By Phileas Jusu
Oct. 7, 2021 | Freetown, Sierra leone)
A two-day 8th Triennial General Assembly of the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone(CCSL) ended Friday September 24 in Freetown with the election and induction of a new executive.
Interim President Rev Henry Samuels of the Baptist Convention Sierra Leone was elected unopposed as President; Bishop John Pessima of the United Brethren in Christ was elected 1st Vice President. Other elected officials were:
Sento Conteh of Wesleyan Church of Sierra Leone – second Vice President
Elfreda Brima-Fawundu of United Methodist Church – Treasurer
Bishop Solomon Scott-Manga of the Bo Anglican Diocese – Chairman Board of Trustees and Bishop Magnus Bendu as Ex-Officio member.
The 8th Triennial Assembly endorsed Mrs Keziah Kargbo as the new General Secretary who was earlier appointed by the Executive Committee following the retirement of erstwhile General Secretary, Mrs Ebun James Dekam.
The new executive was inducted into office on Friday, the same day they were elected, as provided for by a new amendment of the constitution that was earlier passed by the 2021 Triennial General Assembly, the highest legislative organ of the council. The officials have a three-year mandate that ends in 2024 with eligibility for a second and final term. Another constitutional amendment made at this year’s General Assembly makes provision for substantive officials who have served two consecutive terms “eligible to be elected in another capacity”. It implied that they could assume other roles apart from their incumbent positions.
Opening Message by Rev Donald Williams
Preaching at the official opening ceremony Thursday on the theme Faith and Action in Times of Crisis, the Rev Donald H Williams of the West Africa Methodist Church highlighted the need for the church to come together as one because often times, he said, the church does not speak with one voice on sensitive national issues. He cited the on-going global homosexuality debate on which CCSL does not seem to have a unified position. The disintegration and struggle for unity was affirmed later when Rev Henry Samuels said that a new Christian Association of Sierra Leone was soon to be announced.
“As we go into the deliberations of this triennial assembly… let us put our faith into action through constant, fervent prayers and wait on God to lead us in planning to accomplish our task of having a CCSL that is vibrant; that is strong spiritually; that is strong financially”, he said. With message from Nehemiah 2:1-10, he prayed for God’s leadership and direction at the 8th General Assembly meeting.
Welcome Address
The General Secretary, Mrs Keziah Kargbo welcomed all to the 2021 Triennial General Assembly and prayed that the Assembly be a turning point for the CCSL. She asked all to reflect on the theme Faith and Action in Times of Crisis with text from James 2:17-18. She said the Council remained committed to the pursuit of peace, good governance, political reform, tribal and religious tolerance and the Rule of Law in a shared effort to usher in God’s Kingdom of peace.
President’s Address
The Rev Henry Samuels who by constitutional default became president of the CCSL following the death of Bishop John K. Yambasu in 2020 premised his address by recalling the tragic death of his predecessor on August 16. He recalled three years ago at Kabala in the north when Yambasu was re-elected as president but who sadly died by road accident last year. He also remembered the death of Rev John Coker, a member of the Executive Committee of the CCSL. A moment of silence was observed for the two.
In compliance with article 8, section f, rule 13.1, of the constitution of the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone, he said, he therefore immediately assumed the role of president following the death of Yambasu.
The president said some of the on-going activities of Council like Advocacy, Ecumenism, capacity building programs for women and youth and development projects were directly affected by the outbreak of Covid19. Low funding was key among the impact of Covid19 on projects.
Fighting Covid19
In the fight against Covid19, he said, Council joined the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone, the Side By Side Faith Movement for Gender Justice, EMW, ACT Alliance, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and Bread For The World partners to provide food, hygiene and other health-related messages. With the pandemic simmering down, Council was now refocusing attention on vaccine acceptance messages.
Administration
After the demise of the president and the elevation of the Vice President to the presidency, Bishop John Pessima of the UBC was appointed to the position of vice president subject to election at the 2021 Assembly.
