Leader’s guide · 13 weeks
Leader’s guide: Samuel Ajayi Crowther (For Teens)
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This guide takes your group through “Samuel Ajayi Crowther (For Teens)” in thirteen weeks, one chapter a week. It tells the true story of a Yoruba boy captured in a slave raid at about thirteen, freed from a slave ship by the Royal Navy, who grew up to help give his people the Bible in their own language and became the first African bishop of the Anglican Church. It is written for teens aged about 13 to 18 and suits a youth group, a homeschool or a small group.
Each session runs about 30 to 40 minutes. Open by saying the memory verse together. Read the chapter, either aloud together or at home beforehand if your group prefers. Talk through the chapter’s three questions, which come with answers to help you. Do the activity, which takes about ten minutes. Then close by praying the chapter’s prayer, or one of your own.
To prepare, read the chapter yourself and look over the activity; most weeks need only paper and pens, or nothing at all. The book does not soften hard things: the violence of a slave raid, families torn apart, a boy’s attempts to end his own life, kidnapping, a death in an escape, and racism inside the church. Read those parts steadily, point out the help the chapters themselves urge anyone struggling to seek, and never press anyone to share their own hurts aloud; personal reflection stays private. If a teen seems affected, check in quietly afterwards. Some in your group may have family histories touched by slavery, migration or racism, so speak with care, and keep returning to the book’s honest pattern: what was evil is called evil, and God is still at work.
Week 1 — The Unhappy, Blessed Day
In 1821 raiders surrounded the Yoruba town of Osogun, and Ajayi, about thirteen, was led away with a rope around his neck along with his mother, sisters and a cousin; he never saw his father again. Sixteen years later, as a Christian, he called it an “unhappy” day because of all he lost, and a “blessed” one because it began the journey that brought him to Christ. Like Joseph, he held both halves together: what others meant for evil, God meant for good. The big idea: you can call something truly wrong and still hope that God is not finished with it.
“And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” — Genesis 50:20 (ASV)
Memory verse
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Genesis 50:20
Talk together
What happened to Osogun in 1821?
Slave-raiders surrounded and broke into the town. Ajayi, his mother, his sisters and a cousin were captured and led away with ropes around their necks, and he never saw his father again.
Why did Crowther call it both “unhappy” and “blessed”?
Unhappy because he lost his home and family; blessed because it began the journey that brought him to Christ. He never let the blessing cancel the grief.
How is Joseph’s statement in Genesis 50:20 different from saying “everything happens for a reason”?
Joseph calls what his brothers did evil and does not excuse it. He says God was at work in it for good, which is not the same as saying the wrong thing was really fine.
Activity
Both Halves of the Sentence
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Crowther’s phrase “the unhappy, but … blessed day” and Joseph’s words in Genesis 50:20.
- As a group, talk about why “everything happens for a reason” can sound hurtful when someone is suffering.
- Compare it with how Joseph and Crowther spoke: what do they admit, and what do they hope?
- Each person writes privately two sentences about a hard thing, beginning “It was unhappy because …” and “God could still …”, leaving the second blank if it isn’t ready yet.
- Keep the papers to look at again when the book is finished.
Week 2 — The Noose He Couldn’t Tighten
Traded again and again, Ajayi was chained for market and sold to a woman taking him toward the Popo country, where slaves were sold to the Portuguese. In despair he tried several times to strangle himself but could not, and he was sold on until he reached the slave port of Lagos. Years later he wrote that the Lord, “while I knew Him not,” had delivered him from evil, and he asked forgiveness rather than hiding what he had done. The big idea: despair is real, but it is not the end of the story, and darkness brought into the light loses some of its power.
“And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” — Matthew 6:13 (ASV)
Memory verse
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:13
Talk together
What did Ajayi try to do during his months as a captive, and how did he later describe it?
He tried several times to strangle himself but could not tighten the noose. Years later he confessed it plainly and wrote, “May the Lord forgive me this sin!”
