Nnoko Mbele Admits Division In The CBC

By Francis Tim Mbom

Kumba Council Government Delegate, Caven Nnoko Mbele, has admitted that some regional congregations of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, CBC, have been facing long-standing problems.

Nnoko Mbele, one of the Baptist Christians who attended the CBC Convention that folded up prematurely in Limbe last week, was reacting to a decision to suspend CBC elections and review the Church's Constitution.

The CBC General Council had Tuesday, April 10, following a critical memo filed by Coastal Christians of the Church, suspended elections and set up an ad hoc committee to look into the complaints and propose solutions in a year's time.

"We have always brought up the issues but have always been brushed aside. It has not only been Coastal Christians but also people of other Fields. "There was a problem with the Ndu community and also with the Belo Field," he said.

But Nnoko expressed joy that the Limbe Convention has taken a bold step to hear their complaints and seek solutions to the problems."It is a very good start… and I believe that by the time we finish this whole thing, all the problems would have been settled," Nnoko said.
   

Belo Absent

The Christians of the Belo Field, who reportedly have a long-standing problem with the CBC, were absent during the Limbe Convention.CBC President, Rev Dr. Samuel Wanki Chi Bawe, said they have tried in vain to settle their differences with the Belo Field.

He was hopeful that the committee to look into the Coastal memo will find lasting solutions that will satisfy the aspirations of all within the CBC congregation."We have realised that looking at the problems globally will take us forward, not only in Cameroon but beyond our boarders," he said.

Rev. George Mbongko, in his sermon during the Convention, regretted that people were so concerned about positions in the Church because they have placed earthly ambitions as a priority rather God.

He urged Christians to reflect and see where they have gone wrong and try to turn back to God.

Comments

[rexon]

Concerning the issue of discrimination in the CBC, I will suggest that the Coastal CBC consider the the option of withdrawing from the overall CBC and creating a rival faction that will cater for their own problems if the convention does'nt address the problem favorably. It is a bit embarassing that all positions in the church would be dominated by Northwesteners and the Northwesteners themselves could'nt bring this to the attention of the authorities. There is virtually no justification for such discrimination, and the coastal field CBC should fight to expose such inhuame practices perpetrated by some tribalist and Northwest supremacist at the head of CBC.

[mbozo]

Having been born and raised a Baptist, it saddens me to hear of the never ending squabbles that have plagued the CBC. However, the complain from the south westerners about the pepertual marginilization in the hands of their north west brethrenS is not new. This has been going on for decades. It just suffice to go to any of the C.B.C's institutions, be it hospitals, clinics, secondary or high schools to see the domination of the north westerners. The occupy all the important positions. It is even worse with the Health Board were a north westerner has been in the helm for more than 25 years. He has used his position to not only place his brothers and sisters from the north west in positions in baptist hospitals and clinics, but also, has used his position to obtain foreign scholarships for them. The saddest part of this issue is that this domination has been made easy by some power thirsty preveildeged south westerners. Take the case of the Baptist Education Secretarys office which until the 1990s, was in Buea but was moved to Bamenda for dubious reason.
My wish is that this new attempt at righting the injustice actually leads to something.
For any of this to happen, some prominent north westerners in priviledge postion within the church world have to give up their positions. These are my humble proposal for the constitutional Change within the CBC:

1. split the seats in the general council equally between the northwest and the south west delegates
2. alternate the position of general secretary between the south west and north west every 6 years.
3. Recruitment within the church's institutions should be supervise by a committe made up of an equal number of south westerners and north westerns.

I totally disagree with Rexon's call for a split in the CBC. This will not lead to any solutions. You just have to look at the Belo field problem to understand how difficult it is to split the church.

