage of time. In his retirement from Leventis, Tony and Eve Wilmot became associates with SIM in Nigeria.

Later he was asked to go to Kenya and begin what became NEGST (Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology), which was the academic base for the Africa Bible Commentary. These were years of harvest and we were blessed to participate together.

204 Peter

Barker, Changed by the Word the Story of Scripture Union Ghana, Scripture Union, Ghana, November 2003, page 16.

CHAPTER 16

NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS Machine Breakdown Initiates a Marriage Early in 1957 the Linotype machine broke down, and without another one in Lagos there was no way to find parts locally. From overseas, these would have taken weeks and cost hundreds of dollars. The men laboured all night and got the Linotype working again, but it pointed out the need to look for new machinery. At the same time Niger Press in Jos was realizing the need for new and updated equipment. This resulted in merger talks between Niger-Press and African Challenge. In 1958 Niger Press moved to Lagos and merged with African Challenge becoming Niger-Challenge Press. There was much adjustment, new wiring for the new offset presses, and the expansion of the Challenge building.

These changes would bring added personnel and that required more housing which necessitated more land. In January of 1958 the family who owned the land behind Challenge sold us 2½ acres at £30 an acre, making the entire compound now 6½ acres. The extra acres were zoned for a road, but through a very helpful officer at the Ikeja Town Planning Board, the proposed road was moved farther west so we could have the whole area.205 Ray Davis, the West Africa director at that time, wrote this memo to the mission family: Niger-Challenge Press I am happy to tell you that plans for the Niger Press-African Challenge merger are progressing nicely. The building to house the working plant is nearing completion. Mr Kitch and the Victor Stuarts are going to Lagos early in March to begin setting up the new Heidelberg press. From that time onward equipment will be moved from Jos to Lagos on a carefully worked-out schedule, which will allow them to carry on the most vital work without interruption. It is hoped that all equipment, new and that to be moved from Jos, together with the Todd, Robinson, and Kitch families, will be moved 205 Material

supplied by Olwyn Keyte, 28 May 2007, to be deposited in SIM Archives.

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and settled in Lagos by August, Lord willing. We would ask the continual prayer fellowship of the entire family for the Niger Press

Niger-Challenge Press

and African Challenge folk as they carry out these difficult manoeuvres and consolidation of the work. By this we are joining hands and hearts in this new venture; we believe we will have the finest equipment and most skilled workmen in West Africa. In merging together, needless duplication of expensive equipment is being avoided; valuable skills may now complement each other, and with God’s richest blessing already evident upon them, we are confident the tremendous opportunity now immediately before us can be met to the glory of God and the reaching of West African millions for Christ before it is too late.

Your brother in Christ, R. J. Davis 206

THE MERGER There was a celebration on 14 April 1959 at the new Niger-Challenge Press in Lagos.

The chairman for the occasion was Mr V.M.O. Tay, to whom I have referred earlier.207 Now he was Ghana’s Ambassador to Nigeria, chairing the meeting to inaugurate the joining of the two presses that belonged to SIM. He commented about the Niger Press and the African Challenge in this way:

Mr & Mrs Tay Magistrate in Kano later Ghana's Ambassador

It is very important because…we have two important Christian institutions coming together and merging as one….for almost half a century the Niger Press has championed the 206 Material

supplied by Olwyn Keyte, 28 May 2007, to be deposited in SIM Archives. for the occasion SIM Archives NCP Box 081.

207 Programme

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cause of Christian literature, and for many years wonderful literature went out and was read all over this land and in other lands as well…

We can’t estimate how many souls were saved through this literature that came from Niger Press over this period of nearly fifty years.

The African Challenge, in the few years since its inception, has done wonderful work throughout the west coast of Africa. Many men and women have read about the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Blood to save souls…we find in its pages a complete challenge to men and women...Now the Niger Press and the African Challenge have come together... we are sure a great force is going to be behind them…we are that force by our prayers…I, for one, have pledged to always pray for these two great institutions… the African Challenge and the Niger Press, may be a blessing to all in Nigeria, in West Africa...May God help us.207 There were greetings from several dignitaries. One was W.V.S. Tubman, President of Liberia. He said: In a world where the minds of men are crowded with things material, the African Challenge brings sweet words of love and counsel, and a shaft of light in the darkest hour of despair. May it long remain a challenge to the people, not only of this continent, but to all men everywhere who read it, to follow and apply the high principles of morality, religion and brotherhood in their daily occupation. Congratulation and best wishes for many years of useful service to the church and state Another was the Premier of the Western Region, Chief the Honourable Obafemi Owolowo, who spoke when Harold Fuller attended the political meeting mentioned earlier. Chief Awolowo said: As a regular reader of Challenge I wish your new venture every success. Your famous and widely read journal has brought spiritual enlightenment into many homes which it enters each month. May God continue to prosper your great endeavour.

Sir Francis Ibiam, a medical doctor and principal at that time of Hope Waddell Training Institute in Calabar (from the Church of Scotland work), who later became governor of Eastern Nigeria, gave the message and said: I am deeply conscious of the honour which has been accorded to me by being invited to speak on this auspicious occasion. To the NigerChallenge Press and to those in whose hands the preparations of this function rests, I say, “Thank you most sincerely.

Some 2,000 years ago the Lord of Life commissioned His faithful followers in this way: “Go ye therefore into the entire world and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of

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the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” From that time the Gospel story of the saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ has spread from the small surroundings of the Holy Land to the Western World and from the Western World to all parts of the earth, including the continent of Africa. And we are happy that this same Word of God is with us today in Nigeria. …the tremendous strides in progress…which have taken place in Nigeria …have been the outcome of the fervent…evangelistic zeal of those thousands of men and women…who have answered, “Here am I, send me.”

Amongst the many…agencies...must be numbered the Sudan Interior Mission. In the walled city of Kano you will see a great Eye Hospital.

During the last 10 years or more the African Challenge, a monthly organ of Sudan Interior Mission, has truly challenged our thoughts, our minds and our hearts. Every month it holds forth…that the Lord Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. The African Challenge is used in many schools of Nigeria as a textbook, and it has opened the eyes of many to the tremendous realization of the truth that their lives are empty without God. So great has been the success…spiritually, that management has seen the need…of merging with the Niger Press… We express our deep indebtedness to the missionary zeal and enterprise, and to the church by whose services and devotion our country has seen the light and Jesus crucified.208 Sir Francis Ibiam

208 Programme

for the occasion SIM Archives NCP Box 081.

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CHAPter 17

NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS 1960-1963

I

n October 1959 the Counselling Department sent out 850 letters. In October 1960, 4,000 letters were mailed and that is only in English.

The big event in this period was the 10-year birthday for Challenge and a committee of six was given the task of planning the celebration.

A series of meetings were planned. Some were evangelistic, some were for pastors, and some were for reading units. It was hoped a Lagos Literature Sunday would be declared, and that an SIM Cessna would drop leaflets all over Lagos which would contain a sermonette, a decision slip, and notice about the locations of meetings.

For the staff a football match and volley ball game were arranged, with lots of good Yoruba food and a travelogue film from USIS – (United States Information Service).

The evangelistic meeting was packed, with people sitting outside. The Chief Magistrate Adefarasin, the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court, and Dr Adegbite, of Baptist Academy, spoke. The latter spoke on the great part played by African Challenge in the moral, Evangelistic meeting political, educational and religious development of the nation. He urged people to write in and buy African Challenge. Rev Howard Jones of the Billy Graham team and living on ELWA compound in Liberia spoke. There were 37 men who came forward.209 In May of 1961 there was word that a French secretary and writer would be asked to begin a French Challenge. Later that same year a second “Chief” 209 Material

supplied by Olwyn Keyte, 28 May 2007, to be deposited in SIM Archives.

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printing press was delivered. It arrived just when the pressure was on to get the January 1962 VIP printed and out to the various locations for distribution. The new press was fully paid for before it arrived.

In 1962 the field representatives were reporting a real hunger for the Lord and for books teaching about the Word of God. They also spoke about the inability to carry enough books to meet demand as they went out at the beginning of a week on distribution. This was particularly true in Eastern Nigeria and Ghana.

Harold Saul in Aba said, “I have been amazed at the choice of the people...a greater demand than we can cope with. We need more titles. If we don’t supply them, they’ll read other immoral, unhelpful and communistic stuff, which is flooding in.”

On 27 June 1962 Phillipe de Corvette from Scripture Union in Ivory Coast came to help at Challenge in putting together a pilot edition of a French Challenge. In recent months there had been serious prayer about a French Challenge. The aim was to have this ready for printing in April 1963. Missions from Senegal to Congo had been begging for a French Challenge. By 22 June 1963, it was known that Gisèle Joly, a French journalist, would soon arrive.

NOT ALL PLAIN SAILING Helen Lucks, who now lives at Sebring, was at Challenge for a few years. She mentioned that almost every month there was some big catastrophe of some sort at Challenge. Alan Moore in charge of the Press told of his daughter’s hand and later she died of leukemia. Another child was so sick and the local hospital could not diagnose what was wrong so he was flown to our mission hospital in Jos. Another time it would be one of the missionaries. Helen said: “When you are doing a great work for the Lord these things will happen.” These are roadblock attacks by Satan because you are reaching into his territory. Helen herself was flown home to the USA with a detached retina in 1964.

VALERIE THOMPSON It was during this time that Valerie Thompson arrived in Lagos and was assigned to the Art Department. I add her story because it gives insights of a single person and someone from the UK. Valerie was artist at African Challenge from 1960-1968 when she married.

I was born in 1931 in Croydon, Surrey, UK, but my parents moved to Bournemouth on the south coast when I was two, and that is where I grew up as an only child. When I was eight, World War II broke out, and we experienced air raids and the privations of wartime Britain. My parents were nominally Christian but did not go to church except on rare occasions. Early contacts with Christianity were: being taken as a child to various Free Churches by an elderly

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maidservant of neighbours, joining an Anglican Church youth club and going to a Bible Study group connected with that church, and starting to read the Bible with the Bible Reading Fellowship notes.

At the age of 17, I felt I was a Christian and asked for adult baptism in the Anglican Church. Shortly after, I was confirmed as is the practice in that Church.

When I left school I went to Art College and joined the College Christian Union, which was connected to the Technical Colleges Christian Fellowship (TCCF), a branch of IVCF (Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship). It was at a TCCF house party in 1952 that I gave my life to Jesus, realizing that until then I had not fully surrendered every part of myself to Him. I also understood clearly for the first time the meaning of salvation and asked Him into my heart to be my Saviour. It was then also that I knew that I must be ready to serve Him wherever He sent me.

