Inspired by his contact with David Livingstone, Arnot left Glasgow in 1881, heading for the heart of central Africa where he penetrated areas where no missionaries had been before. A ‘chance’ meeting drew him to Katanga in Southern Congo, where he encountered Msiri, king of an extensive empire, and started mission work He recruited teams from Britain to join him. After severe setbacks , they established work in what are now three countries in central Africa. Despite poor health, Arnot continued to pioneer new areas, and his final illness occurred when opening up new work on the Upper Zambezi. Today there are thousands of churches stemming from the work of Arnot and his colleagues.
By Ian Burness
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