Presbyterian World Mission supports work-scholarship programs that simultaneously provide affordable access to secondary education, while putting to use available land at rural schools so long-lasting orchards can be prepared for future sustainability. This helps balance declining Cameroon government subsidies for education, which has left parents with increased school tuition bills that they can’t afford. Our church partners deeply value education, and we support their work. We also support the training of pastors as well as lay church leaders who often take the lead on rural new church development. Presbyterian World Mission has worked in Cameroon since 1875.
Cameroon
As Regional Liaison for Central Africa, Jeff Boyd facilitates support for the relationships, programs and activities of our partners in Cameroon. He also accompanies congregation and presbytery partnerships. Having lived 13 years in Cameroon, Jeff is now based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and travels frequently to Cameroon. See the profile page for Jeff and Christi Boyd for more information.
Presbyterian World Mission works in partnership with the Cameroonian Presbyterian Church, and the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon. We also are in partnership the Protestant University of Central Africa, where many church leaders in this region have been trained. Through the Joining Hands Initiative of the Presbyterian Hunger Program the Presbyterian Church (USA) also relates to the Network in the Fight Against Hunger.
Cameroonian Presbyterian Church (Eglise Presbytérienne Camerounaise- EPC)
Our history with the EPC goes back to American Presbyterian missionaries coming north from Gabon and Spanish Guinea. Presbyterian mission stations were concentrated in the South, Central and East regions, but have spread increasingly to other parts of the country. Today, the EPC’s work is heavily focused around the three pillars often cited from the early years of the church: evangelism, health, and education. When the church gained autonomy in 1957 there were 69,000 members with 79 ordained Cameroonian pastors. Today there is an estimated 200,000 members, 500 congregations and 450 pastors. The EPC operates 7 hospitals, over 50 schools, 2 theological institutes and a university.
Presbyterian Church in Cameroon
During the past 110 years, the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon has grown into a dynamic autonomous church with which the Presbyterian World Mission also relates. The church is well-known for its well-run high schools and hospitals. The church is combating the spread of HIV/AIDS as well as the stigma society puts on those living with AIDS. The PCC operates 4 hospitals, 22 health centers, and 230 schools, a theological school and university. PCC youth, women and men’s movements are organized from the congregation, to the presbytery and national levels.
Protestant University of Central Africa (Université Protestant d’Afrique Centrale – UPAC)
In 1962, in recognition of the growing need for sound theological education in the region, 10 denominational leaders started the Protestant Faculty of Theology in Yaounde. The leaders were from Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon and Congo. Evolving into a university, UPAC now provides an education in the following disciplines: Theology, Social Sciences and International Relations, Information Technology and Communications, and Health Sciences. Many Presbyterian Church leaders in Central Africa have been trained at the theological faculty in Yaounde.
Network in the Fight Against Hunger (Reseau de Lutte contre la Faim – RELUFA)
Begun in 2000 as part of the Joining Hands initiative of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, RELUFA formed as network connecting diverse non-governmental organizations and church organizations. The goal is to identify and address root causes of hunger and poverty, recognizing there is often a global component to such issues. Programs include campaigning against land grab practices and trade injustice, supporting community-managed grain banks to combat seasonal hunger and deepening cycles of debt, and campaigning for transparency in the extractive industries so civil society can better hold the government accountable.
Jeff Boyd jeff.boyd@pcusa.org
- Please support mission coworkers Jeff and Christi Boyd. Individuals can give to E200314, and congregations to D506075.
- As part of the PC(USA) campaign to provide quality education for one million children by the year 2020, please support work-scholarship programs in EPC schools to help students get an education today, and to provide a sound economic base for the schools’ operations in the next several decades. Students helping to plant and care for palm and cocoa plantations will be compensated with tuition payments. The plantations can produce for 20-30 years, allowing the schools to pay teacher salaries, thus lowering the burden on families of students. Gifts can be made to E051835 Education in Central Africa.
- Support efforts to combat spread of HIV/AIDS in the younger generation and help the church combat stigmatization of people living with AIDS. Gifts can be made to E864103 Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC)
- Develop relationship of prayer and mutual learning and dialog between your congregation or presbytery and one in Cameroon. For help in identifying a partner, or with questions about a relationship based on mutuality, please contact Regional Liaison Jeff Boyd.
- Consider helping to form a mission network for Cameroon so that through mutual encouragement and collaboration the impact of our engagement can be multiplied. To explore this please contact Regional Liaison Jeff Boyd.