Leader’s guide · 12 weeks
Leader’s guide: Samuel Ajayi Crowther (For Children)
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This guide helps you lead twelve weekly sessions on Samuel Ajayi Crowther (For Children), the true story of a Yoruba boy who was sold as a slave, set free, came to know Jesus, gave his people the Bible in their own language, and became the first African bishop of the Anglican Church. It is written for children aged 6 to 12, and works just as well for a Sunday school class, a homeschool group or a family around the table.
Each session takes about thirty minutes. Welcome the children and say the memory verse together (3 minutes). Read the week’s chapter aloud (5–7 minutes). Talk together using the chapter’s three questions (5–10 minutes). Do the activity (10 minutes). Close by praying the chapter’s short prayer, or one of your own (2 minutes).
To prepare, read the chapter yourself beforehand so you know what is coming, and have paper and crayons or pencils ready. Some chapters tell of capture, separation and unfair treatment, so read those parts calmly and simply, let children ask what they need to, never press anyone to share their own hurts in front of the group, and keep coming back to the book’s steady message that God was with Ajayi all along.
Week 1 — The Boy from Osogun
Ajayi is born about 1807 in Osogun, a busy walled Yoruba town in what is now Nigeria, where his father is a weaver and farmer and Ajayi leads a club of about forty boys who hoe the yam heaps together. His family prays to the old Yoruba gods and he knows nothing of Jesus, the sea or the wider world. The big idea: God saw Ajayi before he was born and had every day of his life in his book, and God sees each child too.
“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was written in your book.” — from Psalm 139
Memory verse
Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Psalm 139:16
Talk together
Where was Ajayi born?
In the town of Osogun, in the Yoruba country of what is now Nigeria, about the year 1807.
What did Ajayi like to do with the other boys?
His family remembered that he led a club of about forty boys who worked on the farms together, hoeing the heaps of earth for the yams.
What does the Bible verse say God knows about you?
That God saw you before you were born, and that every day of your life is written in his book. He knows you and looks after you.
Activity
A Page from God’s Book
You will need: Paper and crayons
- Give each child a sheet of paper folded in half like a book.
- On the left page, have them draw Osogun: mud houses, tall roofs and a wooden fence with six gates.
- On the right page, have them draw themselves at home or at play.
- Help them write across the top, “God sees me,” and say the memory verse together while holding up the pictures.
Pray
Dear God, thank you that you knew me before I was born. Thank you that every day of my life is in your hands. Amen.
Week 2 — The Day the Raiders Came
When Ajayi is about thirteen, in 1821, raiders attack Osogun; the family runs, his father is lost to him for ever, and Ajayi, his mother, sisters and a cousin are captured and led away. The chapter is honest that this was a terrible day, and that Ajayi later called it “the unhappy, but blessed day” because it began the road that led him to Jesus. The big idea: God does not call sad things good, but he stays with us and can bring good out of the hardest day; keep the telling calm and do not dwell on the details of the raid.
“You meant to hurt me, but God turned it into something good.” — from Genesis 50
Memory verse
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Genesis 50:20
Talk together
What happened to Osogun when Ajayi was about thirteen?
Raiders surrounded the town, broke in, and caught many people, including Ajayi, his mother and his sisters, to sell as slaves.
Why did Ajayi call it “the unhappy, but blessed day”?
It was unhappy because he lost his home and family. It was blessed because it began the long road that led him to Jesus.
Can you think of a hard time when God was still with you?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God does not call sad things good, but he stays with us and can bring good out of them.
Activity
God Is Still With Me
You will need: Nothing
- Stand in a circle and teach the reply: point up and say, “God is still with me!”
- Call out times and places, such as “On my birthday,” “At school,” “When it’s dark,” “On a rainy day,” “When I feel sad.”
- After each one, have everyone give the reply together, loud for happy times and soft for sad ones.
- Finish by saying the memory verse together and reminding them that God was with Ajayi on his saddest day too.
Pray
Dear God, when sad things happen, help me to remember that you are still with me. Thank you that you can bring good out of hard days. Amen.
