Elections Of New PCC Moderator And Synod Clerk Billed For Monday, November 18 In Buea (PART 2):

There Are Intimidation And Victimization Of Those That Speak Out Against Bad Governance In The PCC

 “But no amount of attacks by hired mercenaries, will scare us”, members of Truth House

“We are peace crusaders and don’t want conflict in our Church after the elections. Anybody who is against free, fair and transparent elections in the PCC, is an enemy of the Church”, Truth House

Members of the Truth House, says theirs is forum of men and women of integrity, or better still men and women who are both morally and spiritually strong, and who cannot afford to stand by and watch, while many things continue to go very wrong in the PCC.

At the November 14, 2024 press conference in Douala, the representatives of the Truth House which is also known as Rescue Team, said they are a group of people that have resolved to standup or to stake their necks, in a bid to rescue the PCC from the mess into which the Church has been plunged by bad governance or bad leadership., by the outgoing Church hierarchy.  They said contrary to what  some people think, the Truth House has over a thousand members, though only a few of them  have courageously showed their faces.

The members of Truth House also said that a large majority of PCC Christians as well as many pastors, support of the mission of the forum, and many do contact them. But the members of the Truth House said the Fonki team in the PCC have unfortunately instituted in the Church, a vicious policy of intimidation and victimization of people who try or dare to speak out against their bad governance or bad leadership of the Church. They said even senior pastors that try to speak out, are victimized with punitive transfers to small congregations in faraway rural areas.

As for members of the laity who try to speak out against the bad governance or wrong things happening in the PCC, or even at the level of their Congregations, the Truth House  members said they are fiercely attacked by pastors benefitting from the bad governance of the Church. They said the situation has become so bad in the PCC, that several pastors have transformed the pulpits, into a stage to attack people that do not toe their line..  They said the reign of terror or victimization in the PCC makes many pastors and Christians fear to speak out.

The members of the Truth House cited a recent example of victimization in Presbyterian Church Mamfe town, They disclosed that  when the pastor of PC Mamfe discovered that an  Elder of the Congregation is a member of  the Truth House,  the pastor mounted the pulpit for a Sunday sermon, and  instead surprisingly  announced that the Elder has been suspended for 4 months. They disclosed that the Elder went to the pastor after service to ask why he was suspended, and also made bold to bluntly tell the pastor  that he was elected Elder by the Congregation,, and not appointed by the pastor,  who thus, have no power to suspend him.

Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle Wants To Become Moderator Of PCC!

As aforementioned, it was stated at the press conference that members of the Truth House have been targets of attacks on the social media as well as   by some traditional media organs, by persons hired by the Synod Office with funds from the coffer of the Church, to try to tarnish the image of these personalities of high moral standing. The cited for example the attacks on Ntumfor NIico Halle on the social media, by persons using penned names, and who claim to be journalists.

The Mentor saw one of those ridiculous attacks on Ntumfor Nico Halle on the social media, written by a journalist who used a fake name, which was even a Francophone name. The article was really ridiculous. People grab money and go writing about the PCC that they know very little or nothing about. For example in that article, Ntumfor Halle was  accused of wanting to become Moderator of the PCC at cost, and that it was  the real reason why he is has been critical of the current leadership of  the Church.  The writer did not know that Nico Halle even in his wildest of imagination cannot think of becoming a Moderator, because he is not a pastor. His father was a man of God, but he is of the laity. In other words, the Constitution of PCC is clear that only an ordained pastor can become Moderator or Synod Clerk of the PCC. It is something that Ntumfor Halle, who more so is a lawyer by profession, definitely knows better.

 Three Members Of Truth House Resigned From Synod Exco Board

Worthy of note  that  Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, and two other members of  Truth House, that is Ba Nkom Gwanyalla Raymond  (retired Former Director General of Customs), and Chief Ada Kessi (renowned educationists and business lady) were members of  the Synod Exco Board of Trustees of the PCC, which is the highest governing body of the PCC.  Membership of the Synod Exco Board of Trustees is the highest level to which a member of the laity can rise in the Church. The three personalities, that is Ba Nkom Gwanyalla, Chief Ada Kessi, and Barrister Nico Halle resigned from the Synod Board of Trustees in protest over the calamitous management of the PCC by the current leadership of the Church. This is clear evidence that their interest as regard the PCC is not about posts, but rather that they want to see things go the right way, as the Truth House has as mission. .

