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Home » Religion and Belief » Societies and sects » Missions

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Harry Reynolds' Minstrels, Colwyn Bay Promenade, c.1910
  • This is the front cover of the volume, 'Dark Africa and the Way Out, or a Scheme for Civilising and Evangelizing the Dark Continent' (1892) by the Rev William Hughes. Hughes, a Baptist minister, was among one of the first people to work as a missionary in the Congo. He visited the country between 1882 and 1885 and, having witnessed scenes of great suffering, became convinced that his missionary work would be far more effectively carried out if the native people could be educated back home in Wales. Hughes finally realised his dream in 1892 when the Congo Institute was officially opened at Colwyn Bay. As a result of an agreement with the Elder Dempster shipping company, students were transported free of charge from Africa to Liverpool. In addition to receiving religious instruction, students at the Institute were given the opportunity to acquire apprenticeships, before returning to their native country as missionaries. The Congo Institute received support and financial backing from many religious groups and individuals, including H. M. Stanley and Leopold II, the King of Belgium. The success of the venture was shortlived, however, for in 1911 a public scandal involving its founder, William Hughes, resulted in the closure of the Congo Institute. In a story which appeared in the magazine 'John Bull', Hughes was alleged to have fathered an illegitimate child by a Congolese woman. Hughes decided to sue the editor, Horatio Bottomley, but lost his case at Ruthin Assizes. Subscriptions to the Institute dried up immediately, the remaining students were sent home to Africa and, the following year, Hughes was declared bankrupt. He died at Conwy Workhouse on 28 January 1924.
Front cover of the volume 'Dark Africa and the Way Out' by Rev W. Hughes (1892)
  • Handbook of the Missionary Exhibition and Pageant organised by the Arfon Presbytery, and held at Caernarfon, 19-22 June 1929. The Exhibition was held at the Pavilion while the Pageant was performed at Caernarfon castle.
Handbook of the Arfon Presbytery Missionary Exhibition, 1929 [front cover, image 1 of 6]
  • This article written by the Rev. Michael D. Jones during the 1870s was an appeal for funds to support the Christian mission in Patagonia. It is noted that the Rev. D. Lloyd Jones, who had been sent to the Settlement to work as a missionary among the native Patagonians, is in dire need of financial assistance. In the article, Michael D. Jones appeals to Welsh churches for a share of their collections in order to finance this missionary activity. An appeal was made to the London Missionary Society to send a missionary to Patagonia, but it was not granted. Jones claims that no missionary from Britain has ever worked with so little financial support. The native Patagonians are described as remarkably graceful, strong and well-built. They are kind natured and skilful and it is said that the Welsh settlers make great use of the bedding and petticoats that they produce.
Rev. Michael D. Jones, 'Cenhadaeth Patagonia' (The Mission in Patagonia), 1870s
  • This photograph shows the children of Smyrna Congregational chapel, outside the caravan of the London Missionary Society at Llangefni, c.1912. The caravan toured the country in order to raise money and awareness of the Society's work overseas. The names of the following countries are written on the side of the caravan - 'China, India, Africa, New Guinea, the South Seas, Madagascar'.
London Missionary Society Caravan at Llangefni, c.1912
  • The Rev. D. Lloyd Jones, who became a prominent member of the colonizing movement in Wales in the late 1860s, had emigrated to the Settlement in 1874 to work as a missionary among the native Patagonians. In this letter, he informs Michael D. Jones that the poor harvests have had a damaging impact on the religious life of the Settlement. It is impossible to hold more than one full service on Sunday and it will not be possible to establish a mission among the native Patagonians while so many of those who claim to be Christians live as pagans. He stresses the need for two merchant ships and the importance of securing self-government by charter.
Letter from the Rev. D. Lloyd Jones to the Rev. Michael D. Jones, 1 August 1878 [image 1 of 4]