THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH NIGERIA IS 171 YEARS OLD

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The Presbyterian Church has been reputed as the Missionary Pioneers in Calabar and as laying the foundation of Christianity here and beyond.
King Eyo Honesty Il on December 1st 1842 wrote to the British Monarch thus:
" ...if I can get some cotton and coffee to grow and men for teach me, and make sugar cane for we country come up proper, and sell for trade side I very glad"(qut. in Aye, 1996:2)

Complementing the foregoing, King Eyamba V's Letter of December 4th, 1842 buttressed the point further.
"...and then some men must come for teach book proper and make all men saby God like white man, and then we go on for some fashion"(qut. in Aye 1996:2)
The background of those royal invitations to the British monarch to send Teachers, missionaries and agricultural experts to Calabar was well received.

On 10th April, 1846 (171 years) The pioneer missionary team led by Rev Hope Masterson Waddell arrived Calabar in a boat ' the Ethiope' thus establishing the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria where they set up the first congregation of he Church. From Calabar, the Church began to grow. In 1858, it was constituted as the Presbytery of Biafra. This Presbytery of Biafra metamorphosed into the The Presbyterian Synod of Biafra in 1921.

 

 The Church continued to witness remarkable growth until 1945, when the Presbyterian Church of Biafra was constituted, with the Synod as its highest court. In the same year, the white missionaries handed over the Church administration to Nigerians. The Presbyterian Church of Biafra became the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Nigeria in 1952. By 16th June, 1960, the Mission Church integration was completed and the Church changed its name to the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria. In 1985, the Synod met in Afikpo and agreed to create Regional Synods with the General Assembly as the highest decision making body. This decision materialized on the 22nd August, 1987, when the General Assembly was inaugurated at the Duke Town Presbyterian Church, Calabar. After the creation of the General Assembly, two regional Synods were created in 1988. These were the East and the South-East Synods. As at today, the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria has nine Regional Synods.
From its humble beginning in Calabar in 1846, the Church has been firmly established in Nigeria with congregations spread across the country. The Church has nine Regional Synods, over fifty Presbyteries and more than two thousand parishes, congregations, outreaches and mission fields spread across the entire country. It also has a Mission Presbytery covering the Republics of Benin and Togo. The Regional Synods are those of Akwa (covering Akwa Ibom State, with office in Uyo), Calabar (parts of Cross River State, with office in Calabar), East (parts of Abia State, with office in Ohafia), East Central (Enugu and Anambra States as well as parts of Ebonyi State, with office in Abakaliki), Mid East (covering parts of Ebonyi State with office in Afikpo), North (covering the Northern States of Nigeria, with office in Abuja), South Central (Rivers, Bayelsa and Imo States as well as parts of Abia State, with office in Aba), Upper Cross River (covering parts of Cross River State, with office in Ugep), and, West (covering Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Edo and Delta States as well as the Mission Presbytery of Cotonou/Lome, with office in Yaba, Lagos).
The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, like other Presbyterian Churches in the world, is ruled by Elders. These are classified into two - the Teaching Elders (ordained clergy) and the Ruling Elders (ordained laity). Both the Teaching and Ruling Elders come together to constitute the ‘courts’ of the Church through which they govern the Church. The Presbyterian Church of Nigerian has four courts - the Kirk Session, the Presbytery, the Synod and the General Assembly
The Presbyterian Church was the only Church in Calabar for 57 years before the arrival of the Roman Catholic Church in 1903 on the invitation of Prince Esien Etim Offiong lll.
Other Churches arrived Calabar as follows:
* Anglican Church. 1911
*The African Church. 1913
* The Wesley Methodist. 1914
*The Jehovah Witness. 1930s
*The Apostolic Church. 1933
*The Lutheran Church. 1939
*Christ Apostolic Church. 1942
*The MZLHFGC. 1946
* God the Host Prayer Temple. 1954
*The Qua Iboe Mission arrived in 1887 but came to Calabar in 1965.
All other Pentecostal Churches were established in Calabar from the late 1970s and Early 1980s eg. Redeemed Christian Church of God was founded in 1952 by Rev Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi but came to Calabar in the early 1980s. Deeper Christian Life Ministry was founded in 1973 by William F. Kumuyi but came to Calabar in late 1980s. Living Faith Church which was commissioned in 1983 arrived Calabar in the early 90s, MFM established in 1989 arrived Calabar in the latter part of the 90s while Insight Bible Church was founded By Dr Sylvanus Ukafia in 1997 among many others.
It is worthy to note that the Presbyterian Missionaries and the Roman Catholic Mission established the early schools in Calabar.
1846- Duke Town School was open.
1895- Hope Waddell Training Institution was opened
1898- The Girls Institute Creek Town was founded.
1898- The Edgerley Girls Sec.School Was founded.
1904- The Convent school was open
1920-Duke Town Sec. School etc
Today, Calabar, Nigeria's first capital is one of the most literate cities in Nigeria.
*MZLHFGC-Mount Zion Light House Full Gospel Church