Delivered by RT. Rev. Dr. S. Tilewa Johnson
(Bishop of The Gambia)

TO THE FIRST SESSION OF THE TRIENNIAL PERIOD OF THE NINTH SYNOD OF THE DIOCESE OF GAMBIA

Held at The Parish of Christ Church, Serrekunda.

9th – 13th February 2011

MADAM VICE PRESIDENT OF THE DIOCESAN STANDING COMMITTEE; HONOURABLE DEPUTY CHANCELLOR; DISTINGUISHED OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE TRIENNIAL PERIOD OF THE NINTH SYNOD; THE RIGHT REVEREND PROFESSOR PETER STEPHENS, METHODIST BISHOP AND PRESIDENT OF THE GAMBIA METHODIST CONFERENCE; THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF BANJUL; THE REV. MARK JASON, SUPERINTENDENT MINISTER, WESLEY CATHEDRAL, BANJUL, CHAPLAIN OF THIS SYNOD; ESTEEMED SYNOD SPECIAL GUESTS AND OBSERVERS, SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN CHRIST,

In the name of the one God – Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer – I welcome you all to this First Session of the Triennial Period of the Ninth Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Gambia, Church of the Province of West Africa.

As Church, we seek the Kingdom of God through a balanced approach to the mission and ministry of God’s Church. We seek to preach the good news of the Gospel in word and deed. We seek to baptise and nurture believers. We seek to offer loving service to those in need. We seek to work against unjust structures in our world. Our Diocese has long had a tradition of maintaining a focus on social action, as well as our ministry to our congregations. From the inception of the Diocese in 1855 we have had intervention in education, and later in the health needs of our people. Latterly, our social action has been consolidated and formalised under the umbrella of a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) – the Anglican Mission Development Ministries (AMDM). It is therefore appropriate to have as our theme for this year’s Synod:

“Consolidating the local Anglican input in the actualisation of the Millennium Development Goals 1 and 2 as the year 2015 fast approaches”

As is our tradition, we will reflect upon this theme. However, let us first extend prayerful greetings to the President, government and people of The Gambia. I call upon this Synod to send warm greetings to our Head of State, Sheikh Prof. Alhaji Dr. Yaya A. J. J. Jammeh. We continue to assure him of our daily prayers for himself, his family and all those who hold positions of authority in our land. We pray for God’s gifts of guidance and wisdom for him as he undertakes the leadership of this nation. We assure him of our continued commitment to good interfaith relations in our land. We remain committed to participating in the development of our country, and the fight against poverty and injustice. Our commitment to peace with justice continues to be an integral part of our mission and ministry.

We also call upon Synod to send prayerful greetings of goodwill to the Most Revd. Justice O. Y. Akrofi, Archbishop of the Church of the Province of West Africa. We assure him of our continued prayers for him and his family. We pray for God’s blessing on him, to empower him to administer and minister with wisdom and justice as Primate of our Province. We further wish to congratulate the Diocese of Accra for passing new legislation at its 20th Triennial Synod in 2009 allowing for the ordination of women into the Sacred Order of Priests in the Church of God.

We are pleased to extend fraternal greetings to our sister Churches in The Gambia. We continue to enjoy such good ecumenical relations, and give thanks to God for this. We pray for God’s blessing on the mission and ministry of our sister Churches, and on the Gambia Christian Council. We look forward to continuing working closely with our sister Churches in mission and ministry to the people of The Gambia, as we present a notable Christian presence in this land, even though in such a minority. We continue to give thanks for the good inter-faith relations with our neighbours, and pray this continues.

As is our tradition at Synod we will, under God, both reflect on the past and seek the Spirit’s guidance as we plan for the future. As we look back over the past year, we give thanks to God for His goodness to us. We seek God’s wisdom and guidance as we look to the future. We seek an integrated approach to our mission and ministry as Church. As an integral part of our nation, we are called upon to recognise and participate in its development. Within this context, it is now appropriate for us to reflect upon our theme for this year’s Synod:

“Consolidating the local Anglican input in the actualisation of the Millennium Development Goals 1 and 2 as the year 2015 fast approaches”

In his letter to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations, St. James wrote,

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,”
but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe there is one God. Good!
Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” .... (James 2: 15 – 19)

We are greatly challenged. What good is our faith if it is not reflected in some way by action – action that serves our neighbour. It is a recurrent debate in churches, when we are planning our mission and ministry. Exactly how much focus should we give to social action? Is there a danger that this could be a distraction? Could we be distracted from announcing the good news – from preaching the Gospel, undiluted? St. Francis used to say to his followers – “go and preach the Gospel, using words if necessary.” It is increasingly recognised that the lifestyle and ‘way of being’ of the believer is the greatest witness. Words definitely have their place, and their importance should not be under-estimated; but it is also true that action really can speak louder than words.

