Today’s Leader of Faith
ALFRED SAKER
Home Call : 12 March 1880
Apostle to Cameroon, Missionary, Evangelist, Bible Translator, Educator
Alfred Saker (1814-1880) was a British missionary who played a key role in spreading Christianity in Cameroon, Africa. He was associated with the Baptist Missionary Society and is best known for his efforts in evangelism, translation, and establishing Christian communities in West Africa. He preferred to be known simply as a “Missionary to Africa”. In 1858, he led a mission from the Spanish island of Fernando Po to Southern Cameroons, where he purchased land from Bimbia chiefs and founded Victoria, later renamed Limbe in 1982. He played a key role in establishing Baptist churches on Fernando Po and in Cameroon. Between 1862 and 1872, he translated the Bible into the Duala language.
Saker was born on 21 July 1814 in Borough Green, Wrotham, Kent. As frail child, Saker attended the local National School and later worked in his father’s workshop, where he showed an early talent for engineering, building a small steam engine before age sixteen. His conversion came unexpectedly when he was drawn into a small Baptist chapel by its singing. He joined the choir and became actively involved in evangelism. On 4 January 1834, at 19, he was baptized and devoted himself to Christian work, preaching in villages and eventually leading services at a chapel in Plaxtol. In February 1840, he married Helen Jessup. He had long desired to serve as a missionary in Africa, a calling supported by his wife. In 1843, they were appointed by the Baptist Missionary Society and travelled to Jamaica before arriving in Port Clarence in 1844. He initially served as an assistant missionary and engineer, supporting the society’s plan to use a steamer for mission work.
Saker arrived in Fernando Po in 1844, and later moved to Cameroon, where he founded Bethel Baptist Church in 1849. In 1858, after being expelled from Fernando Po by Spanish authorities, he established the settlement of Victoria (now Limbé) by purchasing land and creating a Christian community for displaced converts. His most significant contribution was translating the entire Bible into the Duala language, which he completed and printed in 1872. Alongside his missionary work, Saker promoted education by establishing schools and reducing the Duala language to writing. He also introduced agricultural advancements and industrial training, equipping the local people with skills in carpentry, printing, and masonry. His lifelong efforts significantly shaped the Christian faith in Cameroon and laid a strong foundation for the growth of the Baptist church in the region.
Saker’s health had deteriorated, likely due to the harsh conditions he endured during his years of ministry in West Africa. By the late 1870s, he ceased his missionary work and returned to his homeland, where he passed away in 1880 at the age of 65. Though he died in relative obscurity in his homeland, his legacy lived on through the Christian communities and institutions he helped establish in Cameroon.