[mbozo]

Having been born and raised a Baptist, it saddens me to hear of the never ending squabbles that have plagued the CBC. However, the complain from the south westerners about the pepertual marginilization in the hands of their north west brethrenS is not new. This has been going on for decades. It just suffice to go to any of the C.B.C's institutions, be it hospitals, clinics, secondary or high schools to see the domination of the north westerners. The occupy all the important positions. It is even worse with the Health Board were a north westerner has been in the helm for more than 25 years. He has used his position to not only place his brothers and sisters from the north west in positions in baptist hospitals and clinics, but also, has used his position to obtain foreign scholarships for them. The saddest part of this issue is that this domination has been made easy by some power thirsty preveildeged south westerners. Take the case of the Baptist Education Secretarys office which until the 1990s, was in Buea but was moved to Bamenda for dubious reason.
My wish is that this new attempt at righting the injustice actually leads to something.
For any of this to happen, some prominent north westerners in priviledge postion within the church world have to give up their positions. These are my humble proposal for the constitutional Change within the CBC:

1. split the seats in the general council equally between the northwest and the south west delegates
2. alternate the position of general secretary between the south west and north west every 6 years.
3. Recruitment within the church's institutions should be supervise by a committe made up of an equal number of south westerners and north westerns.

I totally disagree with Rexon's call for a split in the CBC. This will not lead to any solutions. You just have to look at the Belo field problem to understand how difficult it is to split the church.

[Fon]

Mboro,
Don´t bother much about Rexon with his shortsightedness. He has never had anything reasonable to offer when there is a crisis. He is always emotional.
I appreciate your suggestions to a solution. In the Presbterian Church, the post of Moderator alternates between the two provinces; in addition, when the Moderator is from the SouthWest, the Synod Clerk (next highest position) is from the NorthWest. However, there are still problems of domination within the PCC, this time at the level of tribes. For example, the education department is dominated by Bafut from where the Education secretary comes from.
Therefore, these problems are everywhere and we must continue to seek for solutions while condemning idividuals promoting such tendencies. As you said, the solution within a Church can never be division else the notion of a church ceases to exist.

[rexon]

Mbozo,

As you rightly said, these things has been existant for different generations and may have fuelled the anti-northwest sentiments in the South West today. If those at the head of the CBC dont want to address it, i am afraid, it would be a wise option for the coastal field CBC to consider creating an autonomous branch of the CBC. If most of the christians from the Northwest were honest to themselves, they would have been the first to bring this to the attention of the authorities. The fact that they left this to a coastal field indigene to file a motion is enough evidence that they are not prepared to relinquish power to any Southwestener except by force.

I really dont like to see any group of people claiming dominance and supremacy over the other for selfish reasons. Southwesteners have suffered unrealistic discrimination like this and lived under the shadows of their northwest brothers for soo long. In politics, in state parastatals, in church administration, etc. Us from the Northwest should not always want to use our numbers to gain an unfair advantage over the others. It seems equal to apartheid and it is very important we address this problem ASAP.

[Ndi O]

No No No Rexon.
There should exist no autonomous group in the church. We should be careful for some of us gonna pay for the sins of others.
I challenge you all to read Collosians 3:2. To begin with, we should avoid mixing Religious matters with politics. The truth is that, those currently in position in the church and those who wanna be, are all doing so for selfish reasons. In Titus 1:6-9, we see the qualities of God,s appointed people. Among these qualities, nothing is mentioned with respect to tribe or region.If anyone can deliver the goods no matter his origin, let him be placed at that position. If he is there for selfish reasons, both the one who placed him there together with him gonna be held responsible at the exact right time. Let Christains and leaders always pray harder for the Almighty to grant them wisdom to do his will. True christains should look to God and forget this nonsense of regional balance in the church. If you wanna go to the church because you need a position, then you might be in the wrong place. U better quit and join the cpdm. Remember, xtains are supposed to be donors. Give, and if mismanaged, then those resposible gonna go in for it. If u have bad leaders in the church, do well to pray for them and God is gonna give you many Samuels, Moses' Davids, Solomons and all you need. Look to God and god alone. God bless you all.