We have a responsibility to our fellow human. As a people of God – whom we see to be revealed in the person of Christ – we believe that all people are made in the image and likeness of God. There is therefore an element of the divine within all of us. God chose to come and live among us as a human being, thus affirming the hallowed in the human. To be human is not an excuse to be fallible, as we sometimes claim – for example, when someone slips up, we say, “oh well, he / she is only human.” In fact, it is quite the opposite. We strive for full humanity. The only example we have of full humanity is Jesus Christ himself. When someone is oppressed by poverty or injustice they can be de-humanised – they can lose some of the dignity that should go with being human. When someone allows another to be so oppressed, without concern or effort to redress the balance, that person can also be dehumanised. We are beginning to see the critical nature of our mission and ministry to others.

Jesus totally identified himself with the rest of humankind – particularly the marginalised, the poor and those who recognised their own powerlessness and need for God. In the gospel according to St. Matthew, not long before his death, Jesus makes his clearest statement about judgement. He says that, when the Son of Man comes in glory he will recognise and receive those who saw the need in others and offered assistance. Jesus identifies himself so much with our humanity that he says – whatever is done for the least is done for him. Jesus says,

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me.” .... (Matthew 25: 35 and 36)

Likewise, Jesus will recognise the times when there was need and no response,

“For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in,
I needed clothes and you did not clothe me,
I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” ... (Matthew 25: 42 and 43)

It is rather interesting how both groups of people do not quite understand how they did or did not respond to this need in Jesus. He responds,

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” ...(Matthew 25: 40)

Or,

“I tell you the truth,, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” ... (Matthew 25: 45)

A sobering thought, is it not?

As Church, we can respond, and are given opportunity to do so, in conjunction with others who have a concern about inequality, poverty and injustice in our world and community.

With the impending new millennium the United Nations (UN) took an initiative. They stated some development goals, to be attained by the year 2015. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals that the 191 member states of the UN agreed to and endorsed by signing the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2002. These goals, together, aim to cut poverty in half by the year 2015, using 1990 as a bench mark. The eight MDGs aim to:

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• Combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Develop a global partnership for development

At this Synod, and during this synodal period, we intend to focus on the first two MDGs:

• To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• To achieve universal primary education

The UN has set targets within each goal. These are as follows:

Millennium Development Goal 1: “To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger”

• Target 1a: Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day
• Target 1b: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people
• Target 1c: Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

Millennium Development Goal 2: “To achieve universal primary education”

• Target 1a: Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary school education

Over the past few years there have, of course, been estimates of the progress in attaining the MDGs, both globally and regionally. The Department for International Development of the UK have stated that the proportion of people living below the poverty line fell from 42 per cent in 1990 to 25 per cent in 2005. However, in sub-Saharan Africa this drop was only from 57 per cent in 1990 to 51 per cent in 2005. With regard to reducing hunger there have been gains and losses. Between 1990 – 1992 and 2004 – 2006 the proportion of undernourished people in developing regions dropped from 20 per cent to 16 per cent. However, in September 2008 the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) announced that high global food prices pushed 75 million more people into hunger. This caused the total number of people suffering from hunger to rise to 923 million. The proportion of children under five years of age who were underweight declined by only five percentage points between 1990 and 2007 – from 31 per cent to 26 per cent. This rate of progress is insufficient to meet the goal of reducing underweight prevalence by half.

The UN has recognised that they can point to undeniable progress on some MDGs in many countries. There have been noticeable reductions in poverty globally and significant improvements in enrolment and gender parity in schools. However, they also note how MDG progress is threatened by a combination of high food prices and the impact of the international financial and economic crisis. Sustained poverty and hunger reduction is at risk because of vulnerability to climate change, particularly in the area of agricultural production.

