By Chernor Alimamy Kamara & Anthony Newman Levey in Bo
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is set to elect a new Bishop during a four-day conference which commenced on Thursday 3rd March 2022 at Tebit Memorial Church, Messima Section in Bo. The position has been vacant since the death last year by the road accident of Bishop John K. Yambasu.
Four men, Reverend Professor Edwin Momoh, Reverend Francis Ben Charley, Reverend Emmanuel Pewa, and Reverend Boye Caulker are vying for the Bishop position.
Rev, Charley told Politico that he has been in the UMC Mission since he was a child and that the mission has been part of his life. He said he has travelled to many countries around the world representing and preaching the doctrines of the UMC mission.
He said he has through legal means helped reclaim UMC’s properties that have been with other people in the country thereby boosting the property base of the mission. ‘’With my own help, I have been able to return those properties back to us which I think is good for the image of the mission. One of them in Bo here is located close to the town field where our women centre is now situated,’’ he said.
He said he was instrumental in all of their four big mission churches to be on freehold instead of a lease so as to maintain the culture of the mission.
Reverend Charley noted that if given the chance to serve as Bishop of the UMC, he would ensure the continuation of the legacies of the late Bishop which are Education, Health Service, Agricultural expansion, and Human Development. “Even if I happen to lose the election on Saturday, I will still be part of the mission,’’ he said.
He made an appeal to all members of the mission to stay together in line with its name that emphasizes unity. “We must therefore do things according to the doctrines of the Church which have kept us together throughout the years,’’ he maintained.
Lay-leader Lavalie of the Centenary United Methodist Church at Mahei Boima Road in Bo said their members from around the world and within the country will converge in the city to elect their Bishop, noting also that they will discuss plans of the mission. ‘’Those that are qualified to participate in the conference are the district Lay-leaders, young adults, and conference officials,’’ he said.
Another senior clergy member, Reverend Keifala Koroma, said they were indeed in Bo to celebrate and at the same time elect their Bishop. He disclosed that voting will take place at the West Africa Central Conference and that all the events would be climaxed with a service at Tebit Memorial Church.
The first day of the conference was preceded by a procession through the streets of Bo. Bishop Yambasu’s SUV in which he was chauffeured was crashed into by another vehicle close to the Orugu Bridge on the Allen Town –Waterloo Highway in 2021. He died on the spot. The late Bishop was a well-liked figure for his philanthropy and his death shocked not just the mission, but the entire country. UMC mission though spread out across Sierra Leone, has a larger following in the Southern Region.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (04/03/22)