[Klemenceau-Shalom]

Rexon

Your take on issues concerning North West and South West seems to have a motive different from uniting. I see from your postings someone trying to cause more division between the North and the South Westerners.
Reading through your write ups will make some South Westerners to hate their North West brothers the more. I am tempted to compare your take on such issues to the Mukete use to do. I might be wrong but this is the way I understand your postings.
I also believe you have a reason for this. Maybe you think if you succeed to pit the North West and South West against each other, you will succeed to dissolve the SDF. If this is your reason, then you should know you are getting it all wrong. You should be doing everything to unite the two provinces to fight against La Republic. I see you are instead making them to be more suspicious of each other. How then shall we join forces against La Republic when you must have succeeded to let the South Westerners think that they are suppressed by the North Westerner?
Even if this is the reality, there is a way you can put it. We can sometimes put across the same message in a subtle manner. Your diction when it comes to sensitive topics should be reviewed.

Shalom

Klemenceau

[rexon]

Brother Klemenceau,

You know i have much respect for your criticisms against my postings but i will be grateful if you can read my postings again. I go by the truth and most often, i dont mind how people interpret them. That is my style and i have survived using this dictum for more than two decades.

I am not that type who like to employ subtle dictions to satisfy conflicting and constrasting opinions about certain issues that can be addressed in a straighforward manner. I instead believe some of you might have something to gain and might not be happy when the truth is brought to the understanding of the public. Lets face it, tribalism and nepotism in favour of Northwesteners when the two regions are in any association is becoming irritating and i can only compare it to the South African styled apartheid. while i know that these actions are being fanned by a few unscrupulous Northwesteners, i will want to make it clear that it is the responsibility of the majority of us to use our concience to condemn these type of actions rather than trying to hide it under the carpet. It is even more embarassing when this is happening in the house of God. I did internship in the 90's at the CDC head office in Bota, Limbe and all i could entertain was tribal statements against Northwesteners. But what the Southwesteners were saying was always the truth and my believe is, some unscrupulous Northwesteners feel happy hiding it under the carpet as long as it satisfies their selfish and exploitative desires. While i understood their concern, i dont understand why US northwesteners could not use our love for peace to bring this to the attention of the authorities.

Lets address this problem rather than trying to hide it under the carpet.

[Klemenceau-Shalom]

Rexon

I got you but my point is the fact that you are at the fore front of the liberation struggle and selecting your words seems to me very important.
Brother, we sometimes must be soft to bring somebody beside us and then gradually let the person to understand that what he was doing was very bad. Correcting someone by insulting them is like pushing the person to more errors.
Please you can write to me through ozawasnow@yahoo.co.uk. We can then talk more and exchange some ideas that we can discuss here.

Shalom

Klemenceau

[rexon]

Klemenceau, I have written to you. I will be leaving for somewhere now and will only reply to you later.

Cheers.

[Fritzane Kiki HK]

Rexon,
The loggerheads that stems from tribal conflicts and mistunderstandings is very remote in the CBC and has really hindered the good governance of this first Church in Cameroon(Former Basel Mission).I guess if the heirarchy can get away with this matter then it will be of good to them.

Talking of Christianity in the churches in Cameroon,I see little or no true faiths and believers since the clergymen and those of the eclesiatical class, are actually concerned about their positions than their true faiths.The Christianity of yearster-years has been disrupted by selfish and corrupt tendencies by the heirarchies.Every one has become more materialistic and self-centered to amass wealth for themselves.The few Godfearing individuals are usually singled out and made to suffer the consequences of the deals.

Though there are increasingly a rising amount of new churches,we know that the CBC will be of immemorial in our minds for their historical importance.However,the CBC should try to improve on their collaboration and organisation between the North and South West provinces respectively since the christians will only be left in an ecstacy of fumbling if the high ranking and top officials continue to live in chaos and differences.

Fritzane Kiki
Hong Kong

[Goddy]

This is to Mr. Ndi O. Sir, there is nothing wrong with praying for guidance. Solutions to problems are for us to make.You seem to suggest that things be left the way they are because prayers will change them. The level of gullibilty rendered here by you is a little upsetting. The church has to be run by people and where there are people making decisions, there is the totality of interrelationships in that particular area of life involving power, authority, or influence, and capability of manipulation. That is politics, Sir.

[Klemenceau-Shalom]

Hi Rexon

I got your email and have replied. Read from you when you are back.

Shalom

Klemenceau