Peter Hall (17 May 1851 – 1937) was a Gold Coast-born Jamaican

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

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 Presbyterian clergyman who was elected the first Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast, equivalent to the rank of chairperson of the synod or chief executive of the national church organisation, a position he held from 1918 to 1922. Hall was the son of John Hall, one of 24 West Indian missionaries who arrived in the Danish Protectorate of Christiansborg and worked under the auspices of the Basel Evangelical Missionary Society.

Childhood and family

Peter Hall was born at Akropong-Akwapim on the Gold Coast on 17 May 1851, the tenth child of eleven children of his parents. His parents, John and Mary Hall, had been born into slavery in Jamaica. The older Halls came to the Gold Coast in 1843 as part of a group of 24 Caribbean Moravian missionaries recruited by the Danish minister, Andreas Riis and the Basel Mission in 1843, to aid the work of the society in evangelism and formal education. Though his parents were

Jamaicans Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African descent, with minorities of Europeans, East Indians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others of mixed a ...

, Peter Hall regarded himself as a native of

Akropong-Akuapem Akropong is a town in South Ghana and is the capital of the Akuapim North District, a district in the Eastern Region, Ghana, Eastern Region of South Ghana. This town is known for producing snails and palm oil. His father, John Hall was born in

Williamsfield, Jamaica Williamsfield is a settlement in Manchester Parish, Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and ...

in 1802 and was a

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

distiller by occupation and Elder or Presbyter at the Irwinhill Moravian Church in

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...

. Mary Hall, his mother, was also born in Williamsfield in 1811 and was also a congregant at the Moravian church in Irwinhill,

. When they arrived in colonial

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, John Hall was appointed the first Elder or

Presbyter Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros,'' which means elder or senior, although many in the Christian antiquity would understand ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as ...

of the

Christ Presbyterian Church, Akropong The Christ Presbyterian Church, formerly known as the Basel Mission Church, Akropong, is a historic Protestant church located in Akropong–Akuapem, Ghana. It is the first Presbyterian Church to be established in Ghana. It was founded in 1835 by ...

. John Hall performed a critical role in pioneering mission work with Christian converts at Akropong. Four of Peter Hall's siblings did not survive infancy in Jamaica and an additional five died after being born on the Gold Coast. Peter Hall had an older brother, Andrew, born on 18 January 1841 in Williamsfield. Andrew Hall later died in 1859 on the Gold Coast after a short spell in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Hall's younger sister, the last child, Rebecca Hall (later Mrs. Clerk), born in August 1856, died in Christiansborg, Osu on the coast in 1920. The proclamation of emancipation that granted full freedom to slaves in the

Commonwealth Realms A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...

of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

was on 1 August 1838. In his autobiography, Peter Hall stated that his parents migrated to the Gold Coast as mission volunteers out of love for the

Gospel of Jesus Christ The gospel or good news is a theological concept in several religions. In the historical Roman imperial cult and today in Christianity, the gospel is a message about salvation by a divine figure, a savior, who has brought peace or other benefits ...

and to prove to native Africans that there monogamous black Christians in the world. The West Indian group in 1843 comprised six distinct families and three bachelors: the Halls, Greenes, Miller, Mullings, Rochester, and Walkers, in addition to Clerk, Hosford and Robinson. On 27 May 1843, Mary Hall gave birth to a boy, Henry Hall at ''Frederiksgave'', the old villa and royal plantation of the Danish Governor of the Gold Coast. The newly born child was baptised by the Basel missionary, Johann Georg Widmann who was part of the recruitment team that went to Jamaica in 1842, together with Andreas Riis and

George Peter Thompson George Peter Thompson (1819–1889) was a Liberian-born educator, clergyman and pioneer missionary of the Basel Evangelical Missionary Society of Switzerland. He was also the first African to be educated in Europe by the mission and subsequ ...

