Ruth Elton, a retired Christian missionary from Nigeria who was born in Britain on September 7, 1933, resides in Ilesa, Nigeria. She is the sole offspring of deceased British missionaries Sydney Granville and Hannah Elton, who are widely regarded as the forerunners of the Pentecostal revival movement in Nigeria.
Early life and missionary work
At around age 3, Ruth Elton moved to Nigeria with her parents in July 1937. Her father, Sydney Granville “Pa” Elton, had been posted to Nigeria as an Area Superintendent of The Apostolic Church of Nigeria, which was then under Joseph Ayo Babalola. Her formative years were spent in Okene. Before passing away in Ilesa in 1987, her father lived in Nigeria for 50 years.
Like her parents, Ruth became a missionary and served in the modern-day states of Kogi, Ondo, Oyo, and Koton Karfe as well as in Egbe, Ebirra, Okene, and other locations. She then retired from active missionary service and settled permanently in Ilesa.
Ruth received training in sewing, handiwork, and the arts at a technical institution in the United Kingdom at some point in her early years. Elton is a polyglot who speaks English, Yoruba, and Ebira well and has lived a celibate and unmarried life.
She had to abandon her British citizenship in 1975 in order to be naturalized as a Nigerian because it was illegal to have two citizenship at the time.
READ MORE: Pa Elton’s Prophecy About Nigeria
She helped reduce infant mortality in Okene, Kogi during the late colonial and early postcolonial periods by working as a missionary and improving childcare and sanitary standards.
Ruth Elton has authored three Christian books. They are: The Gospel of the Kingdom; Your Citizenship: Hell or the Kingdom?; and The Kingdom Has Come.
Veteran Missionary Mama Ruth Elton At 86 (photos)
In this photo from Ilesa in the late 1930s, baby Ruth Elton is shown at age 3 with her parents, Pa. Sydney Granville and Mama Elton. She turned 86 on September 7th, 2020, and is still working for the monarchy in Ilesa. The Elton family has dedicated more than 160 years to missionary work in Nigeria in order to spread God’s kingdom.
On Monday, September 7, this seasoned missionary turned 86 years of age. She later called to say she has an appointment with her eye doctor and won’t be available, despite my brother and I having planned to see her in her Ilesha home today. Her eye doctor, however, was just in my backyard, as the Lord had prepared. So I was able to stroll in midday and personally give her my birthday greeting.
Her body is not as powerful, but her spirit is still quite strong. Please keep her in mind when praying. She deserves to age stress-free, in good health, and with peace of mind.
She is the sole child of the late Pa S.G. Elton, in case you don’t know who she is. In 1937, when she was 3 years old, her parents brought her to Nigeria. She worked in Okene, Koto Karfi, and other regions of what is now Kogi state as a lifelong missionary, following in the footsteps of her parents.
Her commitment to this work made her to bear the cross of remaining single and at some point, naturalizing to become a full fledged Nigerian (her British citizenship limited her in some ways, so she let it go! What love for Nigeria).
Church Gist Celebrate Veteran Missionary Mama Ruth Elton At 86. She made disciples for Jesus and established them in small groups which have all grown to become a strong church with branches in different parts of Kogi, Kwara, Niger States and Abuja.
Although the Church appointed her as the matron/spiritual adviser to the denomination as part of their various ways of commemorating her involvement in their existence, she declined to be named as the Founder/G.O. since, like her father, she does not believe in denominationalism.
In addition to speaking three different Nigerian languages, Mama shares her father’s unmatched love for the upcoming Kingdom. The extent of her contribution to the gospel’s expansion in Nigeria’s middle belt will only be known in eternity.
Happy birthday, Mama Ruth O. Elton.
We love you.
Ruth Elton: Why I gave up my British citizenship to be a Nigerian
Ruth Elton, daughter of foremost missionary, Pa Sidney Elton has explained why he had to deny her British citizenship to be a Nigerian. She gave the explanation at her Ilesha home while fielding questions from popular comedian, Babafemi of Ajino Boy TV.
Ruth Elton was the only child of Pa Elton. She took after her father to do missions in Nigeria. But she never got married. She explained that in those days it was not possible to combine the citizenship of two countries. Since she wanted to stay back in Nigeria to preach the kingdom’s message she had to give up being British.
She said, “I had to get a lawyer to get me through the process of renouncing my British citizenship so I could be a Nigerian.”
The missionary who will be 89 in September said the lawyer was shocked when she told him her intention and asked if she was crazy. She however noted that the step she took then has greatly helped to enhance her message of the kingdom.
“Since I took that step, I tell people when I am preaching that they have to completely renounce their old ways and embrace the way of the cross. I tell them when they come to the kingdom of heaven, they have to get rid of the old things,” she said.
She noted that there are so many people who go to church but who don’t live the life of the kingdom. “Many come to Jesus but they go back to their old ways of life,” she said.
According to her, gospel preachers must emphasise repentance and believe in their message to people. “It is repentance first. The apostles preached repent and believe. Repentance comes first before belief. It is repentance that prepares the heart to believe. If you don’t repent, your heart will not be ready to believe”
