Column Featuring Vice Moderator Robert E. Wilson

November, 2007

I just returned from a remarkable trip to Africa with Joan Gray, Moderator of the 217th General Assembly (2006); her husband Bill; Doug Welch, coordinator for the Africa Office for the PC(USA); and Jeff Boyd, liaison for Central Africa PC(USA).

The PC(USA) is in partnership with many churches throughout Africa. Presbyterians began our participation in God’s work in Africa when the first American Presbyterian missionaries arrived on the island of Corisco (present-day Equatorial Guinea in West Africa) in 1869. Traditionally, we have been particularly concerned for the poorest and most marginalized people in this second-largest continent on earth. 

Early in our trip we participated in conversations with the Eglise Presbyterienne Camerounaise (EPC) in Kribi. We met with the Moderator of the EPC, along with department secretaries and organization presidents, synod executives, presbytery executives, and other personnel. We were privileged to share in their fiftieth anniversary “Jubilee” celebration that culminated on November 4th on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. Pastors, elders, and members came from far and near to join in the festivities.

Traveling on, we participated in conversations with the Moderator and department secretaries of the Presbyterian Church of Cameroon (PCC) in Buea. They, too, held a jubilee celebration. The gathering was took place in a stadium that was large enough to hold the more than 15, 000 people who came to celebrate. We marched, sang, danced, prayed, and worshipped God, offering incredible praise, honor, and glory to our Creator.

Both of these churches are truly blessed with moderators and dedicated and committed Christians who love our God. We celebrated the past, and we also looked to the future for these two faithful Presbyterian churches.

We visited a partner organization – the Federation of Protestant Church and Missions in Cameroon (CEPCA) — specifically, REseau de Lutte la FAim (RELUFA). This is a non-partisan national network of Cameroon mainstream churches, along with ecumenical and secular nonprofit organizations. The 20 member organizations come from all regions and have joined forces for common action against hunger, poverty, and socio-economic and environmental justice. People in northern Cameroon, Maroua, are combating hunger by establishing a successful Food Security/Sovereignty Program.

Near the end of our journey, our entourage went in two directions: Joan returned to the United States for the annual PC(USA) Moderators’ Conference, and I traveled to Kenya to participate in the East and Southern Africa retreat for mission personnel and their families serving in the region. I was reminded all over again of the remarkable men and women — mission personnel and PC(USA) staff — who are sharing their time, talents, and treasures in amazing ways.

God blessed us with traveling grace over thousands of miles as we learned, saw, and listened to the moving stories of the people of Africa.

Robert E. Wilson is Vice Moderator of the 217th General Assembly (2006) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)