What did he mean by saying the Lord “delivered me from evil” while he “knew Him not”?
That God had been protecting him through those months before he had ever heard of Christ or prayed the Lord’s Prayer.
Why might it matter that Crowther wrote about his despair instead of hiding it?
Naming it and bringing it into the light let others see where God had found him, and showed that despair does not have to be the end of the story.
Activity
Deliver Us from Evil
You will need: Paper and pens
- Begin by saying plainly that this chapter is about a boy who wanted to end his life, and that anyone carrying thoughts like that should tell a safe person this week: a parent, a pastor, a teacher, a doctor or a crisis line.
- As a group, list the safe people and places in your community someone could turn to, and write them where everyone can see.
- Read Crowther’s sentence about being delivered from evil while he did not yet know God.
- Pray the line “deliver us from evil” slowly together, leaving a moment of silence for each person to bring someone to mind.
- Make sure everyone leaves knowing they can talk to you privately.
Week 3 — Hogs and Cannon-Shot
In Lagos, Ajayi was bought by Portuguese traders and kept chained by the neck for nearly four months before being put on a slave ship with 186 others. That same evening, 7 April 1822, two Royal Navy warships captured the ship; the boys first thought the sailors were cannibals, until they found the “heads” were cannonballs and the meat was pork. Ajayi struck the captured Portuguese owner, and later, as a Christian, called it wicked rather than justice; he was landed free in Sierra Leone. The big idea: Christ came to set captives free, and real freedom is something other than revenge.
“The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” — Isaiah 61:1 (ASV)
Memory verse
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
Isaiah 61:1
Talk together
Who rescued Ajayi, and when?
Two Royal Navy warships, HMS Myrmidon and HMS Iphigenia, stopped the Portuguese slave ship on 7 April 1822, the same evening it sailed.
Why did the boys think the sailors were cannibals?
They saw white-skinned pork hanging up and rows of cannonballs, and guessed the meat was the other captives and the balls were their heads, until a closer look showed a hog and iron shot.
How did Crowther later judge his blow to the Portuguese owner?
As “an act, however, very wicked and unkind in its nature.” He did not excuse it as justice, even though the man had chained him.
Activity
Justice or Payback?
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read the moment where Ajayi hits the Portuguese owner and how he later judged it.
- In small groups, write four short everyday scenarios where someone wants to get even: a comeback, a cold shoulder, a screenshot, a rumour.
- Sort each scenario into “this is justice,” “this is payback” or “hard to tell,” and say why.
- Discuss: what would a better response look like in each case?
- Ask everyone to notice privately one moment this week when they want payback, and to ask Crowther’s question before acting.
Week 4 — Same Boy, New Name
Living with a missionary family at Bathurst, Ajayi learned so fast that within six months he read the New Testament and taught younger pupils; he was baptised in December 1825, describing his conversion simply as God opening his heart. He took the name Samuel Crowther but never stopped being Ajayi, signing himself Samuel Ajayi Crowther and spending his life on the Yoruba language. He learned to wear boots by walking round a room, became the first student at Fourah Bay, and in 1829 married Asano, also freed from a slave ship. The big idea: in Christ you become a new creation, not a different person; God frees who he made rather than erasing them.
“Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ASV)
Memory verse
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Talk together
How did Crowther describe his conversion?
Simply: the Lord opened his heart to listen, he became convinced he was a sinner, and he wanted forgiveness through Jesus Christ. He was baptised on 11 December 1825.
Did taking the name Samuel Crowther mean he stopped being Ajayi?
No. He kept signing himself Samuel Ajayi Crowther and spent his life working in the Yoruba language and culture. His new life in Christ did not erase who he was.
What is one part of your own background that God might want to use rather than erase?
Answers will vary. The chapter’s point is that being a “new creature” in Christ frees and renews the person God made rather than replacing them.
Activity
Free It or Use It?