The members of the Truth House at the press conference were firm that:  “Unlike the other side, we have no skeleton in our cupboard, and no amount of attacks by hired mercenaries, will scare  us from our noble mission which is to rescue the PCC. We are not stopping, and we will not stop, until our noble mission is realized. We are not vying for any post in the PCC. We are peace crusaders  and don’t want any  conflict in our Church  over the Synod elections. The enemies of the PCC are those that are promoting homosexuality, corruption, adultery, embezzlement, mismanagement, fornication, and other ills in the Church, and not the Truth House. The enemies of  he PCC are those that rig elections in the Church. All we want is, is to see the PCC put back on the right track. WE WILL ENSURE THAT THE BODY OF CHRIST IS RESTORED IN THE PCC”.

The Synod Office Does Not Listen

Meanwhile, journalists at the November 14 press conference also asked members of the Truth House, why they have not tried to have matters resolved in –house, that is inside the Church. The members of the Truth House said: “Normally, this this thing would have been handled inside the house, but unfortunately the current leadership of the Church does not listen. We have tried individually and as a group to present our feelings to the hierarchy of the Church, but unfortunately we have repeatedly been faced with a situation where the hierarchy does not listen.  The Truth House even engaged bailiffs twice to deliver our mails to the Church hierarchy, but no response”, they explained. .

  “Things Will Never Be The Same Again In The PCC”

Meanwhile members of the Truth House in response to questions from journalists at the press conference, explained that besides trying to   bring back the PCC on the rail, one other mission that the group or forum has embarked upon, is to sensitize  Christians of the PCC on the Constitution of  the Church, as well as on their  rights.   They said about 95 % of the Christians of the PCC do not know the Constitution of the Church, and a large majority of the Christians do not also know their rights. They added that the ignorance is not due to illiteracy, as the PCC is flooded with educated people, and that more than 90 % of PCC Christians are people who can at least read and write. But for one reason or the other, they have not read the Constitution of the Church. They disclosed that many Pastors of the PCC  have never talked to the Christians about the Constitution of the Church, because they like them to stay ignorant, and that there are Christians of the PCC who have never known that the Church has a Constitution. They said pastors have brainwashed many Christians of their different congregations, to see them as people whose words are holy, and that to criticize them is sin.

The Members of Truth House pointed out that this ignorance of many Christians of the PCC about the Constitution of the Church, is what the present leadership of the PCC as well as many pastors, have been exploiting to intimidate or victimize many Christians. They noted that because of the ignorance, many Christians wrongly see their pastors as their bosses or as owners of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, and see the Moderator as a demi god, and as an authority that is infallible.

Mutual Respect By Pastors And Christians

The Truth House members stressed that PCC is not owned by pastors, that Christians are not under pastors, and pastors are not under Christians. They said pastors and Christians are together. “Christians are supposed to respect pastors, but that respect is supposed to be earned. Pastors are also supposed to respect Christians. As regards the Moderator of the PCC, he is not above the Constitution of the PCC as well as the Constitution of the country”, members of the Truth House stated.

They also noted that the Church is mainly funded by the contributions of Christians, and that these included the stipends that pastors get at the end of the month. Members of Truth House said one of the main missions of the forum is to educate Christians of the PCC on their rights and on the Constitution of  the Church. “We are raising awareness in the PCC, and things we never be the same again”.

 Controversy About Origin Of The PCC Moderator, Rev Fonki Samuel Forbah, Lingers On

Meanwhile, a member of the Truth House who hails from the Southwest Region that spoke at the press conference on the long standing controversy about the origin of the current Moderator of the PCC, Rev Fonki Samuel Forbah, minced no words that Fonki hails from the Northwest Region, precisely from Menchum Division. He said Fonki’s parents left the Northwest Region and settled in Akwaya in the Southwest Region. He said even though Fonki grew up in Akwaya Sub – division which he adopted as his second home, he however recognized his origin as he was a registered member of the association of Pastors of Menchum Division.

But the member of the Truth House regretted that when it came to the turn of the Southwest Region to take over the post of Moderator of the PCC in 2014, the same Fonki who was a member of the association of Menchum Pastors, dishonestly turned around and claimed he was a ‘Southwesterner,’ and thus robbed the Southwest of their own turn to occupy the post of Moderator of the PCC.  Thus in the last 10 years, the PCC have had a very unfortunate situation where the Moderator (Fonki Samuel) and the two  Synod Clerks (Rev Babila George Fochang and Rev Miki Hands Abia), have been from the Northwest Region. And now, it is the turn of Northwest Region to occupy the office of Moderator of the PCC. The Southwest Region will have to wait for another 10 years to occupy the post of Moderator.

By Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)

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