After leaving college I became an art teacher and moved to Wolverhampton in the English Midlands. Here, God led me to an evangelical Anglican Church where the vicar (and the previous vicar who had died) had served with the China Inland Mission (now OMF). After three years I was convinced I should offer for overseas missionary service, and went to the Mount Hermon Missionary Training College, a women’s college, later merged with All Nations Bible College.

At this time I thought I would probably go to Malaysia, but I received a letter that would change everything. On leaving college I had joined the Graduates’ Fellowship, and had sent them details of my art college training (which had included a course in illustration and typographic layout). The letter explained there was a need for someone with such qualifications in Nigeria with the SIM to work in literature evangelism with the Niger-Challenge Press in Lagos. The Holy Spirit makes you know when it’s God calling - and I had to abandon other plans and obey! I sailed for Nigeria from Liverpool in March 1960, sharing a cabin with Rae Gourlay (now Donnelly) who was a journalist also going to work at NCP. I was seasick from Liverpool Sound until nearly when we docked at the Canary Islands.

The whole voyage took 13 days. Rae and I became colleagues and we are friends to this day.

My first assignment in Nigeria was to learn Yoruba, the language of what was then called the Western Region. I was driven by my new boss, the editor at NCP, Harold Fuller to Egbe, in what is now Kwara State, a beautiful hilly region about 200 miles north east of Lagos. Here I stayed with Ernie and Adrienne Harrison, who worked

NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS 1960-1963

with the Evangelical Church of West Africa, and who spoke Yoruba fluently. Adrienne taught me the grammar and tonal variations of Yoruba. She was also a brilliant cook (using a wood-burning stove) and passed on to me some of her recipes. Two Nigerians gave me conversation practice: Grace, who discussed everyday topics such as what I’d had for breakfast; and Samuel, a blind evangelist who was translating the Bible into Braille. Much of my time with him was spent with me reading the Psalms to him in my halting Yoruba, while he pricked away on his special Braille cards. We discussed spiritual matters and he also taught me the Lord’s Prayer in Yoruba, which I can still recite fluently.

I came back to Lagos, then the nation’s capital, and still the commercial hub of Nigeria, just in time to be present at the first Independence Day celebrations at the Racecourse - now called Tafawa Balewa Square. This event took place on October 1st 1960, and it was a great privilege to be present. Princess Alexandra represented the Queen at the ceremony as the Union Jack was lowered and the Nigerian flag rose.

The Niger-Challenge Press occupied a large warehouse-type building with two floors, on Agege Motor Road in the suburb of Mushin in Lagos. Upstairs were the editorial offices and art studio; downstairs were the printing presses. There was also a photographic studio, a library and the counselling section, which received and replied to readers’ letters. At the back of the press was the residential compound where the missionaries and some of the Nigerian staff lived in houses round the edge of a large grassy field.

I worked with fellow artists Leona Johnson (now Mason), Nigerian artist Christopher Comartz, and the late Betty Fraser (who became Mrs Hill). The NCP’s main publication was the African Challenge, which at this time had been in circulation for nine years. Later it became Today’s Challenge. The magazine was primarily aimed at school students, but also the general public. It contained articles of an educational nature and most importantly those which explained the Gospel and how to become a Christian and live the Christian life.

Each African Challenge had to be prepared about six months in advance. The writers sent the articles to us in the art studio. We had to choose the type face and column width and design the layout, which would determine how much the pictures had to be reduced or cut to fit the layout. We would then send down the type-written text to the printers with instructions regarding type face and column width, and when the columns of type were returned we would have to see how they would fit in with our layout and whether any cuts

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or additions would be needed in the text. When the journalists had made these adjustments we would do a page paste-up. (Of course this was before computers were deployed in design, and “pasteups” were literally just that: columns of type cut out and pasted by hand on to a blank sheet). When all the pages were completed satisfactorily, we sent them, with the photos and illustrations and instructions about size reductions, to Sun Printers in Watford, UK, to be printed by photogravure and made into the completed magazine. Every month there was a deadline to be met, dictated by the time of the departure of the aircraft which was to carry the material. Very often we would be working into the small hours to meet the deadline.

The African Challenge was joined by the Yoruba Challenge (edited

by Pastor James Bolarin, whom I had actually met at the Keswick Convention before going to Nigeria) and later by Champion in French for the francophone countries surrounding Nigeria. This was edited by Gisèle Joly and later Claudine Demiéville (now Luthy).

Apart from these magazines we worked on lots of illustrated tracts in many of the minority languages of Nigeria.

I had two other jobs which kept me occupied: doing the layout and illustrations of Africa Now, the SIM’s journal for supporters in the home countries of the missionaries; and one which I greatly enjoyed - training two Nigerian artists, Josy Ajiboye and Charles Ohu, both of whom had exceptional talent but Life drawing practice at the Challenge studio, L no formal art training. These to R, The model, Maikwando, wife of one of the two were soon illustrating a staff; Valerie; Josy Ajiboye; Charles Ohu lot of our material. After he left us, Josy became art editor and popular cartoonist for the Nigerian Daily Times, as well as an accomplished oil painter. Charles did illustrations for children’s books, winning an award for his work.

Extracts from an article in Glendora Review, an African magazine, about artist/ cartoonist Josy Ajiboye, describing his years at the Niger-Challenge Press: The name Josy Ajiboye has become synonymous with cartoons and cartooning in Nigeria. He has been in the field of cartooning in the country longer than any other single individual…This interview

NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS 1960-1963

offers us an insight into the mind of one of the country’s most popular cartoonists.

GR: Give us a picture of your beginnings in art. Please give us a feel of those times when you were young and growing up.

JA: Art is a bigger framework…than I thought…I have been drawing right from the day I started writing ABC. However, my professional work started at African Challenge in 1962.

GR: You mean the African Challenge at Mushin here in Lagos?

JA: I had been reading it right from about 1955.

GR: You are referring to the famous Christian Challenge. Was it…a full magazine?

JA: The publication’s purpose was to attract young people to Christianity; it had subjects such as news…normal magazines carry… difference…it was used to spread the Gospel.

The Sudan Interior Mission (SIM)…from which came the ECWA churches…the Niger-Challenge Publications, then called NigerChallenge Press…When I got to Challenge I showed them my drawings and Miss Thompson, from Brighton, UK, was one of the missionaries that took interest in me…So they saw my drawings and said yes, this boy needed to be with us. That was how I became their trainee for about five or six years.

GR: You were mostly drawing illustrations?

JA: Yes, all the illustrations and covers for their publications and pamphlets.

GR: What was it like making covers in those days?

JA: …First, we were taught how to be economical: that is how from taking block red you can make it as if you had many more colors, etc…We were then doing a lot of color overlays, which we now call color separation.

GR: So, it was all manually done? Were you taught all this to achieve the best result?

JA: We were actually taught the basics and from then I took off by experimenting with different percentages and grades of colors and textures. Apart from my doing the color separation, there was no other cost involved. I handled all the tones on just one plate. So, we were truly taught how to economize on our material.

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GR: Did you pick your own photographs for these covers or were you given them? Who was behind the conceptualization?

JA: Once given a cover to do, the idea behind each cover at the time was mine…I worked on Yoruba Challenge, African Challenge and did all the covers there. Then, you had to specialize in everything…

You did everything, no other person. There was no luxury.

GR: So from Challenge, you moved on to where?

JA: I was with Challenge from 1961 to 1968 when I resigned. By then I had a lot of experience and had also taken a lot of courses in painting. I was experimenting with watercolors and the different pigments and with oil painting, also.

GR: Did you have any formal training in painting?

JA: Yes, during my time at Challenge they would train me in-house, and they paid for me to attend the Yaba College of Technology…

These courses at the time were for professionals - people already working outside. I did this for about two to three years before returning to my base.

GR: Was it around this time that you had an exhibition opened for you by the renowned Ben Enwonwu?

JA: Yes it was around this time. …Mr Harold Fuller, the deputy director of SIM Literature in West Africa, was about to go on home leave. It was decided we would honour him and with another colleague we drew watercolour drawings of which the biggest size was 15” by 20”. My missionary mother suggested she call Professor Ben Enwonwu to open the show for us. She picked up the phone, asked him, and he replied immediately to say he was coming. Just like that. And that was how we got Enwonwu to come that day. It was great. He came with Dotun Okunbanjo.

From there Josy went on to become the Art Director and cartoonist for the Daily Times and is a well known and accomplished artist today. This was the same Daily Times that printed the first issues of African Challenge.210 Valerie continues: Of course those of us working in this large team of journalists, artists and printers had little personal contact with our readers. But in every piece of literature there was a form to be filled in and sent to our Counselling Department by those who wished to accept Jesus as Saviour or to know more about the Christian faith. And we 210 From

Glendora Review, African Quarterly of the Arts, Vol 3 No 2.

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had the joy of knowing that we were helping to reach so many out there with the Gospel, and by the power of the Holy Spirit many did come to know Jesus through reading the literature. We also had the opportunity of reaching out to the people in Lagos through Sunday Schools and evangelistic outreach in such places as the Police College. My own contribution was leading a small fellowship with the women of the ECWA church next door.

So was it all plain sailing? I suppose one of the downsides at NCP was that we single people (mostly women), who were used to a fairly busy social life at home, felt rather confined and restricted, and it was sometimes not easy to be surrounded by married couples with families and to know that one’s own chances of attaining such status were now severely limited. However this is where one had to have faith in the Lord’s provision in unpromising circumstances! Another problem was that whereas all missionary personnel received the same allowance every month, those from America and Canada seemed to have more generous extra support from individuals at home than us Brits. On one occasion Rae and I only had some peanuts supplemented by fruits from the orchard, and after I had paid my “houseboy’s” wages my fridge was empty – to his surprise, because he obviously thought all “Europeans” were rich. God did provide – someone put a whole chicken on our door step! (Thank you, Leona!).

Talking about “houseboys”, or “stewards” as they were called by the missionaries, the idea of having a servant horrified me at first, but I soon found that (1) even the poorest Nigerian families had house help – often young relatives who were also able to go to school locally while working part-time, and (2) in the climate, it would have been difficult to do a full-time job without domestic help; and (3) the helpers themselves benefited from regular wages and their own quarters to live in. The climate in Lagos is very hot, humid and enervating but one learned to adapt (an afternoon siesta was mandatory) and to move at a slower pace. Daily power cuts were something one had to get used to. And there was the occasional encounter with snakes, as we lived at the edge of the “bush”. Cockroaches were a more frequent nuisance, and I was once bitten by one in the night. We all took malarial prophylactics daily or weekly and slept under mosquito nets to ward off malaria – nevertheless it was possible to get a bout, especially if one neglected precautions.

