West Cameroon Conference

By Jean Pourrat Meting

Jean Pourrat Meting, Ph.D. (Protestant University of Central Africa, 2018) currently serves as director of Departments at the Cameroon Union Mission, and is a visiting teacher of theology and religious sciences at the Adventist University Cosendai. He has previously served as pastor, director of departments, and executive officer in the Central-South Cameroon Conference. He is married to Mboulet Alliance Marie Louise Bebandwe. The couple has two daughters.

First Published: January 1, 2022

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West Cameroon Conference is part of Cameroon Union Mission in the West-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists.

Territory: Littoral, Northwest, Southwest, and West regions of Cameroon.

Statistics (June 30, 2019): Churches, 68; companies, 26; membership, 7,184; population, 10,428,028.¹

West Cameroon Conference headquarters is at Boite Postale, Douala, Cameroon.

The Origins of the Adventist Work in West Cameroon

The Adventist message first reached Mandjap, a small place in Littoral region, West Cameroon, in 1946. Maah Timothée, who worked as a medical doctor in Bétaré Oya, eastern Cameroon, spent his annual leave in his native village Mandjap. Dr. Maah had previously met some Adventist missionaries in Nanga Eboko and accepted the Adventist faith. He shared his newfound faith with his family members and some residents of Mandjap. Using his influence in the village, he obtained from the village leaders a plot of land to build the first Adventist church in West Cameroon.²

Later, Pastor Mpfoumi Antoine arrived in Mandjap. He conducted Bible studies of the “Voice of Hope” series with the Bible study group of thirteen people that Dr. Maah had started. On December 27, 1947, Pastor Paul Benezech led out in the first baptismal ceremony in West Cameroon. The first Adventists of West Cameroun were baptized on that day: Mbeng Noé and his wife Ngo Nyengue Françoise, Bong Joseph and his wife Ngo Nkoum Elisabeth, Mpai Philippe and his wife Ngo Yemba Frieda, Ngo Biyak Ruth, Ngo Tina Sophie (wife of Dr. Maah ), Gweth Bi Mabbe Gottfried, Ngo Ngoué Rose, Nsemba Simon, Ngo Nanga Léa, and Babe Salomon. All these new Adventist members were previously members of the Presbyterian Church of Cameroon.³

In 1968, the Adventist message reached Bafang, and its Adventist chapel was dedicated in 1970.⁴

Organizational Development

The mission field of West Cameroon was administratively part of the South European Division. This mission field was organized under the name of Mission of the Atlantic Coast in 1949. Its territory covered the Cameroonian divisions of Nkam, of the Ocean,⁵ Sanaga Maritime, and Wouri. At its inception, the Atlantic Coast Mission had 6 churches and 403 members.⁶

In 1999, there was a proposal to grant West Cameroon Mission a conference status, but the mission was not yet ready at that time.⁷ Eventually, the Executive Committee of the West-Central Africa Division voted to grant West Cameroon Mission a conference status.⁸ The inaugural constituency meeting of the newly voted West Cameroon Conference took place April 8-14, 2018 in Douala, the capital of the Western Cameroon region.

Presidents

West Cameroon Mission: Cupertino Elisée (1965-1972) ; Kurt Scheiddegger (1972-1975) ; Cools (1975-1979); Jean Claude Mongo (1979-1983); Boma Emmanuel (1983-1985); Ngba Alphonse (1985-1986); Mahele Clement (1986-1989); Makong André (1989-1993); Sidney C. Gibbons (1993-1998); Max J. Pierre (1998-2001); Tchoualeu Jean Marie (2001); Herimanana (2001- 2005); Same Vincent Roger (2005-2008); Chentu Jean Nenko (2008-2011); Atoh Jean Didier (2011); Kamga Etienne (2011-2018).⁹

West Cameroon Conference: Ndjock David Vivien (2018- ).

Sources

Cameroon Union Mission executive committee Vote N° 62/99, 1999. Cameroon Union Mission archives, Yaounde, Cameroon.

Cameroon Union Mission Secretary’s Statistical Report, fourth quarter, 2019, Cameroon Union Mission archives, Yaounde, Cameroon.

Eyezo’o, S. and A. Pokam. Le Mouvement Adventiste du 7e Jour au Cameroun 60 ans après: 1926-1986. Unpublished manuscript, December 1986. West Cameroon Mission archives, Boite Postale, Douala, Cameroon.

The Cameroon Union Mission statistical report for 1949. Cameroon Union Mission archives, Yaounde, Cameroon.

West-Central Africa Division Executive Commitee, Vote N° 596–17, 2018, West-Central Africa Division archives, Lot, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Notes

Cameroon Union Mission Secretary’s Statistical Report, fourth quarter, 2019, Cameroon Union Mission archives, Yaounde, Cameroon.↩
S. Eyezo’o and A. Pokam, Le Mouvement Adventiste du 7e Jour au Cameroun 60 ans après: 1926-1986 (unpublished manuscript, December 1986), 2-3, West Cameroon Mission archives, Boite Postale, Douala, Cameroon.↩
Ibid.↩
Ibid.↩
In 1998, the Ocean division of Cameroon will be attached to the Central South Cameroon Conference: Vote N° 264/97 du Comité de l’Union de l’Afrique Centrale, Cameroon Union Mission archives, Yaounde, Cameroon.↩
The Cameroon Union Mission statistical report for 1949, Cameroon Union Mission archives, Yaounde, Cameroon.↩
Cameroon Union Mission executive committee Vote N° 62/99, 1999, Cameroon Union Mission archives, Yaounde, Cameroon.↩
West-Central Africa Division Executive Commitee, Vote N° 596–17, 2018, West-Central Africa Division archives, Lot, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.↩
The Cameroon Union Mission Records, Cameroon Union Mission archives, Yaounde, Cameroon.↩