From Lagos they returned to Sapele to inaugurate the new church. They later invited Williams to Sapele. Accompanied by some elders of the FirstBaptistChurch, Lagos, William proceeded to Sapele to organise the church there. Deacon I. O. Gilbert is reported to have described the trip thus:

�As a result of the appeal of our brethren at Sapele to the FirstBaptistChurch, 

Lagos, Rev. Williams left Lagos on the 16^th of July, 1917 to organise the 

Sapele Mission taking with him several of his members. The trip proved 

a very successful one. He baptised on the whole 313 candidates and on one 

occasion during baptismal services there was a heavy rain and he was under it 

in the river for two hours without any bodily injury.[5]

It is not surprising that in a majority of the towns and villages, the emergence of Baptist churches was by a wholesale conversion of existing C.M.S. church members, or a carving out of a substantial proportion of them to form the new. At Okwagbe, for instance, a C.M.S. church had been introduced by one Babaido in 1921; but when he and his members found the C.M.S. regulations and demands too rigid and uncompromising, he went to Sapele on hearing of Omatsola�s Baptist Church in which polygamists were admitted as full members and appointed as leaders. He consequently converted the OkwagbeC.M.S.Church to Baptist, until 1937 when one of the members, CosinUheri, felt that the C.M.S. approach was better and so reverted to the C.M.S., carrying with him a good number of the Baptists.[8]

By the time a change of attitude occurred the Urhobo had had their own son as a Baptist pastor. For however valuable the leadership of Omatsola, an Itsekiri, must have been, they understandably preferred their own man.[14] This was none other than Aganbi of whom much has been related.[15] After his primary school education at Warri and Sapele he was one of those who introduced �Christianity andCivilisation� to Eku. He had taught there and at Sanubi under the C.M.S. untilSeptember 2, 1926, when he resigned and joined the Baptist, and so turned down admission offered him by St. AndrewsCollege, Oyo.
 

Back to EkuAganbi invited Richardson, an American Missionary, and Omatsola from Sapele to Eku where they assembled the people to whom they expounded Baptist doctrines. Thereafter Aganbi continued to organise a Baptist congregation Eku. During the first assembly he chose for his address the topic, �God is leading His People�, a topic which was based on Psalm 25:4-5. There was no shadow of doubt in him that his resignation from the C.M.S. was God-directed, even if Imoukhuede and the C.M.S. authorities viewed it as a diabolical design.
 

To strengthen Aganbi in the secession Richardson and Omatsola visited the new group on 15^th October 1926, and impressed on them to continue to study the Scriptures. On the 10^th of November Miss Neale C. Young and Miss Mary Perry also visited the congregation to address the women folk on how to organise �a Women�s Missionary Union� and to study the Bible.[16]

Here the question was inevitable. What impression was Christianity making on the Urhobo? How could Christians who were antagonistic to one another hope to win converts from the traditional religion? And were they, on this showing, being true to their calling and to their Master, who taught that a house divided against itself could not stand? What had they learnt from the Scriptures where St. Paul charged the Corinthians never to bring their cases to the secular law courts? If they had learnt so little, what had they to offer to the Urhobo traditionalists who before the appearance of Christianity and European Civilisation settled family disputes only within the context of the family? Clearly the Christians were here belying their Faith. This animosity borne of bitter rivalry did not prove detrimental to the cause of Christianity as might have been expected. As has been indicated, competitions, even unhealthy ones, do often yield dividends. The Baptists not only emerged triumphant from the conflict, but also later built a gigantic hospital which served all and sundry-including even the members of those denominations with whom they had had court cases.
 

The Baptists no doubt saw the action of the other (one could not say fellow) Christians, as persecution; while the others viewed the Baptists who claimed to be teaching the only right doctrines as intruders and intriguers, dissenters and deceivers from whom their members lured away must be reclaimed. The later development of Eku, especially the provision of a hospital for all, vindicated the Baptists� dedication to service and to
their Faith, even if through the Hospital they hoped to win members from other denominations.[18]

After the troubles of 1927 Aganbi entered Iwo Headmaster�s Course which he completed after four years and proceeded to OgbomQhaQ Seminary for theological training for another three. He came out in December 1934. Although both in the Yoruba country and at Sapele Baptist churches in need of trained pastors� asked for his services and attempted to dissuade him from returning to the young congregation at Eku which could not pay his salary, he was resolute to go to his own people.
 

�They (the Eku Baptists) may not be able to pay me anything but they are
my people, and I have given myself to serve them as long as the Lord shall
lead�.[19]

He resumed work at Eku in January 1935, and reactivated the work of the young congregation which during his seven year absence had been cared for by OkotieEsekeghre, Isiorho, Onanore, Akemu, and Itohwo.[20]Aganbi was well aware of the inability of the Eku Baptists to pay his monthly salary. His resolution to serve his people, come wind come weather, was nevertheless amply rewarded. Although he was paid only one shilling and six pence every Edewo, his services were paid for in kind by the members who frequently cleared his farms and provided him and his wife with foodstuff. Furthermore, when the Carsons, the missionaries at Sapele, observed the pioneering and persevering spirit of Aganbi, they approached theParkviewBaptistChurch, PortsmouthVirginia, to take up payment of his salary. This continued until Eku Baptist congregation grew and on becoming financially viable was organised into a church in 1936. Thereafter it took over the responsibility.
 

Organisation
 

Because the planters of Baptist churches in Urhoboland were originally members of C.M.S. Churches, the pattern of organisation was initially Anglican: much was left to the imagination and initiative of the founders, until missionaries arrived. Thus, as in the C.M.S., income was realised by levying contribution of three pence per month (or three shillings per year) per female and six pence per month (or six shillings per year) per male. Class registers were called during services to ascertain those fulfilling their financial obligations to the church. This slow process continued until 1942-3 when the whole machinery of the Baptist Churches was overhauled, and the tithe system introduced[21]. Harvests, which were not a normal practice of the Baptists, were also introduced through the influence of Williams.[22]

Also in organisation the C.M.S. pattern of having worshipping congregations immediately designated churches was not at once departed from. But after the arrival of missionaries when instructions were given to local Baptist leaders on Baptist methodology, the practice of starting with preaching stations was adopted. In this system new converts were sought in the preaching station through the addresses of evangelists and songs of choristers. Only after winning enough members who would be financially viable was a preaching station converted to a church. After Aganbi�s return from training, Baptist evangelisation of Urhoboland by the above method was given impetus. Eku Association was formed in addition to Sapele Association, with Aganbi as moderator. By 1935, Baptist churches were firmly established in Urhoboland. But the development and growth of Urhobo �Baptism� still lay in the second half of the thirties and especially in the forties and the fifties. But this aspect will be discussed in a later chapter.