This is the day that … the Sudan Interior Mission (S.I.M.) was born, in 1898.
“On 24 May, 1898,” Rowland Bingham later wrote, “Helen E. Blair entered with me into life partnership … we were married three days before the mission was born …” (Flame of Fire, by J. Hunter, page 66).
In the previous decades an awakening of missionary interest had been stimulated by the preaching of D.L. Moody and the Student Volunteer Movement (of which John Mott became the leader for over 30 years).
Literally thousands of young people caught the vision of evangelising the world – in their generation. Among them was a young Englishman named Rowland Victor Bingham, who migrated to Canada … and then trained at A.B. Simpson’s Bible College.
With two other graduates, and without the backing of any Church or missionary society, Bingham sailed for Africa – the “white man’s grave”, as it was then known, and not without cause.
Bingham, suffering from attacks of malaria, was the only one to survive. He returned to Canada in February, 1895 … but that year of death, sickness and disappointment had not been wasted.
Other dedicated young men volunteered to go. The S.I.M. was formed, and by 1900 Bingham was off again – with two other young men – to take the gospel to the Sudan. Again the dreaded malaria struck – the mission was aborted.
But in 1901 another attempt was made … and success began to crown their efforts.
Less than a century later the S.I.M. has over 700 missionaries working under its banner. “Over 6,700 congregations have come into being through S.I.M. ministry, all self-sustaining and self-governing” (Sixty Great Founders, by G. Hanks).
In 1954 S.I.M. set up Africa’s first missionary radio station and daily the gospel is beamed out across the airwaves from Radio ELWA. And because its work now extends far beyond the Sudan, S.I.M. today stands for “Society of International Mission”.
Tags: africa, bingham, Church History, d l moody, john mott, malaria, missionaries, missionary, missionary radio station, missionary society, Missions, prout, radio elwa, student volunteer movement, sudan, sudan interior mission
Hi Janet, I visited the web at https://nigerianqueries.com/early-missionaries-in-nigeria/#google_vignette
On that site they tell of a Mrs Elizabeth Booth, but say she was married to Thomas Birch Freeman.
It may be that Mr Freeman married Mrs Booth after she was widowed, but that is only speculation.
The information is that these missionaries were from England and Scotland.
Here is the info that site provides ….
THOMAS BIRCH FREEMAN
Thomas Freeman was a Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society missionary who arrived in Nigeria in response to a request for a minister from liberated slaves from Freetown of Yoruba and Aku descent living in modern-day Lagos. He built a Mission building and Chapel with the help of other missionaries such as William De Graft, which was finished in March 1842. He went on missionary trips to Egba, Abeokuta, and Dahomey.
ELIZABETH BOOTH
She was the wife of Thomas Birch Freeman and a member of the Nigerian missionary voyage. She served as an evangelical missionary in West Africa from 1837 until her death in 1838.
BISHOP BROWN
In March 1859, he landed in Nigeria as a missionary from Sierra Leone. He oversaw the Ake Church in Abeokuta, which was built by Rev. Henry Townsend. He was so committed to the Ake Church’s expansion that he was ordained a Priest and the church developed to a capacity of 188 members.
I hope this is helpful.
Blessings,
Ps Chris
Hello,
Thank you for your blog post.
I am from Yerwa in Nasarawa state, Nigeria. Rev & Mrs J.J Booth and Rev. T A Brown set up Awyetu the SIM missions post in my village ( that is the much I have found from my research). However, my grandfather told me about serving the missionaries and going on missions trips to Diko ( Niger state ) with them on foot!.
Please, do you know which country these gentlemen came from? It would do me much good to have a complete picture of the people who have formed part of my becoming a lover of Jesus, like my father and his father.
Kind regards
Janet Auta