Samuel Alexander Bill MBE (10 December 1864 – 24 January 1942) was an Irish Christian missionary, explorer and the founder of the Qua Iboe Mission (later renamed

Mission Africa Mission Africa (formerly known as the Qua Iboe Mission and subsequently the Qua Iboe Fellowship) is an interdenominational, evangelical, Christian mission organisation. When founded in 1887, by the Irish independent missionary Samuel Bill, the o ...

). Bill was raised in Ballymacarrett Presbyterian Church, east Belfast, but was most notably associated with Island Street Belfast City Mission Hall. His interest in missionary work was sparked by a visit to Belfast by

Dwight L. Moody Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 26, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massa ...

and

Ira D. Sankey Ira David Sankey (August 28, 1840 – August 13, 1908) was an American gospel singer and composer, known for his long association with Dwight L. Moody in a series of religious revival campaigns in America and Britain during the closing decades o ...

in 1874. He attended the Harley Missionary Training College in London, then under the leadership of

Henry Grattan Guinness Henry Grattan Guinness (11 August 1835 – 21 June 1910) was an Irish Protestant Christian preacher, evangelist and author. He was the great evangelist of the Third Evangelical awakening and preached during the Ulster Revival of 1859 which dre ...

; and travelled to Nigeria to commence a work amongst the

Ibeno people Ibeno is located in the south south of Nigeria and is a Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Ibeno town lies on the eastern side of the Kwa Ibo River about from the river mouth, and is one of the largest fishing settlements on the Nigerian c ...

in 1887. The mission base was founded on the banks of the Qua Iboe River, and this base gave the name to the independent interdenominational mission that Bill founded. Bill was a contemporary of

Mary Slessor Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. Although not as well known as his Scottish counterpart, Bill's legacy is twofold. First, many historians of the Irish evangelical missionary movement note that he was one of the most influential men of his time, inspiring many in Ireland to overseas Christian service. The Qua Iboe Mission grew to be one of the largest and most successful missions in the UK. Secondly, the church that he founded, the Qua Iboe Church has grown to considerable proportions, numbering at least 2 million strong in 2007, and his memory is still strongly revered by many Nigerian Christians today. A theological college at Abak in southern Nigeria is named in his honour.

References and Related Studies

* Gerald H Anderson, ed., ''Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions'' (Simon and Schuster Macmillan, NY,1998). * JS Corbett, "''According to Plan''" (Belfast: QIF, 1986) * RJ Graham ''The Qua Iboe Mission 1887 - 1945'' (PhD Thesis, University of Aberdeen) * E.B. Ikpe, ''Qua Iboe Church of Nigeria: the first hundred years: the next jubilee'' (Uyo: QIC, 1987). * Robert L. MacKeown, ''Twenty-five years in Qua Iboe: the story of a missionary effort in Nigeria'' (London: Marshall Morgan and Scott, 1912).

External links

United Evangelical Church/QIC Utako Abuja National Worship CentreFacebook of United Evangelical Church/QIC Utako The Qua Iboe Church Mission Africa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bill, Samuel Presbyterian missionaries in Nigeria Irish Presbyterian missionaries 1864 births 1942 deaths British expatriates in Nigeria British Presbyterian missionaries Clergy from Belfast People of colonial Nigeria