As far as The Gambia is concerned the UN recognises challenges faced by The Gambia in meeting a number of the MDGs. A major problem is inadequate institutional capacity to provide planning and monitoring frameworks, in spite of the commitment of the government to integrating the MDGs into its planning process.

As Church, we must play our part in the development of our nation and the wellbeing of the Gambian people in general.

As noted earlier, the Diocese has long had interventions in education and health – namely the boarding school at Kristi Kunda and St. Mary’s Primary School in Banjul. These were later joined by the Anglican Training Centre at Farafenni, the Mothers’ Union Nursery School at Banjulnding, the Christ Church Nursery School and the Rev. J. C. Faye Nursery School. The two latter have developed into the Archdeacon Matthias George Memorial School, at Primary and Middle School level, and The Rev. J. C. Faye Memorial School from Nursery to High School level. We had a small clinic in Farafenni for a number of years, and more recently of programme of assistance to people with HIV / AIDS and long term illness. There has been an Anglican Mission farm at Farafenni from the early days of the 1970s. From 1991 all our social action has been under the umbrella of the Anglican Mission Development Ministries (AMDM). A prominent part of this work has been a programme of assistance to refugees – particularly during the crises in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cassamance and Guinea Bissau during the 1990s and into the new millennium. For ten years AMDM was an implementing partner for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Assistance comprised food, provision for education, agriculture and income generating activities. AMDM has been under the governance of the Diocesan Development Board, with the Bishop involved at the deepest level as Executive Director.

There can be no doubt that the Anglican Church has made a good contribution towards the educational needs of the children of this country (ref. MDG 2). We pray, and believe, that our activities in education, agriculture, health and with refugees have made some contribution to poverty reduction.

The Bishop has been active, both nationally and internationally, in both religious and secular fora that work to alleviate poverty. These include the Reference Group on Poverty, Wealth and Ecology of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and Committee for the Uprooted of the
All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and the World Council of Churches. We have been elected on two occasions to undertake the role of Chairman of the Association of NGOs (TANGO) in The Gambia (each incumbency lasting for two years). We are a member of the National Population Commission of the Gambia and Chair of the National Committee on Christianity, Population and Development. We have been invited on numerous occasions (at home and abroad) to speak on matters of poverty, uprootedness, climate change, peace and justice, and so on. It has been an integral part of our episcopacy and calling.

Let us now, as the decision making body for this Diocese, reflect upon how we can further serve our brother and sister, and generations to come. Let us, under God, discern how we can be part of an unstoppable movement to overcome the quiet violence of poverty that reveals itself in the form of hunger and lack of access to services such as education. We do this under our theme for this Synod,

“Consolidating the local Anglican input in the actualisation of the Millennium Development Goals 1 and 2 as the year 2015 fast approaches”

We hold the theme before us as we reflect upon the year under review, and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God as we move forward into the next year.

NECROLOGY

We pray for the repose of the souls of faithful servants of the Lord, particularly those who have worked in partnership with us at this high level of our Diocese's administrative structure and have now gone ahead of us to glory:

• Dr. Sam J. Palmer, former Diocesan Medical Adviser
• Bro. Moses Sarr, Part-time Adviser on Agriculture
• Bro. John. A. Robinson, Auditor of several of our Parish accounts
• Sis. Augustina Akomiah, Lay Reader at Christ Church and Member of Synod
• Sis. Abigail Modu Coker, Member of Synod and Bishop’s Nominee on the Cathedral Parish Council
• The Rt. Revd. Francis B. Thompson, former Bishop of Accra
• The Rt. Revd. Edward Neufville, former Bishop of Liberia
• The Rt. Revd. Kenneth Stevenson, former Bishop of Portsmouth and IDWAL
  

EPISCOPAL ACTS

We are pleased to present the following Episcopal Acts undertaken by your Bishop in the year under review:

