Six shillings for Africa

Based on material researched by Betty MacDougall

One hundred and thirty years ago, the West Coast Mission appointed a Malcolm MacDonald of Coll, missionary at Comaig, Arinagour and Caolas (1862). In spite of this, the Society itself, seems to date its main efforts on Coll from 1872 when Donald Campbell became the missionary suggesting that Malcolm MacDonald's work as missionary was short-lived.

The essentially Protestant Mission, which was instituted in 1855, served 'to provide religious instruction in areas where the inhabitant lives at a distance from their church.’ However, it seems that distance alone was not the only factor to deter church-going since we learn that 'this large island. with its scattered population, is engaged chiefly in the making of cheese. The nature of this work often prevents the people from gathering together, hence the importance of house to house visitations by our missionary:' (1910).

At other times, other reasons prevailed: 'during the harvest, they would not attend and some were too busy with the world to hear God's Word read.’ (1878)

In addition, illness and infirmity clearly made the journey to the nearest church difficult: 'There has been a great deal of sickness and death. I have been kept very busy visiting amongst them.' (1878 - Malcolm Hunter): and 'During a time of unusual sickness last winter, his visits to the sufferers were very comforting, whilst his wife was unwearied in ministering to the temporal wants of the poor and the aged, many of whom, when in sickness, are very helpless:' (1892): 'During the spring (1897) a severe epidemic visited the island and our Agent's services were invaluable to the afflicted and the sorrowing': 'In most houses there are old people who are not able to go to the means of grace and they greatly prize my visits,' (1902 - James Campbell): 'As whooping cough still lingered on the island it was not deemed' desirable to gather the children together,' (1907).'

The prevalence of sickness on the island at that time is hardly surprising since the Rev. Alexander Fraser of Coll reports in 1862 that Coll, 'is scarcely less destitute' than Barra. where 'the inhabitants, being so poor that they mostly live in mud huts so damp and unhealthy that none but the people who have been accustomed to them could possibly live in them.'

Clearly, the initial efforts of the Mission on Coll met with uncertain success and it took the apparently considerable evangelical abilities of Neil MacPhail from Benbecula, to stir the population. MacPhail, of whom the Rev. Fraser said 'He is mighty in prayer', was invited to assist the work of resident missionaries on Coll on a number of occasions, from 1878.

His early impressions were not favourable! 'I have nothing encouraging to report and in one of the districts (the East end) specially. I felt as if I had never spoken to more indifferent people..,'; '...things are dark at present..,' but he adds – ‘I was never so stirred up in my life as I am for this special effort on behalf of Coll;' (1878): and then again, two months later - 'I purposed leaving here on Monday, but I can't go, the work is getting such a hold; I trust God may give me strength;' 'My hands are so full of work that I write hurriedly:' 'I have so much to do I cannot give anything like a full detail of the work.. I have seen nothing like this... Pray that God may keep us.'

Certainly, it seems that, resulting in large part from MacPhail's fervent work, the year of 1879 witnessed a considerable religious revival on Coll, so that by the following year one of the Society reports was able to say that 'There seemed a solemnity in the island, and a readiness and desire everywhere to speak of Divine things...'

'God's people are greatly quickened:' 'He (has) poured down such a blessing on Coll.' 'I meet anxious souls at every turn and rejoice to see them resting in Jesus:' and concrete - 'A man from the East end came on Thursday, 10 miles I suppose ... He seems literally filled with the Spirit ... We spent most of it (the night] on our knees in prayer:' 'The people are so anxious now that we can hardly get them away. Some are so burdened by a sense of sin that they seem unable to bear it any longer.' 'The work is deepening and expanding….. The church was never so full... the house was crowded with eager and anxious souls ... the earnest expression on the faces of all was remarkable:' 'Last night, some came four miles to the meeting at Arinagour and I am sure it was 11 o'clock when they left. This week, people have gone greater distances to meetings than ever: some who were never seen at meetings are coming out. Truly God is showing himself to be the hearer and answerer of prayers. I enclose an order for Bibles.

There can be little doubt from the Mission reports that the missionary work was long and arduous: 'We have one and sometimes two meetings every day in different parts of the island:' ‘I agreed to evangelic meetings every night; 'From this time we began to have enquiry meetings after the addresses...' 'We have begun a Fellowship meeting for young converts:' 'On Sabbath afternoons the missionary (this refers to Mr. A, MacLachlan who lived in Hyne Cottage at sometime during the period 1884- 91) goes alternately to distant parts of the island where he holds both a Sabbath school and a meeting. Recently, he formed a Band of Hope which meets once a month:' 'The Mission is now arranging for a Bible Class:' 'Work amongst the young seems specially hopeful and the good seed that is being sown cannot fail to produce a harvest of blessing in God's good time:' 'Their (the children) Missionary Box was opened .... and 6/- given to us for Africa:' 'The Missionary visits all over the island which is 14 miles in length and is welcomed by everyone. There are many very solitary dwellings to which he finds his way with the Word of Life and isolated hamlets where he holds cottage prayer meetings.'

A new Mission house was built, at a cost of £222, in 1889, the feu being disponed by J.L. Stewart 'for a piece of ground, 20 poles at Arnabost (the stones were blasted from a rock on the left hand side, opposite the house - now a water hole), and yet by 1912 there was no longer a resident missionary on Coll and the Mission house was let for a rent of £2-6s-8d per annum. By 1920, Mr. Charles Stewart, proprietor of the estate on Coll, had re-acquired the property for £300.

Whatever the reason for the change in the fortunes of the West Coast Mission (possibly in part financial, there being some indication of the loss of longterm patronage around this time), it seems strange now that Coll should have been the focus of so much inspired and ardent religious effort. Somehow, there ought to be reverberations still from that dramatic time of revival, some trace of what had passed.

And, of course, there is. 'On our way to the East, we passed through a series of sand hills where there is no road. In the midst of this sandy region is a little cemetery containing a handsome tombstone erected by the inhabitants of Coll to the memory of one of our Missionaries, who might almost be said to have given his life for Coll and whose sincerity and devotion to Christ won the hearts of the grateful islanders.'

The stone reads:
'Erected by the inhabitants of Coll to the memory of Neil Mcphail W.C.M. who died at Arynagour 22nd, Feb. 1888 aged 59, A faithful energetic worker in the Lord's vineyard. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from hence forth.'

Note:
This period was a time of religious revival not only on. the Isle of Coll but throughout much of Post Industrial Britain. At the time, John MacLean, a poet from Balemartine, Tiree, queried this phenomenon. He drew people's attention to the prophesy of the Brahan Seer who had foretold that' two false preachers would come across the seas to revolutionise the religion of the land and the Highlands would be overrun by ministers without grace.' And in due course, there arrived Moody and Sankey, the American preacher and hymnsinging duo, who were rapturously received in Inverness, Campbeltown and Oban in 1874, after outstanding success in Edinburgh and Glasgow to but mention Scotland.