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read how Crowther kept the name Ajayi all his life.
- Each person writes three things that come from their family, culture or language: a phrase, a tradition, a skill.
- Next to each, write whether it is something Jesus wants to free them from, or something he wants to make new and use.
- Invite a few volunteers to share one thing they think God wants to use.
- Talk about why some people think following Jesus means becoming someone else, and what this chapter says instead.
Week 5 — Africa’s Own Children
In 1841 Crowther joined a British expedition up the Niger River, where he taught, prayed and met Yoruba people for the first time in twenty years. Fever killed 42 of about 150 Europeans and the expedition was called a failure, but most of the Africans stayed well. Crowther wrote carefully that Africa “can chiefly be benefitted by her own Children,” and within two years he was ordained, though he did not feel qualified. The big idea: witness starts at home, and you can reach “your own” people more naturally than anyone from outside.
“But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” — Acts 1:8 (ASV)
Memory verse
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8
Talk together
What happened to the 1841 Niger expedition?
Fever struck. Of about 150 Europeans, 42 died within about two months, the model farm was abandoned, and the society called it an “admitted failure,” though most of the Africans stayed well.
What did Crowther mean by “Africa can chiefly be benefitted by her own Children”?
That Africans, who could survive there and already spoke the languages, should be trained, trusted and sent to reach their own people, not that Europeans were unnecessary.
Who are the “Jerusalem” people in your own life, the ones you can reach most naturally?
Answers will vary: family, classmates, teammates, neighbours. Acts 1:8 begins the witness at home, with the people closest to us.
Activity
My Jerusalem
You will need: Paper and pens
- Draw four circles inside each other and label them Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.
- Explain how Acts 1:8 moves outward from home, and how Crowther saw Africans as best placed to reach Africa.
- Each person writes in their inner circle the names of three people who are “their own”: same school, team, family or language.
- Pick one name privately and commit to pray for that person every day this week.
- Ask: why did Crowther go even though he said he wasn’t qualified?
Week 6 — Who Makes You Different?
Ordained in London in 1843, Crowther preached in Freetown to a packed church, but the question “Who maketh thee to differ?” filled him with shame, since everything that set him apart had been given to him. He held what was probably the first church service in Yoruba. When a Shango drummer told him Freetown’s Christians were the worst adulterers in town, Crowther admitted the charge was “too true” and answered only with patience and an even temper. The big idea: everything we have is received, and when critics of Christians are right, the best answer is honesty and a changed life.
“For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?” — 1 Corinthians 4:7 (ASV)
Memory verse
For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
1 Corinthians 4:7
Talk together
Why did the question “Who maketh thee to differ?” fill Crowther with shame at his first sermon?
Because everything that made him stand out, his education, ordination and place in the pulpit, had been given to him. He had nothing to boast about.
What did Crowther do when the Shango drummer accused Christians of immorality?
He admitted the charge was “too true” and was silenced. He answered the insults with patience and an even temper rather than anger.
Why is honesty about Christians’ failures sometimes a better answer than defending them?
Because a true charge can’t be argued away, and a church that admits its faults and changes how it lives is more persuasive than one that spins them.
Activity
Fair Criticism
You will need: Paper and pens
- In small groups, list common criticisms people make of Christians today.
- Sort them into “mostly unfair,” “partly true” and “too true.”
- For one “too true” item, discuss how Crowther responded to the drummer: no spin, just honesty and patience.
- Each person writes privately whether that criticism is true of them, and one concrete way to answer it with their life this week.
- Close by reading 1 Corinthians 4:7 and naming things each of us has received rather than earned.
Week 7 — The Helper of the Fatherless
In 1846 Crowther reached Abeokuta, and within weeks learned his mother was alive; they met after twenty-five years, trembling and silent with tears, on the day the Christian Almanac’s text read, “Thou art the Helper of the fatherless.” She had spent much of that time enslaved, came to trust Christ, and was baptised Hannah in 1848. She released him to his work, saying he was now God’s servant. The big idea: God sees the oppressed, and sometimes, without any plan of ours, he restores what we thought was lost.
“Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: The helpless committeth himself unto thee; Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.” — Psalm 10:14 (ASV)
Memory verse
But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.
Psalm 10:14
Talk together
How long had Crowther and his mother been separated, and how did they find each other?
About twenty-five years. Weeks after he arrived in Abeokuta in 1846, he heard she was alive in a nearby town and sent for her. He said it happened “without any plan or device of mine.”
What did his mother say when he told her his work would keep him away?
“You are no longer my son, but the servant of God, whose work you must attend unto without any anxiety for me.”
Why does it matter that Psalm 10 says “Thou hast seen it”?
Because it promises that God sees injustice and the suffering of the helpless and does not forget them, which is how Crowther understood the day his mother came back.
Activity
Helper of the Fatherless
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Crowther’s journal entry about meeting his mother again.
- Ask: why does it matter that Psalm 10 says God sees the violent and the oppressed?
- As a group, think about who in a school or church might be “fatherless” in some sense: alone, grieving, new, cut off from family. Do not name anyone.
- Brainstorm practical things a teen could do for someone like that: a message, an invitation, time, a seat at lunch.
- Each person writes privately one thing they will do for someone this week.
Week 8 — In Our Own Language
When Crowther was born, Yoruba had hardly been written; he collected words, published the first Yoruba vocabulary by a native speaker, and did the largest share of a team translation of the Bible completed in 1884. Translating the Bible declared the language worthy to carry God’s word, so no one had to become English to become a Christian. At Windsor in 1851 he prayed the Lord’s Prayer in Yoruba for Queen Victoria by candlelight, and the chapter also notes the British attack on Lagos that followed and what he could not foresee about colonial rule. The big idea: from Pentecost on, God has spoken to people in their own language.
“And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born?” — Acts 2:8 (ASV)
Memory verse
And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
Acts 2:8
Talk together
Why was writing Yoruba down so difficult?
It is a tonal language, where the same syllable can mean different things depending on pitch, and it has sounds English letters can’t spell, so a new spelling system with tone marks had to be agreed.
What happened when Crowther met Queen Victoria?
She came in quietly while he was showing Prince Albert a map, lit the candles when the lamp went out, and heard him say a Yoruba proverb and the Lord’s Prayer in Yoruba. She called it “soft and melodious.”
Why does translating the Bible into a people’s language matter?
Because it treats that language as worthy to carry God’s word, so people can follow Christ without first having to become someone else.
Activity
Heart Language
You will need: Nothing
- Ask who in the group speaks or has family who speak another language, and invite them to say “Our Father” or a short blessing in it if they wish.
- Talk about why Yoruba was hard to write down and why Crowther thought the effort was worth it.
- Discuss Lamin Sanneh’s point: what does translating the Bible say about a language and its people?
- Ask: what are the everyday words you actually think in, and do you pray in them or in “church language”?
- End with a short time where each person prays silently in the words they really think in.
Week 9 — Pressed, Not Crushed
Crowther’s 1854 voyage up the Niger and Benue lost no one, unlike 1841, and in 1857 he left African workers to plant a mission at Onitsha. Then the steamer Dayspring was wrecked near Jebba, and fifty people waited a year on the riverbank; Crowther led prayers, began writing the Nupe language, protected a robbed woman, and talked gently with Muslim neighbours, believing kindness, not abuse, would lead them to read the Bible. By the end there were new missions and the start of a Nupe grammar. The big idea: we may be pressed and perplexed, but not crushed, and a wrecked plan can still be a fruitful year.
“we are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed” — 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (ASV)
Memory verse
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
2 Corinthians 4:8–9
Talk together
What was different about the 1854 Pleiad voyage compared with 1841?