. Anquandah, James (2006). ''Ghana-Caribbean Relations – From Slavery Times to Present: Lecture to the Ghana-Caribbean Association''. National Commission on Culture, Ghana: Henry Hall became a teacher-catechist in service of the Basel Mission and died at Abomosu many years later. The West Indians relocated to Akropong from Frederiksgave between 17 and 18 June 1843. It took five years for the first African native at Akropong to be baptised and the Halls decided to permanently make the Gold Coast their home. The Basel Mission gave the Hall family land for gardening and farming as well as a stone house. Cocoyam, mango, coffee, banana, plantain and pear were seedlings introduced to the Gold Coast food economy by Peter Hall's father and his West Indian colleagues in 1843. Peter Hall recalled his mother, Mary affectionately calling him, ''“Last baby; little bowl”'' as a child and he was always found tied to her apron strings. His father was described as very strict and often flogged Peter Hall's older siblings for the least misconduct. His parents who were regular churchgoers often prayed with the family at bedtime. He was made to read a Bible verse once he became literate as a child. The Hall family lived on Hanover Street in Akropong where all the other West Indians lived in small stone houses. In his recollection, he stated, ''“When I was young, I remember that a bond of unity bound all the West Indians together. Instead of “Mr.” they used “brother” when referring to one another. It was Bro. Clerk or Bro. Miller and so on, and we the children always addressed them as “Uncle so and so” or “Aunt so and so.” Among ourselves, we referred to one another as ‘sister’ or ‘brother’”'' The community of brethren is a key tenet of the Moravian movement, from which the West Indians were raised. A notable incident in his childhood was the 1854 naval bombardment of Osu by the British forces as revenge for the organised resistance to the then newly introduced poll tax. Hall recalled the fleeing of refugees, mostly traders, from Osu to Akropong. The refugees founded their own settlement, ''“Kotobaabi”'' near the mission house where the women sold corn bread (abolo), deep fried plantain, fried cakes (tatale), corn porridge (mpampa), malt or corn wine (ahai), Bambara beans (aboboi), parched groundnuts and corn. The poll tax dispute spread to Akropong where a tax collector named Neils Holm visited the town frequently to collect the tax paid in cowries (ntrama), with twenty-five strings of

cowries Cowrie or cowry () is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. The term ''porcelain'' derives from the old Italian term for the cowrie shell (''porcellana'') du ...

equaling a

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence o ...

and a

penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

. In 1871, there was an outbreak of smallpox at Akropong. Peter Hall's parents and two brothers were afflicted by the infectious disease. Unfortunately, one brother, James Hall, who had a wife and a daughter, died from the smallpox outbreak.

Education and training

Peter Hall was first homeschooled by his mother. He did not start school until 1859 when he was about eight due to his asthmatic condition which was cured by an Islamic cleric and herbalist. The Muslim healer, a friend of Peter's father, John Hall, frequently visited their home and offered to help Peter Hall prescribing a potion to be used over three days. After that episode, he had a bout of intermittent fever making him bedridden for weeks before a certain Mr. Wood, a tenant f his father gave him some medication. With the influence of the Basel missionary, Auer, the inspector of schools and a family friend of the Halls, Peter Hall enrolled in the local primary school. Initially, he disliked formal leaning but with time he came to enjoy schooling. He received instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, Biblical studies, history, geography, science, music and religion. His teacher-catechists were alumni of the foundational or pioneer class of the Basel Mission Seminary, Akropong and included John Rochester (died in 1859), Paul Staudt Keteku, Philip Kwabi and Robert Miller. Flogging was an integral part of the enforcement of discipline in the

Basel mission The Basel Mission was a Christian missionary society based in Switzerland. It was active from 1815 to 2001, when it transferred the operative work to , the successor organization of ''Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione'' (KEM), found ...