• We appointed and installed two Archdeacons in February and April to fill two of the three newly created Archdeaconries.
• A total number of 27 confirmands from almost all of the parishes received the Sacrament of Confirmation by the laying on of hands, at the Cathedral, on Ascension Day - the 75th anniversary of the creation of our Diocese.
• We were able to visit all the Parishes in the Gambia side of the Diocese, except the Parish of St. Cuthbert Basse and Parts Adjacent.
• International assignments during 2010 took us to: Nairobi, Kenya; Abuja, Nigeria; London, England; Bialystok, Poland; and Budapest, Hungary. These missions were related mainly to ecumenical issues at both continental and global level.
• Two of our Chapels were refurbished. St. Thomas Chapel, Banjul, and St.Francis’ Chapel, Bishopscourt, were both blessed and rededicated following the work.
• One apostate was readmitted into the fold at St. Francis’ Chapel.
• By His grace, we were able to carry out our three statutory visits to the Cathedral – on Christmas Day, Easter Day, and Whit Sunday – for the 20th year in a row! Laus Deo!

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

Bro. David Nichol, former Director General of the Anglican Mission Institute (AMI) was invited back to the Bahamas to resume his work in the business of Banking and Estate. Bro. David had, in three years, put the AMI on the path to new life. Although in the West Indies, Bro. David continues to support the work of the Diocese – especially the AMI.

Through the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG), Sis. Margaret Burkett was sent to help with our Youth Work and Agricultural Strategic Planning. Her six-month stay with us was invaluable and quite exciting.

Sis. Terri-Lynn Paulson, who arrived during the Synod of 2010 as a volunteer with the Christian Volunteer Movement of Canada, spent four fruitful months at the AMI, Farafenni. She taught practical agriculture to the students at the new Anglican Mission Agricultural Senior Secondary School (AMASSS). By the end of her brief stay, students and senior staff of the AMI had nothing but praise for Sis. Terri.

STATE OF THE CHURCH

Resolution 23 of Synod 2010 states thus:

“Whilst acknowledging the report of the Committee on the State of the Church, Synod urges that future reports should include an analysis of the prevailing environment in which the Church operates, and make recommendations in this direction. That each Parish in the Diocese should have mission and vision statements that briefly incorporate the purpose of the Parish. That the School of Evangelism be revived and accessible to all members and not only for lay readers.”

Based on the first sentence of this Resolution, I wish to recommend that the Report of the Committee on the State of the Church be received on Day Three of Synod straight after “Major Decisions of the Diocesan Standing Committee”, and that this change become the norm from henceforth. It will be in order for us to remind the House of the modus operandi of the Committee on the State of the Church - ‘to observe actively over the year and report at the next Synod’. We look forward with eager anticipation to the findings and recommendations of the Committee on the State of the Church and that of the Resolutions Committee, as required by Resolution 7 of Synod 2010.

PARTNERSHIP IN MISSION

During the year under review, we have felt the companionship and accompaniment of various parts of the worldwide Church family, through prayer, information and resource sharing, exchange of e-mails and letters, and moral support. I ask Synod to send messages of appreciation and solidarity to: the World Council of Churches (WCC); the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC); the Church of the Province of the West Indies (CPWI); the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG); the Inter-Diocesan West Africa Link (IDWAL) (Chichester Diocese in particular); the Christian Volunteer Movement (CVM) of Canada; Wycliffe College, Toronto; Trinity Wall Street, New York; the Church Mission Society (CMS); the Mission to Seafarers; and the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in West Africa (FECCIWA). We pray that our interactions and collaboration during the course of this year will be heightened as we consolidate our efforts towards attaining the millennium development goals.

HONOURABLE MENTION

It has now become customary for the President of Synod, during his Charge, to single out a parishioner or two for recognition and honour. This year’s Honourable Mention Awardee is an octogenarian, battling with ill health, but still bold in attitude, positive in outlook and amazingly audible.

In his youth he was an outstanding leader of the Anglican Young People’s Association (AYPA). As a lad, I remember him performing at the annual tableau on Christmas Eve in the 1960s. Our Honourable Mention Awardee was, without doubt, committed to service of the Church. This is evidenced by the fact that he served in numerous capacities, both at Parish and at Diocesan level, culminating in the key positions of both People’s Warden and Pastor’s Warden at different times. In the days before annual Diocesan Synods, he was the permanent Chair of the Resolutions Committee of the erstwhile District Church Council of The Gambia.