The president reported that as the second term of the last General Secretary, Mrs Ebun James Dekam was coming to an end, the Executive Committee through the leadership of late President Yambasu set in motion the process of appointing a successor to Mrs Dekam. He could not however complete the process as he died on the Sunday following their last meeting on Friday. The Executive Committee later completed the process by appointing Mrs Keziah Kargbo as the new General Secretary, the president said. Kargbo was presented to the General Assembly, ratified and was together with other newly elected officials inducted on Friday. The president appreciated all who took part in the process and appealed for support for the new General Secretary’s administration in order to move council to another level.
He appreciated the out-going General Secretary, Mrs Ebum James Dekam whom he described as a sister and friend; a woman who took Council at a time council was at its lowest ebb. Most donors, he said, had pulled out and staff moral was low. Membership of Council was a challenge. The strong woman knocked on closed doors; took bold and decisive steps; turned around the CCSL from a dying institution with disputes in court to a viable and enviable one that it is today. He appreciated the former General Secretary and her husband for committed leadership.
For better operation and organization, he said, council had downsized staff, paid benefits in full, and most of current staff are on contract.
Future Advocacy and Social Work
The council’s main focus for the next three years, the president said, will be advocacy for improved educational sector, provision of safe drinking water and election monitoring and observation. Council will also engage in sexual reproductive health, gender-based violence and female genital mutilation.
Presidential Visit
As a way of bringing council closer to its membership, the president together with members of the standing Committee paid visits to the north, northwest, south and eastern regions of the country where council consulted with church leaders on how council could serve them better. The visits, he said, were successful and hoped more such visits would continue in the future.
St Andrew’s Secondary School
The president reported that Council had regained ownership of the St Andrew’s Secondary School in Bo after a long period of conflict.
The Strategic Plan
He said Council had completed the first five-year strategic plan and a new one for the next five-year period would be presented to the Assembly for input, adoption and ownership.
Constitutional Review
He said the 2015 constitution was reviewed and recommendations made for amendments. The amendments were ratified on Friday.
Business Plan
He said Council had for a long time depended on donor funding for all of its operations including the payment of staff salaries. He said the business committee had developed a business plan to make council a self-sustaining entity in the near future. The new strategic plan was presented on Friday and was adopted for discussion at Finance Committee level.
The president spoke on other issues like acquisition of landed property and the council’s efforts to free itself from over-dependence on donor support.
Excerpts from Fraternal Greetings
Roman Catholic Church – Arch Bishop Rev Father Edward Tamba Charles
Arch Bishop Rev Father Edward Tamba Charles said the theme was relevant in many respects: crisis, he said, is part of life because there is never a time in the life of an individual, institution, nation or organization when there’s no crisis. Crisis also means a moment of decision and judgment. Hence, crisis is part of life. He said the Catholic Church has an existing friendship and relationship with the CCSL. The two religious bodies have collaborated on different occasions and will continue to collaborate in the interest of peace and stability in Sierra Leone, he said.
The bishop said there are times of crisis that are important because of either their negative or positive effects on the lives of people. The Ebola and current Covid19 pandemic, he sad, were examples. Such moments need to be reflected upon in order to draw meaning from the experiences for the good of self and institutions. He said CCSL just did so by publishing a book on its Covid19 experience.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Sierra Leone – Pastor Gadiru Bassie
Pastor Gadiru Bassie said the EFSL is united in Christ with CCSL because of the shared values and membership. He said the two organizations believe in dignity of mankind and honesty. “EFSL and CCSL also focus on unity in diversity where we appreciate and complement each other’s diverse skills, gifts and background and reflect inclusiveness by race, gender and geography”, he said.
