“I Charge You To Keep This Command…!”

“I Charge You To Keep This Command…!”
It has become fashionable in the wake of “African Renaissance” to question the raison d’etre of Christianity on the African continent. Missionaries were sometimes perjoratively styled “surrogates of colonialism” or what Lamin Sanneh called, “colonialism at prayer!”
That notwithstanding, Richard Elphick has rightly argued that those missionaries did not risk their lives for a cause they didn’t believe in. They recognised that Jesus belonged to all humanity and that Africans too were in need of salvation like the rest of humanity.
The case of Cameroon is unique because early missionary initiative in Cameroon was by children of Jamaican freed slaves.
The Baptist Mission in Jamaica had just celebrated their 50th anniversary. Many freed slaves who remembered their homeland were eager to return and share the goodnews of salvation with their kins in Africa. This is how in 1841 the Rev John Clarke and Dr. G.K. Prince landed in Fernando-Po. From there they made incursions to the mainland (Cameroon).
After a considerable time they were on their way to England when a storm took them back to Jamaica. Many were happy to see them and were interested in the work they were doing in Africa.
In September 1843 they were accompanied by Jackson Fuller, Joseph Merrick and Alfred Saker an Englishman from England. In a way missionaries were surrogates of colonialism as the case of Cameroon proves. Through the above listed persons the English Baptist Missionary Society (EBMS) had its feet planted in Bimbia, Victoria (named by Alfred Saker after Queen Victoria) Douala, Bell etc. This was also the period of the scramble for Africa. For some reasons the British was reluctant to annex Cameroon until the Germans hoisted their flag. At first the Germans allowed the EBMS to continue with their operations, but as time went on the relationship was strained. The EBMS could not operate freely, so they asked for a German missionary society to take over.
This is how the first four German missionaries under the Evangelical Missionary Society, a.k.a Basel Mission (BM) arrived Cameroon on 23rd December 1886. The BM took over 203 Baptist church members and 368 pupils.
We are not going into the details of this historical phase but suffice to note that the following denominations are offshoots of the EBMS: Cameroon Baptist Convention, Eglise Evangeligue Cameroonaise, the Native Baptist Church and the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC).
The PCC as it is today is that part of the inheritance of the EBM that continued to be nutured by the BM from takeover and after the war years.
The BM church operated till November 13th, 1957 when during a Synod in the historic Ntanfoang church (the first church house in the North West and West regions – graffi – or grassfield regions, Bali) and at exactly 11am the autonomy of the church was declared. From this day it was no longer BM church but Presbyterian Church of Southern Cameroons, later Presbyterian Church in West Cameroon (PCWC)and finally Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC).
This is our history as a Church wrapped in colonial and annexation policies and continued in home political complexities!
The church has kept on marching on in hope and faith expanding numerically, financially and spiritually. Despite the challenges, hurdles and speedbrakes, the church marches on; always paying tribute to the great men and women of faith; especially those who left the comforts of distant shores to come and be buried in our country for our sake. Their graves are there in Bali, Bombe, Dikoume as witnesses to tell the story that our times are in God’s hands.
Most of us who are celebrating 63 years of autonomy today are less than 60. This is to say we are reaping where we did not sow. By this we must heed the voices of the seniors before us reminding us “to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The command is to “flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of God…” In fact, Paul is specific and categoric to address Timothy by name when he writes: “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith” – Replace Timothy with your name and consider its impact on your inner being! (I Ti.6:20-21).
Each one of us as we celebrate our achievements as a church must remain humble because “a student is not above his teacher nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a student to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master…”
In this pilgrim land, we must constantly remind ourselves that we are tools in God’s hands. He alone deserves all the glory for he is “the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal…To him be honour and might forever. Amen” (I Ti.6:11-16).
Sunday prayer: Holy Spirit be my strength as I guard what has been entrusted to me. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Happy Presbyterian Church Day celebration!