No one died. All twelve Europeans and fifty-four Africans came home alive, while in 1841 forty-two Europeans had died. Crowther gave the praise to God.
What did Crowther do during the year stranded at Jebba?
He led prayers, cared for the sick, began writing down the Nupe language, studied the people’s way of life, defended a robbed woman, and talked with Muslims about Christ.
How did Crowther think Christians should approach Muslims?
With kindness, friendship and the Bible, not quarrelling or insults. He was clear that Christ really died on the cross, but he believed abuse would never win anyone.
Activity
What to Do with the Year
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read the account of the Dayspring wreck and list together what Crowther did during the year of waiting.
- Each person writes privately one plan of theirs that has stalled or fallen apart.
- Under it, write three useful things they could do right where they are stuck: learn something, help someone, build a friendship.
- Circle one to do this week.
- Discuss Crowther’s approach to his Muslim neighbours: what does kindness make possible that arguing does not?
Week 10 — “I Am Not Worthy”
Henry Venn believed the Niger should have an African bishop, and the obvious man was Crowther, who refused, saying, “I am not worthy,” until Venn pleaded with him and he accepted with Eli’s words. In 1864 he was consecrated in Canterbury Cathedral as the first African bishop of the Anglican Church, though only over lands beyond British territory. He asked not to be called “My Lord,” treated the role as a weight, and returned to a Niger where there was still everything to do. The big idea: God lifts up the lowly, and a position is a responsibility to serve, not a crown to grab.
“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill, To make them sit with princes, And inherit the throne of glory” — 1 Samuel 2:8 (ASV)
Memory verse
He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.
1 Samuel 2:8
Talk together
Why did Crowther refuse the bishopric at first?
He said he was not worthy and wanted to remain “their servant in the field.” He agreed only after Venn’s appeal, saying, “It is the Lord; let Him do what seemeth Him good.”
What limits were placed on his authority as bishop?
He was made bishop only of lands beyond British territory, so he had no authority over European missionaries in British colonies like Sierra Leone or Lagos.
How did Crowther treat his new position once he had it?
As a responsibility rather than an honour: he refused to be called “My Lord” and knew that any false step could harm all the African churches.
Activity
Weight, Not Crown
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Crowther’s words that he was now “a kind of landmark,” and any false step would hurt all the native churches.
- In small groups, list leadership roles teens hold: captain, prefect, worship team, older sibling, group-chat admin.
- For each, write one way someone could treat it as a crown and one way they could treat it as a weight carried for others.
- Ask: what limits were placed on Crowther as bishop, and what does that say about attitudes in 1864?
- Each person chooses one way to serve someone “below” them this week.
Week 11 — Ravens
In 1867 Crowther, his son Dandeson and a bricklayer were seized by a chief named Abokko, who believed Crowther owned the trading posts and demanded a huge ransom. Abokko’s household slaves secretly shared their own food, and Crowther called them “our ravens”; without a Bible on Sunday, he and Dandeson recited Scripture from memory, and Dandeson refused to leave his father. In the escape the vice-consul Fell was killed by an arrow, and Crowther said he would rather have died in his place. The big idea: God often provides through the least powerful people, and Someone did die in our place.
“I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” — Acts 20:24 (ASV)
Memory verse
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:24
Talk together
Why did Abokko hold the bishop prisoner?
He was convinced Crowther owned the trading ships and posts, so he plundered his boat and demanded a huge ransom.
Why did Crowther call the household slaves “our ravens”?
Because, like the ravens that fed Elijah, they secretly shared their own scanty food to keep him and Dandeson alive.
How did Crowther respond to Fell’s death?
He said he would rather have been shot himself and had his own body taken to Lokoja. He found it harder to accept that someone else had died for him than to risk his own life.
Activity
Spot the Ravens
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read how the slave boys and women in Abokko’s house fed Crowther and Dandeson.
- As a group, list the “ravens” in a typical week: people with little status who quietly help, such as cleaners, cafeteria staff, bus drivers or a younger sibling.
