Thomas Jefferson Bowen:- The great Missionary

Know Thomas  Jefferson Bowen(1814-1875)

 

Thomas Jefferson Bowen 

Thomas Jefferson Bowen body was laid in a grave after his death at the Asylum for the insane in Milledgeville, Georgia.

He was a bold restless adventurer for Jesus Christ, faced with the challenges of taking the good news as one of the first missionary to central Africa during his lifetime. 

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The great Baptist Convention University founded on 17th July  2001, was named after this Missionary,  Bowen.

The beginning of Baptist work in Nigeria can never be said without mentioning this great man who sacrificed all his ambitions, pursuit and health.

But not much knows his full story and his   sacrifices 

He was the first Southern Baptist Foreign Missionary 

that took salvation to the Yoruba people in Africa, Nigeria and Brazil. 

Thomas J. Bowen was born in 1814 in Georgia, became a soldier, at 17, he was one of the soldier who fought in the Creek war of 1836 and in the Texas war for independence. Commissioned an officer in a regiment of Georgia, became one of the first Texas Ranger after the war.

When he returned back to Georgia after the war, he felt the dealing of God upon his life, and therefore becamed converted, and resigned from the army, seeing earthly pursuit as vanity  saying 

" What profit would it be to my soul in eternity even if I had risen to be the greatest  general of the age? The glory of this world passed away, but the love of God abided forever "

He started preaching and pastoring the Southern Georgia and North Florida. 

As if that was not enough, he then volunteered for Missionary service, and he was sent to Africa, together with the other Missionary  Harvey Goodale by the Foreign Mission Board( FMB).

They arrive Badagry, Nigeria  on the 5th of Aug 1850, and on 19th of August arrive Abeokuta. They suffered from diseases, which took the life of his companion Harvey Goodale, on his first year of arrival.

Thomas Jefferson Bowen faced language and cultural barrier had no contact, nor funds from the Mission Board,  but despite all, he pressed on, even where no missionary had been.

In the city of Abeokuta in Nigeria where he reside he learn the native language (Yoruba), and the people's culture, for mission opportunities.  

His training as a soldier helps him, to help the Abeokuta people defend their city, against an army of 13,000 commanded by a powerful warlord king who enslave to trade.

He was able to plant spiritual seeds, despite the attempt to poisoned him.

He translated the Bible into Yoruba language and composed a grammar and a dictionary which was published by the Smithsonian Institute in 1940s.

He went back to America after two years, broken in health and as a hero in Jan 1853, speaking and challenging young men to heed to the call of mission.

T. J. Bowen and his wife Lurana 

He recruited five more Missionary with him, one of which was Lurana Davis who became his wife, at age 21, nineteen years younger than Bowen, she is from a wealthy family, who also were involved in Baptist work. 

In July 1853 he returned to Nigeria through Lagos, with his wife, Mrs Lurana Bowen, and two other couples  Mr and Mrs  Lucy and Mr and Mrs Dennard. Who he had recruited.

Soon, diseases and death began, a couple amidst the missionaries died, and the two other were forced back to America due to their health, They were constantly attacked by sickness from diseases such as malaria, dysentery and yellow fever, despite so many sickness himself and his wife they presses on, even after the lost of their first child due to illness.

He was able to established a mission Station in Ijaiye, and Baptized his first convert. He established the First Baptist church building in Nigeria at Ijaiye Orile

As another Baptist missionary William H. Clarke arrived at Ijaiye  Bowen left Orile Ijaiye on April 4th 1855 to visit Ogbomosho and Ilorin,

In Ogbomosho the Oke Oshupa( later Okelerin Baptist Church) was established by Rev. T. J. Bowen, which became powerful Centre of Baptist work in Nigeria.

He then proceeded to Ilorin becoming the first Southern Baptist missionary to preach in a Muslim city with intention to enter into the Fulani, but was stop by the Emir of ilorin. 

As other missionaries continues to arrived in the field, he had to return to America, broken in health so badly

In 1856, he published a memoir "Adventures in Central Africa "

After so much struggle to return which was not granted, due to his health, he was sent to open Southern Baptist work in Brazil to work among the Yoruba speaking slaves. 

But his mission was opposed by the Catholic  Church,  Brazilian laws, illness, imprisonment and the pending U.S civil war. The ministry in Brazil lasted less than a year before the Bowens were forced back to America in early 1861.

His life took a tragic turn with increase frequency in pain and chronic illness from the diseases he had been suffering right in Africa. He began self medication with alcohol and laudanum to deal with pains and his depression, which began to destroy his mental health.

He sought treatment at the Georgia Asylum for the insane, and was arrested on escape for several occasions 

Most of his friends including his church in Greensboro where he once pastored began to turn back, except his wife Lurana who stood till the end. He rod rails wandering as a vagabond, working odd jobs between  Georgia,  Texas and Florida, leaving Lurana and children alone for two years without any letter 

For 15 years his hope was intertwined with bouts of depression. He became a wounded army in the battle to bring the gospel to Africa.

When he eventually returned to the Asylum for the seventh time, he remained there in the Asylum over a year until his death.

Before his death, Bowen wrote a poem to his church in Greensboro, Georgia asking them for forgiveness, one of the verse thus read

" Long on the  waves of sorrow tossed,

  where scarce a ray of hope has beamed, 

Alas! What precious years I've lost

O! Pray that they may be redeem "

Bowen died in 1875 in great pain and shame in the mental hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia, and he was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave.

Bowen sacrifice led many today to the good news of Jesus Christ. Millions of Baptist believers and thousands of Baptist church across Nigeria.

Missionary are also human, get depress, sick,  frustrated and above all also sin, so we must always pray, help and never turn our back on.

Reference:-    

• Personal letter and paper of Thomas Jefferson Bowen, 
• David J. Brady
• Charles Jones