Sierra Leone Association of Nongovernmental Organizations(SLANGO) – Rev Shellac Sonny-Davies
The Rev Shellac Sonny-Davies brought greetings from SLANGO. She said, “CCSL have shown us that partnership is not a principle, but a relationship between persons (or entities) who share in a common enterprise (development) involving common risks, common privileges, and common responsibilities.
“Having faith in a time of crisis means we should be praying and working for an outcome that God wants. We should remain open to God’s possibilities; we should be seeing others as they stand in need; we should give thanks and express gratitude that we have been able to work our way round or through the crisis; we must reframe our minds and reset our hearts to the person God sees in each one of us because each crisis we navigate changes us and makes us better”.
World Council of Churches(WCC) – Rev Prof. Ioan Sauca
The WCC’s Acting Secretary General Rev Prof. Ioan Sauca emailed a message that was read by Bishop Emeritus Arnold C Temple. Sauca said the WCC stands ready to support CCSL in its mission to advance the gospel of Christ during the challenging times of Covid19. The WCC holds its 11th Assembly in Germany next year. The General Secretary looks forward to Sierra Leone’s full participation. The theme for the Assembly will be “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity”, the General Secretary wrote.
ALL Africa Conference of Churches(AACC) – Rev Dr Fidon Awombeki
The AACC General Secretary also emailed felicitations and asked Bishop Emeritus Arnold C. Temple who is also the President of AACC to extend the greetings in person on behalf of the AACC. He said this year’s theme “Faith and Action in Times of Crisis” cannot be more apt as nations across the world are still in the grip of the Covid19 pandemic which affects the way people live, work, minister and even worship. He said congregations and Christian Councils are going through unimaginable economic, and social difficulties when they are most needed.
He prayed that the 8th Triennial Assembly would fulfill its constitutional responsibilities including an honest appraisal of its performance in the last three years and use the lessons to inform its ministry going forward. He hoped that the bonds between AACC and its member churches and fellowships be refreshed and strengthened.
State House – Amb Raymond E.D. de’Souza George
Amb George said President Bio recognizes the strategic and spiritual role religious leaders play and wished the Assembly kept in view national concerns as they met. But above all, he was concerned about the vision of the church for Sierra Leone. He encouraged the Assembly to move from personal to collective thoughts and concerns. Hence he asked all to rise and recite the 23rd Psalm in the plural pronoun tone, implying that as a nation, Sierra Leoneans must think of the collective interest of all above self. “If this is our conviction and practice, then whatsoever we put our hands to do as a nation, will prosper”, he said.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Sierra Leone – Saeed-ur-Rahman, Amir(head) and Missionary In-Charge
“Bringing fraternal greetings to God’s Assembly of this nature fills my heart with an unusual sense of joy and satisfaction. My joy is full, first of all, because this is the Zenith of your faith movement in Sierra Leone and this is your 8th Triennial General Assembly”, the Amir said, expressing further delight that it was his first opportunity to speak a word of fraternal greetings to such a great convention.
He said the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Sierra Leone and the CCSL were historically good neighbours. Apart from the proximity of their two offices, Ahmadiyya came to Sierra Leone in 1921 while the CCSL was formed in 1924, just three years apart historically; “and above it all, there has been mutual love, respect, support, cooperation and tolerance between the two organizations”, he said.
Almammy Koroma – on behalf of Past General Secretaries
Almammy Koroma said he served the CCSL for 20 years, nine as General Secretary.
He said Sierra Leone recognizes, respects and practices religion. The church therefore has a space, platform and an audience to perform its prophetic role.
He said the CCSL is expected to stand for and speak the truth and that it has done so many times in the past. He encouraged CCSL to continue doing the same. CCSL should be on the side of God’s people, he said, being a conscience of society; consistent in its outreach and roles. He said the CCSL has been consistent and acting on principles, not personalities; challenges, not colours; country, not region or tribe. These, he said, had earned the Council recognition and respect from Sierra Leoneans.
