I am in the process of reading a book titled “From Glasgow to Garenganze” by Ian Burness, someone who I first come across many years ago concerning his role in Echoes, a missionary organisation that my own church (I served several years as the missionary secretary of said church – Coleman Street Chapel) supported during all of the 113 the years it had been going.

According to Meta AI: “Garenganze is a region in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically in the Katanga Province. It’s also known as the Garanganze Kingdom or Yeke Kingdom, and was a historical kingdom that existed in the area from the late 19th century. The region is notable for its rich mineral resources, including copper and other minerals. The kingdom was founded by Msiri, a powerful African leader who controlled a significant portion of the region and played a key role in the late 19th-century history of central Africa”. Meta AI also tells us: “In 1886, Arnot visited Msiri, the king of Garenganze (also known as Bunkeya), in present-day Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Arnot’s goal was to establish a Christian mission and spread the Gospel in the region. Arnot was received warmly by Msiri, who was interested in learning about Christianity and Western culture. During his visit, Arnot gained Msiri’s trust and permission to establish a mission in Bunkeya”.

One review of the book (by Precious Seed – see here) rightly makes the point: “A debt of gratitude is owed to the writer for the very readable style in which he has written this book. His extensive and detailed research is reflected in the large number of reference documents identified in the bibliography. For the reader, however, the events described are captivating, with or without any knowledge of F. S. Arnot, or the evolution of nineteenth century African Mission. One could easily read chapter 20 as a prologue to the whole book to whet the appetite and begin to understand just what an impact Arnot had. It is wonderful to see how, as a young boy, he was so influenced by the labours of David Livingstone that he became determined ‘he would go and help that great man in his work’; a valuable lesson on the impact great men of God could have on our young ones, given the opportunity. F. S. Arnot journeyed into the African interior, confronted on the one hand by the horrors of the slave trade, and, on the other, by western influences such as drink and gunpowder, not to mention the insatiable desire for minerals and ivory. Arnot’s simple observation that the encounter with European civilization would import damaging practices to Africa motivated his attempts to penetrate unreached areas with the gospel. He recognized that even the prospect of British colonialism would be a dubious blessing to the Africa he loved. Undeterred by frequent attacks of malaria, Arnot spent fourteen of his thirty-three years of service in Central Africa. What a shining example of counting the cost! …”

According to Wikipedia: “Frederick Stanley Arnot (12 September 1858 – 14 May 1914) was a British missionary who did much to establish Christian missions in what are now Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Arnot was born in Glasgow on 12 September 1858. His family lived in the town of Hamilton, southeast of Glasgow, for several years. There he became close to his neighbours, the family of the medical missionary David Livingstone. He looked up to Livingstone as a hero and determined to emulate him. He felt practical skills would be needed in his future missionary career. At fourteen he left school to become an apprentice joiner in the Glasgow shipyards. Arnot was brought up in the Church of Scotland, but became a member of the Plymouth Brethren. In July 1881, aged 22, Arnot embarked for Cape Town. He was not associated with a missionary board, although in his work he was always glad to cooperate with those who were. He aimed to find a region in the hinterland that would be healthy for Europeans. They could train the local Africans in the Christian faith, and these Africans could in turn act as missionaries in less healthy regions. Arnot travelled by coastal steamer to Durban. In August 1881, he left for the interior …”

Before returning to Fred Arnot, the man, and this book about his life, I would like to say a few words about how I came to be reading a book about someone who not that long ago I knew little about. As I reflect that, in the course of history, many names have been thrown up from many sectors of society that have been afforded hero status, with everyone, so it seems, according to their interests and priorities, having their own set of heroes. Top of the hero list, at least as far as I am concerned, are those overseas Christian missionaries who gave all when it came to carrying out the Great Commission. In recent times, I have written about two such persons: C.T.Studd (see here) and A.N.Groves (see here), and there are many others who would qualify of course, including F.S.Arnot. Not long ago, I attended a conference to do with Plymouth Brethren history and presented a paper (see here).  As part of my research toward presenting my paper was reading two books. One was titled “Chief men among the Brethren” by Pickering. The other was titled “Brethren: the story of a Great Recovery” by Beattie. Both of the authors referred to Arnot, providing interesting insights about the man and his work.

Following that conference, I attended another conference, which I wrote about (see here) where three of the participants who were at the first conference presented at the second conference concerning aspects of Brethren history. One of these was Ian Burness, who spoke on Brethren missionary endeavour, which was an important feature of the movement and one that was fruitful. That was how I came by his book. I confess a long-time fascination with Africa as a continent. While it may not feature highly when it comes to news of some of the craziness taking place in the world these days, e.g. in America, Europe, Asia and Middle East, it should, not least due to the way Africa has been and still is exploited by its colonisers as well as so called liberators, with a desire to be released form oppression and use its rich resources for the benefit of the people, and may yet play a part to play in end times events. If the legacy of African missionary heroes, concerning which Arnot is one of many, means anything, it may even turn out to be a positive one, in ways barely imagined concerning Africa and the Gospel which would liberate it.

So back to the book … my original idea was to read all of it and afterward post my thoughts. Right now, I am a little over a third of the way through reading it, and while I am up to Arnot venturing forth into the African hinterland having already had several adventures, obstacles to overcome, triumphs and disasters, along the way, but it will be some time before I get to the end and thus be able to present a fully rounded account of what I find. In the meantime, I am chumping at the bit to share my thoughts. The solution is to make this a two parter, with this first part setting the scene for the nitty gritty of what is to come (watch this space).

The first thing I need to say is that while the book is very readable, it is still hard going, as I found while trawling through and trying to come to grips with unfamiliar place names and persons, meaning to do so has to be a slow and steady task rather than a fast and furious one, and that takes time. But I did take the liberty of skipping to the final two chapters: Chapter 20 – Assessing Arnot and Chapter 21 – Outcomes and Legacy in Central Africa Today, which provides a helpful summary and conclusion. These, together with up to Chapter 4 say, all of which I have read, give readers a good idea concerning Arnot – the man, his life and his legacy. For to stop now will be doing Arnot and the author of this book an injustice. He has done a tremendous job, with his meticulous research, attention to detail (and I actually appreciated his copious use of footnotes, references, maps and images), in his attempt to provide a truly balanced and thoroughly worthwhile account of this exemplary Brethren missionary hero who has left us a lasting legacy.