Week 3 — Sold Again and Again
Ajayi is passed from owner to owner, traded once for a horse that was sent back, and sold about six times in all, each time further from home; he is taken past where his mother is kept without daring to call out, grows ill with sadness, and is finally carried across a great lagoon to Lagos, where the slave ships came. Read this gently and keep the focus on Ajayi’s feelings rather than on his hardships. The big idea: looking back, Ajayi saw that God had been watching over him and delivering him from evil the whole time, even before he knew God’s name.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” — from Matthew 6
Memory verse
The LORD will keep you from all evil. He will keep your soul.
Psalm 121:7
Talk together
How many times was Ajayi sold or traded?
About six times. Once he was even traded for a horse, which was sent back because it was no good.
Why was Ajayi afraid when he came to the lagoon?
He had never seen so much water before, and he knew he was being taken towards the place where slave ships came.
What did Ajayi see later about those dark months?
That God had been watching over him and delivering him from evil the whole time, even before he knew God.
Activity
“God Watches Over Me” Card
You will need: Paper and crayons or pencils
- Have each child fold a sheet of paper in half to make a card.
- On the front, have them draw a big sun or a bright star shining over a small figure.
- Inside, help them copy the words “God watches over me, even when I feel alone.”
- Invite them to keep the card by their bed, and pray together for anyone who feels alone today.
Pray
Dear God, thank you that you watch over me even when I feel alone. Please keep me safe and deliver me from evil. Amen.
Week 4 — The Ship That Was Stopped
After nearly four months held in Lagos, Ajayi is put on a crowded Portuguese slave ship, but that very evening, 7 April 1822, two British warships stop it and the boys are taken onto the Myrmidon, where they mistake a hanging pig and cannonballs for something terrible and later laugh about it all their lives. The kind sailors feed and clothe them and bring them to Sierra Leone, where they are told, “You are free!” The big idea: Jesus came to set people free, and we can be like the sailors who helped people in trouble; the cannonball mix-up gives the children a welcome moment to laugh.
“We escaped like a bird from a trap. The trap is broken, and we are free!” — from Psalm 124
Memory verse
Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
Psalm 124:7
Talk together
Who stopped the slave ship?
Two British warships, the Myrmidon and the Iphigenia, on 7 April 1822.
What did the boys think when they saw the pig and the cannonballs?
They were afraid the sailors had eaten the other prisoners and that the cannonballs were their heads. Then they found it was only a pig, and the balls were iron.
Who is someone you could help this week?
Any answer is good. The sailors helped people who could not help themselves, and Jesus came to set people free. We can help others too.
Activity
Map of Ajayi’s Journey
You will need: Large sheets of paper and crayons
- Put the children in groups of three or four with one large sheet of paper each.
- Have them draw Osogun at the right side, a big blue lagoon with Lagos beside it, then the wide sea, and Sierra Leone on the far left.
- Draw a dotted line from Osogun to Lagos, then add the British ship out at sea and a line to Sierra Leone.
- Have them draw a flying bird over Sierra Leone and write “Free!” beside it, then say the memory verse together.
Pray
Dear Jesus, thank you that you came to set people free. Thank you for people who help others who are in trouble. Help me to be one of them. Amen.
Week 5 — A New Name
In the village of Bathurst in Sierra Leone, Ajayi lives with the missionary Mr. Davey and his wife, learns to read the New Testament in just six months, and is soon a paid monitor teaching younger children. He hears about Jesus, says “the Lord was pleased to open my heart,” and is baptised on 11 December 1825, taking the name Samuel Crowther while keeping his Yoruba name all his life; he later marries Asano, a girl rescued from another slave ship. The big idea: Jesus forgives us and makes us new on the inside, but we are still the person God made.
“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The old has gone, and the new has come!” — from 2 Corinthians 5
Memory verse
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, they have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Talk together
How quickly did Ajayi learn to read?
After only six months in Sierra Leone he could read the New Testament, and he was soon helping to teach the younger children.
What new name did Ajayi take when he was baptised?
Samuel Crowther, the name of a minister in London. But he kept his Yoruba name too, and signed himself Samuel Ajayi Crowther.