He said the theme “Faith and Action in Times of Crisis” was appropriate and timely. He said there were lots of crises in the society but the systems and institutions set to check the crises at times fail to work and it is for such reasons that the people have implicit faith and trust in the church to be their advocate. Hence, the church should not fail the people. “It should remain relevant at all times, proactive on issues and consistent in its interventions”, he emphasized.
Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone – Rev Dr James Fornah
Rev James Fornah thanked the CCSL for reminding the church and the religious community about their responsibility in time of crisis. The theme reminds all of two things, he said. One was that to be human was to be in crisis; and to cope with crisis was being human. “Today, we are reminded of two better ways of coping with crisis – Faith and Action”, he said. He reminded all that the religious community has a responsibility to demonstrate faith and action in time of crisis. “We need to inspire faith and action in those who are in crisis”, he said.
Bread for the World – Madam Adenike Cole
Bread for the World representative in Sierra Leone, Madam Adenike Cole who read the statement on behalf of Bread for the World in Germany said CCSL’s unique approach to Ecumenism and religious unity to peace building is unmatched. She urged all delegates to the 8th Triennial Assembly to align with the will of God so that they could think strategically as they plan the centenary celebrations in 2024. She urged council to continue to play their role in sustaining peace at all times, especially in the coming election years in Sierra Leone. She encouraged delegates who were to vote the following day to lead by example so that 30% of council officials to be elected would be women.
Keynote Speech – Rev Dr Donald Osman
The Rev Dr Donald Osman presented the keynote address. He said the theme topic, Faith and Action in Times of Crisis, required serious attention and reflection among others.
He said he would rather deal with the crisis in the church than deal with the crisis in the nation “because we have a crisis in the church…Our society is reflecting the state of the church, the health of the church and the condition of the church”. He said there are by far more churches in Freetown today than there were in 1973. Yet the society felt the presence of the church then by far more than today. “When the church spoke, people in parliament and State House trembled because they spoke with integrity and with character”, he said.
He said he would therefore speak about what he called the second-generation syndrome, which the world today is witnessing. “The crisis that we have is a crisis that stems from what I call the second generation syndrome”, he exclaimed. He said there are two revolving themes in the Book of Joshua on one hand, and the book of Judges on the other hand. The themes are – the faithfulness of the covenant keeping God; and, the unfaithfulness of the covenant breaking people. The books of Joshua and Judges stand in sharp contrast, he said. Joshua stands for, conquests, victory, triumph. Judges is a long, sad story of defeats, failures and struggles. He said while the book of Joshua stood for faith, Judges on the other hand shows unbelief and disobedience.
In Joshua, we see a people united in following God’s man. Judges, however is a book of division and anarchy as everybody did that which was right in their own eyes – “Does that describe Sierra Leone to you?”, he asked as the people giggled. “How did a people who knew continued victory through faith in the book of Joshua sink into being a nation experiencing constant defeat, failure, strife, division and disobedience? And how can you and I living today in present Sierra Leone guard against such a thing taking place in our lives?”, he asked.
He noted that Joshua, during his time, kept Israel within the blessings of God. Therefore, one man devoted to God and His word unreservedly can make an enormous difference in the lives of others. “When we trust God and build our lives on his word, we can have a godly influence in our family, in our church, in our workmates, in our society, community, our nation and indeed the world”, he asserted.
He said many present church leaders are still worshipping in the same old churches built by colonial masters and have not ventured out to build churches in new communities and expand the church to match the population growth which is replica of the second generation syndrome that happened when Israel transitioned from Joshua to Judges.
“It is a shame today that we have pastors who consult Juju men because they want to have promotions”, he said. “No wonder our society is where it is”.
He said Sierra Leone was witnessing the result of complacency since nobody is aiming for excellence. Life he said, does not allow a vacuum. In the absence of Godly, visionary leadership, there would be anarchy. “Today we are experiencing anarchy in our society because the society has no driver. The driver should be the church. When we don’t provide leadership, we have what we have. Today, our church is beset with old folks like us still hanging to power because we have not done the critical work of leadership of preparing, mentoring and discipling the next generation.
