North Sankuru Mission Archive

This collection contains documents and materials relating to the North Sankuru Mission in the Belgian Congo, between c.1933 and 1944. The collection is mainly comprised of circulars sent from the mission, which include updates on the conversion of native people to Christianity, among a few other events. Also included are an incomplete account of a speech on the history of missionary work in the Belgian Congo and several pages torn from 1950s issues of the New Zealand Bible Training Institute journal, The Reaper. It is unclear why the extracts from The Reaper are included within this collection.

Former reference: CBA Additional Papers and Record Materials Box 216

The North Sankuru Mission was an Exclusive Brethren outpost established in Loto, North Sankuru, Belgian Congo. The mission was set up by a Mr and Mrs Althorp in 1930 and, between 1930 and 1944, expanded to include another site at Kole, which together covered a mission area the size of Ireland. The 4 tribes which inhabited this area were the Atatela, the Akela, the Asongo Meno and the Djonga.

By 1944 the mission was run by 12 missionaries, and boasted 1,300 baptised Christians, 11 assemblies, 2 primary schools, medical dispensaries and more than 60 villages in which regular preaching took place. In order to run a mission across such a large area, the NSM set up a teacher training school to train native coverts as teacher-evangelists. In 1962 the North Sankuru Mission joined with the Westcott Mission to form the North Kasai Mission.

• NSM/1 Documents concerning missionary work in the Belgian Congo
• NSM/2 Extracts from The Reaper journal

The collection is open to any accredited reader.

The collection includes material which is subject to the Data Protection Act 2018. Under the Act 2018 (DPA), The University of Manchester Library (UML) holds the right to process personal data for archiving and research purposes. In accordance with the DPA, UML has made every attempt to ensure that all personal and sensitive personal data has been processed fairly, lawfully and accurately. Users of the archive are expected to comply with the Data Protection Act 2018, and will be required to sign a form acknowledging that they will abide by the requirements of the Act in any further processing of the material by themselves.

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Photocopies and photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.

Prior written permission must be obtained from the Library for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. Please contact the Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.

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None expected

A.B. Papps and G. Wilson, Congo view : North Sankuru Mission, Lote & Kole, Belgian Congo. (?A.B. Papps: Birmingham, 1944)[Copy in Christian Brethren Archive Printed Collection: CBA 6727]

K. Fiedler, Interdenominational Faith Missions in Africa: History and Ecclesiology(Mzuni Press: Malawi, 2018)