Birth : 21-07-1814
Home Calling: 12-03-1880
Native Place : Borough Green, Kent Country England
Place of Vision: Cameroons, Africa
Alfred Saker was a son of a millwright. Despite his desire for knowledge and books he could get only minimal study and started to work at his father’s workshop. Once when he was crossing a chapel, he heard singing and entered in. He started to help the choir there and was later on involved in the Church activities. Eventually, he was drawn towards God and baptized. He started to visit church members’ houses and visited all neighbourhood villages. Soon, the church recognized his gift of evangelism and ministry and called him to exercise it.
From early days after becoming a Christian, Saker had a desire to serve God in Africa to which he received good encouragement and support from his wife Helen Jessup. He was accepted by the Baptist Missionary Society and his missionary service started in 1843.
He arrived at Fernando Po (now Bioko), the headquarters of the Baptist missionaries. He visited the tribes along the coast of Cameroons and built a house there for mission work. Within two years he mastered the local language Douala and formed the written text for it. By 1849, because of his labour a church was formed in Cameroons. He made a great impact on the lives of the people. He taught them industrial skills and agriculture and civilized them. His lifetime work was Bible translation into the Douala language and its printing.
By 1851, all his fellow labourers left Africa. In the later years, the Spanish government drove away all the protestant missionaries from Fernando Po. Saker, who didn’t look back in difficulties, purchased a large land in Cameroons and founded the city of Victoria (now Limbé) and a new mission station there. After thirty-two years of ceaseless labour in the deadly climate of Africa, Alfred Saker returned home in 1876.
He was a pioneer missionary to Cameroons who established the first British mission there. He founded the city of Victoria. He translated the Bible into Douala language. Yet, he wished to be known under no other designation than a “Missionary to Africa”.
