Blazing a trail with First Black leader of a Major Irish Church
The Methodist Church in Ireland will make history this week when the Rev. Dr. Sahr Yambasu becomes the first national leader of colour in one of Ireland's four main churches as he is installed as MCI President at their annual conference.
The installation will be held at the Agape Centre on Lisburn Road, Belfast at 7:30pm on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, and comes as the conference is held virtually for the second year in a row.
Dr. Yambasu was born in Sierra Leone in 1957 and trained as a minister in Ireland. His wife Clodagh Yambasu (nee McCormack) is a daughter of a prominent Methodist family in Longford and is now also a minister within the Methodist Church in Ireland. They returned to Sierra Leone after their marriage, but came back to Ireland in 1995 owing to civil war. Dr. Yambasu ministers in Waterford, while his wife oversees a parish in Birr, County Offaly.
Dr. Yambasu has chosen as his theme for his year of office "People First, Under God" - a message of social equality underpinned by Christian love.
Speaking ahead of his installation, he said:
"The Bible tells us, in its very first chapter, that all human beings are created in the image of God. That means all human beings are created equal, with the same innate exalted dignity, worth and sanctity of soul. Accordingly, no human being is more human than another because of their colour, nationality, gender, social, economic and religious status, intellect, education or accomplishments.
"As a church, we are often more exercised about the shade of paint on a church wall, what doctrines we teach, what denomination we belong to, what interpretation is correct or wrong than we are with the value and equality of every human being.
"The Black Lives Matter movement, the rise in popularity of right wing thinking and groups, the hostile attitude towards migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and Muslims, the continuing disparity in pay and awarding of leadership roles between men and women and the rampant discrimination and racism in the workplace and beyond point, among other things, to the fact that some human beings are not recognised, respected and valued in the same way as other human beings.
"If by the end of my Presidential year, people begin to think a little bit more about these themes in the light of their calling to follow Christ, I will consider it a success."
In his inaugural address, Dr. Yambasu will reflect on the example of the late Senator Gordon Wilson's message of forgiveness after losing his daughter Marie in the Enniskillen bomb of 1987.
He will say: "[Gordon] decided to make a name for God rather than himself. He embraced the sacrificial way of God in Christ, who has not given up on people to fulfil their calling to be signs of God's grace on earth. Gordon helped me see how, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, people are enabled to relate to other people as God would."
"So let me ask you - what would our church look like if she works for the healing of divided nations and peoples; if she only thinks, desires and does things that glorified God, her Father; if she only speaks words God gives her to speak to heal the wounded, broken and scarred hearts and lives.
"Let me put it another way - what would our church look like if our primary concern was with the welfare of people and not colour, social class or cultural and religious background, nor nationality or gender, liturgy or dogma, policy or governance, theology or denomination, property or party political affiliation?"