“We have not provided the leadership for State House. We have not provided the leadership for parliament. We have not provided the leadership for the city council. We have not provided the leadership for our communities. We are suffering as a church because we have failed to do the needful. There is no such thing as success without successor”, he exclaimed.
He outlined four roles for church leaders.
He lamented that the present generation of leaders are victims of a culture and society of poor leadership from earlier generation leaders who did not do their job. “We are now faced with the responsibility and the awesome task of developing the kind of leaders that Sierra Leone is yearning for.
THE CHURCH’S PROPHETIC ROLE IN NATION BUILDING – A presentation By Ing Andrew Keili
Andrew Keili defined nation building as “constructing capacities to ensure self-rule, self-determination, sustainable communities, participation in the democratic process and economic viability”.
He said Sierra Leone’s independence and education have been largely spiced with Christianity – about 57% of the country’s schools are owned by missions, most of it Christian missions. Fourah Bay College, the country’s oldest university, was also founded on Christian principles, he said.
“In a community where there is a considerable influence of Christianity, there should be less of social vices because Christian teachings and doctrines are aimed at transforming individual lives, re-branding the society, such that there will be political stability, economic prosperity, social and moral sanity, a reduced rate of corruption and mutual cooperation among individuals and groups, including religions”, he said. But he said it was sad to note that the second security sector review (SSR) 2013-2022 notes that post-conflict Sierra Leone is threatened by lawlessness, indiscipline and violence among the youth while corruption, a weak political will and weak monitoring to fight the vices remain. The report also names Sierra Leone among PIDIC countries – that is countries characterized by Poverty, Illiteracy, Disease, Instability and Corruption, something he laments as a recipe for political instability.
Keili said CCSL has been contributing its part in nation building since 1924, citing its relief and rehabilitation work during and after the war; its recent concern about the pollution of the Taia River and expressed concern over the increasing spate of violence in the country among others. “Apart from its ecumenical relationship Department, CCSL also has a Human Rights and Social Services Department and a Development Department. It has been dealing with contemporary issues facing the Church and society including Food Security and Climate change, the promotion of and enhancement of sustainable peace to ensure the gains of the last decade, mitigation of Gender Based Violence and Quality Education”, he said.
CCSL affiliate organization, the Christian Health Association of Sierra Leone (CHASL) has also continued to deliver good services in the health sector, he said. These coupled with the contribution by individual churches across the country in reaching out to various needy groups across the country shows that the church is playing its prophetic role to some extent, he reckoned.
But despite these, he said, the church stands challenged in addressing the everyday problems of Sierra Leone, which are significant for nation building. The challenges, he said, are hinged on “the negative attitude of some Christians, socio-economic problems faced by various segments of our society and the attitude of those in authority …”. This is because many church development programmes depend on government ministries, departments and agencies. Besides, church members themselves are entangled in activities that undermine nation-building goals. All these make it difficult for the church to live up to its prophetic role in nation building.
“In spite of the increase in the number of people who attend churches on a daily basis and annual religious gatherings, there is still a high level of greed, corruption, nepotism, injustice and impunity in the nation”, he said.
He suggested the following among others as the church’s prophetic role in nation building:
– Preaching the undiluted word of God and addressing the Biblical position on national issues.
– The formation of a development wing within churches that addresses development issues should be encouraged and intensified.
– The church should exploit the work of various organizations involved in nation building and explore synergies.
– The church should be more inclusive
– The Church should consider getting actively involved in Alternative Dispute Resolution
– The Church should put greater emphasis on the development and operation of a Youth Ministry.
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio Receives Council of Churches in Sierra Leone on Centenary Celebrations, Recognises Their Role in Peace-building State House, Freetown, Thursday
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