Peter Cameron Scott (1867–1896) was a Scottish-American

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

and founder of

Africa Inland Mission Established in 1895, Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a Christian mission sending agency focused on Africa. Their stated mission is to see "Christ-centered churches established among all African peoples." AIM established the Kapsowar Hospital in 19 ...

the front runner of

Africa Inland Church Established in 1895, Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a Christian mission sending agency focused on Africa. Their stated mission is to see "Christ-centered churches established among all African peoples." AIM established the Kapsowar Hospital in 19 ...

Biography

Scott was born to a Christian family in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, which later migrated to the United States and settled in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. However, at the age of twenty, due to poor health his doctor advised him to change climates and returned to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

to recover. It was in Glasgow that he visited the grave of his sister, considered his own death, and dedicated his life to Christian work. He served two years in the

French Congo The French Congo (french: Congo français) or Middle Congo (french: Moyen-Congo) was a French colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo and parts of Gabon, and the Central African Republic. In 1910, i ...

before returning to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

in 1892 because of a near-fatal illness. While recuperating, he developed his idea of establishing a network of mission stations that would stretch from the southeast coast of Africa to

Lake Chad Lake Chad (french: Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the ''Global Resource Information Database'' of the United Nations Environment Programme, ...

. While he was unable to interest any churches in the idea (including his own), he captivated several friends in

. In 1895 they formed the Philadelphia Missionary Council. On August 17, 1895, AIM's first mission party set off, consisting of Scott, his sister Margaret, and six others. They arrived off the east African coast in October, and in little more than a year his idea was to establish a network had four stations—at

Kalamba Kalamba is town found in Makueni Constituency Makueni County in Kenya. The town was started as a mission station of Africa Inland Mission in 1895 by Peter Cameron Scott. In Kalamba, there is final resting place for Peter Scott. First AIC Churc ...

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and incl ...

, Kilungu, and

Kangundo Kangundo is a town in Kenya's Machakos County in the lower eastern region of Kenya. Kangundo-Tala Officially Kangundo- Tala's population is the 9th largest of any urban area in Kenya. Tala is part of Kangundo town council. Towns in Machakos C ...

, all in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. More workers came from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and the small group expanded to 15. In December 1896, Peter Scott died of

blackwater fever Blackwater fever is a complication of malaria infection in which red blood cells burst in the bloodstream (hemolysis), releasing hemoglobin directly into the blood vessels and into the urine, frequently leading to kidney failure. The disease ...

. The mission almost dissolved in the next year when most of the workers either died or resigned, but Peter Cameron Scott's vision of the network of mission stations extending to the centre of Africa has ultimately been fulfilled with churches established throughout East Africa, and in most other countries of the continent.

Honors

Scott Christian University Scott Christian University (SCU) is a private Christian university in Machakos, Kenya. History It was established by the Africa Inland Mission in 1962 as Scott Theological College (STC), and named after AIM's founder, Peter Cameron Scott. Scot ...

is named in his honor.

References

1867 births 1896 deaths Protestant missionaries in the Republic of the Congo Protestant missionaries in Kenya Deaths from malaria Deaths from kidney failure Scottish Protestant missionaries British expatriates in the Republic of the Congo British expatriates in Kenya {{christian-bio-stub

Biography

Honors

See also

References