What does it mean to become a “new person” in Jesus?
Jesus forgives us and changes us on the inside, but we are still the person God made. Samuel was made new, but he was still Ajayi.
Activity
Little Monitors
You will need: Nothing
- Explain that Ajayi was a monitor: as soon as he learned something, he taught it to someone else.
- Teach the memory verse with simple hand actions, a line at a time, until the group knows it.
- Put the children in pairs and have each one take a turn as the “monitor,” teaching the verse and actions to their partner.
- Ask a few pairs to show the group, and cheer every monitor.
Pray
Dear Jesus, please open my heart to hear you, like you opened Samuel’s. Thank you that you forgive me and make me new. Amen.
Week 6 — Africa’s Own Children
Samuel becomes a teacher, the very first student at Fourah Bay College, and starts writing down Yoruba words. On the 1841 Niger River expedition a fever kills many Europeans while most Africans stay well, and Samuel writes that Africa will be helped most by “her own children”; in 1843 he is made a minister in London and comes home to lead a church service in Yoruba. The big idea: Jesus tells his friends to be his witnesses starting at home, so children can begin with the people right around them.
“You will be my witnesses, at home and to the ends of the earth.” — from Acts 1
Memory verse
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Acts 1:8
Talk together
What happened on the Niger River in 1841?
A terrible fever broke out and many of the Europeans died, but most of the Africans stayed well.
What did Samuel mean when he said Africa would be helped by “her own children”?
That Africans should be trained and sent to tell their own people about Jesus, in their own languages.
Who is someone near you that you could tell about Jesus?
Any answer is good. Jesus told his friends to start telling about him at home, and so can we.
Activity
Ripples from Home
You will need: One large sheet of paper and crayons
- Draw a small circle in the middle of the paper and write “Home” in it.
- Draw bigger rings around it and label them “My street,” “My school,” “My town” and “The whole world.”
- Ask the group for ways to share Jesus’ love in each ring, such as saying grace, inviting a friend to church, or praying for another country.
- Write their ideas in the rings, then read the finished list aloud and say the memory verse together.
Pray
Dear Jesus, help me to tell the people around me about you, starting right where I am. Amen.
Week 7 — “Mother!”
In 1846 Samuel goes to live in Abeokuta among his own people, and within three weeks he learns that his mother is alive; on 21 August she comes, trembling, and after twenty-five years apart they hold each other in tearful silence while she calls him by his childhood pet names. She has had a hard life as a slave, but she learns about Jesus, is baptised Hannah in 1848, and gladly lets her son go to serve God. The big idea: God did not forget Samuel or his mother, and he does not forget us; be aware that some children may be apart from a parent and keep the talk warm and general.
“God, you help children who have no father.” — from Psalm 10
Memory verse
Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you!
Isaiah 49:15
Talk together
How long had Samuel and his mother been apart?
About twenty-five years. They were separated when Samuel was sold away, and found each other again in 1846.
What Bible verse did Samuel read on the day his mother came?
“You are the helper of the fatherless,” from Psalm 10. He said he had never felt it was so true as on that day.
What did his mother say when he told her he would often be away?
“You are no longer my son, but the servant of God.” She wanted him to do God’s work without worrying about her.
Activity
A Thank-You Card for Someone Who Cares
You will need: Paper and crayons or pencils
- Have each child fold a sheet of paper to make a card.
- Ask them to think quietly of someone who looks after them: a parent, grandparent, carer, teacher or friend.
- On the front, have them draw a picture for that person; inside, help them write “Thank you for caring for me” and sign their name.
- Finish by thanking God together that he never forgets any of us, and let them take the card home to give.
Pray
Dear God, thank you for my family. Thank you that you never forget me, and that you help people who are lonely or have lost someone they love. Amen.
Week 8 — The Lord’s Prayer by Candlelight
Hardly anyone had written Yoruba down, so Samuel works out how to spell it, writes a book to teach it, and leads the team that translates the Bible, finished in 1884 after more than forty years. On a visit to England in 1851 he meets Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle, where she lights the candles herself when the lamp goes out, and he prays the Lord’s Prayer in Yoruba, which she says sounds “soft and melodious.” The big idea: God loves every language and wants every people to hear about Jesus in the words they understand best.
