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Cameroonian Christians Leave COVID-19-Doubting Churches

Moki Edwin Kindzeka

   YAOUNDE - Christians have left Cameroonian churches that claim COVID-19
   does not exist. The defecting Christians say they saw some who obeyed
   church instructions to ignore barrier measures infected or dying from
   the virus. Christians are being accepted into other congregations.

   This song "When God Speaks" blasts through loudspeakers at Winners
   Chapel, a popular church in the Fouda neighborhood in Cameroon's
   capital, Yaoundé. The song, by the Nigerian gospel singer Frank
   Ugochukwu Edwards, is played to welcome 23 new members.

   Among them is 37-year-old Annabella Tabot. Tabot says she left the
   Tabernacles of Freedoms Ministries because her pastor deceived them,
   saying that COVID-19 did not exist. Tabot says the pastor asked her
   60-year-old husband not to go to the hospital and was instead praying
   for healing from evil spirits.

   "His health condition kept on deteriorating and he finally died.
   Luckily the government came in and isolated him and the other family
   members were not contaminated," she said.

   In August, Cameroon's government closed Tabernacles of Freedoms
   Ministries for preaching that COVID-19 is a hoax. Many of its 300
   members defied government orders and kept worshiping in front of the
   closed church.

   Tabot said more than 100 members left the church when her sick husband
   died, shortly after he was suspected of having COVID-19 and forced to
   go to the hospital by the government.

   The Association of Pentecostal Churches in Yaoundé reported that at
   least 270 Christians left from six churches that preached against the
   existence of COVID-19. Protus Ngala, pastor of Redemption Ministries
   says 11 of his followers left.

   "I have gone to some of the people," he said. "I made some
   questionnaires and passed them over to the church [remaining members]
   to try to know what needs to be adjusted. I try to do all of those
   things to make sure that I am a better leader. I understand that I also
   could be defective."

   Ngala said he has always believed that COVID-19 exists but thought it
   could be treated through prayer and fasting.

   Governor Naserie Paul Bea of Cameroon's Center region says the
   Christians are changing churches after a rigorous campaign he led to
   educate the public on the dangers of COVID-19. He says churches that do
   not respect barrier measures to protect against the virus will be
   punished.

   "We need to limit the activities of some of these groups," he said. "We
   cannot be in a state that is saying one thing and another person is
   preaching another thing. The [churches] are there to be a relay, not
   only of the government but equally to teach the people what the Bible
   says."

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