education experience. Many academically weak students fled the school after a short stay. In 1862, there was an earthquake at Akropong which terrified all pupils with the teacher almost jumping through the window. In September 1865, he entered the Basel Mission middle boarding school at Akropong which was under the headship of the Reverend Mader pending the arrival of the Rev. M. Bellon who was the incoming headmaster. He spent three years instead of the usual four to complete his education. Hall had an accelerated promotion to the fourth year as the original final year class had been dismissed for indiscipline. He was appointed the lamp lighter of the school, which made him exempt from his manual duties. His enjoyed studying Greek and devoted his free time to the study of the language. His tutor in Greek was the Rev. Simeon Koranteng. Peter Hall was also influenced by the no-nonsense disciplinarian and new principal, M. Bellon. Peter Hall was confirmed on 16 February 1866 by the senior Basel missionary, the Rev. J. G. Widmann. Hall's chosen Scripture for the occasion was 2 Timothy 2:22: ''“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”'' In 1868, Peter Hall entered the Basel Mission Seminary at Akropong to train as a teacher-catechist. The Rev. J. A. Mader was the principal at the time. Hall's classmates included W. Hyde, E. Ofori, W. Addo and Joshua Adaye. In his final year at the seminary, there was an outbreak of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

at Akropong and the college had to temporarily close down for four months. After the epidemic subsided, Peter Hall continued his studies and on 18 August 1872, he and his classmates were consecrated as teacher-catechists by the Rev. J. G. Widmann. One of his mentors, Johnson left him with the parting words, Matthew 16:24 ''“If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”''

Teaching and Christian mission

Peter Hall and Joshua Adaye were appointed teachers at the Basel Mission boarding middle school at Akropong. Hall taught two classes and later became a housemaster. In 1878, after six years as a teacher catechist, Peter Hall was appointed the Itinerary Preachers’ Department for the whole of Akuapem. His duties involved preaching

the Gospel The gospel or good news is a theological concept in several religions. In the historical Roman imperial cult and today in Christianity, the gospel is a message about salvation by a divine figure, a savior, who has brought peace or other benefits ...

in various towns and villages and submitting quarterly reports. He went to distant towns such as Nsakye and Nsawam, accompanied by the Rev. Dieterle. From 1880 to 1882, Peter Hall was appointed a catechist at Akropong where he was an assistant to the Rev. D. Eisenschmid. While at Akropong, he took three mission journeys to hinterland, at the invitation of the Rev. Joshua Miller. The first and second journeys were to the

Kwahu Kwahu refers to an area and group of people that live in Ghana, part of the Twi-speaking Akan group. The region has been dubbed Asaase Aban, or the Natural Fortress, in view of its position as the highest habitable elevation in the country. Kwahu ...

area, where he met and worked with Rev. Fritz. Ramseyer who was later instrumental in the opening of a mission station in Asante. The third trip was to

Buem The Buem constituency is one of the constituencies represented in the Parliament of Ghana. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is located in the Jasikan district of the Oti Region of Ghana. ...

and Akpafo. During one of the journeys, a heavy rainfall made him spending the night under an open hut sitting on his tin trunk as the ground was too wet for him to spread his mat. In March 1882, Peter Hall was ordained a

church minister In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidan ...

, together with N. Asare, E. Obeng and Jermiah Anoba. The ceremony was conducted by the Rev. Eisenschmid, assisted by Solomon Safro, Missionary Weimer and the Rev. Karl Quist, his former housemaster at the pastor's seminary at Akropong. Karl Quist was also the father of the

Emmanuel Charles Quist Sir Emmanuel Charles Quist, also known as Paa Quist (21 May 1880, in Christiansborg, Accra – 30 March 1959) was a barrister, educator and judge who served as the first Speaker of the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly and the first Speaker of ...

, a barrister and judge who became the first African President of the Gold Coast Legislative Council and the first Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana. Between 1882 and 1888, Hall was appointed the minister- in-charge of the

. He encountered the

Kete Krachi Kete Krachi is the capital of the Krachi West District, in the western part of the Oti Region of Ghana, adjacent to Lake Volta. Kete Krachi is connected by a ferry to the town of Kwadjokrom, and by road to Bimbila and Dambai. Kete Krachi is the ...

-imported deity, "''Odente"'' during his ministry there. In 1888, he Peter Hall was appointed to the Volta District with his station being at

Nkonya Nkonya is a town in the Oti Region of Ghana. As a state, it consists of nine towns namely Ahenkro, Asakyiri, Betenase, Kadjebi, Ntsumuru, Ntumda, Tayi, Tepo and Wurupong. The town is known for the Nkonya Senior High School. The school is a second ...

