The city of Bafoussam, capital of the West Region of Cameroon, was the focal point for Adventist women at the third Congress of Cameroon Adventist Women's Ministries, held July 4–9, 2023. Placed under the theme "Clothed in the Power from on High, I will reach out to those around me," this event brought together nearly 1,200 women from all the country's missionary fields.
Monday, July 3, was reserved for welcoming and settling in participants of the congress. They were accommodated in the dormitories of Bafoussam Technical High School and the city's hotels. The opening ceremony at the Place des Fêtes in Bafoussam, rich in sound and color, was presided over by Ngono Etene, representing the governor, who was unable to attend.
The ceremony was divided into three parts: speeches, the parade of participating delegations, and community service. During the speeches, Pastor Etienne Kamga, president of the West Cameroon Conference, welcomed the delegates and guests and wished them a pleasant stay in the city of Bafoussam. He expressed his joy at the rebirth of this event after a hiatus due to COVID-19.
Christine Bitti, director of Women's Ministries for the Cameroon Union Mission, emphasized the theme of the congress—in particular, the importance of the Holy Spirit in mission accomplishment. In his speech, Valere Guillaume Minyono Assembe, union president, expressed his gratitude to the administrative authorities for their support in organizing this event. He welcomed the Women’s Ministries directors from the General Conference (GC) and the West-Central Africa Division (WAD).
Pastor Assembe illustrated and explained the theme of the congress with a quotation from Ellen G. White's book Evangelism: "[Women] may take their places in His work at this crisis, and He will work through them. If they are imbued with a sense of their duty, and labor under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they will have just the self-possession required for this time" (p. 464).
Heather-Dawn Small, Women’s Ministries director for the CG, spoke of the need to use information and communication technologies to proclaim the Gospel; but beyond preaching by Word of mouth, participants need to think about meeting the needs of those who live in their communities. She also spoke about the mission of Women’s Ministries within the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Etene apologized on behalf of the governor of the West Region of Cameroon for his unavailability. The administrative authorities considered it an honor to have their locality chosen to host this congress. He invited delegates to participate honorably and effectively in the work of this meeting and then declared the proceedings open. This phase of speeches was followed by a parade of the various delegations.
The day's community activities included a free market for people displaced by the security crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon. Over 250 of them received food and clothing.
At the same time, another team visited patients at the Bafoussam Regional Hospital; the visit was punctuated by moments of prayer and the distribution of hygiene kits and water. The distribution of Christian literature by congress participants on Thursday, July 6, enabled women to share leaflets, Adventist magazines, and the other literature, in the streets and services of the city.
Among the teachings were "Living with a heart like that of Jesus" by Small; "Christian woman and female leadership in a prejudiced society" by Moampea Véronique; "High society and the virtuous woman: myth or reality" by Dr. Marie Cécile; and "Christian life and world influence" by Dr. Donfack Edwige.
Pastor Annie Wakata won over the delegates with her talk entitled "Quality education and training for the young girl." Emilie Kabiwa's presentation on health reminded attendees of the relationship between physical and spiritual well-being, under the theme "Clothed in the power from on high, I will take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit."
Workshops on the sanctuary, mentoring, and time management were held. A special place was given to prayer during the congress. Pastor Assembe, accompanied by other pastors, mentored the women.
Field activity reports, presented by the directors, constituted moments of curiosity and celebration. The women of the Adamaoua-Mayo Rey Conference distinguished themselves by setting up a 20-hectare groundnut and 15-hectare soybean plot. This achievement attracted the attention of Dr. Omobonike Sessouthe, Women’s Ministries director for the WAD, who promised funding.
Friday afternoon, July 7, was reserved for the graduation ceremony of the women who had completed the four levels of leadership training. Dr Sessou introduced the candidates for graduation whom Small had accepted. Small also presented the position to the 244 candidates who responded positively.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Pastor Wakata, a physics graduate and director of the École Normale Supérieure in Yaoundé. Addressing the day's 244 prizewinners, she asked them to understand that a diploma is not an end in itself. They must make good use of what they have learned throughout their training.
In her closing sermon on Sabbath, July 8, Small drew on the church's mission of evangelism. The participants are all children of God and must share His Word. God calls everyone to go and empowers those who respond. The congress ended with the presentation of awards and appreciations to those who had contributed to the smooth running of the congress activities.
Th story was provided by the West-Central Africa Division.