To relieve stress all the staff played volleyball once a week when it was the cooler part of the day, and we had a weekly evening of

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fellowship, praise and prayer. I remember both of these occasions as being very happy times. Once a year we went on holiday, usually to Miango on the Jos plateau (in Northern Nigeria) – a wonderful place for relaxation and getting to know SIM folks and those from other missions and other places.

Nigeria became a republic in 1963, but there were considerable political disturbances in the Western Region from 1962 to 1965.

There were times when one did not venture off the compound after dark, and some of the Nigerian staff who lived locally had a difficult time, especially those who came from the northern part of the country. In April 1964 I went home on what was then called “furlough” but is now known as “home assignment”, and returned to Nigeria the following year. In January 1966 the First Republic collapsed and some army officers staged a coup. Nigeria came under military rule. Some notable civilian rulers were killed. A counter coup took place later in July that year following a serious tribal clash in the northern part of the country. Several military rulers were killed, and eventually Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon emerged as the Head of State and reinstated the federal system government in Nigeria. But relations between the government and the Eastern Region, led by Lieutenant Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, deteriorated and civil war broke out, known famously as the Biafran War. Those of our staff who came from the East, predominantly from the Ibo tribe, felt unsafe in Lagos and joined the mass exodus to their homeland. Most Ibo young men joined Ojukwu’s army. One of our artists, Charles Ohu, was Ibo and it was decided, with his agreement, to try and send him to the art faculty of Kumasi University in Ghana to further his art studies. One of our American missionaries, the late Eldon Howard, and I were to accompany him. Before we entered the airport we had to pass through a military check point – these were all over Charles Ohu the place because of the civil war. This was the tensest moment: would Charles, being an Ibo, be allowed out of the country? I can’t remember what Eldon or I said, but God was in control, and Charles was allowed to pass through, enjoyed his course and returned at the end of the Civil War.

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I left the Niger-Challenge Press in 1968 and my place was taken by a gifted artist from the UK, Eric Read. In 1964, when I was on home assignment, a Christian Nigerian engineering student attended one of my talks about the literature work.

He was a Yoruba, and his name was Abayomi Onayemi. He had been familiar with African Challenge in his schooldays, and it turned out that his home was in Mushin in Lagos very near the NCP compound. Soon afterwards he qualified and returned to Nigeria. In 1968 he asked me to The Onayemi family 1995 marry him and I said “Yes.” We were married in England in 1969 and returned to live in Nigeria. The Nigerian civil war ended in 1970, and in September of that year we had our first child, a daughter. A second daughter was born in 1972. God gave me a wonderful Christian husband from a remarkable family with many Christians in it. So began the second phase of my life in Nigeria, and for all of it I give praise and thanks to God.211

RAE GOURLAY, NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS, LAGOS, 19601966 Rae was from Milngavie in the beautiful countryside just outside Glasgow, Scotland. She was a journalist and was mostly involved with the Public Relations side of journalism for Challenge, also the SIM International SIMNOW publications for home country distribution. She writes: I was a journalist in Glasgow, Scotland, in the 1950s and became a Christian at a missionary conference in 1956. I had a weekly religious column in a Scottish daily newspaper, and also wrote for several Christian publications. After attending the Bible Training Institute in Glasgow, I was accepted by the Sudan Interior Mission to work at the Niger-Challenge Press. I sailed from Liverpool in April 1960, sharing a cabin on MV Aureol with artist Valerie Thompson from England who was also bound for the NCP in Lagos.

WorK After a few months of language study (Yoruba) at Egbe I returned to Lagos, where Chris Ferrier and James Bolarin, under Editor-inChief Harold Fuller, were responsible for the editorial content of 211 Account

from Valerie Onayemi, née Thompson, January 2008.

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African Challenge, and were training and using Nigerian writers. I gathered my role was to be mainly of a public relations nature – i.e. informing home supporters of the work and encouraging prayer and financial support. Harold explained African Challenge would be 10 years old in 1961 and he had already been in touch with various overseas Christian journals offering articles to mark the publication’s 10th birthday. Around 10 had accepted the offer, and so one of my first tasks was to supply these articles. Over the years I did in fact write one or two articles for Challenge and recall that a nativity play I wrote was broadcast on Radio Ghana.

I also wrote for SIM’s Africa Now – I see I was listed as assistant editor – including surveys on topics such as why there were more women than men serving on the mission field, and predictions on the future of missions across the whole of Africa. Home supporters were kept informed on a monthly basis with items for praise and prayer, and the quarterly eight-page Niger-Challenge Press Report from Africa gave a comprehensive account of the work of the 65 Africans and missionaries on the staff.

There were opportunities too in the Nigerian press. For some time the NCP had been supplying a weekly column to the Sunday Times called “Sermon by the Pastor”. It became my job to see this sermon was delivered to the paper every Wednesday for the coming Sunday.

Sometimes I wrote the sermon myself, but more often it was written by a Nigerian member of staff, with editorial assistance. We were also asked to supply a “Morning Light from the Word of God” column for the Morning Post. From time to time I sent press releases to the Nigerian papers about some newsworthy aspect of the SIM’s work throughout the country.

In 1965 I drove Gisèle Joly, editor of Champion, and a photographer to Dahomey (now Benin) where we attended that country’s 5th anniversary of independence celebrations on 1 August, which were marked by the opening of the new port at Cotonou.

I took part in a couple of activities outside office hours – helping to run the Sunday School at the Nigerian Police College compound at

Gisele in Doorway and Rae Gourlay

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Ikeja, and a weekly ladies’ meeting at Suru Lere. One of the stalwarts of the latter was a Mrs Arogundade, whose youngest daughter, Funmi, came to Glasgow to study midwifery in the 1970s. Funmi and I are still in touch. not all WorK! Life on the NCP compound could feel very isolated and restricted at times, with the tropical night descending so quickly when the day’s office work was over. Wednesday afternoons, however, were free and provided an opportunity to head for the Lagos shops and stock up with food. Sunday afternoon fellowship at the Yaba guest house was also a welcome break and a chance to meet up with other Christians including expats. We also enjoyed occasional trips to Victoria Beach and Tarkwa Bay. On the compound we had a weekly game of Rae Gourlay - Lagos volleyball – my introduction to this sport - and I never did learn to serve properly! Friday evening prayer meetings provided a time of fellowship. We “single girls” also organised occasional candle-lit poetry reading evenings. old-tIMErs It was a privilege to meet some SIM missionaries who had served a long time on the field. I particularly remember the Hays (senior) and Douglas and Mary Blunt. Mary, a Scot, was heard to say: “Blunt’s my name and Blunt’s my nature.” While at Egbe I met Guy Playfair, and still wonder if it’s true (as I was told) that he wore a pith helmet at night so the moon would not smite!212 On holidays at Miango there was also an opportunity to meet more of these old-timers.

Post - sIM I returned to UK in 1966 and shortly thereafter joined the staff of the Glasgow Evening Times. I married fellow journalist Vincent Donnelly in 1971 and have two sons. I later worked at Strathclyde University in Glasgow as publications officer and press officer.

Vincent died in 1998. I am an elder in the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian). 213

212 This

was true and attested to by older timers of that vintage. from Rae Donnelly, née Gourlay, June 2008.

213 Account

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ERIC READ I was at Challenge and Champion sometime between 1964 and 1975 replacing Valerie in the Art Department in Lagos, so had most to do with the two Nigerian artists, Josy Ajiboye and Charles Ohu. Magazine layout is an exacting thing and my attempts to do things accurately did not go down too well (I think). Also they found my criticism of their work irksome but they proposed a compromise. If they were allowed to criticise my work they would allow me to criticise theirs. Since this would give them twice the education, that suited me! Josy had a Eric Read nice sense of humour and I remember him calling the Mission compound “the Holy City”. I understand he is now a political cartoonist for a Nigerian national newspaper and is doing good work being rude to politicians and still teaches in Sunday School.

I remember distributing back copies of the magazine on a Lagos flyover where two large earthmoving machines turned to charge each other when we dropped a magazine between them. The drivers ran to reach the magazine first, such was their thirst for the written word.

Amongst the bad things I did was getting the same image of a photograph of a beautiful Nigerian cover girl printed in black and red. The result was a rather red complexion which I didn’t know denoted worms (not the way to sell a magazine). I was also asked to apologise to a boy selling a calendar of Flags of Africa which also contained Scripture texts. I got the stripes of one flag in the wrong order and he was arrested for selling subversive literature. I believe he is out of prison now.

I tend to look upon my experiences in Africa as life on another planet and forget to add them (11years) to my life span – but I’m grateful that my friend Gordon Stowell rang to say, “Would you like a job replacing a tired missionary for a year?” I stayed for 11 years. Thank you ECWA/SIM.

NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS 1960-1963

ERIC’S TIME IN ABIDJAN WITH CHAMPION MAGAZINE I went to work in the same capacity (layout artist) for Champion magazine in Abidjan, Ivory Coast which enabled me to compare francophone Africa with Nigeria.

French shop keepers and officers in the Police and Army abounded, whereas the English in Nigeria had an advisory role.

Two memories stand out from the humdrum: One was the invitation from an American Christian film director to a posh hotel where I ate a rare cooked beef joint which resulted in my being host to a tapeworm with dire results. I remember, too, a concert at the university where the students came late into the hall with a great clatter and were completely entranced by the brilliant performance of a banjo player.

It was in Ivory Coast that I encountered difficulties with completely different printing measurements which almost drove me, and perhaps the Swiss editor, mad. Not everything in missionary life is sweetness and light – we eventually settled our differences amicably.214

214 Account

from Eric Read, August 2008.

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CHAPter 18

NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS – SEPTEMBER 1964–MAY 1968

T

he profit and loss balance sheet of Challenge was not measured in dollars and cents; it was measured in matters related to people finding Christ as Saviour, and strengthening believers in their faith and walk with God. In 1966, there were 2,427 who wrote stating they had received Christ as their Saviour.215 Yet, at the same time, because Challenge was sold at such a low price, it never covered the full costs.

By this time the subsidy required was £1,000 monthly ($3,000), but when measured against the 150,000 plus The Staff of Niger Challenge Press, Lagos Aug 1967 magazines in English and Yoruba going out each month, it meant 1.6 pence, which in dollars meant 4.8 cents per magazine. This meant there was always a debit balance for Challenge.

Price increases had taken place, but the cost of the magazine was always in view in situations like this. Sometimes raising the prices was not a good option.

At the same time labour unrest increased, not just with Niger-Challenge Press, but with all companies throughout Nigeria. Inflation was a fact of life.