. He was received on friendly terms by the paramount chief, ''Okoto Kofi''. Upon the advice of his friend Joshua Miller and with his help, he decided to settle in Ntsumuru due to its central location. He remained there as a preacher-missionary for the fourteen years. He went to Alavanyo to the east of Botoku and Sohae in the west. He went to towns such as

Kpando Kpando is a town and capital of Kpando Municipal District in the northern Volta Region of Ghana. It is near the north eastern arm of Lake Volta and the Togo border. Kpando is the fifty-fourth most populous place in Ghana, in terms of population, ...

, Anfoega,

and Vakpo. At

, he initially face opposition from the natives who worshipped idols including a heathen god called Sia. The local people nicknamed Hall ''“Anise”'' meaning 'father figure' in the local dialect. His converts include former

voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

priests and Sophia Ofusi who became the first female convert of the town and the mother of the first ordained pastor from

. With the help of the natives, he built schools and mission stations and mediated in an impasse that could have resulted in two wars. He baptised so many natives that there was no one willing to succeed the old

fetish priest In Ghana, Togo, Benin and other countries of West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghan ...

after the shaman died. Hall went many settlements such as Buem in 1891 and preached in many villages including Jasikan,

Worawora Worawora is a town in the Oti Region of Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast ...

, Guaman and Boradaa. Together, with his fellow second generation

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

colleague,

Nicholas Timothy Clerk Nicholas Timothy Clerk (28 October 1862 – 16 August 1961) was a Protestant theologian, clergyman and pioneering missionary of the Basel Evangelical Missionary Society in southeast colonial Ghana. His father was the Jamaican Moravian missiona ...

, Peter Hall went to Adele and Salaga in the Northern Territories. He undertook another journey to Adele and Akebu with the Rev. P. H. Roesler who was a Basel missionary stationed at Aburi. He was transferred to Tutu in 1902, where he enjoyed great tranquility for three years. After interceding in prayer for the paramount chief, Nana Akuffo, the locals accused him of meddling in a land dispute between the natives and the church. With tensions brewing, the Basel missionaries, the Rev. Samson and Dr. Fisch had to step in as mediators to settle the disagreement. However, there was so much resentment that the many new converts boycotted church services. The chapel was closed one Sunday and he went to preach at Obosomase. He was temporarily transferred to

Larteh Larteh is a language of southeastern Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast i ...

but had to return to Tutu as his family was being intimidated by the townsfolk. Traders refused to sell to his family. Someone fired a gun into their compound while a trader who had sold

palm nut Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

s to his wife returned to forcibly take them while they were boiling in a pot in their yard. In January 1908, he was transferred to

Adawso Adawso is a farming community in the Akuapem North Municipal District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It is located along the Koforidua-Mamfe highway. Infrastructure * Adawso Bridge over Afram River * Adawso Chief Palace * Adawso Fire Servi ...

were natives were so receptive, he begged the church management to stay on when his tenure ended after five years. In February 1913, Peter Hall returned to Akropong, where his new colleagues mostly consisted of German missionaries.

Moderator of the Presbyterian Church

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the British colonial government expelled the Basel missionaries in 1917 as ''“alien security risk”'' on Gold Coast as many were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

Swiss German Swiss German (Standard German: , gsw, Schwiizerdütsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch Mundart,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no defined orthography for any of them, many different spelling ...

heritage. This new development provided an opportunities for African members of the Basel Mission to take more administrative responsibility even though they had no prior experience in management. The Scottish mission of the Free Church of Scotland led by the Rev. A. W. Wilkie took over the mission's work in evangelism and education. The Scottish mission was then operating in nearby Nigeria. The Presbyterian Scots decided to reorganize the church hierarchy and structure. A conference, the first

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

of the church was organised at Akropong. The Synod Committee elected Peter Hall as the first Moderator of Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast on 14 August 1918. In effect, he became the chief executive of the national church organisation. The Synod Clerk position went to another second generation Jamaican missionary,

. At the 1918 Synod meeting, held at the

, Peter Hall and Nicholas Clerk authored the first constitution of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. At the Synod, the church retained its eleven districts: Christiansborg (Osu), Abokobi,

Odumase-Krobo Krobo Odumase is a town and capital of Lower Manya Krobo Municipal District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School was formerly located here. Prominent sites The town is a proposed site for the construction of ...

