en received a report from a pastor in Cameroon, requesting prayer for him as he leads his church and the wider denomination to which he belongs, in what is becoming an increasingly insecure situation in a country which is feeling the effects of the spread of Boko Haram.
The church denomination, the Union of Evangelical Churches in Cameroon (UECC), has around 600 congregations and 500 to 600 pastors or evangelists and Pastor Lambert has become the president. The support to this group from overseas missionaries has gone, as they were all called back to Switzerland or Germany due to the security problems.
Empty churches
Boko Haram began hiding over the border in Cameroon when the Nigerian army began to deal with them. Then they began some attacks, kidnappings of tourists and missionaries in Cameroon, and so the Cameroonian government decided to fight Boko Haram, which led to a sort of war. Consequently, all the villagers sharing the border with Nigeria had to run away, leaving their houses, cows, sheep and farms. Many houses and churches were burned. Some people were slaughtered. Now there are about 20 churches where people do not celebrate services because of fear. The last attack was in a market place where 25 people were killed with guns, including the child of a pastor. In short, the situation is critical and famine is unavoidable for the next years as the people have left their farms. However, we thank God for a break in the violence and a return to a calmer situation.