In 1964 the government commissioned the Morgan Report to study the salaries and recommend by how much they should increase. The report stated the increase should be 100% and back-dated to January, with the result that many companies could not pay. Already it was past the half-year mark; NigerChallenge Press said they would cover back to July, but could not do more.

Some staff were not happy, and through this the Communist Union became involved. Something less than half the Press staff voted that the union represent 215 Information

from Olwyn Keyte.

NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS – SEPTEMBER 1964–MAY 1968

217

them. The union was pressing for full back pay to February, but through negotiation with staff they realized that we could not pay and that if they went on strike Niger-Challenge Press would close down and everyone would be out of a job. So the union accepted that fact.

There was rest for a time, but the problem resurfaced in 1965. On 18 October some in the SIM leadership came from Jos to discuss the matters troubling Niger-Challenge Press (NCP). A few of the issues were: • Some disgruntled staff had already written to the newspapers, and there was a feeling that this was an embarrassment to any Christian organization; • The continual subsidy required to keep Challenge operating; • The pressure from government for continued Nigerianization which meant more money paid in increased wages; • The fact that as a Christian organization SIM could not pay the going rate for commercial printers; • The advisors from whom SIM sought counsel said that the unrest would get worse, not better; • There were many other presses in Lagos which could do printing work.

The net result of that meeting was that NCP would close down on 31 March 1966. The African Challenge, Yoruba Challenge and Champion, the French magazine, would continue to be produced by a new organization which came to be known as SIMLIT. As Olwyn Keyte said: We did not know when we pioneered magazine printing in Nigeria that the day would come when we could no longer compete with rising costs, advertizing and competition from local presses.216

SALE OF NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS Murray Dunn from New Zealand, because of his contacts in the city to obtain advertising for Challenge, was handed the task of finding someone to buy the press as an operating entity. Here is Murray’s account of that time.

We were originally recruited to serve at SIM’s Yaba guest house and the Business Department, but due to Karl and Mein Munting being urgently called home we were asked to go to Challenge to help in the Business Department at the Niger-Challenge Press on the Mushin compound.

While Pam was secretary to the production manager, Al Moore, I assisted Bill Wright in the day to day administration of the Business Department. One of my responsibilities was to solicit the secular 216 Material

supplied by Olwyn Keyte, 28 May 2007, to be deposited in SIM Archives.

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advertising for Challenge magazine which had at that time a 130,000 monthly circulation. This proved to be a very challenging task because the advertising agencies were keen to give me adverts for cigarettes, beer, lotteries and the like which we could not accept. We prayed for a breakthrough and the Lord heard our prayers and we found adverts for school supplies, the airlines and pharmaceuticals.

During the 60s there were constant labour problems with the employees Murray & Pam Dunn in the printing union demanding higher pay and better conditions.

They had ready access to the local media which caused regular embarrassment to the Mission, rising to a point where the Mission leadership said that unless this trouble stopped they would close down the Press. Inevitably this finally happened in late 1965, and the word came from HQ to sell the Press, as the leadership had had enough of the never-ending labour unrest always reported in a very biased manner against the Mission.

As a result, the Challenge Board assigned me the task of pursuing the sale of the Press. This however proved almost impossible because at that time there was major political unrest within Nigeria leading towards civil war. Therefore in that political climate it became nigh on impossible to interest anyone to buy the Press. Again we were cast to our knees.

Prior to this we had done some tent-making (as did the apostle Paul) when we had some down time on the presses. I had found some print work advertising posters and this helped to subsidise our Gospel publishing.

From one of these contacts an advertiser offered me a prime job to print the Nigerian Airways calendar, as they wanted it done in Nigeria. I took this back to Ash Tuck and Bill Todd at the NigerChallenge Press and they did a superb job on this calendar. So much so that I was able to sell this man the Press establishment, so long as Ash Tuck and Bill Todd were to continue in the employ at the Press.

It has to be remembered that at that stage Niger-Challenge Press was producing some 750 tons of Christian literature annually, thus the decision to sell the Press had huge implications. We did manage to negotiate with the new owners for them to continue the entire

NIGER-CHALLENGE PRESS – SEPTEMBER 1964–MAY 1968

219

mission printing on a cost plus 10% basis. This concluded the deal.

The Tucks and the Todds continued on for about 6½ years.

We believe that the Lord saw fit to bless this ministry as He allowed many trials to test us but we learned to trust Him as it was all done to His glory. As a result hundreds if not thousands were won to the Lord from the witness coming from the Mission literature produced by the dedicated team of missionaries at Niger-Challenge Press during the 50s and 60s.217 It seems that Mr Alexander who bought the Press, first made an offer of £29,000 for equipment and £32,500 for the metal type which totalled £61,500, but further negotiations changed that figure.

When Emmanuel Urhobo, the Nigerian lawyer whose services Challenge used, saw this he said “No way, the Press is worth more than that. What about the good will?” It appears the Mission was not aiming to make profit as much as to cover what was on the books, and that is what brought them to the price they stated. The lawyer said he would not allow the Press to sell for that price.

Mr Alexander, who agreed to the first price, did not hesitate when that price was increased by the lawyer.

The Associated Press Nigeria, (the new name) paid as stated in the SIM Jos Council Minutes of May 17-25 1966: Equipment £28,000 Advance to settle Agreement £2,000 Work in Progress £11,000 Buildings £32,500218 Sub Total £73,500 Total £73,500 It seems that £40,000 was paid at the beginning with the balancing amount to be paid over ten years at 8% interest. The bank holding the mortgage was African Continental Bank.219 In contrast: To adequately understand, it must be mentioned that the two people closely connected to the sale of the Press – Bill Wright and Murray Dunn, both remember the price at which the press was sold to be £100,000. Ken Bennett is the third person, and being on the compound at that time I personally have the £100,000 figure in my mind as the sale price. Remember Bill Wright was the Business Manager of Challenge and Murray was Bill's assistant. Bill Wright clearly remembers when we got Mr Urhobo involved he did not agree to the low selling price that had been agreed, with his comment: “What about good will?” And so the price by Bill Wright’s recall was greatly increased. Mr 217 Email 218 SIM

219 Ibid.

from Murray Dunn, 31 May 2008 Council Minutes, Nigeria, May 17-25 1966, Box 081 archives.

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Alexander still agreed, so he must have been aware he was getting a good deal.

What this means is that the good will price that Emmanuel Urhobo, the lawyer, insisted upon would have been the difference – £26,500.

Murray Dunn mentions: “...the price I negotiated with Ted Alexander was £100,000.”220

THE CONTINUATION The Press was sold as a going concern. All staff were let go and had to reapply to the new owner. The same thing happened to editorial staff, but they reapplied to SIMLIT the Publishing Department of SIM. This allowed both organizations to let staff go – those they did not need or who had been troublesome. As for Challenge, I don’t know if there were any who were not reemployed.

The wonderful part for SIM was that all publications continued to be printed in the same place by the same people, with the same heart concern for God’s Word and this was done at 10% above cost. For the press it was a sure and steady income assisting when sometimes others aspects of their commercial work was slow.

THE AGREEMENT It seems the idea of Ash Tuck and Bill Todd continuing with the Press came first from Ash, who mentioned this to Bill Crouch, the SIM director. He tells us how it came about: My recollection is that the idea originally came from me! As the negotiating became quite positive regarding a sale, I was thinking and praying a lot about it, and seeking the Lord’s direction as to what I should do when they took over. It had been agreed that Bill and I would stay on for an interim period of six months, while they established their management, but what then? It came very strongly to me that as they had agreed to continue SIM’s printing at a very good rate, if Ted (Alexander) would be happy for us to stay on to manage the press, it would be very beneficial to the mission. We would have control of costing, quality of work and delivery times, and they would be paying us to do it!

I talked to Bill Crouch and explained the above. He replied very positively, and said the mission would be very supportive of us approaching Ted about the possibility. Bill Todd was also very happy with the idea, so we talked to Ted about it. His response was, “I couldn’t be any more pleased … I wanted to ask you to do just that, but felt it would be too much to ask of you!”

220 Email

from Murray Dunn, 31 May 2008.

niGer-CHALLenGe Press – sePteMBer 1964–MAy 1968

221

So that’s what we did. And the amazing thing was that the staff ‘union’ problem, that had instigated the sale, didn’t raise its head again!

We continued in that role until APN was taken over by a British company who were not at all sympathetic to our being there and doing the mission printing at a special rate; they brought their own management in. 221 Ash Tuck and Bill Todd continued to live on the compound as they always had.

Their homes were refurbished by the company, and the company paid rent for these homes. Bill Todd left after 6½ years with Ash Tuck not being far behind.

The Tucks went to Sudan with ACROSS, a relief programme under SIM. Later Ash returned to New Zealand with SIM and headed their publications. They are now retired. Bill Todd returned to the USA and opened a small print shop such as you would find in a mall. Bill and Marj Todd are now retired at SIM’s retirement centre in Sebring, Florida.

AFRICAN CHALLENGE Olwyn Keyte recalls that in February 1968 during the Civil War, but after Calabar in the Southeast had been liberated by federal troops, a man in Calabar wrote: “Challenge is for broken hearts, and we are broken-hearted. Send me a supply to sell.” In Rivers Area a pastor said, “People are turning to the church to find meaning for life; they have been close to death. I have great expectation for the future.” This pastor is one of our best agents.

African Challenge continued publishing regularly. Then when bookshops were handed over to ECWA, the church which had grown out of SIM’s work in Nigeria, they also took over African Challenge and changed the name to Today’s Challenge.

By that time Challenge Bookshops (formerly SIM) took on the responsibility of financing Challenge and some other work. When the oil crisis of the 1980s came along, Challenge suffered and for a time stopped publishing. This would have been about the turn of the decade into the 1990s. Later it started again.

221 Information

Militray Police giving Challenge to former rebel soldiers

provided by Ash Tuck, New Zealand August 2007

CHAPTER 19

CHAMPION – CHALLENGE COUNTERPART

T

he first talk about a French counterpart to Challenge was mentioned in the British Sudan Witness in April 1952. When Trevor Shaw who launched African Challenge, attended a meeting in Lome, Togo, Trevor said:

Another milestone in the history of this Christian newspaper has been reached. From a vast territory of thousands upon thousands of square miles, inhabited by a rapidly becoming literate Frenchspeaking population of fourteen million people, has come the Macedonian call from leaders of twelve different societies, representing approximately three hundred missionaries: “Come and help us.”

From February 15-18 the Council of the Federation of Protestant Missions in French West Africa met at Lome, Togo. This is the text of the Resolution passed unanimously concerning African Challenge: “This Council, concerned about the Christian literature offered to Africans, after having heard Mr Shaw, editor of the African Challenge, asks him to prepare the printing of a similar newspaper in French, and is ready to give him all possible help.”