Aburi Aburi is a town in the Akuapim South Municipal District of the Eastern Region (Ghana), Eastern Region of south Ghana famous for the Aburi Botanical Gardens and the Odwira festival.

, Akropong,

Anum Anum is an Guan people, Guan community in Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region (Ghana), Eastern Region of Ghana, across from the Volta Lake. Location Anum lies about a kilometre east of the Volta Lake. The nearest town to the north is Boso, ...

Kyebi Kibi or ''Kyebi'' is a town and the capital of the East Akim Municipal District, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana, on the eastern slopes of the Atewa Range. Kibi lies at an altitude of 318 m, and, Kibi has a 2013 settl ...

Begoro Begoro is a town and the capital of Fanteakwa district, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana. Begoro has a settlement population of 48,516 people, in 2013. Geography Begoro is about 150 km north of Accra, off the road joining K ...

Nsaba Nsaba is a town in the Central Region of Ghana. The Nsaba Presbyterian Secondary School, a second cycle The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor ...

Abetifi Abetifi is a small town in south Ghana and is the capital of Kwahu East district, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the ...

and

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

. At the 1922 Synod, the first five Presbyteries were created: Ga and Adangme; Akuapem and Anum; Agona and Kotoku; Akyem and Okwawu; Asante and Asante Akyem. Mission stations were opened at Aburi, Larteh, Odumase, Abokobi, Kyebi, Gyadam, Kwahu, Asante, Anum as well as the Northern territories including Yendi and Salaga. On 20 August 1922, after four years as the Moderator and fifty years of teaching and

Christian ministry In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith, the prototype being the Great Commission. The '' Encyclopedia of Christianity'' defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", in ...

, Peter Hall retired from active service.

Personal life

In 1874, he married a woman who he did not name in his autobiography. The Rev. Widmann officiated at the wedding ceremony. Three of their first four children passed away in infancy. The fourth child, John Hall survived childhood. Four more children were born but only three of those lived to adulthood.

Works

* Hall, Peter (1965). ''Autobiography of the Rev. Peter Hall: First Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana''. Accra: Waterville Publishing House

Later life

Peter Hall spent his retirement years in his adopted hometown of Akropong.

Death and legacy

Peter Hall died in 1937 at the age of eighty six. His funeral service was held at the

and his body was interred at the old ''Basel Mission Cemetery'' in the town. Peter Hall's work in

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and

evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

played a pioneering role in the expansion of literacy and the Christian faith across communities in the country, both of which brought

poverty alleviation Poverty reduction, poverty relief, or poverty alleviation, is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty. Measures, like those promoted by Henry George in his economics clas ...

and helped improve livelihoods in rural communities on the Gold Coast. Peter Hall's name is on a commemorative plaque in the sanctuary of the

Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Osu The Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, formerly known as the Basel Mission Church, Christiansborg, is a historic Protestant church located in the suburb of Osu in Accra, Ghana. The church was founded by the Basel Evangelical Missionary Society in 18 ...

, listing pioneering missionaries of the church, in recognition of their contributions to

formal education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

and

in Ghana. The Presbyterian Church at

Wurpong, was named the Peter Hall Congregation in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Peter 1851 births 1937 deaths Afro-Jamaican Ghanaian theologians Ghanaian chaplains Ghanaian clergy Akan people Ghanaian people of Jamaican descent 19th-century Presbyterian ministers 20th-century Presbyterian ministers Ghanaian Presbyterian missionaries Jamaican Protestant missionaries Presbyterian missionaries in Ghana Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong alumni