Project Description

2014/05

Remembering Margaret Armstrong – Part 1

Margaret Armstrong, whose name may not be widely known even among Free Presbyterians, was a remarkable lady who was instrumental in initiating our missionary work in Kenya. She was born on 29 May 1934 and so, had she lived, Margaret would have celebrated her 80th birthday this month.

The great granddaughter of the First Baron Napier of Magdala (1810-1890), once the British Army’s highest ranking officer, Margaret was born in Nairobi and grew up on the family coffee farm in Ibonia, Kiambu. After initial home schooling she went to Limuree Girls School before moving to Armagh to live with relatives in 1948. Her education continued at the Manor School House in Milford, and then at Trinity College, Dublin, where she earned a diploma in Social Science. While at Trinity she was converted. Margaret takes up the story:

When I was in Dublin studying in November 1953 another girl who was studying Social Science with me took me along to hear Rev Sidlow Baxter. His addresses were entitled ‘The Deeper Truths of the Bible’; he was there for a week. I enjoyed listening to him so much I went back each night and I began to want what he had. What did he mean when he talked about such things as the uplifting power of the indwelling Spirit? I was ready to do anything to get what he was talking about and so it came about that when he made an appeal one night that I responded. He said ‘Is there anyone willing to enthrone Christ in their hearts?’ I prayed that the Lord Jesus would come into my life and be enthroned in my heart.

Sometime later the Lord challenged me: Would I be willing to go to the Mission Field? I told Him I would if he wanted me. He led me to BTI Bible College, Wycliffe Linguistic Course and Missionary School of Medicine. Later I applied and was accepted by AIM (Africa Inland Mission) for work in Kenya, arriving in July 1960, where I was assigned to do women’s and girls’ work among the Marakwet Tribe at the Kapsowar Mission Station.

Margaret made a profound impact in Kenya. Bill Rettie spent 14 years in Kenya with AIM, and he made these interesting and revealing observations on his time there:

In many conversations the name of one Margaret Armstrong was often mentioned with great respect. Margaret, an AIM missionary from Northern Ireland used to visit the area in the 1960’s. She was probably the first white missionary to stay in the area for any length of time. That in itself impressed her hosts -’she ate our food’. More importantly she brought the Gospel and talked to whoever would listen. There was little evident response at that time but Margaret prayed fervently that the Lord would establish his church in that place. She returned home and subsequently died without ever seeing an answer to her prayer. Yet today there is not one but six Africa Inland Church (AIC) congregations in this area plus a number of other denominations. It is estimated that over half of the whole community regularly worship in these churches. A recently completed church building will have a commemorative plaque to Margaret’s memory – a fitting tribute to one who planted for others to reap.

How Margaret became a Free Presbyterian reveals strength of character, sincere convictions and deep spiritual discernment. Our admiration for her increases when we consider that this stand was taken by someone from an aristocratic background – by one who had more to lose than many others. When home on furlough in 1966, she first heard Dr Paisley preach and she joined the newly formed Free Presbyterian Church in Armagh. This decision brought trouble and criticism from many quarters but Margaret did not waver. Writing to a correspondent at that time she stated:

Thanks for your letter which I thought I would reply to imminently in order to answer your reference to reactions of me becoming a ‘Paisleyite’! You say that you would have looked around for a different group – not the Free Presbyterians. Well, all the historic denominations are in the WCC – Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Salvation Army. In Armagh the Brethren and Pentecostal are not. But why slip into those when the Free Presbyterians have done the work of faithfully alerting us to the dangers … They got all the slander and hatred and are despised and when you look into it you find it is because they stand for the truth. So I want to be where the battle against the ecumenical movement and the Rome-ward trend is hottest.

Later, speaking in Ravenhill Free Presbyterian Church, she declared:

I would like to say how happy I am to be here tonight and to say, I thank God for Dr Paisley’s ministry and booklets, and that I am glad I have broken my association with the WCC (World Council of Churches), whatever people may say.

Margaret resigned from AIM and she wrote in her letter of resignation:

My desire is to make a complete break with the WCC. Therefore standing on such promises in Scripture as 1 Timothy 6: 3-5, and 2 Corinthians 6: 14-17, and others, I want to resign from AIM. So I am ready from now on to receive no more allowances.

When I was last on furlough in 1965 I left the Church of Ireland because it is in the Ecumenical Movement, it has its clergy who sit on the Irish Council of Churches and many of its clergymen are very ecumenically minded. It seems to me that the Scriptural way to deal with this spiritually deadly movement is to withdraw from it.  Now I find that the AIM, although its members are not ecumenically minded, it has the same link up as the Church of Ireland, being a member of the NCC (National Council of Churches) of Kenya. It is illogical for me to withdraw from one and not the other; therefore I wish to withdraw from the AIM because it is not putting into practice this teaching of separation.

Thus Margaret resolved to separate from this compromise, whatever it might cost. We will complete the story of her remarkable life in the next issue.

Rev Gordon Ferguson.