The secretary’s last words to me were, “The Lord bless you in this great ministry. We are expecting big things through the African Challenge.”

Discussion of a French magazine like Challenge had surfaced at different times through the years, and efforts had been made to get qualified French missionaries to head this project. However, it was not until SIM established an office in Switzerland in 1962 and regular visiting was done in the Bible colleges in France and Switzerland, that personnel from Europe began to apply to SIM and go to Africa.

The first candidate class was held by Ted and Ady Emmett in Switzerland at the end of 1962. In the class were Moira Alexander, Jean and Rosaline

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Klopfenstein and Gisèle Joly. Moira went to Benin; the Klopfensteins, to Burkina Faso; and Gisèle was assigned to the French magazine. Discussion ran about whether she should be stationed in Benin (French-speaking), or at Challenge where all the facilities were available to get the magazine up and running. From Geneva, Gisèle arrived in Lagos airport in early August 1963, after calling in at Marseille to meet Harold and Lorna Fuller at the end of their home leave. She had made stops at Dakar, Senegal; ELWA and its French Department, Liberia; Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The agreed decision was Lagos to start the French magazine, with a final location to be in the French-speaking area.222 With the production of a French Challenge surfacing from time to time, things moved slowly... But in June 1962, Philippe Decorvet, who was with Scripture Union in Ivory Coast, came to help the folks at Challenge to put a pilot edition together - a full year ahead of Gisèle’s arrival at Niger-Challenge Press.

In October 1962, there was a pilot edition and the first printing was 45,000223 to ensure that it got a wide distribution in the francophone countries.

A second pilot edition was 35,000,224 which was distributed about the same time Gisèle Joly arrived early in August. This would have meant that much of the content must have been translated articles from African Challenge. This also happened for the issue between Gisèle resigning and before Claudine Demiéville arrived in 1966, when Bill Wright, district superintendent, decided how Champion would continue.225 At that time Anne Robert-Grandpierre had not yet returned to Switzerland, so was able to help with translation.

In Congo/Zaire, Envol was published, aiming at a higher educational level and limited to one denomination. There was also a children’s magazine Tournesol (Sunflower), dedicated to French-speaking European youth though it was sold until Tam-Tam was produced in Korhogo, Ivory Coast by Marj Shelley of the Baptist Mission.

Regarding the French Challenge, missions from Senegal to Gabon said they would take thousands, sight unseen, and one mission said they would take 25,000. The reality was different. Though Champion published for a few years it never exceeded a print run of 25-30,000; most often it was in the low 20,000s.

Soon after arriving in Lagos, Gisèle became involved in the production of the first issue of the now named Champion magazine. Someone Gisèle 222 Gisèle

Joly, telephone conversation, 2007.

Witness No 3, 1963.

224 Information provided by Claudine Demiéville.

225 Information provided by Bill Wright, by telephone, June 2008.

223 Sudan

Gisèle Joly

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thought would come to help for a time said he could only come for two weeks, but they did make a decision on the name Champion. By 19 December 1963 Gisèle’s first issue, now called Champion, was coming off the press. Gisèle distinctly remembers that day because it was her birthday. A couple of days later everything was in the mail, and soon afterwards was sold out - at least at Lagos. Later it was discovered that some of the mailed copies did not arrive at their destination till months later. This eventually ended up in large orders to main distributors being sent by airfreight which added greatly to the expense of distribution.226 This was a problem for all inter-African country mail, but especially in francophone Africa.

At the time of the first issue, a complimentary copy was sent to the Heads of State of French-speaking African countries of which there were 18. On 19 January 1964, a bilingual dedication service for the new magazine Champion was held at Niger-Challenge Press in Lagos.

Over 500 people attended including diplomats from the francophone countries. Dr Davis attended. It was Launching of Champion - Dr Davis, Malam Gin, his first visit back to Nigeria after Gisèle Joly & Mr Esua assuming the role of International Director. He was welcomed by Rev Gin Mai Gari, president of ECWA, with the dedicatory prayer by James Bolarin, the editor of African Challenge. Bishop of Lagos Rt Rev S. I. Kale and Mr Esua CBE, general secretary of the Nigerian Union of Teachers participated. At the end, copies of Champion were given to the guests.227 A decision was made to produce three issues a year to begin with. Help was on the way in the Fall of 1964: from Benin, Ed and Elsie Morrow, respectively in charge of the Business and the Counselling Departments; later Ed being helped

by Marielle Schmidt, from Switzerland (11 weeks) and Elie Fadanougbo, faithful assistant from Benin. Benin also sent Pastor David Allagbada, a wonderful assistant editor, and his wife Laya; her photo embellished one Champion cover. And as the secretary of the Editorial Department, Anne Robert-Grandpierre saw her departure from David Alagbada and wife Laya 226 Sudan 227 Sudan

Witness No 1, 1966, page 14.

Witness Vol. 11 No 2 1964.

CHAMPION – CHALLENGE COUNTERPART

225

Switzerland postponed for one full year; she landed at Lagos airport at the end of November 1965 for a one-year short term and was highly appreciated.

Gisèle made a trip to the various French-speaking countries making contacts and getting a better feel for what was happening in francophone Africa. Her travels took her south to Congo, Zaïre and Central African Republic. Her time in Congo was in 1965 at the time of the uprising in Eastern Congo, so there were many refugees from these areas in Kinshasa, the capital. She planned to visit areas in the north-east where AIM was working, but because of the civil war, she was not able to go.

At the end of this trip she was exhausted having contracted parasites and infections, but soldiered on. In 1966 she went west and north to Mali, Senegal, Guinea and Ivory Coast.

In January 1966, 20,000 of the seventh edition of Champion, were printed.

By this time Champion was distributed in Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), Togo, Dahomey (Benin), Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, some parts of North Africa, Frenchspeaking West Indies, and Cambodia. Circulation figures were respectively highest in Congo-Leopoldville, Ivory Coast and Cameroon.228

By July of 1966 Gisèle was exhausted. She resigned and returned to France by ship from Lagos. She had completed Champion No. 9, but felt she could not begin No. 10. Challenge library was asked to prepare issue No. 10 which Anne Robert-Grandpierre could translate, but she, too, was soon to leave, her time of commitment being over. By this time Abidjan was seriously considered as the best location for Champion. With this move Champion would become an intermission project and responsibility.

Claudine Demiéville had committed to work with Champion and was on her way in August 1966. She also travelled by boat. She landed first in Cotonou where she was met by Ed and Elsie Morrow. The desire was to give her some exposure to Benin and francophone Africa before flying to Lagos. By September, Claudine Demiéville and Anne Robert-Grandpierre, were working on Issue No. 11.

228 Sudan

Witness No 1, 1966, page 13.

CHAPter 20

CLAUDINE LUTHY’S (DEMIÉVILLE) REMEMBRANCES

C

laudine has graciously told of her involvement with Champion, its move to Abidjan, and becoming part of the new Evangelical Publishing Centre. She also tells of her marriage, departure and the demise of Champion three years later. This was because of difficulty in recruiting staff and also the distribution problems in 18 countries.

I was twenty years old when I began studies at Emmaus Bible Institute after an emotional experience which had forced me to make some choices. For me, it was an extraordinary experience of the presence of God in my life, of His Word and His work.

Since very early childhood, I had dreamed of far-away countries, thanks to the missionaries who visited our small church. I have to admit that our little country world was very restricted. Slides of life in Laos, Ivory Coast, and Congo had opened my eyes to new horizons and I had no trouble imagining myself “over there”. At Emmaus, that continued! We received missionaries often, some of them staying several days, and all of whom we bombarded with questions at mealtime.

Ted Emmett, of SIM, whose office was nearby, also came frequently. He was always hoping to find workers who were needed and he made known the personnel needs of SIM. At that time, they needed a graphic designer for the magazine Champion, but they could not find one.

Since someone had told him I drew, he asked to see my work…

Claudine Demiéville (Luthy)

CLAUDINE LUTHY’S (DEMIÉVILLE) REMEMBRANCES

then asked if I could see my way clear to go to Nigeria to serve in the layout of the magazine. That was not what I had been trained for, but I began to think seriously and to pray about it. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was just right for me. But before committing myself, I needed to accept the idea that, perhaps, I would never marry. Indeed, at that time, short terms did not exist, travel was much too expensive and “single ladies”, as they were called, were numerous.

With a sense of confidence, I replied positively and handed in my resignation to Dr Pache. I had spent two years at Emmaus as Dr Pache’s secretary. He asked that I delay my departure a little to give time to welcome the students for the new term which would begin in October. Hence, I welcomed the new students, showed them their rooms, filled out the forms, etc. Among them was a young man whose file I was very familiar with, and whom I had already met during a week-end of evangelism at Tavannes. He had just returned from a few months at Radio ELWA, Monrovia, where he had recognized his need for Bible training.

Nigeria was an English-speaking country, and my English was almost non-existent. I would need to spend several months in England.

While I was preparing to leave, the young man in question arranged to meet with me in town… Strange! What does he want to see me for? Over a coffee, we were chatting about many things when he suddenly asked me if he could write to me in England and offered me a book Black Africa Had a Bad Start. I tried to refuse the book, but seeing his disappointment, I finally accepted it. As to his writing, that bothered me. I had plans in which there was no more room for a man! Besides, writing to a man at Emmaus where everyone was familiar with my handwriting… No, impossible! However, he persisted so strongly that I finally decided that it was a small risk.

(Once I arrived in England, I asked my roommate to write the address on the envelopes and no one at Emmaus dreamed that the letters were from me!)

I spent five difficult months of hard work in England, living in a boarding house for students. With Luc and Françoise Bader, we had to clean up a house that had just been redecorated, get rid of the rubble, paint the woodwork of the stairways, scrape the windows, and climb up and down the stairs all day long. It was so hard that I still suffer the consequences of an undiagnosed phlebitis. Every day, we ate cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, red cabbage, curly cabbage, more cabbage, and very soon I was sick. I even spent

227

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a few days in hospital where the doctors thought I had typhoid. But, at least, I became familiar with the language!

When I learned of the death of my grandmother, I jumped at the excuse to return home immediately. And there again, I found PierreAndrĂŠ. I will admit that I did not inform him immediately of my return; he learned of it from a student at Emmaus, and he was very upset. But I was afraid of meeting him again, since our exchange of letters had developed over time and I was unsure of how I felt. Since I was due to leave early in August 1966, we had four months left during which to get to know each other better.

