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by Andrew J. Schleicher |
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New York, NY, September 17, 2009--The United Methodist Church in Cameroon, West Africa, has a bright future, but just how bright depends upon the strength of the network of mission partnerships required to sustain a young Christian community. This is especially true in a multilingual country with a great variety of religious options. Today, there are 30 United Methodist congregations in the nation of some 18 million people who are 40 percent Christian, 20 percent Muslim, with the remainder following indigenous traditional belief systems. The United Methodist Church was introduced in 1999 and is one of the 13 mission initiatives of the General Board of Global Ministries. Cameroon was recognized as a formal mission of the denomination in 2005. Lay pastoral educational training started in 2001, and the first missionaries arrived the year before. About half of the congregations currently have partner mission congregations in the United States, and such partnerships are pivotal in successful new church starts. A Bilingual Church Yaoundé is the capital of Cameroon and the headquarters of the mission. It is also at the center of the French-speaking part of the country. Nevertheless, there are also many English-speakers in Cameroon. "In the church we have parity between the two," said the Reverend Patrick Friday, a staff member of Global Ministries who relates to Cameroon "anglophone and francophone work together." An example of this parity is the development of a joint hymnal. That hymnal and worship book was released in late May 2009 at the mission's annual meeting. The Reverend John Thornburg led the five-member editorial team and presented a copy of the hymnal to Bishop Benjamin Boni of Côte d'Ivoire, who presides over the missions in Cameroon and Senegal. Rev. Thornburg, from the North Texas Annual (regional) Conference, worked with Cameroonians to develop the resource of 117 hymns, songs, and choruses in both English and French, as well as 122 additional songs in one of the two languages. More than half of the support for developing the hymnal came from within the North Texas Conference, which has made Cameroon its quadrennial focus for 2004-2008 and 2008-2012. In a reenactment of the commitment of John and Charles Wesley to the importance of song in mission, every pastor in Cameroon received a copy of the new hymnal, along with a CD of 20 songs drawn from it. The CD includes works by Charles Wesley and songs from South Africa, South America, and the hands of editorial team members. Plans are to make additional CDs to further educate the people about the songs in the hymnbook. Service through Partnerships As the people rejoice in worship, Cameroonians also step out in service to their neighbors. Health ministries include the distribution of mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria, as well as education for raising HIV/AIDS awareness. Plans are in the works for a ministry with refugees this year. Volunteer medical teams connected from partner congregations make regular visits. Patrick Friday recalls a recent eye clinic completely packed with people seeking assistance. "The churches here thrive from this partnership," Rev. Friday said. "The good thing is that it has the same impact on the congregations in the United States." "Both sides are able to learn from each other," agreed George Holcombe, a retired missionary who now promotes partnerships with the Cameroon Mission Initiative. "It is an exciting time, and lots of exciting things are happening over on this side of the pond and in Africa." The Rev. Marji Bishir, associate director of connectional ministries with the North Texas Conference, recommends Cameroon for anyone wanting to take a mission trip to Africa. "It is a great place to take a mission team," she said in a telephone conversation. "The people there are very loving." She helped in getting her congregation, Christ United Methodist Church in Plano, to be a partner in the eye clinic in Cameroon. Jana Carmichael of Creekwood UMC, Allen, Texas, learned about the mission through the annual conference when the Reverend Wesley Magruder, then a missionary in Cameroon, came to speak. Rev. Magruder had brought a Cameroonian pastor with him. "Just hearing him talk about it, I was hooked," Ms. Carmichael said. She brought the idea back to her congregation and, with pastoral support, Creekwood became a partner with Bethany Church in Cameroon. "We ended up getting 12 people excited enough to want to travel there," said Carmichael, who is the part-time director of missions and ministry involvement at her church. The Creekwood volunteers helped to construct a new church building in January 2008. They dug trenches, laid rebar, and mixed cement. They expect to return to Cameroon in 2010. Strong Commitment Ms. Carmichael was really amazed at the commitment the people had made to attending worship. "In the states sometimes we are lazy when it comes to worship," she said. In Cameroon, however, some people walk long difficult roads to get there. The worship experience was very fulfilling for Ms. Carmichael and her team. "We left with an awakening of our own faith." The Cameroonian people are also generous. Carmichael reflected on one woman who invited a few team members to her family's modest home and offered them the "best of the best" mangoes. Back in the United States, Carmichael has generated support throughout her congregation. "It is an opportunity for us to try and create a witness that God's community is really big," she said. Even those not able to travel can give of their prayers and offerings as well as send notes to be taken by the teams that do travel. "We are doing a whole lot in our own calling, but God calls some to do more." "One of the hard parts of our partnership is that we do not have direct contact with the pastor," Ms. Carmichael said. Nevertheless, George Holcombe said communication between partners is growing, particularly as more congregations and church leaders obtain Internet access. "The future for Cameroon is bright," Friday said. "The leadership is very passionate about sharing the gospel. They are very creative." He pointed out that most of the Cameroon leadership is younger than 40 years old. The young Cameroon church is not yet ordaining pastors. This is a major goal and one being pursued by the Reverend Nkemba Ndjungu, the mission superintendent, who, with his wife, Mbwizu, are United Methodist missionaries originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Ndjungus were missionaries in Senegal from 1998 to 2007, where they gained valuable experience in congregational development and in mentoring church leaders. Four Focus Areas at Work All four of The United Methodist Church's currents areas of focus are actively present in the Cameroon Mission, with new congregations planted, leaders developed, ministry with the poor happening, and health issues addressed. "I wish that the members of the Council of Bishops could see how all four areas are at work in Cameroon," says Rev. Friday. Partners are needed to bolster and enlarge this work. Local church partners make a three-year commitment. "It is more than prayer, more than funds" Rev. Friday said. "The partnership leads to these two congregations knowing each other as disciples of Jesus Christ." Through partnerships, US congregations see the benefits of links with growing faith communities in other parts of the world. Meanwhile, the Cameroonian partner receives confidence in knowing that someone is walking with them along the way. To learn more about the Cameroon Mission Initiative and becoming a partner congregation, contact George Holcombe at 512-252-2756 or geowanda@earthlink.net. >> Global Ministries' Cameroon Mission Initiative Andrew J. Schleicher is a writer, consultant, and provisional deacon living in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a graduate of Kalamazoo College in Michigan, where he focused on African Studies.
Date posted: Sep 17, 2009 |
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