“How is it that each of us hears them speaking in our own language?” — from Acts 2
Memory verse
How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?
Acts 2:8
Talk together
Why did Samuel want to write Yoruba down?
So that his people could read God’s word in the language they spoke at home.
What did Samuel say to Queen Victoria in Yoruba?
A Yoruba proverb, and then the Lord’s Prayer. The Queen said it sounded “soft and melodious.”
Why does God want people to hear about him in their own language?
Because God loves every language and every people, and we understand best in the words we grew up with.
Activity
The Night the Lamp Went Out
You will need: Nothing (a sheet of paper can be the map)
- Choose children to play Samuel, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, with everyone else as guests in the room.
- Act out the scene: Samuel and the Prince look at a map, the Queen comes in quietly, the lamp goes out, and the Queen pretends to light the candles.
- When a guest asks Samuel to say something in his own language, have the whole group stand and pray the Lord’s Prayer together.
- Invite any child who knows another language to say “Amen” or “thank you” in it, if they would like to.
Pray
Our Father in heaven, thank you that you understand every language in the world. Thank you for the people who help others read the Bible in their own words. Amen.
Week 9 — A Year Beside the Wreck
Samuel travels the Niger again and again; in 1854 the Pleiad returns after more than a hundred days with no one dead, and in 1857 he leaves two African helpers to start a church at Onitsha before the Dayspring hits rocks near Jebba and tips over, with everyone getting safely ashore. Fifty people camp by the river for a whole year, and Samuel leads prayers morning and evening, cares for the sick, laughs at himself when a leopard visits (“I am no gunner”), and learns and writes down the Nupe language. The big idea: when things go wrong, keep trusting God and keep doing good, because God can use even our worst days.
“We are pressed on every side, but not crushed. We are knocked down, but not destroyed.” — from 2 Corinthians 4
Memory verse
Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.
Galatians 6:9
Talk together
What happened to the ship called the Dayspring?
It hit rocks near Jebba and tipped over. Everyone got safely to shore, but the ship could not be saved.
What did Samuel do during the year beside the river?
He held prayers, cared for the sick, made friends with the people nearby, and began to write down their language, Nupe.
What is something hard that you could keep going with, like Samuel did?
Any honest answer is good. Samuel kept trusting God and kept working even when everything went wrong.
Activity
Don’t Give Up Walk
You will need: One sheet of paper per child
- Line the children up along one wall with a sheet of paper balanced flat on each head.
- Have them walk slowly to the other side of the room without touching the paper.
- If a paper falls, have the child pick it up, put it back, say “Don’t give up!” and keep going from that spot.
- When everyone has crossed, cheer together and say the memory verse.
Pray
Dear God, when things go wrong, help me not to give up. Help me to trust you and to keep doing good. Amen.
Week 10 — “I Am Not Worthy”
The missionaries in London decide the Niger churches need an African bishop and choose Samuel, who says “I am not worthy” but at last agrees: “It is the Lord; let Him do what seemeth Him good.” On 29 June 1864 at Canterbury Cathedral he becomes the first African bishop of the Anglican Church, and his old teacher Mrs. Davey, now Mrs. Weeks, refuses to give up her seat because she taught him his alphabet; yet the new bishop asks not to be called “My Lord” and gives his own chair to a schoolteacher. The big idea: God loves to lift up the humble, and we only need to say yes to him.
“God lifts up the poor from the dust and seats them with princes.” — from 1 Samuel 2
Memory verse
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
James 4:10
Talk together
What did Samuel say when he was asked to be a bishop?
“I am not worthy.” He wanted to stay a humble servant, but at last he agreed to do what God wanted.
Who was the old lady at the cathedral?
Mrs. Weeks, who had been Mrs. Davey, his teacher at Bathurst. She said she had a right to her seat because she had taught him the alphabet.
How did Samuel show that being a bishop did not make him proud?
He asked people not to call him “My Lord,” and he would give his own chair to a schoolteacher.