Soon after my return from London in April 1966, Mr Emmett informed me that the magazine’s editor, Mlle Joly, was ill and needed to return home immediately. No editor, no magazine! What to do? Let it drop? I could not let that happen. A young woman by the name of Anne had left to fill in for a few months and I decided by faith and in ignorance, to go anyway. I searched through the English magazine African Challenge, which had been in circulation for over ten years, and translated articles. This was a wonderful help to my English!

Another reason to remain in Switzerland would have been the worsening situation in Nigeria since 1965. This became the Biafran War which was in radio news, but not yet started and life was becoming more dangerous in the Lagos area where I was to go. But thousands of Africans in 18 francophone countries were looking forward impatiently to their magazine. Letters of encouragement flooded in from all parts of francophone Africa and, arriving in Lagos, I felt welcome.

Before all of this, I had to make several presentations in meetings in our churches and raise support - quite unusual at that time. But I was needed and was able to leave without full support (about 250 Swiss francs short per month). I boarded the French ship, Jean Mermoz, on 6 August 1996, with drums containing my belongings.

I was 24 years old. My parents and Pierre-AndrĂŠ accompanied me to Marseille and the good-byes were half-hearted. Joy and sadness were mixed; joy in finally leaving, sadness and fear of not seeing my family again.

First stop: Casablanca. I left the ship and wandered in the nearby streets where I came to a Christian bookstore and found the magazine Champion in the display window! I went in and chatted with the manager who suggested that he accompany me to the port

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229

to pass the time. It was an opportunity to make contacts and explore the countryside before the departure of the ship.

The 14-day trip passed pleasantly without seasickness and, at Cotonou (Benin), Mr and Mrs Morrow, in charge of the magazine, met me along with Anne Robert-Grandpierre.

They had decided to help me meet francophone Africans immediately so that I would not feel too out of place.

We drove north by car to Bembereke.

While driving along a dusty country road without a living soul in sight, the car broke down - a broken connecting rod.

Immediately, people appeared out of the blue. They informed us that white people lived in the area and, though Ed Morrow going to Topo Island I don’t know how it happened, we Nigeria reached their home as night fell. This was a mixed marriage. The man, son of missionaries in Cameroon, had married his childhood friend, a Cameroonian. The house was large and comfortable and they generously offered us hospitality for the night. Next day, with the car repaired, we were able to continue our journey. My memories are few: I do remember drinking root beer and eating salad without dressing! I also remember the first bean cake I bit into, not knowing that it was filled with hot pepper!

Tears came to my eyes but I managed not to spit it out. That would have been very rude!

Continuing our trip by plane, we arrived at Lagos. On leaving the plane, I felt that I was entering a laundry, but the odour was not that of washing! Soldiers were everywhere. A female police officer searched me, fortunately mostly for show, but the fact that the country was moving toward war was very obvious.

The road leading to the station was lined with huts made of bits of lumber, tiles and sacks. The drains on both sides of the street in front of these makeshift homes, the dead dogs over which one had to drive (otherwise it was impossible to meet other vehicles because of the narrow street), the noise, the yelling of people dancing to the beat of music in front of the huts, all that was a bit disorienting but, immediately, I felt I was where I should be.

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I was assigned a tiny two-room apartment in a long house which included four such apartments. The kitchen and bathroom were basic with basin and tub of concrete, but it was the first time that I was on my own and in my own home. I had no intention of having a houseboy but that was simply my failure to appreciate the insistence of the other members of the Single Ladies' Houses Challenge Lagos magazine team. They all had a friend looking for work, one with many mouths to feed, etc. and they explained to me (who was rich - obviously, because I was Swiss!) that I should provide work for the local people. There is not much housework in a single person’s home but I finally gave in to their gentle persuasion.

The French team included only five people: Mr and Mrs Ed Morrow, Americans who had spent part of their life in Benin (Dahomey, at that time), Elie The French Team with James Bolarin and Peter Nwulu Fadonougbo, secretary, also from Benin, Pierre Koumodzi, accountant, a native of Togo, and me. Anne left about ten days after my arrival. Zacharie, 16 years old, also from Benin, was the Morrows’ houseboy. It was he who helped me explore the area where his fellow-countrymen lived and where I dared not go alone. Unfortunately, at that time, there was a certain distance to be maintained (age and seniority), as I learned from the big SIM manual: Principles and Practices. Hence, there was no one with whom I could freely talk. After some time, however, I was able to make friends with Valerie, the artist and graphic designer of Challenge and Champion, who was about twelve years older than I. Valerie, was therefore, also part of the team, as well as David Offon, the English magazine photographer.

The magazine was published every three months and so I had to get to work immediately! My first meeting was with Mr James Bolarin, responsible for the English magazine and all those

CLAuDine LutHy’s (DeMiÉViLLe) reMeMBrAnCes

involved in Champion. We needed to choose a theme for the next issue while remembering the themes of those already published.

At the beginning, it meant a great deal of translation for me, but Francophones are fussy: this is a new readership, with different customs, other habits, etc. Yes, but considering that it covers 18 countries, from the north to the south of Africa, how to deal with this was a challenge. Each one would like photos showing a woman with this or that particular headdress, a certain style of dress, a particular kind of house, a village that resembles theirs. It would be a recurring problem that we faced and the letters we received were a sure indication.

The printer imposed his rhythm. Deadlines are set far in advance and must be respected. The difficulty that became clear to me very early was that the typesetters did not know French and added a mistake while correcting another! Hence, the proofs needed to be read very carefully several times. But finally, “my” first edition was out and I was very proud!

Distribution in so many countries is no small matter. This was at the time when several countries were gaining independence, transportation was not well organized and, unfortunately, our subscribers often received their copies months late. Those living in large cities were fortunate but there were times when a dishonest employee kept the packages for himself and distributed them only to his friends.

One of the resounding successes of the magazine was the full-colour calendar in the centrefold. They were pinned up all over, in chiefs’ homes and those of the welleducated, in schools and in the most isolated villages. The edition most widely popular was the one about Heads of State. Photos of each country’s president were arranged around a map of Africa. We had to hold this edition as late as possible before sending it to press because occasionally a coup d’état would make the calendar out-of-date. The flags

Champion No 12

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of the francophone countries presented less risk but were not as popular!

After a few editions, my English had tremendously improved but my knowledge of the readers for whom I was writing did not really correspond with the reality and Mr Morrow encouraged me to take a few trips into francophone countries. So I organized a tour that would take me to Cameroon, Congo Kinshasa and Congo Brazzaville, passing through Gabon.

There was a bookstore in Cameroon that could provide us with a few photos but my letters had never arrived at their destination and I was not expected. I was to stay in the guest house which was closed because of holidays… So I found myself in a school dorm, empty apart from a few mice that munched on my picnic during the night!

At Kinshasa I remember being ill with dysentery and vomiting. A missionary doctor, spending the night in the guest house, told me to eat bread and rice for a week… Difficult to do when one is not at home. When he saw me a few days later, barely any better, he said, “Continue like this and you will never recover!” That scared me and gave me the courage to ask for a special diet for the rest of my stay. I remember the visit to Pastor Makanzy who was well known in Switzerland and respected in his own country. I was shocked to learn of his death a little later.

In Congo Brazzaville and still sick, I realized that my financial resources had melted away and I needed to borrow money from the Baptist Mission that was well established here. The manager did not know me and was a little wary of this young woman who claimed to be a member of SIM and editor of the magazine that he sold!

But finally, I was loaned some money which I paid back as soon as I returned to Nigeria. This experience taught me much about depending on God alone. It also provided me with a good supply of material and a renewed vision for my task.

During this time, the Biafran War raged on. As foreigners, missionaries were given precise instructions by their embassies and a flight plan was put in place - a plan which only the mission director knew. He would lead us by bush paths on foot to the airport. As far as I was concerned, my suitcase was permanently packed with the minimum of necessities and my passport.

The tension was palpable. Since some of the Challenge employees were Ibos, we feared the arrival of soldiers on the station. One day, they did come, looking for Peter, a father of several children, and they led him away. Prayer meetings were immediately organized on

CLAUDINE LUTHY’S (DEMIÉVILLE) REMEMBRANCES

the station and it was with deep earnestness that we prayed that the Lord would have pity on this family. What rejoicing to see Peter return the same evening after a day of questioning!

Each day, we heard news that made us fear the worst. Without information about their families, friends from Biafra lived in constant fear, always listening for any bit of news available.

One day, a reporter of Indian origin who worked for an important American newspaper (Newsweek, if I remember correctly) arrived on the station. We offered him overnight accommodation and he listened to a long discussion with Eric Read on the salvation offered in Jesus Christ. Eric, a young artist, was always keen to testify.

The next day, this reporter left to continue his work in the war torn area. A few days later, we learned through Newsweek of his death.

What risks these young newsmen accept! And what a comfort that we had been able to present the Gospel to him along with the reason for which we were all there!

I remember another incident with Valerie. To escape from the tension all around us, we booked the Morris Minor belonging to the station and which was used by everyone. We planned to go to eat at the airport hotel at Ibadan (100 miles away). After a pleasant trip during which we had seen the wrecks of many vehicles, we arrived at the airport. Night comes suddenly in Africa and it was already dark when we arrived. We were a little surprised to see that the airport was in darkness but we drove into the yard only to be suddenly surrounded from every direction by soldiers. “Get out of here! Go!” they yelled. Valerie did not react. She drives barefoot and I can still hear her saying, “Where are my shoes? Where are my shoes?” All the while, the soldiers were becoming more nervous and continued to yell, “Get out of here!”

Finally, we got out of the car and were able to explain that we had come to the airport for dinner. The soldiers were sceptical and asked, “Did you not know that there has been an assassination here today?”

The airport had been threatened and we didn’t know it… Still suspicious, they let us go. We left without further questions but we had to stop a little farther down the road. Our knees were knocking together and our hands trembling so that neither of us was capable of driving. After calming down, we returned home with an empty stomach, but hearts full of praise for God’s protection.

At the end of 1968, I returned to Switzerland to be married. Before leaving, I had to be sure that all the bases were covered and an issue was prepared in advance. During this time, the magazine moved

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to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. An Evangelical Publications Centre had just been built on the compound of the Mission Biblique where we would be accommodated. Back in Africa in March, I resumed my role as editor while Pierre-André was to be responsible for setting up a photo lab at the Centre.

Contacts with the printer of the most widely read daily in Ivory Coast, Fraternité Matin, were very cordial and always pleasant.

What a treat to work with Francophones! And also, what a pleasure to be surrounded by Francophones! Contacts with pastors in the neighbourhood were quickly established to facilitate the work.

But my husband was not a photographer and he had a vision for going to Burundi to teach radio technology to a team of young students. For this reason we gave SIM notice and they began seeking replacements for us. A year later, we were able to turn the work over to a young couple, the Guillaume-Gentils, who succeeded us.

