Our Companion Synod in Cameroon

            On Friday, October 25th, a Cameroon Celebration was held at Lutheran Church of the Cross.  It was an event that highlighted our synod’s relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon (EELC) that goes back to at least the year 2000.  The relationship was formalized after the former bishop, Thomas Nyiwe, visited Winnipeg for the Lutheran World Federation Assembly in 2003.

            Some of the initial fundraising that was done in support of this relationship went towards a couple of much needed items:  Roofs for church buildings in Cameroon, and motorcycles for some of the pastors so that they could get around in their multiple congregation parishes.  However, as time went on, the MNO Synod became involved in a couple of specific ministries in Cameroon.

            Through Pastor Jack and Val Frederick, the Kids in Cameroon program was started.  This program supports children who have lost either one or both parents and who are being cared for by another family in the community.  It is led by Fanta, who is a social worker based in N’goundere.

            The children normally gather once a month at the Protestant hospital in N’goundere and are taught skills that they will need in order to thrive.  They sing, dance, pray and play.  They make crafts, learn about Jesus, and have a snack.  They receive medical attention and funds and supplies to enable them to attend school.  They also receive some food to take home to their families – things like rice and beans and peanuts.  There continue to be approximately 60 children who benefit from this program.

            Our synod has also been involved in supporting women in ministry in Cameroon.  The first female pastors were ordained there in 2012, with ordained women from Manitoba in attendance.  It continues to be a struggle for all those who have been ordained since then, as women are far less likely than men to serve in a congregational setting or to get paid on a regular basis.  Many of them barely scrape by or have to resort to other means in order to make ends meet.

            One of the more recent things that our synod has supported was a retreat for ordained women where they could pray together, support one another, and learn additional skills for ministry.  Without funding from our synod, very few of these women could afford to travel to a retreat.  It was invaluable for them to have this opportunity to gather together.

            The whole idea behind having a companion synod in another part of the world is the opportunity to learn from one another and to support one another in mission and ministry.  We have learned from them, particularly in the area of evangelism, as Cameroonians are far more open about sharing their faith with others.  It was due to this focus on evangelism that Pastor Etienne Fomgbami spent three years in Canada as a Good News Partner, teaching and encouraging us to share our faith with others.

            We have also seen how those who have very little manage to live out their faith in very big ways – like the grandmother who was raising 20 of her grandchildren after their parents all died of HIV/AIDS, or the mother and grandmother who kept taking children into her home who had been abandoned or were unwanted by their families.  Both of these women are part of Femmes Pour Christ (women for Christ), and this is how they live out their faith.

            The Cameroon Celebration was held in support of the Cameroon Appeal, a special appeal during 2019 in order to continue to support this relationship as we journey with each other in Christ.  This is the appeal that we supported as a congregation at our mid-week Lenten services this year.

            Let us continue to pray for and to support one another in ministry and mission, for Christ unites people of all races, languages and nations.

                        In Christ,

                        Pastor Lynne Hutchison