Activity
The Bishop’s Chair
You will need: One chair
- Put one chair in the middle of the room and choose a child to be Bishop Samuel sitting in it.
- Have another child knock and come in as the schoolteacher, and let the bishop stand and offer the chair with a smile.
- Swap so several children get a turn at offering the seat.
- Ask the group to name other ways to put someone else first this week, like letting someone go first or sharing the best spot.
Pray
Dear God, please make me humble like Samuel. Help me to put others first and to say yes to whatever you ask me to do. Amen.
Week 11 — The Kindness of Slaves
In 1867 Bishop Crowther and his son Dandeson are seized by Chief Abokko, who wrongly thinks the bishop is rich and demands a huge payment; the chief’s own slaves secretly share their food, a cloth and a robe, and Samuel says they are like the ravens God sent to feed Elijah. On Sunday he bravely asks for his Bible back and gets it, Dandeson refuses to leave his father, and they finally escape to a steamer, though their helper Mr. Fell is killed by an arrow; mention his death briefly and gently. The big idea: God cared for Samuel through the small kindness of poor people, and a small kindness can be God’s answer to someone’s prayer.
“The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening.” — from 1 Kings 17
Memory verse
The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.
1 Kings 17:6
Talk together
Why did Chief Abokko keep the bishop prisoner?
He thought the bishop owned the trading ships and was rich, so he wanted a huge payment before he would let him go.
Who fed Samuel and Dandeson when they were prisoners?
The chief’s slaves shared their own food with them in secret. Samuel said they were like the ravens God sent to feed Elijah.
What small kindness could you show someone this week?
Any answer is good. A small kindness, like sharing food or a blanket, can be God’s answer to someone’s prayer.
Activity
A Flock of Kindness Ravens
You will need: Paper and crayons or pencils
- Have each child draw a big black bird, a raven, on a sheet of paper.
- Inside or beside the bird, help them write or draw one small kindness they will do this week, like sharing, helping or including someone.
- Lay all the ravens together on the floor or a wall to make a flock.
- Pray together that God would use each small kindness to answer someone’s prayer.
Pray
Dear God, thank you that you take care of your people, even in hard places. Help me to be kind to people who are in trouble, like the slaves who fed Samuel. Amen.
Week 12 — Good Night
Samuel’s children love his stories, especially the one about his first heavy boots, when he had to hold the wall to walk round the room. In old age his wife Asano dies and young missionaries unfairly push aside African ministers, even his own son, which the Church of England much later admitted was wrong, but Samuel does not fight back and keeps loving and serving. On the last night of 1891 he tells his daughter Abigail “Good night” and goes peacefully home to Jesus. The big idea: Samuel trusted God on happy and sad days alike and could rest in peace because he knew he was safe with God; this is a good week to look back over the whole story.
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, Lord, keep me safe.” — from Psalm 4
Memory verse
In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, the LORD alone, make me live in safety.
Psalm 4:8
Talk together
What was the funny story about Samuel’s first shoes?
He had never worn shoes, so when he was given heavy boots he could not walk. He held on to the wall and walked round the room until he could let go.
What did Samuel do when people treated him unfairly?
He did not shout or fight back. He went on loving and serving. Many years later, the Church of England said that what happened to him was wrong.
What were Samuel’s last words?
“Good night.” He said it to his daughter Abigail, in peace, because he knew he was safe with God.
Activity
Story Line-Up
You will need: Eight sheets of paper and a crayon, prepared by the leader
- Before the session, write one moment on each sheet: “Born in Osogun,” “The ship is stopped,” “A new name,” “Mother!”, “The Bible in Yoruba,” “The shipwreck year,” “Made a bishop,” “Good night.”
- Mix up the sheets and give them to eight children to hold.
- Have the rest of the group help them stand in the right order, telling a little of each part of the story as they go.
- Finish by walking down the line together and saying “God was with him” at each sheet.
Pray
Dear God, thank you for Samuel Ajayi Crowther and all that you did through his life. Help me to trust you on happy days and sad days, and to know that I am always safe with you. Amen.