First Nigerian Missionary to Canada Reports Progress
Fifty – seven years after the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s first missionaries began their work in Nigeria, the first missionary from the Presbyterian Church in Nigeria began his work in Canada.
Rev. Augustus Oku was born in the shadow of the PCC’s first missionaries. His grandfather, Otu Etim Oku served as translator for Agnes Gollan who arrived with Joan Rochemont in 1954. Both were appointed by the Women’s Missionary Society.
“You brought the gospel to us and we made it rich with African culture,” said Augustus Oku. “Now we’re bringing it back to you.”
With the blessing of the Presbytery of West Toronto, Oku planted a Nigerian congregation that has met at Weston, Toronto, since June 26. Their services are in English, making them accessible to non – Nigerians who may prefer an African – style worship service. To date, the services draw an average of 15 – 35 people each Sunday, and the fledgling congregation has an active Facebook group. The commissioning of the mission and minister is planned for Nov. 20.
Planting a congregation in Canada is different from planting one in Nigeria, Oku noted. “In Nigeria, church planting is more of a spiritual matter; less academic work is done.” There, a pastor simply gathers the beginnings of a flock and starts a fellowship. Here, he said, “it is also a spiritual matter, but with a serious academic touch. I had to do research and a survey, represent the interests of Nigerians on the project geographically, do the demography, map out the area, do a spreadsheet recording of the people I contacted. For me this is good to ascertain the viability of the missionary project. The result is what we have today.”
Oku was trained at Knox College, Toronto, and said he plans to build a congregation that is engaged with the wider church.
The mission welcomed Rev. Uma Onwunta, a former principal clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, who visited on Sept. 25. Rev. Dr. Rick Fee, general secretary of the PCC’s Life and Mission Agency and former missionary to Nigeria, and Arlene Onuoha, a longtime but now retired missionary to Nigeria, also attended the worship service. ¦ —CW>
Have a Say in the Church’s Future
A committee tasked with creating a vision statement for the Presbyterian Church in Canada is calling for people to share their insights by completing a questionnaire by the end of November.
The five – member vision and mission committee has prepared a series of questions and are asking members and groups to “be prophetic, imaginative, creative and hopeful” in their responses. The feedback will help them craft a one – page document including a mission and a vision statement for the church.
“We expect that this document will communicate to today’s church and culture using contemporary language,” the committee wrote to the Record. “We hope that it will be widely accepted by the church and that it will be suitable for posting in every Presbyterian congregation in Canada.”
The questionnaire can be filled out online at presbyterian.ca/possible, and print copies have been sent to all sessions; those without computers can request a copy from their elders and respond by mail. The questionnaire is open to individuals and church groups. All submissions are due Nov. 30.
The committee plans to contact churches and presbyteries individually as well, and expressed hope that technology would allow them to give as many people as possible an opportunity to contribute.
The vision and mission committee was created by Assembly Council in response to a recommendation endorsed at the 2011 General Assembly. It is mandated to lead a process to “discern, define and articulate a vision for the Presbyterian Church in Canada in consultation with a broad cross – section of the diversity of the larger body of the church.” ¦ —CW
