East Cameroon Conference

East Cameroon Conference is a part of Cameroon Union Mission in the West-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters is in Bertoua, Cameroon.

Territory: Boumba et Ngoko, Haut-Nyong, Kadei, and Lom et Djerem (East Cameroon Region).

Statistics (June 30, 2019): Churches, 234; membership, 22,464; population, 3,933,152.¹

Beginnings²

The East Cameroon Mission was established in 1932, organized in 1949, and reorganized in 1966, 1970, and 1998.³ The last date marked its separation with part of its territory (the Upper Sanaga administrative Division) that was attached to the Central-South Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.⁴ The East Cameroon Mission inaugurated its status as a conference during its constituency held March 28-31, 2018.

W. H. Anderson had established the first mission station in Cameroon in Nanga-Eboko in 1926. In 1930, Marius Raspal established the second station in Batouri. That year missionaries Serge Yeretzian and Aimé Sallée came to Cameroon. They trained church members as evangelists, among whom were Ndinga Was Marcel, Baba Simon, and Ngongo Antoine. The members worked as pioneers to establish mission stations. In 1936 Pastor Aimée Sallée established the Ndoumbi mission station, some 15 kilometers from Bertoua, the capital city of the eastern region of Cameroon. Pastor Sallée also started a primary school that was run by Charles Cornaz. Later, a training center for lay pastors and an orphanage were established. Pastor Sallée passed the leadership of the Ndoumbi mission station to E. Curmatureanu, who in turn was later replaced by Bentz.

In 1934, another group of missionaries explored the locality of Bétaré-Oya. Pastor Marius Fridlin preached the gospel to the Bakoum people in the north-east of Bertoua. Curmatureanu evangelized the Képérés people and visited the area of Abong-Mbang.

In 1944 missionary Paul Benezech preached to the Bobilis. In Batouri, Zaré Yeretzian brought good news to the Kakos and the Mezimés.

From Mission to the Conference Status

On June 30, 1998, under the leadership of President Ema’a Medou Jean, the mission executive committee approved the decision to request organization into conference status by 1999,⁵ but this attempt was not successful.

A second attempt was made on April 10, 2013. This second attempt received the approval of the West-Central Africa Division,⁶ by its action N° 596 – 17. The inaugural session for the conference status took place at Bertoua, March 28-31, 2018.

Presidents

East Cameroon Mission Presidents: Zehnacker M. (1969-1975), Scheidegger (1976-1980), Cherenfant (1980-1982), Mongo Jean Claude (1983-1986), Ngba Alphonse (1987-1988), Boma Emmanuel (1988-1995), Menguewe Amos (1996-1997), Ema’a Medou Jean (1997-1999), Bolo Nyo Blaise (2000-2001), Moukoko Jean (2001-2005), Ndinga Samuel Dieudonné (2006-2018).

East Cameroon Conference Presidents: Atoh Jean Didier (2018- ).

Sources

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

Central African Union Mission meeting minutes and votes. Central African Union Mission archives, Libreville, Gabon.

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

The opening speech of the March 2018 Constituency, by Mission President Ndinga Samuel. East Cameroon Conference archives, Bertoua, Cameroon.

Notes

1. “East Cameroon Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (2021), https://www.adventistyearbook.org/entity?EntityID=13440.↩

2. S. Eyezo’o and A. Pokam, Le Mouvement Adventiste du 7e Jour au Cameroun 60 ans après: 1926-1986, December 1986, 2-3. The opening speech of the March 2018 Constituency, by Mission President Ndinga Samuel.↩

3. Archives of the East Cameroon Mission.↩

4. Central Africa Union Mission Committee, Vote N° 264/97.↩

5. Ibid., Vote N° 62/99.↩

6. Ibid., Vote N° 596–17.↩