Our Newest Congregation: Ordination and Organisation in The Gambia

From the 5th-15th May, Rev. Peter Loughridge and Rev. Stephen McCollum were in The Gambia representing the Scottish Presbytery. The purpose of their trip was to ordain Mr Sylvester Konteh as a minister within the RPCS and to organise Brikama RPCS.

During their time there they also were able to participate in the various activities of the church. Daniel Moore, a member of Lisburn RPCI, is currently doing Short Term Service with the church in The Gambia. During his time there the church began a Kids Club on the Saturday, and a Catechism Class on the Lord’s Day morning.

Brikama RPC meets in a covered veranda attached to the house in a family compound where one of the congregation lives. The children in the congregation will sit under the mango tree by the veranda. Because the property is used by others in the family compound later in the day, they are only able to have a morning service. Presbytery has purchased a piece of land off a main road in Brikama, and the hope is to build a church and manse on that property. The first Lord’s Day that Stephen and Peter were there, there were around 60 in attendance.

Sylvester’s wife, Johnette, runs a primary school on their property with 150 children attending. Most of the children are Muslim or Roman Catholic. Peter was able to teach one of their classes on Christian Religious Knowledge during the week. Of the 8 teachers for the school, three are Roman Catholic. On Friday afternoons the teachers have a Bible study together, and Stephen and Peter helped lead that when they were there. As part of the organisation of the church, four adults were going to be baptised, and the Lord’s Day following the organisation service, 14 children were going to be baptised. So, Stephen and Peter met with those being baptised and their parents to explain more to them about what baptism is and the vows they would be taking. Every week people in the church will do evangelistic work – visiting people in their homes and seeking to tell them the Gospel. On Fridays the church has an evangelistic outreach in the neighbouring village of Kabakel. The Friday that Stephen and Peter were there 100 children showed up, so they took the children outside and did an impromptu Kids Club with them while the others had a Bible study inside. They taught them a Psalm, Bible verse, and story.

On Saturday the 13th was the ordination and organisation service. Sylvester Konteh was ordained as a minister in the RPCS, four adults were baptised, the members took their vows of membership, and the church was organised as Brikama RPCS. Rev. Donald Macdonald, Rev. Stephen McCollum, and Rev. Stephen Steele are interim elders on the Session. On the following Lord’s Day, 14 children were baptised. You can watch the ordination and organisation service by clicking on the video below.

Give thanks for all that God has done in The Gambia, and please pray for this new RP congregation in Africa.