The General Session or national Bible conference of the Cameroon Baptist Convention that holds every four years begins in First Baptist Church, Ndu in Donga Mantung Division of the North West Region tomorrow March 27, 2012.
According to the spiritual head or General Secretary of the CBC, Rev. Donald Ndichafah, highlights of the event include Bible teaching, finalisation of work on a new constitution to replace the transitional one currently in use. There will also be elections of new national officials at this year’s event that is expected to be attended by about 3,000 participants. Rev. Jones Ndzi of Trinity Baptist Church, Douala will teach on the theme, "Living according to the timeline of Jesus Christ" from Matthew 24:1-3.
Founded in 1954, the CBC is a living fellowship of churches growing in grace, strengthening one another in faith, and working together in obedience to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission of Jesus Christ through worship, preaching, teaching, healing, and social ministries. The Convention comprises 28 administrative units, three missionary areas and 876 full-fledged or ‘organised’ churches with a membership of over 100,000 registered Christians.
It also runs many schools and colleges with Joseph Merrick Baptist College, JMBC Ndu, Saker Baptist College, Limbe and Baptist High School, Buea being among some of the best in the country. It also boasts several hospitals such as Banso Baptist Hospital in Kumbo, Mbingo Baptist in Mbingo and Baptist Hospital in Mutengene. To achieve her mission of ministering to the whole person, the Cameroon Baptist Convention operates the Evangelism and Missions, Christian Education, Education, Health, and Finance and Development Departments.
Baptist missionaries were the first to bring the gospel to Cameroon way back in 1841 when two Jamaican missionaries, John Clarks and George Prince arrived in Bimbia near Limbe in the South West Region from Fernando Po in Equatorial Guinea to acquaint themselves with the land. Two years later in 1843, Joseph Merrick, the first missionary to settle in Cameroon, opened the Bimbia Mission Station and started an elementary school and printing press.
