Thomas Birch Freeman was the son of an African father and an English mother, born on November 29, 1809, in the village of Twyford, England. His father was certainly a free man, probably a former slave or the son of a slave, because according to the famous legal decision of Lord Chief Justice Mansfield in 1772, "as soon as a slave sets foot on English soil, he becomes free," effectively granting freedom to all slaves on English soil. His father died in his childhood. He received a good education and from an early age he followed the path of Christ thanks to the influences of the Methodists, who were nevertheless despised at the time. His faith was preeminent in his life, and when he was asked by his aristocratic employers, embarrassed by his Methodism, to choose between his faith and his job, he chose his faith without hesitation.
At that time, Methodist missionaries were succumbing to disease by the dozens upon arriving on the west coast of Africa. When he learned of the great need for missionaries for the fledgling church on the Gold Coast, a call sent by the only surviving missionary, he felt God's call and reflected:
“Woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel, woe is me if I am not willing to leave home, friends, and all that is dear to me, and go and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles… if I hesitate to go to a difficult climate, in response to the command of the Lord of Hosts, because by doing so I may shorten my days in this world. Cannot He who bids me go smite me here, surrounded by all the advantages of this island?….The noble Gentile who, in setting out on a dangerous expedition, thus answered the entreaties of his friends, “It is necessary for me to go; it may not be necessary for me to live,” has left us a great example of the heroic determination to follow the well-defined path of duty in the face of all and any danger.”
Freeman lost two English wives on the mission field. He braved illness, loneliness, financial hardship, and the reluctance of his committee to open other mission fields when he saw the great need. Apart from Sierra Leone, Gambia, and the Gold Coast, all of West Africa still remained to be evangelized. His heart beat to bring these people to the knowledge of Christ. The conditions were arduous, and other missionaries who came to support him died. But he achieved the feat of reaching Ashanti country, the first 'white' person to bring the gospel to the Ashantis, and to establish a relationship with the great Ashanti king. He married an African woman and had four children.
He was also the first missionary to bring the gospel to Badagry, a violent and dangerous slave-trading hub and gateway to the vast territory that would become Nigeria. He was the first missionary to set foot in Abeokuta and meet the great King Shodeke, who asked him for a Christian mission in his city. He was also the first to bring the gospel to Lagos, which until then had been inaccessible because of the illegal slave trade. He was able to make contact with the terrible king of Dahomey and bring the gospel there. He was able to see a magnificent revival take place in the places where he had toiled for years. In Appendix 11, I quote a description of a revival in the Gold Coast in the last years of his service. In every difficulty, he took refuge in prayer.
Thomas Birch Freeman had the joy of seeing his son work with him in the ministry and preaching for the 50th anniversary of two of the churches he built. And today, Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast) has the reputation of being one of the most Christian countries in the world, if not the most. Thomas Birch Freeman could not have imagined it, but he must be very satisfied.
(this article is an excerpt from my book 'The fire of God' click to learn more
What do we learn from his story?
- That a man who is totally sold out to God can accomplish extraordinary things.
- That we cannot and should not live only for ourselves when others need what we have.
- That we will not see the full result of our labor for the Lord in our lifetime but we can believe that the fruits will be glorious.
- That we must let God lead us where he wants.
- That greatness is found in the will of God. From Twyford to the Gold Coast, what a difference, however if he had stayed in Twyford, he would have died insignificant!!!
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