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Yambasu, John

1957-2020
Methodist
Sierra Leone

Born in southern Sierra Leone in 1957, John Yambasu was raised as a Christian, attending United Methodist mission schools in his youth and continuing his education at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. After his graduation, he served churches in Moyamba and Freetown, being ordained as a deacon in 1987 and as an elder in 1990. He then began his career as an educator, teaching at the Methodist division of the Harford School for Girls in Moyamba, later moving on to become the Sierra Leone Conference’s director for Christian education and youth ministries. [1] Yambasu founded the Child Rescue Centre in Sierra Leone, serving as the executive director until becoming a regional missionary in 2000. Bishop Yambasu was the newly elected Chancellor of Africa University and served as the president of the Africa College of Bishops of the United Methodist Church.

In 2008, he was elected as a bishop in The United Methodist Church (UMC) and installed in 2009. During his time as a bishop, he took on a variety of roles that made him a prominent leader for both his country and his church. During the Ebola outbreak that killed more than 11,000 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, he led the church and the Inter-Religious Task Force on Ebola, calling together a meeting of religious leaders to discuss actions that the churches could take. Yambasu was known to be fearless, as Smart Senesie, the conference director of Missions and Development remembers him, “He would speak the truth even in difficult situations. He feared no one.”[2]

He is fondly remembered for the helping hand he lent to a Muslim community that was suffering through a Malaria epidemic. Although there was no United Methodist Church in their area, Bishop Yambasu committed to bringing the resources of the UMC to help those who were losing their lives and family members. [3] He reached out to the leader of the Muslim community beforehand to avoid any conflict and get permission to bring the aid of the UMC to the area. In his continued efforts to fight Malaria, Yambasu played a great role in establishing the Imagine No Malaria (INM) campaign through the UMC. The Church officially joined the global effort against malaria in 2010, defining INM as the Church’s effort to address malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa, officially launching a $75 million fundraising campaign, and partnering with the Global Fund. [4] Following the death of Bishop Alfred J. Ndoricimpa in 2005, the United Methodist Church in Burundi operated with two centers of power that soon proved to be ineffective. After twelve years of division, Yambasu spoke in favor of reconciliation in the Church at an annual conference saying that there was no place for tribalism in a church that operates better when it is unified. [5] The church in Burundi reunified and each involved party kept their commitments to the promise of unity, allowing the church to heal together. In the summer of 2019, Bishop Yambasu invited five people from three constituencies within the UMC to meet in Chicago, Illinois to discuss ideas for the future of the UMC and the navigation of ongoing conflicts. [6] Following several disagteements about the decades of division within the UMC in regards to social issues such as same-sex marriage and gay clergy, Yambasu’s meeting brought together key leaders from all sides to create a proposal that would be voted on by a larger group in August 2021. Yambasu strongly believed that the outcome of their efforts would be decided by God, and regardless of the efforts of the Church, God would lead his Church to where he so desires. [7] Bishop Yambasu passed away on August 16th of 2020 in a car accident on his way to attend the funeral service of Rev. Edward Kamara. Witnesses to the accident reported that the driver of an oncoming vehicle lost control and collided head-on with the bishop’s car outside Freetown, Sierra Leone. He is missed and remembered by many as a great visionary leader and fighter for the church. Bishop Yambasu is survived by his wife, Millicent, and their six children; Rebecca, Adima, John, Emmanuel, Elizabeth, and Janet.

Grace Ramey

Notes:

  1. Mulenga, Maidstone, Bishop John Yambasu of Sierra Leone dies in road accident; he was also chancellor of Africa University (Council of Bishops, August 2020) https://www.unitedmethodistbishops.org/newsdetail/bishop-john-yambasu-of-sierra-leone-dies-in-road-accident-14155464 (Accessed Dec 9, 2020)

  2. Gilbert, Kathy L., Bishop John Yambasu of Sierra Leone dies at 63 (UM News, 2020). https://bit.ly/3m2Skej (Accessed Dec. 9, 2020).

  3. Carcaño, Minerva G., Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño remembers bridge builder Bishop John K. Yambasu (California-Nevada Conference). https://www.cnumc.org/newsdetails/bishop-minerva-g-carca-o-remembers-bridge-builder-bishop-john-k-yambasu-14155495 (Accessed Dec 9, 2020)

  4. Imagine No Malaria Campaign (United Methodist Communications). http://www.umcom.org/imagine-no-malaria (Accessed Dec 9, 2020)

  5. Mudambanuki, Tafadzwa, United Methodists celebrate unity in Burundi (UM News) https://www.umnews.org/en/news/united-methodists-celebrate-unity-in-burundi (Accessed Dec. 9, 2020)

  6. Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation FAQ (UM News, January, 2020) https://www.umnews.org/en/news/protocol-of-reconciliation-and-grace-through-separation-faq (Accessed Dec 9, 2020)

  7. Steele, Jeremy, Died: John K. Yambasu, Methodist Bridge-Builder and African Leader (Christianity Today, August 2020). https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/august/bishop-john-yambasu-dies-sierra-leone-umc-africa-protocol.html (Accessed Dec. 9, 2020)

Bibliography:

Carcaño, Minerva G., Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño remembers bridge builder Bishop John K. Yambasu (California-Nevada Conference). https://www.cnumc.org/newsdetails/bishop-minerva-g-carca-o-remembers-bridgebuilder-bishop-john-k-yambasu-14155495- (Accessed Dec 9, 2020)

Gilbert, Kathy L., Bishop John Yambasu of Sierra Leone dies at 63 (UM News, 2020). https://bit.ly/3m2Skej (Accessed Dec. 9, 2020).

Imagine No Malaria Campaign (United Methodist Communications). http://www.umcom.org/imagine-no-malaria (Accessed Dec 9, 2020)

Mudambanuki, Tafadzwa, United Methodists celebrate unity in Burundi (UM News) https://www.umnews.org/en/news/united-methodists-celebrate-unity-in-burundi (Accessed Dec. 9, 2020)

Mulenga, Maidstone, Bishop John Yambasu of Sierra Leone dies in road accident; he was also chancellor of Africa University (Council of Bishops, August 2020) https://www.unitedmethodistbishops.org/newsdetail/bishop-john-yambasu-of-sierra-leone-dies-in-road-accident-14155464 (Accessed Dec 9, 2020)

Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation FAQ (UM News, January, 2020) https://www.umnews.org/en/news/protocol-of-reconciliation-and-grace-through-separation-faq (Accessed Dec 9, 2020)

Steele, Jeremy, Died: John K. Yambasu, Methodist Bridge-Builder and African Leader (Christianity Today, August 2020). https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/august/bishop-john-yambasu-dies-sierra-leone-umc-africa-protocol.html (Accessed Dec. 9, 2020)

This article, received in 2020, was researched and written by Grace Ramey, an undergraduate research assistant from the Boston University Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). She completed her work under the supervision of Dr. Michele Sigg, Executive Director of the DACB.