2010 SYNOD RESOLUTIONS

EMERGING FROM THE THIRD AND LAST SESSION OF THE TRIENNIAL PERIOD OF THE EIGHTH SYNOD

Held at THE ST ANDREW’S PARISH-LAMIN

3RD-7TH FEBRUARY 2010

RESOLUTIONS MADE BY MEMBERS OF THE THIRD AND LAST SESSION OF THE TRIENNIAL PERIOD OF THE EIGHTH SYNOD OF THE DIOCESE OF GAMBIA, assembled at the St Andrew’s Church, Lamin from 3rd – 7th February 2010, under the Chairmanship of the Rt. Rev. Dr. Solomon Tilewa Ethelbert Willie Johnson, Bishop of Gambia.

Resolution 1:

That thanks be given to our Almighty, Merciful and Loving Father, for His infinite faithfulness, abundant blessings, guidance and protection for the mission and ministry of His Church in this Diocese.

Resolution 2:

That thanks and praise be given to Almighty God for His continued blessings on our beloved nation, The Gambia; and furthermore that commitment be made to pray for enduring peace and religious harmony in our land.

Resolution 3:

That warm, sincere and prayerful greetings be sent to His Excellency the President of the Republic of The Gambia, Sheikh Prof. Alhagie Dr Yahya A. J. J. Jammeh; assuring him of our daily prayers for himself and all those who hold authority in our land.

Resolution 4:

That fraternal greetings be sent to the Most Rev. Justice O. Y. Akrofi, Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa. Furthermore, that he be assured of our constant prayers for him and his family. May God bless, guide and strengthen him in this task.

Resolution 5:

That there should be endorsement of the theme for Synod, “Fostering children and youth ministries and deepening Christian/ Muslim relations in the Diocese over the decade 2010-2019’’ and further that the Bishop should be commended for his inspiring and scholarly Charge to Synod.

Resolution 6:

That heartfelt thanks be sent to the sister churches (Methodist conference of the Methodist church of the Gambia and the Roman catholic Diocese of Banjul) in the Gambia with deep appreciation for the cordial ecumenical relations we enjoy in this land. In this regard we remain committed to working with our sister churches in ministering to the people of the Gambia

Resolution 7:

That the resolutions committee with support from the Diocesan office should translate the resolutions of synod into a plan of action for implementation by the Diocesan office. A status report on the implementation of such resolutions should be presented to synod by the chairman of the resolutions committee.

Resolution 8:

That greetings be sent to The United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG), to Church Mission Society (CMS) expressing appreciation for our partnership in mission, assuring them of our prayers for their ministry worldwide, as they, under God, face the challenges of today’s world.

Resolution 9:

That warm fraternal greetings and sincere wishes of God’s ever abiding love and provision be sent to our Partners in Mission as follows: All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Trinity Grants programme, New York (TGP-NY), Mothers Union (Mary Sumner House), Inter Diocesan West Africa Link (IDWAL), the Diocese of Chichester, Mr. Steve Hewko and Mrs. Cheryl Hewko of Christian Volunteer Movement(CVM), His Lordship the Bishop of Koforidua and Rev. Fr. Joshua Annoh, expressing our joy and appreciation for their goodwill messages, partnership and assuring them of our prayers; furthermore that a message of felicitation be sent to the Right Rev. Dr. John Hind, Bishop of Chichester Diocese and his wife Janet.

Resolution 10:

That greetings and heartfelt congratulations be sent to the entire members of the Cole family on behalf of the late Mr. Samuel Johnston ‘Rainbow’ Cole and the late Mrs. Marian Jestina ‘Dowu’ Cole (nee Harding) upon receiving the well-deserved Honorable Mention in the Bishop’s Charge to Synod and further, assuring them of our Prayers and for God’s richest blessings upon them and their work.

Resolution 11:

That thanks and appreciation be sent to the Rev. Prof. Glen Taylor, Associate Old Testament Professor, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto and Honorary Associate priest of St Paul’s Church, Fajara, chaplain of Synod 2010 for the inspiring and thought-provoking Bible Studies he conducted at Synod and further, assuring him of our prayers and best wishes for him and his family.

Resolution 12:

That congratulation be sent to His Lordship the Bishop on the occasion of his 20th Anniversary of Consecration and Enthronement as Bishop of Gambia. We pray that God will continue to strengthen him as he leads the Diocese of Gambia.

Resolution 13:

That congratulation be sent to His Lordship, the Bishop and Venerable Priscilla Johnson his most adorable and charming spouse on the occasion of their 29th Wedding Anniversary. May God grant them more years of matrimonial bliss.

Resolution 14:

That greetings and message of condolence be sent to the Bishops of the Diocese of Faisalabad in the church of Pakistan and the Episcopal Church of Haiti as thousands of lives perished either as a result of terrorist activities or severe earthquakes. We pray that all the lost souls will rest in perfect peace and may light perpetual shine upon them.

