Ministering Unconditionally to Uprooted Peoples

By S. Tilewa Johnson

“[A]n angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, ‘Get up,' he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.' So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.” (Matthew 2:13-15)

Whilst still a small baby, Jesus became a refugee. Jesus, his mother, Mary, and Joseph had the experience of being dispossessed and marginalized as aliens in a foreign land. The immediacy of their departure is striking. The angel instructs Joseph to “get up . . . take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. So he got up . . .” immediately. They no doubt collected a few belongings. However, was there time to say farewell to loved ones? That is very doubtful.

Like the Holy Family, the stories we hear from refugees reflect the “immediacy” of their departure. If, for example, they are working in the fields when an attack comes, there is often no time to return to their house, or even to find close relatives, such as one's wife, husband or children.

Like the Holy Family, the stories we hear from refugees reflect the “immediacy” of their departure. If, for example, they are working in the fields when an attack comes, there is often no time to return to their house, or even to find close relatives, such as one's wife, husband or children. Very often families are fragmented when the violence of war enters their lives and they are forced to flee to save those lives.

The Anglican Mission Development Ministries (AMDM) is the development arm of the Anglican Diocese of Gambia, and a registered national NGO (non-governmental organization). The development plan for the Diocese of Gambia can be encapsulated in a single phrase: “Aiming to strike a reasonable balance between evangelism and social responsibility.” AMDM is largely responsible for projects of social responsibility conducted by the diocese, although parishes also participate in social outreach to the surrounding community.

AMDM was registered as a national NGO in 1991. Even prior to that, the Anglican Church had undertaken social outreach as part of its ministry. The formation of AMDM, however, formalized our intent on a ministry of social action, as well as the evangelical mission of the church.

As early as 1989 we had begun to become involved in a ministry to uprooted peoples. This began with the arrival of refugees from Liberia. The Bishop of Gambia chaired the committee that coordinated assistance to them. In 1993, our ministry extended to a programme of assistance to refugees from Cassamance; in 1998, refugees from Guinea Bissau were included; and in more recent years the ministry has mainly been to refugees from Sierra Leone. We have operated as an implementing partner to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and a partner to the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC).

We have attempted to offer holistic assistance to the population of uprooted people to whom we minister, catering for body, mind and spirit. This includes provision for food, shelter, water supply, sanitation, education, agriculture, and income generation activities. The most recent refugee settlement that we administered was near Basse, at the eastern end of the country. The major faiths in that settlement were Muslim and Christian. There was a resident imam and a mosque at the camp. Christians were assisted with transport to town churches, and bible studies were held in the camp. We also provided a counseling service in an attempt to help people come to terms with the traumas they had suffered, and to move forward to rebuild their lives. We feel that skill training is an important and effective way to help people to support themselves in both host and home countries. It can encourage a positive outlook, and promote dignity for those concerned.

The population of The Gambia is predominantly Muslim (95 per cent). There are a large number of aid and development agencies, including many NGOs – both national and international. In our ministry to uprooted peoples we work alongside other institutions – governmental, non-governmental and international – and people of other faiths. We all have a common purpose to provide for the needs of the refugees, and to assist their community to be able to live peacefully in their host country. There are many challenges. There are achievements, but there can also be times of frustration. It is a difficult ministry. We are working with a transitory population that has suffered deep trauma. 

As well as providing for the needs of the uprooted, it is important also to remember the situation of their host country. It is good if assistance can benefit both refugee and host populations – such as equipment for a local school to help them cater for the increased population of refugee children. Refugees have rights (i.e., the right to protection, etc.). They also have responsibilities. The latter include keeping the laws of their host nation, and living in peace with local communities. African people have a tremendous sense of hospitality, and, when refugees arrive in The Gambia after their flight from conflict, it is the local people who first provide for them. Remember, the local people can be poor themselves, but are willing to share what little they have. Maybe, as Africans, we all know that any one of us could one day be a refugee. There, but the grace of God, could go any one of us!

We do not minister to refugees because of their faith or nationality; or because of their social or economic backgrounds; or because they are nice people and will show us gratitude for what we do. We minister – unconditionally – to refugees because they have suffered injustice and great loss. We minister to them because their lives are sacred and they have a right to protection and a better life.

Our ministry to uprooted peoples has become an important part of our overall ministry as church. To offer assistance to those in need is central to our being Christian. Jesus Christ was very clear on this. In Matthew's Gospel (chapter 25), Jesus identifies himself totally with those in need. He refers to those who are hungry, those who are thirsty, those without clothes, those who are sick, those who are in prison, and the stranger. In each case Jesus states that, when we minister to those in need, we minister to him; and, when we neglect those in need, we neglect him.

“I was a stranger and you invited me in . . .” (Matthew 25:35)

“I was a stranger and you did not invite me in . . .”(Matthew 25:43)

It is as simple, and as awesome, as that.  If we call ourselves Christian, we are compelled to respond.

Our faith – as Christians – is an incarnational faith. Our almighty and all-knowing God took the form of a man – Jesus – to live among us. Whilst here on earth, Jesus knew what it is to be human. We have an ever-abiding comfort in the knowledge that God, in Jesus, understands what we are going through because he has been through it himself. From the start, he suffered marginalisation as a refugee. He suffered injustice, betrayal and rejection. He suffered physical and mental torture to the extreme limits, as he was condemned to death and crucified.

We do not minister to refugees because of their faith or nationality; or because of their social or economic backgrounds; or because they are nice people and will show us gratitude for what we do. We minister – unconditionally – to refugees because they have suffered injustice and great loss. We minister to them because their lives are sacred and they have a right to protection and a better life. We minister to them because Jesus accepted all their pain and sorrows in his own body, and, as we minister to them, we minister to him. We believe that, through such a ministry, we are co-workers with God in building his kingdom of justice and peace here on earth. We pray that all we do may be to his honour and glory.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. S. Tilewa Johnson is the Anglican Bishop of Gambia and executive director of Anglican Mission Development Ministries (AMDM). He may be reached by email at stilewaj@hotmail.com .