- Each person writes a short thank-you note to one real “raven” in their life, to give this week.
- Talk about Crowther’s response to Fell’s death and how it points to Christ dying in our place.
- Ask: when have you been a raven for someone, or when could you be?
Week 12 — Too Severe
By the late 1870s the Niger mission had real problems: distant stations, some unfaithful workers, and a girl who died from the cruelty of two mission employees, and Crowther was too lenient a disciplinarian, though he dismissed agents and offered to step aside. In 1890 a new group of young English missionaries suspended African clergy, including his son, in his presence; years later the society’s own historian admitted they were “too severe,” while still blaming “racial weaknesses.” Crowther stayed bishop, accepted decisions he disagreed with, and backed the Delta churches in supporting themselves. The big idea: when wounds come from your own side, you can call wrong wrong without becoming like those who did it.
“For it was not an enemy that reproached me; Then I could have borne it: Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; Then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, My companion, and my familiar friend.” — Psalm 55:12-13 (ASV)
Memory verse
For it is not an enemy who taunts me— then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me— then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.
Psalm 55:12–13
Talk together
Were the problems in the Niger mission real?
Yes. Supervision was thin, some agents were unfit, and two mission employees were convicted over the death of a girl at Onitsha. Crowther was widely judged too lenient, though no one ever questioned his personal character.
What happened at the Onitsha meeting in 1890?
Young English missionaries, acting in the society’s name, suspended African clergy Crowther had ordained, including his son, in his presence. He protested and withdrew from the committee but remained bishop.
How did Crowther and the Delta churches respond?
Not by fighting back. The Delta churches began supporting their own clergy, with his approval, and stayed in the church. He accepted the society’s decisions while honestly disagreeing with them.
Activity
Fair to Everyone
You will need: Paper and pens
- Point out that the chapter refuses to tell this story one-sidedly, and ask the group why that matters.
- Make two columns: “What Crowther got wrong” and “What was done wrong to him,” and fill them in from the chapter.
- Discuss how racism, even among kind people, shaped what happened in 1890.
- Each person writes privately about a time a fellow Christian hurt them, and one way they are tempted to hit back that they choose not to act on.
- Close by asking whether anyone needs to put right a time they were too severe with someone else.
Week 13 — Good Night
In 1891 Crowther had a stroke and recovered at his daughter Abigail’s home in Lagos, still working and blessing new schoolmasters. A last, unsent letter did not defend himself or accuse anyone, and on 31 December he said “Good night” to Abigail and died half an hour later. His work looked dead, but the Yoruba Bible, the beginnings of written Igbo and Nupe, and the self-supporting Delta churches remained, and in 2014 an Archbishop of Canterbury said he had been wronged. The big idea: like a grain of wheat, a faithful life may bear its harvest after we are gone.
“In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; For thou, Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety.” — Psalm 4:8 (ASV)
Memory verse
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8
Talk together
What did Crowther write in his last, unsent letter?
He didn’t defend himself or blame anyone. He wrote that he had never refused the committee’s suggestions and that, “though I am single-handed, I like to be improved by the ideas of others.”
Did Crowther’s work fail?
It looked that way for a time, but it lived on in the Yoruba Bible, the self-supporting Delta churches and the African clergy he trained. Today Nigeria has one of the largest Christian populations in the world.
What does the grain of wheat in John 12:24 have to do with his life?
His work seemed to fall into the ground and die at his death in 1891, but it bore much fruit afterwards, most of which he never saw.
Activity
How I Want to Be Remembered
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Crowther’s last words to Abigail and the list of what survived him.
- Each person writes one sentence about how they want to be remembered by the people closest to them.
- Under it, write one small, faithful thing that fits that sentence and could be done every day this week.
- Invite anyone who kept their sentences from the first week to look again privately at their “God could still …” line.
- Close by naming one moment in Crowther’s story that the group will remember.