Resolution 15:

That warm greetings be sent to Venerable Priscilla Johnson, with a note of sincere appreciation for the unstinting support she gives to the Bishop , and for the great contribution she makes to the life of the church in general; and further, to send greetings to Njilan, Jeggan and Dado Johnson, in recognition of their role in supporting the ministry of the Bishop.

Resolution 16:

That thanks and sincere appreciation be sent to members of the clergy who have worked tirelessly and have given their best to Diocesan work together with their full time regular work. We thank God for their commitment to the non-stipendiary Ministry and salute their spouses and family members who have provided much support in the work of their ministries. May God continue to shower his blessings on them.

Resolution 17:

That sincere thanks be sent to all those who have contributed to the smooth running and success of Synod at St Andrew’s Church, Lamin. These are: the clergy, staff and people of St Andrew’s Church, Lamin, for accommodating the Synod and providing adequate refreshment, the diocese for providing some resources; parishes and individuals for their contributions, presenters of reports and finances of Diocesan Institutions and Organs and the Diocesan staff for facilitating the secretariat.

Resolution 18:

That special and concerted attention be given to the Youth ministry by the Diocesan office and all parishes given its pivotal role in the survival and relevance of the church in the future. That in this regard an adequate Children and Youth ministry programme be expedited that responds to the prevailing situation and problem analysis pertaining to the Children and Youth of the church.

Resolution 19:

Whilst acknowledging the efforts made so far by the Radio and TV ministry there is an urgent need to establish an institution to facilitate such work and build capacity to improve the quality and performance of radio and TV programmes. That steps are taken to engage the youths in this ministry through appropriate training.

Resolution 20:

That every parish identify the dominant language in the community and take steps to start a reading class in that language with a view of creating a pool of people who can read scriptures in the local languages and that this be extended to address programmes such as health and agriculture.

Resolution 21:

That the AMI board through its chair endeavor to submit a written and audited financial report to Synod about its activities.

Resolution 22:

That heartfelt thanks be rendered to Almighty God for His blessings upon this Synod; and continue to gain further insights upon the theme of the Synod: “Fostering children and youth ministries and deepening Christian/ Muslim relations in the Diocese over the decade 2010-2019’’ this theme among others should guide the future programmes and activities of the church.

Resolution 23:

Whilst acknowledging the report on the commission of 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 incorporates the purpose of the parish. That the school of Evangelism be revived and accessible to all members and not only for lay readers.

Resolution 24:

Every parish should ensure that properties within their area of responsibility are well documented and have copies of such documents available in their offices and the Diocesan office. All lands and buildings to be vested in the diocese while the movables are vested in the parishes. In addition all parishes should ensure the safe keeping of all documents, ensure the production of its history and the Diocese to explore mechanisms and partners to support the use of current technology for archiving its documents.

Resolution 25:

That all parishes take urgent steps to address matters of church Music and to encourage the involvement of the youth in their Choirs.

Resolution 26:

All parish priests and synod delegates should brief their various Parishes on the outcome of synod and further encourage their PCC’s to conduct a mid-year review of major decisions of Synod. Parishes should also share best practices that are reported in Synod.

Resolution 27:

All parish priests are encouraged to include in their sermons the
teaching on tithing, stewardship and freewill offering. All parish priests working with their congregation should explore new ways of actively involving the youths in the work of the church. All parishes should also work with the new team that is to be inaugurated for directing the Children and Youth Ministry.

Resolution 28:

That the Diocesan Estate Committee continues with the negotiations for sale of No 2 and No 7 Fitzgerald streets continue to explore the best deal for the lease of No 25 Fitzgerald Street and continue to explore the allocation of a replacement plot at Brusubi. All the actions should be taken expeditiously

Resolution 29:

That the Education Committee applies for sites for the relocation of the secondary wing of the Rev J. C. Faye Memorial School, Archdeacon Matthias George Memorial Upper Basic School and St. Mary’s Lower Basic School, and that the teaching of Christian religious education in the schools be further reviewed in the light of current practices of similar institutions.

Resolution 30:

That the Finance Committee expeditiously implements the proposal of the Auditors in the establishing of an assets register.
And furthermore that heartfelt thanks be sent to Mr. Donald Kaye for donating the accounting package and training of Diocesan office staff for the management of the Diocesan accounts.

DONE THIS SEVENTH DAY OF FEBRUARY IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD TWO THOUSAND AND TEN

SIGNED:

Rev. Canon James S .Cole, Chairperson

Bro. Dr. Melville O George, Member

Sis. Mary John, Member

Bro. John Belford, Member

Sis. Joanna Carew. Member

Sis. Hannah Acy Peters, Synod Secretary

ATTEST:
……………………………………………………………………………………….
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Solomon Tilewa Ethelbert Willie Johnson
BISHOP OF GAMBIA