North Cameroon Conference

The North Cameroon Conference is a part of the Cameroon Union Mission in the West-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists. It was established in 1931 and organized in 1933. It has been reorganized three times: in 1967, 1970, and 1999. Its headquarters is in Maroua, Cameroon. Its territory includes Adamawa, part of North Cameroon, and the far northern regions of Cameroon. As of June 30, 2019, it was comprised of 199 churches with 33,532 members amongst a population of 3,907,276.

Origin of Adventist Work in the Territory of the North Cameroon Conference

The first Adventist missionary in Cameroon was Ruben Bergstrӧm from Sweden who probably first visited in 1922 on horseback, explored some localities such as Balaza, Pette, and Maroua, the regional capital city of the Far North Region where he stayed, but did not succeed in making any converts. Two years later, in 1924, he returned to Sweden. In 1928, he returned to Cameroon and started the missionary work in Dogba, a locality situated 30 kilometers from Maroua.¹ The official date of his arrival is 1930. In the beginning, it was very hard to evangelize in this area. Nevertheless, by God’s grace, the missionary found a way to reach people.

Bergstrӧm started by creating a relationship with the local population that inhabited Dogba Mountain by distributing salt, clothes, and other merchandise attractive to the people in order to build relationships with them.

At the time of Bergstrӧm’s arrival, very few Kirdis² had seen a white man. The first Sabbath meeting was held under a large tree³ (Tamarisk probably) with an audience of sixty or seventy armed warriors. They refused to sit down and insisted on standing in front of the elder Bergstrӧm with their weapons in their hands. It was in these unusual circumstances that the missionary first spoke to them about the great God in heaven.⁴

In addition to the method mentioned above, the self-forgetful medical work done by Ruben Bergstrӧm’s wife, Hanna Elizabeth, helped to disarm their suspicion and convince them that the missionaries were their friends.”⁵ He also established a school.

The beginnings of schoolwork were very slow. Indeed school-aged boys were obliged to herd sheep and goats. As soon as they were able, they wanted to join their elders and become hunters and warriors. Moreover, as for sending girls to school that was never even considered. There were other more important occupations for them. Patience, hard work, and constant prayer have slowly changed that primitive situation.⁶

Bergstrӧm started by reaching the young men who could be trained to help him to translate the message into the local language. The first one he trained was the young man named Andoulko Barnabas, who became later the first local pastor.

The first African evangelist, Jean Bikoé, came from the South and arrived in Dogba in 1934. He opened a small school where he taught the pupils how to read and write. After this evangelistic effort, Doumblé David and five other converts were baptized in March 1935.⁷ They were the very first converts. Doumblé David continued to work in collaboration with the Bikoé.

Meanwhile, Ruben Bergstrӧm created other stations in Mikiri (1936) and Mokio, situated six kilometers from Dogba. In 1949, extended the work to Koza, situated 100 kilometers from Dogba, and the capital city Maroua. According to the Quarterly Review of Southern European Division published in September 1955, Ruben Bergstrӧm, accompanied by his wife, Hanna, and Dr. Brendwald and his wife, used medical work to introduce the gospel in Koza. Officially, the Adventist Hospital of Koza was established in 1954, and authorized by the Cameroon Government early in 1953. However, prior to this they operated a clinic in a small room.⁸

During all this time, the Far North Region capital city of Maroua was not yet penetrated. It was more than ten years after Bergstrӧm left, that plans were made in 1973 to reach this city. The work was concentrated in Dogba, Koza, and the surrounding localities of these main centers. In 1972, Yagoua, Kaélé, and other cities received evangelists. Through laypeople, the mission started in Garoua and Ngaoundere the actual headquarters of the two other entities.