Unfortunately, three years later, the magazine ceased publication following problems common to this work: distribution in so many countries and the difficulty of finding trained personnel for writing and administration.

After the birth of our first daughter, we left for Burundi and Radio Cordac where, unfortunately, war caught up with us again in February 1972 and we were able to stay only one year.

In every situation, we could say that the Lord was by our side and kept us safe. What experiences and blessing He gave us! Even today we remember with joy this busy and exciting period of our lives, and we thank God. 229

229 Claudine

Luthy (Demiéville) remembrances 8 January 2008

THE DEMISE OF CHAMPION There had been great encouragement from different missions in francophone Africa from the early 1950s and continuing until Champion was published.

It had always been understood that the French Champion, though started in English-speaking Nigeria, would eventually have to be based in a Frenchspeaking country. The desire for a French magazine like African Challenge meant that they had to confront the problems of francophone countries in West Africa.

Undoubtedly there was speculation on the part of some that many of the problems might evaporate by being based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast – a Frenchspeaking country. Though some things were easier - French-speaking printers, etc - they always had to contend with the problem of low populations and very poor inter-country communications.

Nigeria, on the other hand, was the most populous country on the continent, and the lingua franca was English as in Ghana. Many of the surrounding French-speaking countries had populations of 2-4 million, and communications by road, telephone and mail were most difficult and lengthy.

For Champion to have representatives on the road visiting these countries was exorbitantly expensive. Also the literacy rate was higher in English-speaking Nigeria and Ghana.

The policies of the colonial powers of Britain and France were quite different. France sought to educate an elite group to run the country and represent their country in the French House of Assembly as many did. The British, on the other hand, made their educational system more egalitarian to lift the entire country. And so we might say that, in selling a Christian magazine such as African Challenge or Champion, the chickens came home to roost.

SUMMARY From its beginning, SIM has been known as the mission where literature holds a prime place. This evidenced itself first when missionaries learned the language of the area; they were soon translating portions of the Scripture, then teaching the people to read, so they could read the Bible, enabling God to speak to them directly in their own language.

Soon there were other books teaching the basics of the Christian faith, books about baptism, books on applying their faith to the daily happenings of life. Then as the years passed there came the need for a small magazine, Hausa Labarin Ekklesiya (News of the Church) and The West African Christian in English with a circulation reaching 3,000 in 1950. It was this magazine which developed into the African Challenge, on which SIM rode the wave of literacy to become the largest selling magazine in Africa in only three years, being surpassed in the fourth year by Drum, a famous magazine out of South Africa.

At the time of the Queen’s visit to Nigeria in 1956 the print run was 187,000 and for years after that it hovered around the 130,000 to 150,000 mark with approximately 50,000 going to Ghana. Yoruba Challenge was in addition to those figures.

For 25 years the African Challenge influenced numerous generations of students, and for 19 years the Yoruba Challenge did the same in the vernacular.

During this same period SIM Bookshops saw great growth and we expanded into areas where SIM traditionally had not been: Lagos, Ibadan and Eastern Nigeria. During this period through NLFA (New Life for All) and other programmes, the church in Nigeria and throughout the continent was growing exponentially. It was “harvest time” in Africa. And Christian literature was meeting the need of a growing, reading and spiritually hungry multitude.

It is interesting to note that in the recent “country review” internally within SIM, the church in Ethiopia saw the provision of literature as the most important thing that SIM did in that country.

Today SIM does not have a magazine; they no longer have bookshops, but in recent years they have become involved in providing sets of books for pastors (PBS.) At a PBS conference in Jos, one Nigerian pastor said, “Indeed, this is the greatest thing that has happened in the history of Christianity in Nigeria.”

Another pastor said, “If you do nothing else during your time in Nigeria, this has been enough.”

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Dr Ramesh Richard of Dallas Seminary says, “There are 2,000,000 inadequately trained pastors in the world. We need to continue helping pastors through providing sets of books that enable them to do a better job of shepherding their people.”

Recently (2006), 20,000 English PBS were distributed in three-day conferences in Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda. As I write 10,000 Amharic PBS are being distributed in Ethiopia. When that is complete 97,270 sets will have been distributed in five languages in 37 countries. Fund-raising is going on for a French PBS likely in 2010 which will be distributed in the francophone countries of West Africa. God enabling, this project and outreach will continue into the future.

PBS (Pastors’ Book Sets) We need a continuing vision to provide books that pastors need to help in building and strengthening the Church of Christ in developing lands. The need is great.

Two other areas which might be looked at are: • FM Radio: because most of Africa listens, missions and the church should examine the possibility of shaping teaching programmes for pastors and lay leaders as a possible avenue to get some measure of teaching to the many rural pastors who need help.

• Digital devices: advances in technology give us inexpensive tools to reach non–literates with Gospel teaching. Technology has advanced so we can provide digital devices with the Bible and Christian resources in audio format. The devices are inexpensive; the challenge is acquiring recordings in all the different languages.

This should become a major emphasis for the future for those who cannot read.

APPENDIX 1

BIAFRA

B

IAFRA? What’s that? For one thing, it was a secession movement that arose from a regrettable civil war in Nigeria where we were serving as missionaries. Beyond that, it involved Christians in the West. They were confused by misinformation that actually prolonged the suffering - a distortion that appeared again as recently as 28 July 2008 in Canada’s Macleans magazine article: “Where’s Biafra?”

While the Western World believed that the Biafran War arose from religious strife between the “Christian South and the Muslim North,” it actually arose from a clash between a hierarchical culture and an egalitarian culture. Yes, Islam did affect the worldview of many Northerners, while Christianity (albeit much of it not evangelical) affected the worldview of the Southerners. But underlying this was the ancient work ethic of the two different cultures.

In the North, Hausa groups (who immigrated from North Africa) operated according to a hereditary hierarchical structure, with paramount chiefs, tribal chiefs, village chiefs, and slaves. (Long before the cross-Atlantic slave-economy developed, Muslim-Arab slavers traded slaves - captured from pagan enclaves in West Africa, across the Sahara to slave markets in North and North-East Africa.)

Being served by others gave one status.

In the South-East (which became the short-lived “Biafra”), Ibos and related groups (who came to Nigeria out of the Congo Basin to the south) operated on a quasi-democratic, egalitarian structure, in which people lived and succeeded based upon one’s own efforts. The results of one’s work gave one status.

A university professor in Nigeria depicted for me the main regional differences as follows: A Hausa (dominant group in the Northern Region) would order a servant to climb a palm tree to pluck a coconut. A Yoruba (dominant tribe in the Western Region) would sit under the palm and wait until the coconut “fell into his lap”. The Ibo (dominant group in the Eastern Region) would climb the tree himself and enjoy the “fruit” of his labour.

When the Europeans did arrive and the British Administration finally put a stop to the slave trade, they trained and employed those they found willing to learn new skills and to work with their own hands. So it was the egalitarian

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Ibo who ended up running the railroad, police force, and army. They served in hospitals and sold groceries in shops.

Over the decades, Northern Hausas realized that while they had retained their hierarchical system, their developing cities and systems were run by Southern Ibos. Resentment grew and occasionally broke out in local strife, in which Northerners chased Southerners out of town, those they didn’t kill. Ibo resentment also built up, and finally triggered nationwide civil war after Ibo junior army officers assassinated Northern political leaders. It was a foolhardy thing to do, but must be understood as a link in the chain of successive outbursts on the part of both parties.

Before coastal entrepreneurship developed, the North had been the prime source of Nigeria’s main exports and wealth: beef and hides and ground nuts (peanuts). With Nigeria’s development, Ibos felt that they could just as well run their own economy: palm-oil, manufacturing, trading - and (at the time) the possibility of major oilfields under the Delta area. So when the North understandably reacted to the assassinations of top-level Muslim leaders, Northerners rose up and either killed or hounded out of the Region every Southerner they possibly could. In turn, Ibos declared their South East Region independent: Biafra (named after the body of water off that part of the coast of West Africa, the Bight of Biafra).

Britain understood the complex situation but could not agree to this forcible division of Nigeria. The skills and materials of each region were needed to keep the nation viable. Britain therefore aided the Nigerian Army which, with the police, were the “glue” that held Nigeria’s entities together. (One politician stated that Nigeria was artificially created when Britain drew a line on the map around 58 identifiable separate “nations” or major ethnic groups. There were actually over 400 cultures and sub-cultures.)

Meanwhile, media-conscious Biafra employed an overseas publicity agency to present the new republic’s cause in the West. Americans, recollecting their own fight for Independence, learned that the “Muslims” of the North were seeking to obliterate the successful “Christians” of the South, and Biafra was simply acting out of self-defence. Volunteer pilots flew anything that could carry cargo to fly in supplies to “oppressed Biafra”. It was a risky operation; in order to evade detection, pilots had to skim in over treetops and land their cargoes on crowded runways by moonlight without the aid of navigational lights or radio.

With the kind of information they were receiving via the media, Christian groups in the West became heavily involved in what they thought was a humanitarian crisis based on religious persecution. The Roman Catholic Church was particularly active, because the majority of Ibo “Christians” were Roman Catholics, but Presbyterians rose up to help the many Presbyterians among the adjacent Efik people - the country pioneered by Scottish missionary Mary Slessor. In North American magazines, devout Christians and others wrote to present the Biafran cause.

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At the time, I happened to be Africa correspondent for Christianity Today, and so wrote a column to present what we knew to be the real situation. A Presbyterian clergyman in the USA wrote to the editor to denounce this report by someone who “obviously didn’t know.” I personally replied to him explaining several things: (1) I was living in Nigeria, and had personally enabled Southerners to escape from the North; (2) we had Ibo pastors living in “Biafra” during the civil war; (3) the misinformed support of the West was actually extending the suffering by its misguided supply of weapons to Biafra; (4) and our mission (SIM) was operating the largest NGO aid program to help the stricken area recover.

And by the way, I further explained that (a) the head of the Nigerian Army was a born-again Christian - from the North! I had prayed with General Yakubu Gowon at his Army HQ. (I knew the British Civil Servant who had led him to the Lord when Gowon was in training Tony Wilmot later joined SIM as an associate-member.); (b) the majority of army members were from “the Christian South,” not the North; and (c) General Gowon purposely withheld his troops from attacking a city to give time for civilians to Harold Fuller & General Gowon leave.

The Presbyterian graciously wrote back, saying he had not realized that the author of the article lived in the country and understood both sides of the conflict.

To me, the West’s confusion over Biafra represents the difficulty our Western World sometimes has in understanding other cultures and conflicts.