Two weeks ago, the Gambia Telecommunications Company (GAMTEL) joined the fast moving world of information technology (IT). GAMTEL has now launched the Third Generation (or 3G) of Mobile Network Technology – thereby enabling access for subscribers to the internet, e-mail and various networks at Broadband speed. Well, it is interesting to note that our Honourable Mention Awardee was one of those who laid the foundation on which GAMTEL has built upon. He served conscientiously as a member of staff of Cable and Wireless, and also GAMTEL, until he retired honourably in 1985.

Even in retirement, Uncle Reuel Redwood Tobiah Andrews continued to be an asset both in Church and in society. To date, he continues to offer objective pieces of advice to the Head of the Anglican Diocese of Gambia, and indeed to other lay and ordained persons who care to take advantage of his unique ministry in his old age.

I cannot end this eulogy without mentioning an unforgettable act of humility on the part of Uncle Reuel, our Honourable Mention Awardee for 2011. It was about the seventh or eighth Bible Study session on the Epistle to the Romans at the joint Men’s And Women’s Class that I had started in 1986. Uncle Reuel, wishing to express his deep appreciation of St. Paul’s message on salvation in this epistle, asked for the floor. In his clear and almost thunderous voice he said, “Father Solomon, I am just beginning to feel the weight of scripture …….”. This response to the benefit of the Bible Study on Romans summed it up superbly. For a person who was in the leadership of the St. Mary’s Church Body since 1957, to make this statement during a Bible Study session in 1986, demonstrated both true humility on the part of Uncle Reuel, and also the power of the Word rightly expounded!

In more recent years we must all remember Uncle Reuel’s contribution to our Maundy Thursday Service, in his narration during the Ceremony for the Washing of Feet. The dramatic narrative presented by Uncle Reuel brought the Ceremony to life in a way that only he could do. His vivid recollection of the Biblical story when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet (together with a little poetic licence) made the Ceremony our own, and unique to the Cathedral of St. Mary.

Our Honourable Mention Awardee of 2011 is Bro. Reuel R. T. Andrews, Church Warden Emeritus of the Cathedral of St. Mary, Banjul.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I should like to acknowledge the commitment to service of our Church in this part of the Lord’s vineyard that is daily offered by the clergy of our Diocese and their spouses. We thank God that they so readily responded to God’s calling, and are willing to be used by God in His service and service to His people. As the pastor of pastors I am deeply grateful for their support, and pray that they will continue to know God’s richest blessings on their ministries. I also thank God for the 21 years of episcopacy that I celebrated on 2nd February. As I “come of age” I pray that this “maturity” will further enhance my ministry, and that we will go from strength to strength, under God.

I am also eternally grateful for another recent anniversary - the 30 years of marriage to my life partner-in-mission, Mother Priscilla. I am pleased to share with you the message received from our children:

“To our wonderfully amazing Mum and Dad, who have been a source of strength, guidance, wisdom and love our entire lives. Congratulations on your 30th anniversary! And wishing you many, many more years with an abundance of love and happiness. May God continue to hold, direct and keep you both in His Hand and bless you beyond your imagination. You are our inspiration. We love you!” .... From: Njilan, Jeggan and Dado.

Before moving into Synod business I revisit our theme for this Synod:

“Consolidating the local Anglican input in the actualisation of the Millennium Development Goals 1 and 2 as the year 2015 fast approaches”

We are reminded of millennium development goals one and two:

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education

I am pleased to announce that (at time of writing), in preparation for this Synod, and in commitment to our goals, we have planned two meetings. The first is planned for the day before Synod – with the Deputy Minister of Agriculture – for a brain storming session with regard to what the Anglican Mission Institute (AMI) can do to contribute towards Goal One. After Synod plans are afoot for a meeting with the Minister for Basic Education, for a brain storming session with regard to the overhaul of St. Mary’s Primary School and the improvement of Archdeacon Matthias George Primary School – reflecting our commitment to Goal Two.

Finally, as we move into the business of Synod, under our theme, let us do so supported by scripture. We have heard from St. James:

“faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
…………………………………………………
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” ... (James 2:18)

We hear from Jesus:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me.” ...(Matthew 25: 35 and 36)

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” ... (Matthew 25: 40)

In the name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To the honour and glory of God.

AMEN.