Organizational History of the North Cameroon Conference

Ruben Bergstrӧm established the first mission headquarters in Dogba in 1931. The North Cameroon Conference Mission has been reorganized three times since its organization in 1931. The first reorganization happened in 1933; subsequent reorganizations in 1967, 1970, and March 1973 during the first quadrennial assembly of the Central Africa Union Mission held in Nanga Eboko, Cameroon.⁹ These reorganizations led to the status of conference in 1999. In proceedings spanning from 1994¹⁰ to 1997, the Central Africa Union Mission “voted, that the four Associations of Cameroon reach federation [conference] status on the dates indicated below:

Center-South Cameroon Mission, December 31, 1998

Northern Cameroon Mission, December 31, 1998

Western Cameroon Mission, June 30, 1999

Eastern Cameroon Mission, January 31, 2000.”¹¹

The recommendation was transferred by the union to the division committee by action 114/98 of June 16 and 17, 1998, requesting the evaluation of the North Cameroon Mission. On March 30, 1999, the union approved the request from the North Cameroon Mission and invited the division to evaluate.¹² Another action was taken (vote 156-99) on June 8, 1999, approving the North Cameroon Mission for conference status, and vote 157-99 forwarded the action to the division for approval. In the mid-year council of 1999, the division committee granted conference status based on the final recommendation of the evaluation committee completed in May 1999. The official meeting that brought the conference into existence was the division action taken at the mid-year council in October 1999 and registered by the union in November of the same year. The effective organization took place in Maroua on December 8-11, 1999, when the first constituency meeting of the new conference met. The name North Cameroon Conference (Federation du Nord Cameroun in French with acronym FNC) was adopted.

The original territory was the northern part of Cameroon comprised of three regions: Adamawa, North, and the Far North. The headquarters was in Maroua. As of June 1999, there were 25,930 members organized into 223 churches. The new conference supported one secondary school, two primary schools, and one dispensary. The first officers were Myédé Philippe, president, Klavac Paul, executive secretary, and Apollos Bello, treasurer. During the time of the conference’s creation, training was provided for both church members and ministers to help them understand the function of a conference as well as the stewardship required to support it.

The North Cameroon Conference maintains an excellent relationship with its parent union by implementing guidelines and programs received from the higher organization and by transferring appropriate offerings to it.

The Development of the North Cameroon Conference

The North Cameroon Conference has covered the northern part of Cameroon since its creation in 1933 with the headquarters in Dogba. The first institutions were in Dogba. They included a primary school in Dogba opened early in 1934,¹³ later officially recognized by the Cameroon government on November 16, 1950, and a medical dispensary officially recognized in 1972, although it opened in 1950. Another primary school began operation on March 21, 1957 in Koza.¹⁴ A hospital also opened in Koza in 1953.

In 1972, a secondary school bearing Ruben Bergstrӧm’s name was established in Dogba— the Collège Adventiste Bergstrӧm de Dogba. The conference has added two other institutions: the Collège Adventiste de Maroua on September 29, 2003, and the Collège Adventiste de Koza on January 6, 2011.

An Adventist World Radio studio began broadcasting in the Fulfulde language on March 4, 2007.

Conference Reorganization in 2018

After 1999, the North Cameroon Conference experienced such growth that on October 30, 2017, the executive committee of the West-Central Africa Division “voted to divide the Northern Cameroon Conference into three fields”—the Northern Cameroon Conference the Adamaoua-Mayo-Rey Conference, and Benoue-Faro Mission.¹⁵ The Cameroon Union Mission Executive Committee registered this vote on December 10, 2017, by the action 138-17.

Since January 2018, the North Cameroon Conference has included the territory of the Far North Region of Cameroon. In the past two decades, the conference grew in membership and financial giving, enabling it to reach maturity and to be divided into three fields.

The North Cameroon Conference’s Outlook for the Future

The North Cameroon Conference is a very fast-growing field because of its commitment to mission and focus on purpose. Significant evangelistic and mission programs, many of which are designed to reach adherents of the Islamic faith, include community services, small group Bible studies, and public evangelism among others. Based on its history of dynamic growth, its membership is expected to double in the next five years from today.

Challenges that delay its progress in the conference include cultural obstacles and economic challenges that influence the income of the conference in tithe and offerings, and religious challenges affecting the evangelistic work in some territories. Considering the weak financial growth, it is advisable to make a plan to teach with persistence faithfulness in returning tithe, offerings, and development gifts.

Situated in the Far North Region, the conference ministers in an environment impacted by terrorist actions that cause the displacement of the people. Consequently, it is also an economically poor region that negatively and significantly affects the income of the conference. Other factors such as illiteracy influence the level of church members’ understanding when reading the Bible for example.

The conference’s opportunities for outreach include mission and humanitarian programs and initiatives such as food distribution to poor families, helping people during the periods of inundations, and assisting the roughly 70,000 to refugees in the region Providing care and academic scholarships for young orphan children is another area of outreach.

