Cameroon Hymnal Initiative

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Cameroon?

Cameroon is in west/central Africa on the Atlantic coast. It is bordered by Nigeria on the east, Chad on the north, the Central African Republic and The Republic of the Congo on the east, and Gabon and Equatorial Guinea on the south. It is the size of California and the shape of Idaho. It is semi-arid in the north, savannah in the central region, and rain forest in the south. There are about 16 million residents. About 40% are Christians. There have been Christians in Cameroon for over 150 years. The nation is officially bi–lingual (French and English), though there are over 250 local languages.

Why does it need a hymnal?

The United Methodist Mission in Cameroon is developing its plan for reaching people for Christ and spreading scriptural holiness through the country. Singing has always been an important part of the witness of Methodist Christians. Since this hymnal will be bi-lingual, we hope it will aid in the attempt to unify people from all over the nation.

How did you get involved?

In January of 2005, I was invited by Dr. Wesley Magruder, mission director for Cameroon from 2004-08, to help assess what it would take to create a hymnal. Because my appointment within the United Methodist Church is to an itinerant music ministry, I had the flexibility and freedom to say ‘yes’ to the invitation. I had been to Africa once before, traveling to South Africa in 2000. I had some training in French, but not enough to be truly conversational.

Dr. Magruder with a group of seminary students

Throughout the Bible and the chronicles of Christian history we hear that God calls people to ministry tasks before they are actually equipped to do them. I am one among that host of people!

What happened first?

I traveled to Cameroon in August 2005, spending a month with the Magruder family and traveling with Wes. We visited several cities and towns and I heard many choirs and congregations. I was simply trying to assess what the predominant musical realities were in Cameroon.

Since then, I have traveled to Cameroon four more times. With each trip, I sought God’s help in discovering a group of people who could help shape the future of Cameroon Methodism by helping the shape the hymnal/worship book.

How did the UMC come to Cameroon?

In the 1960’s, a young Cameroonian man named Victor Ayuk received a scholarship to attend Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He arrived in Grand Rapids on a Saturday, and looked for a church to attend on his first Sunday in America. The closest church was a United Methodist Church, and the people of that church made Victor feel welcome in his new home. On that Sunday, God planted a dream in Victor Ayuk to bring Methodism to Cameroon. In 2000, after negotiations with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, a mission was planted.

What is the current condition of the nation? the church?

Cameroon, like most nations, is a study in contrasts. It is a nation of incredible natural resources. There is plenty of food and plenty of energy. But government corruption has assured that the average Cameroonian does not benefit from that natural abundance. Both the United States and the People’s Republic of China seek the oil that lies beneath the land, and European interests harvest more and more of the rain forest each year. There have been outbursts of violence early in 2008. Because of that violence, the General Board of Global Ministries decided to bring the Magruder family home early in 2008.

The United Methodist Mission has 20 churches, half Francophone (French speaking), and half Anglophone (English speaking). The turbulence in early 2008 has led to a time of re-evaluation of the entire mission, but the hope is that a mission director will return in the summer of 2008.

What are the next steps on the project?

There is some uncertainty about how the hymnal project will be brought to completion, but no uncertainty about God’s intention to work powerfully through the worship that will be enabled by this book. We are confident that God has a plan for bold future. So, editorial work continues.

What kind of book will it be?

The contents will include:

-services of Holy Communion and Baptism

-basic prayers and creeds

-20 beloved psalms

-a bilingual section of hymns, songs and choruses from around the world

-hymns and choruses that are favorites in either the Francophone region or the Anglophone region

Who are the people involved?

(l. to r.) Ruby Fomusi, Thérèse Nomo, David Sen, John Thornburg, Alexis Godonou, Solomon Mbwoge and Christian Ntondele.

The editorial team consists of two pastors, David Sen and Solomon Mbwoge, and two musicians, Thérèse Nomo and Alexis Godonou. In the final stages of the editorial process, we were joined by two additional musicians, Ruby Fomusi and Christian Ntondele.