W. Harold Fuller, 2008230

230 Harold

Fuller, received September 2008.

APPENDIX 2

T

he following pages give more detail about the development of the Niger-Challenge Press before the sale, as well as what happened in the years after the sale, until the Todds and the Tucks departed. This was written by Ash Tuck: At about this time Allen Moore was to go on furlough. Bill Todd took on the role of production manager, so I had to take on the role of works foreman in addition to the process department. That wasn’t too bad, but a couple of months later Bill’s wife Marj became ill and they had to return to the States for treatment and recuperation which took a long time. Having now to take on Bill’s role as well was a real challenge!

Fortunately, the Jaggers came from Australia to work with us for a couple of years. John Jagger was a compositor so he took care of the composing department, relieving Ray Hawkins who now was operating the Linotype almost fulltime, as well as looking after machinery maintenance. Nolan and Cookie King also arrived from the States for a year with us before moving on to Kent Academy.

Nolan had had some experience in the litho process, so helped in that area, while Cookie was a real asset in the production office.

This arrangement carried us through until Allen returned from New Zealand, and Bill was also able to come back.

Printing Requirements Demanded Plant Expansion This was a period of growth in SIM and other missions in the effort to reach the masses with the Gospel, to help them to grow in their knowledge of the Lord and also to prepare the believers for service for God. There was a continuing and growing need for hymnbooks, Bible study materials and Bible commentaries in a number of languages.

But the encouraging aspect was Christian material to reach the masses with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. African

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Challenge was the initiator and its success in reaching Englishspeaking people throughout the continent of Africa sparked the introduction of the Yoruba Challenge and Champion, both of which were printed by NCP. But what about the many other people groups? One of the productions that excited me was “VIP”. Yes, a Very Important Program… for Very Important People! Actual meaning: Vernacular Illustrated Publications. I don’t recall the frequency of these publications, but think it was about two or three per year for a number of years. They varied in the number of languages, format and quantity, and carried an educational article with a clear Gospel presentation. One edition I recall, in the form of a calendar during the Biafran War, was as low as 250,000 copies, but another, in 14 languages, had a combined print run of almost 1,250,000. With each copy being read by a number of people, these were a wonderful outreach.

On average we had about 40 mission jobs in varying stages from typesetting through to binding at any time. In a family letter dated 25 June 1967, I listed the following which were being printed or were in the bindery at that time.

Hausa Bible Commentary Volume six

3,000

Hausa book Every Christian a Witness

5,000

Bible Correspondence Course book

4,000

Marriage and the Home Hausa book

3,000 (two others being set up)

What use is next year without life eight-page tract

40,000

1,000 years from now four-page tract

20,000

Sunday School Teacher’s Manual - 64 pages in English, Yoruba and Hausa,

4,200

A sampling of other jobs: For New Life For All in Sierra Leone,

5,000

Handbooks, and Receiving Christ and Walking in Him booklets,

10,000 Lost and Found (Lost coin, sheep and son) in four languages Gospel tract for an outreach in Lagos,

180,000

100,000 each English and Yoruba

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For the Bible Society, The four Gospels in English, 100,000 each

and in Efik and Ibo, 25,000 each As the work increased we had to add more equipment such as a second Solna Chief plus other offset presses, including a Roland Parva which printed a sheet size of 25 x 36 inches, twice that of the Solna. In the bindery, a new folder, a glue binder for books, and a new Polar cutter were installed. A real gem was the installation of a quite large standby diesel-powered generator. Power cuts were so frequent and unpredictable that production was often badly interrupted and this generator brought real relief. An added bonus was that APN agreed that the Mission compound houses could be connected to this system so it could give us all at least lighting in the event of power cuts.

Having the larger press opened new doors for us. By this stage we became aware of the limitation placed on our staff regarding the class of work they were producing. Naturally, in that era Christian literature was done as cheaply as reasonably possible, so lighter and lesser quality paper and amount of ink colours were used. There were now other printers getting into commercial work and beginning to handle jobs that didn’t have these limitations and we felt a responsibility to our staff to provide at least some work that would extend their skills and trade experience. The idea was to take on some commercial jobs which would provide for that, and also contribute to the income which could help subsidize our mission work.

Murray and Pam Dunn were with us then, and as one of Murray’s jobs was to solicit advertising for Challenge and Yoruba Challenge, he was asked to see what he could pick up through the advertising agencies. This was made difficult due to our criteria of not accepting jobs that promoted alcoholic drinks and tobacco, etc, but he got some good jobs, and agencies became open to giving us what we wanted!

One day, Ted Alexander, the manager of an agency for which we had done work, approached Murray with the proposition of printing the Nigerian Airways calendar. It had always been done in the UK or Holland and they wanted it printed in Nigeria this year. Nothing of that class had ever been done there before, so Murray wasn’t sure if we could handle it, but raised the possibility with Bill and me anyway! We decided we could do it, so took it on. The staff were really pleased with this challenge and the job turned out extremely well. Soon after its release, an expatriate friend of ours who was aware that NCP had printed it, was talking to a group of expats who were looking at a copy of the calendar and commenting on what a nice job it was! “Yes,” he said.

“It is a good job… especially as it’s been printed in Nigeria!” “That will be the day!” was the response. “That couldn’t be done here!” He turned to the last page and pointed to the imprint “Printed in Nigeria by Niger-Challenge Press”.

They could hardly believe their eyes! This job really put NCP on the map!

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This came at a crucial time for the Press. The union problem had developed and the Mission leadership had come to the very difficult decision to sell the plant. It became very clear to us that the Lord’s hand was in the move to doing some commercial jobs, as this led to Mr Alexander becoming the means of the sale of the plant, while still keeping it available to us to continue printing the Mission’s literature for the next six and a half years. The Mission leadership and Challenge personnel were very supportive of the plan for Bill and me to stay on with the new owners.

On 28 February 1966 a closing chapel service for NCP staff was held.

ASSOCIATED PRESS OF NIGERIA On 1 March, 1966 Associated Press of Nigeria (APN), began operations with Bill Todd as business manager and Ash Tuck as production manager. Most of the former NCP printing department staff were re-employed, but not the key troublemakers. The union trouble ceased to exist and we had continuing good relations with all the team.

Over the next two years further printing equipment was added, including our second Roland Parva and the first two-colour Roland Rekord press with a slightly larger sheet size than the Parva. A major building extension was done to house the presses. This expansion put real financial pressure on APN, and the owners decided to look for a major partner for the business. A UK company was at that time looking for an opportunity to begin operations in Nigeria to complement their three packaging print businesses in England, and an agreement was reached with them to take a controlling share in APN. They were a good company to deal and work with, and agreed, as Ted Alexander had done, to respect our criteria as to the type of work we would accept, and also the special pricing structure for mission printing.

When the directors met mid-November 1969, Bill and I were asked to join them. The original board had often done this to seek our advice on certain matters, but this time we were surprised! When we were seated, the chairman began a little speech saying the directors were very happy to inform us that they had appointed us as directors of the company. There was an allocation of three directors from the original APN owners, and four from the Melbray group being the major shareholders, of which they had only filled two from their company. They said that it was felt that we were the ones who had built the business up and its success was mainly attributable to our efforts, so it was only fair that we should be brought in at the top level of directorship. We were almost speechless, but very appreciative of their acknowledgement of our efforts.

Our continued involvement for the next two and a half years was exciting as further building expansion and more new equipment was added. A fair amount of this was specifically for the packaging side of the business, but also more bindery and press equipment became available which made production

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of Christian literature more efficient. These included a second Roland Rekord 2-colour, two Roland Favorites, four Heidleburg presses, as well as a second programmable Polar cutter. Also a second generator was added as the one we had was not able to cope with the increased demand.

THE DOOR CLOSES In about February 1972, Melbray was “taken over” by a company called Tremlits. It didn’t affect us for a few months, but halfway through our twoweek break in Miango during April, I received a message from Grant Weir asking me to meet him on arrival at the Jos airport. I didn’t know him or what his visit was about! We had only an hour as he was going back to Lagos on the return flight. It turned out that two of the top brass from Tremlits had come to Lagos, demanded Ted Alexander’s resignation, and appointed Grant as acting general manager of APN. They sent him all the way to Jos to inform me of what was happening and to assure me that my position was not at risk. I was cautious as to what I said as this outfit was known to be absolutely ruthless, considering staff no more than machines which could be disposed of at will.

We continued for a while but it became obvious that they were not happy about our Mission connection and costing arrangement, and wanted us out.

Unfortunately, they used unscrupulous means to get us to go, thus trying to avoid the company commitments in our contracts. That was finally resolved and both Bill and I left.

Fortunately, by that time there were other options for having printing done, so the closure of that door did not mean the closure of the literature outreach.

However, it was a sad experience. We had worked with many of the staff for up to 15 years…more than that for Bill with those who moved from Niger Press.

We had trained most of them in their areas of the trade and many of them shared our commitment to the Lord and were pleased to serve in this work of producing material which carried the message of salvation and hope to their people. Being from many different people groups, we worked in English…

I had counted up their different languages one time and there were 14…we couldn’t learn all of those!...but they wanted to improve their English, so there was no problem.

Looking back to those years I count them as the best years of my life. It wasn’t at all easy, but the satisfaction of being a partner in that great outreach for the Gospel was very enriching.

We look forward to meeting the hosts of African people who came to faith in the Lord through reading the message in literature produced there in Lagos.

And… to the Lord be all the praise for allowing us a part in that service.

A BRIEF OF THE TUCKS’ STORY POST - APN One door had closed for us, but the Lord opened another! In August 1972 we moved to Juba, Southern Sudan, to begin heading up the in-field work of ACROSS (Africa Committee for Relief of Southern Sudan) a joint effort of SIM, SUM, AIM and MAF who had worked in Southern Sudan until being expelled by the Islamic government about 17 years previously.

We returned to New Zealand in August 1974 and worked in supermarket management for 13 years.

In 1988 we were asked to join the SIM home staff, Ash as New Zealand Secretary, responsible for the processing of all enquiries and applications for missionary service, both short and long term, and the New Zealand SIM media requirements.

At 70, we officially retired but began the formatting of a Christian monthly magazine from its first edition, which Ash is still doing eight years later, as well as considerable other Christian books and mission print needs.

(And we have eight grandchildren plus two great-grandsons to date!)

Our two sons have served overseas, Stan and Helen with SIM in Ethiopia for four years, (unable to return after furlough due to Helen’s injury to her back), and Ivan and Tracy with CMML in PNG for 11 years.

We are still very grateful to the Lord for the privilege of being able to serve Him in the literature program in Nigeria and in the relief work in Southern Sudan.