Diocese of Lagos - Rt. Revd. F.M. Melville Jones

Rt. Revd. F.M. Melville Jones

Rt. Revd. F.M. Melville Jones (1919 â 1940)
The Rt. Rev. F. Melville Jones was the pioneer Bishop of Lagos; or what in Rotarian parlance the Americans would prefer to style "The charter Bishop of Lagos."

Before his consecration and subsequent election to the exalted office, Melville Jones was the Principal of St. Andrew's college, Oyo from 1894 to 1907. He was indeed the one whose credit it was to have moved the college from Lagos to a more spacious area in Oyo town, Southwest Nigeria. He was highly regarded as a veteran school master and skilled administrator. Yet he was principally an Episcopal pioneer and explorer.

Bishop Jones was a great church man, and energetic European missionary and educationist of high repute. Friendly in outlook, industrious and highly innovative. His handling of the affairs of the college were generally adjudged to be of superlative degrees. He repeated the same feat as the pioneer Bishop of Lagos. Yet, behind those seemingly tough Facade was a quiet man, frank in his comments, firm in his dealings, but open and accessible to his "subjects". He was uncompromising in the application of Christian doctrines to real life. He also had (perhaps because of his training as a teacher,) a peculiarity of assessing his workers (be it clerical or laity) and deploying them to duty posts to which they were best suited.

In spite of that, he supervised tasks given by him and would sanction any erring staff without any hesitation.

It was during his tenure that the wooden bungalow building on the Marina that served as Diocesan office and Bishopscourt were erected. He operated the entire Diocese which stretched as far as Kano in the North and entire West and Mid-West as only one big Archdeaconry. In the area of spirituality, Bishop Melville Jones initiated and encouraged the nurture of prayer cells, Bible study classes, Sunday schools-which were veritable opportunities for teaching the largely paganistic society of his days. He stuck to the motto of WORK AND WORSHIP so tenaciously and taught at every opportunity undiluted, the Spartan principles of holy living, soberness and unflagging commitment to Christ.