Between Fasting & Prayers for Freedom and Fasting & Prayers For Schools Resumption: The PCC Moderator and his Christians
It is often said that, it is the interest of a man that motivates and drives his thoughts and actions. This saying has clearly played out in the call by the Moderator of the PCC, The Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel for fasting and prayers on the current political imbroglio in Southern Cameroons and the spontaneous response from some of his Christians. The Moderator appeared to have prioritize schools resumption in his order of prayer requests at the detriment of the Freedom his Christians are desperately seeking and are determined to get through schools boycott.
In a swift response to the moderator, the Christians drew the attention of the Rev. Gentle Man to the fact that there is no way Schools resumption can come before divine intervention for lasting peace in the polity. For it is divine intervention and the resolution of the Anglophone crisis that will automatically create a conducive atmosphere for schools to effectively resume.
It is important to note that the Anglophone crisis has crippled the Educational sector of Southern Cameroons for 10 months running and there are virtually no signs on ground to show that the situation may change soon. The PCC management, like her Catholic and Baptist counterparts fund a good percentage of their running budgets from their flourishing education sectors and the present school boycotts seem to have hit these institutions hard especially as they prepare for a new financial year without any assurances of educational income coming in. It is therefore not surprising that the moderator chose to put fasting and prayers for effective schools resumption as number 1 on the list of requests, while Fasting and prayers for GOD’S intervention for peace and lasting solutions to the crisis comes as number 2. On the other hand, the Christians have chosen to prioritize their FREEDOM from servitude over schools resumption as they challenged him to change the order of the requests.
Despite the fact that more than 70 percent of school fees were already collected by mission schools before the eruption of the crisis, the PCC is one of those mission bodies running schools that has left her teachers go without pay for more than nine months now.
It is the opinion of Bareta News that our religious leaders must consider the peace, comfort, spiritual and psychological wellbeing of their followers first before what they will benefit from the followers. For it is when the above needs of the followers are met that they will be able to engage in economic activities that can generate reasonable income to be paid to the church as school fees and offerings.
You may want to read the address of the Moderator and the response of a concerned follower below.
23rd August, 2017
Message of the Moderator of the PCC, Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel
To all the Presbyterial Secretaries
-Presbyterial Treasurers
-Pastors
-Principals
-Managers of Schools
-Head-teachers and
-Christians
Dear Brethren,
A CALL TO FASTING AND PRAYER
Accept post-Pentecost greetings and love from your servant toiling in the vineyard of the LORD at this very critical and trying moment in our journey in faith, in the name of our LORD and Saviour, Jesus the Christ.
We have been living in precarious times for about ten months now in our country. The hardest hit during this period has been the Anglophone community of our country. We have experienced pain, anger, abuses of all forms, slanders, rejection, threats and loss of human beings and property. We are in a state of suffering!
At this particular moment, the atmosphere is pregnant with threats, fear and uncertainty. It is clear that our human attempts to resolve this crisis are proving futile. We seem to have come to our wit’s end and what stands before us now is unpredictable.
Every true parent is pained by the fact that the academic future of their children is doubtful. Every child is thrown into confusion and frustration that s/he is staying at home instead of going to school. These are real feelings and challenges that cannot escape our minds!
In the same light, every true Cameroonian is pained by the fact that the atmosphere in the country is pregnant with uncertainty. Many things are not taking shape and we are worried!
It is time to pause, come out of our humanity, turn to God’s unsearchable light, wisdom, loving Will, transforming power and decisive intervention and guide for strength to forge ahead.
I therefore call on the entire PCC Christian community all over Cameroon and in the Diaspora and other concerned brethren to a week of FASTING AND PRAYER beginning from Monday the 28th of August to Saturday the 2nd of September 2017 on the following two topics:
1. Peaceful and Successful reopening and return to school by teachers, children and parents (Ezra 8:21-23, Joel 2:12-13, Matthew 17:19-21).
2. Divine intervention to end the stalemate and crisis in our country that have paralyzed our country, especially the Anglophone community (1Kings 18:41-46, Lamentations 5, Matthew 26:44).
You can select and use other suitable passages that speak to our situation. One hour should be allocated to this special service each day according to the needs and activities of the local congregation and Christians.
We propose a Thanksgiving Service on Saturday the 2nd of September 2017, celebrating that God has taken over our crisis and there is going to be a divine solution to it. The proceeds of the Thanksgiving Service should be directed to congregational charitable activities.
Remember that, Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain…Sons (daughters) are a heritage from the LORD, children are a reward from him (Psalm 127).
Remain in His blessed, inspiring and assuring hope that all shall be well because He holds our yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Yours for the Sake of the Faith,
Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba
A Christain Response
Dear Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba, I truly believe you have the order of the topics which this fasting is mant, backward; Topic # 2 should come first before topic # 1. This is so because, topic # 1 can NEVER HAPPEN if topic # 2 is not reached! Southern Cameroonians/ Ambazonians ARE SO DETERMINED to have their freedom restored FIRST before ANYTHING ELSE! We Must not Pretend, Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel that Topic # 1 will EVER HAPPEN without we achieving topic # 2 yet. NO WAY!!! We need Divine intervention before schools will resume… Not that schools should resume before Divine intervention….
James Agbor
Buea, Southern Cameroons
2 comments
The almighty God will lead us though. God bless our leaders, our church leaders, and bless southern Cameroon. Struggle continues
” servant toiling in the vineyard of the LORD” When a servant of God starts toiling,it means he is acting on the directives of the flesh, the Holy Spirit is missing. This why I agree with you, Amaah Laurence that as we praying for thier blessing we should also pray for the restoration of the leadership of the Holy Spirit in the church.