It looked like a story I’ve already seen dozens of times. A Nigerian Christian was gunned down, and no one had been brought to justice. Only this time there was a connection closer to home, because slain pastor Emmanuel Bileya had graduated from Calvin Theological Seminary. So I asked TGC senior writer Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra to investigate. Given her extensive connections in the Christian Reformed Church, I knew she could track down the real story. She did. But she didn’t find what we expected.

Her feature on who really killed Emmanuel and Juliana Bileya is disturbing. She recounts the history of Reformed missions in Nigeria and the legacy of the Christian Reformed Church–Nigeria and Veenstra Theological Seminary today. In many ways it’s a success story. But it doesn’t feel that way right now.

Less than two weeks before he died, Emmanuel Bileya lamented the hardships of everyday life and pastoral ministry in Nigeria.

“Sometimes I feel like leaving Nigeria to work somewhere else that is more peaceful. I am tired of the insurgencies, communal clashes, armed robbery, kidnappings, poor economic that renders us live hand to mouth, and other serious vices. GOD THE SOVEREIGN IS OUR ONLY HOPE.”

In life and death, God alone brings hope for these troubled times. Click below to read Zylstra’s story and learn who really killed Emmanuel and Juliana Bileya.