Conclusion

The North Cameroon Conference has been reorganized five times (1933, 196. 1970. 1973, and 1999). The last very important reorganization happened in 2018, when the field was divided into three fields: North Cameroon Conference, Adamaoua-Mayo-Rey Conference, and Benoue-Faro Mission.

North Cameroon Mission Officers

Presidents: Ruben Bergstrӧm (1930-1966), A. Bodenmann (1966-1973), H. F. Walder (1973-1976), E. Pala (1976-1979), A. Bodenmann (1979-1983), A. Guaita (1983-1984), H. A. Cosendai (1984-1985), D. Robsomen (1985-1986), J.C. Mongo (1986-1990), A. Menguewé (1991-1995), J. M. Tchoualeu (1995), E. A. Nlend (1996-1997), P. Myédé (1997-1999).

Executive secretaries: No secretary (1928-1995), P. Klavac (1996-1998).

Treasurers: No treasurer (1928-1986), P. B. Ahanda (1986-1990), D. Meguillé, Calvain Andoulko and Agabus Bello (1991-1997).

North Cameroon Conference Officers

Presidents: P. Myédé (1999-2000), A. Menguewé (2001-2003), A. Koné (2003-2007), B. Hacheked (2008-2013), R. T. Hendjena (2013-2017), R. T. Hendjena (2017-).

Executive Secretaries: P. Klavac (1999-2003), S. Tagao (2003-2009), I. Babba (2009-).

Treasurers: A. Bello (1999-2001), F. Njock (2001-2003), J. J. Boné (2003-2009), Abiné (2009-2013), N. Tchamaya (2013-).

Sources

Action Notification from Kingsley C. Ananoba, WAD Executive Secretary. Ref.: 596-17/AGAS/-DAO/SEC November 16, 2017. West-Central Africa Division Archives, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Adeogun, C. O. & C. M. Bayne. Rapport de l’Equipe d’Evaluation de la DAOI Sur Les Conditions de l’Accession au Statut de la Fédération de la Mission du Cameroun Nord, May 1999, Appendice I.

Bergstrӧm, Ruben. “Converting the Kirdis in North Cameroun,” Missions Quarterly, Third Quarter, 1965.

“Cameroon.” African Seventh-day Adventist History. Accessed May 26, 2021. https://www.africansdahistory.org/cameroon/.

Arrêté Ministériel, March 21, 1957.

Eyezo’o, S. and A. Pokam. Le Mouvement Adventiste du 7e Jour au Cameroun 60 ans après : 1926-1986. December 1986.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. https://www.adventistyearbook.org/.

Notes

1. Aboulantang Daniel, retired pastor, interview by author, November 25, 2019.↩

2. Common name of the local population.↩

3. Probably a tamarisk tree.↩

4. Ruben Bergstrӧm, “Converting the Kirdis in North Cameroun,” Missions Quarterly, Third Quarter, 1965, 8-13.↩

5. Ibid.↩

6. Ibid.↩

7. “Cameroon,” African Seventh-day Adventist History, accessed May 26, 2021, https://www.africansdahistory.org/cameroon/.↩

8. Ibid.↩

9. S. Eyezo’o, and A. Pokam, Le Mouvement Adventiste du 7^e Jour au Cameroun 60 ans après : 1926-1986, December 1986, 3.↩

10. Action 051/94, the first action of recommendation to the union committee by the mission was taken on July 25, 1994; the second action, 187/96 was taken on December 26, 1996.↩

11. Vote 173/97, Central Africa Union Mission, April 23, 1997; C. O. Adeogun and C. m. Bayne, Rapport de l’Equipe d’Evaluation de la DAOI Sur Les Conditions de l’Accession au Statut de la Fédération de la Mission du Cameroun Nord, Mai 1999, Appendice I.↩

12. Vote 62-99, Central Africa Union Mission, March 30, 1999.↩

13. “Cameroon,” African Seventh-day Adventist History.↩

14. Arrêté Ministériel, March 21, 1957.↩

15. Action Notification from Kingsley C. Ananoba, WAD executive secretary, Ref.: 596-17/AGAS/-DAO/SEC November 16, 2017.↩