St. Gabriel's Anglican Church
Bolo

The advent of Christianity was ushered into Bolo by Chief Joseph Tomonitemeke Koko of Ogoloma in the year 1883. Joseph's father, Inumaibike, had moved to Bolo, receiving a piece of land from the Chiefs at Ikpo-Ama. When Joseph grew up, his trading exploits in Bonny and Opobo Towns brought him into contact with Christianity. He imbibed its tenets, gathered his friends in Bolo, and began spreading the word. Though difficult at first, persistence yielded conversions, and pioneer believers aggressively carried the message to their families.

Before Christianity, Bolo was highly steeped in paganism and idol worship, dominated by a "war god" called "Karaminoru." Evil practices ran rampant, including cannibalism and the killing of twin babies. Superstitious embargoes, like the "Oloke-ene" (Prohibited Day), restricted women and economic activities once every six days. The society was fiercely controlled by a powerful socio-cultural organization known as "Sekiniogbo," whose decrees were considered sacrosanct.

The early church in Bolo fought against all these enumerated evil practices vehemently. It was a rugged, God-inspired movement to challenge the powerful Sekiniogbo, risking their lives to shine the light of the Gospel in profound darkness.

The first services were held in the private parlor of the founder, Joseph Koko, with a starting congregation of 13 men and 7 women.

As numbers surged, they acquired the present site housing St. Gabriel's. At the time, it was a thick forest relegated by traditionalists as an "evil forest," intended to annihilate the children of light. The bold believers swiftly cleared it, erected a large mud building, and welcomed Mr. Andrew Yellowe in 1903 as their first Church worker and school teacher.

By 1908, a thick semi-permanent “Mgbidi” wall was erected. It was eventually consecrated and dedicated by Assistant Bishop Johnson in 1913 as St. Gabriel's (NDP) Church, Bolo.

Decades of continuous resilience elevated St. Gabriel's. In 1977, under Agent Jonah Orubima, the church attained Parish Status, and by 1979 it was established as a District. Its expansion caused its members to plant new missions, remarkably spawning St. Joseph's Church on the East-West end of Bolo.

Recognizing its profound legacy, Bishop T. R. Abere pronounced Bolo District a Deanery, effective January 1, 2005. Decades later, a massive new magnificent church edifice for St. Gabriel was temporarily dedicated for worship on April 8, 2018.