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GREAT THANKSGIVING AND
DESCENDANT'S DAY CELEBRATIONS IN FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE
by Helen C. Broadus
 During
my visit to the Mountain and Creole Villages up above
Freetown, in Sierra Leone I came upon a unique story that I
wish to share with my fellow travelers to West Africa. St.
Charles Methodist Church located in the Village of Regent is
the oldest stone church in Sub-Saharan Africa and the third
oldest church in the whole of Africa. Its foundation stone
was laid in 1809 and its construction was completed in 1816.
It is a majestically constructed edifice perched on a hill,
once described by the late Canon S. S. Williams as, "the
Mount Zion of Sierra Leone" overlooking the beautiful
Village of Regent.
It was Rev. W. A. B. Johnson, the
first C.M.S. Missionary sent to that part of Sierra Leone
that was very instrumental in converting the resettled
American slaves as Christian men and women. He witnessed
the completion of the edifice in 1816 and throughout his
service to the people, he saw the congregation grow from
nine to several hundreds. He was regarded as the "Apostle
of Regent" and died in 1823. St. Charles Methodist Church
was named after Lt. Col. Sir Charles Marcarthy, a Roman
Catholic, who became Governor of the Sierra Leone Settlement
in 1814. He was very much interested in the welfare of the
villagers and followed the growth of Christianity among
them. He was impressed by their spiritual devotion and
therefore gave a lot of support to Rev. W. A. B. Johnson and
the congregation. It was in recognition of and appreciation
for his support for the church at Regent that the church was
renamed after him.
Since 1816, St. Charles Methodist
Church has undergone several renovations and minor
extensions. The first was in 1821 when the church was
extended westwards and a gallery was added to it. In 1913
renovation work was initiated by Rev. N. H. Boston, in
preparation for the Centenary Celebration of the church.
The third renovation work was done in 1932 during the
incumbency of Canon A. E. Williams. The slate roof of the
church was completely removed and replaced. Major
extensions were also made to the Vicar's Vestry in 1956,
converting it into an organ chamber to accommodate part of
the church pipe organ which was the largest pipe organ in
Sierra Leone. In February 1998, during the fight for the
liberation of Freetown from the AFRC and Rebels, the church
was badly damaged. Through the combined effort of the
parishioners and support from the diocese, the Sierra Leone
government and other churches abroad, repairs were made to
the damages. Under the incumbency of Canon A. E. Nichol,
the church was rededicated on June 28, 1998. Since the
birth of the church in 1816, twenty-four vicars have served
in it and the present Vicar, Rev. F. T. C. Randall is the
twenty-fifth.
Great Thanksgiving and Descendant's
Day is a period celebrated during the months of November and
December when Sierra Leonean families from around the
country and in North America return home to Sierra Leone in
order to reunite with each other and give thanks for their
blessings. This family tradition has enabled many
African-Americans, particularly from South Carolina and
Georgia, to find their ancestral roots in Sierra Leone.
Hopefully, now that the ten years of civil unrest are over
and true democracy has been restored to the people of Sierra
Leone many more African-Americans will return to their roots
in Sierra Leone. A very special Bi-Centennial Anniversary
program is also being planned for 2016. To learn more about
Great Thanksgiving and Descendant's Day Celebrations in
Sierra Leone please contact Helen C. Broadus, President of
Venue International Professionals, Inc. (VIP), at (301)
856-9188.
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