Brief History of SLEFES

The Fourah Bay College was among the very few and small Universities that existed in Africa by the year 1955. There were liberal students groups in some of these Institutions but hardly any Evangelical Christian Unions anywhere.

The start of an Evangelical student group on Fourah Bay Campus – as with other African Universities – was born out of the vision of some members of the Inter-varsity overseas Fellowship, which was started by some eight British graduates serving abroad in 1938. The vision of this group was to mobilize British Inter-varsity Fellowship (IVF) graduates, not only to teach in Africa but also to open their homes to African Students for Bible Study and fellowship. Another aspect of this vision was to reach the large number of African Students studying in Britain then. As this vision bears fruit, African Students who have been influenced by the witness on British lecturers, started seeking permission from University authorities to start Evangelical Christian Movements on their Campuses. Despite oppositions from liberal University authorities, these groups grew in strength.

Mr. Tony Wilmot, one of the founding members of the Inter-varsity overseas fellowship who was then serving in Africa, saw the need for consolidated evangelical witness and with the help of the IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students), he visited every English speaking University in Africa towards the end of 1955. Impressed by their openness to the gospel and concern for fellowship and united witness among African Students, Mr. Wilmot strongly recommended the formation of the PAN African Fellowship of Evangelical Students (PAFES).

The group at Fourah Bay College became affiliated to PAFES as soon as it was formed in 1958. A University mission conducted by Rev. John Stott on Fourah Bay Campus in 1962 further strengthened the group. Hence the group at Fourah Bay was among those represented at the first PAFES Conference in Winneba, Ghana in 1962. After that, Annual Conferences were held in turns in Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone. As the first elected committee took over the affairs of PAFES, Prof. Daniel Jonah of Sierra Leone became the first African Chairman.

With the help of PAFES staff like David Gitari (first full time General Secretary of PAFES) and Gootfried Oseh-Mensah (first traveling Secretary for Ghana and West Africa), autonomous National Movements soon emerged – in Ghana (1966) and Nigeria (1968). The need for such movements and their growth were accelerated by the increase in Tertiary Institutions in these Countries.

The situation in Sierra Leone was quite different. Fourah Bay College remained the only University College in the country until the establishment of Njala University College in 1960. This was followed by the Milton Margai Teachers College a few years later. Towards the end of the sixties and early seventies, the Ghana Fellowship of Evangelical Students (GHAFES) and Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES) has developed very rapidly and appointed full time staff for each country. The fellowships in Sierra Leone and Liberia were not as strong as Nigeria and Ghana at this stage. As late as the mid-seventies, PAFES Annual Conferences were organized for Christian students in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Training Secretaries from Ghana and Nigeria not only served as main Speakers at these Conferences but also visited and ministered to students in Sierra Leone and Liberia on fairly regular basis. Mr. T.B.Dankwa of Ghana was one of the earliest of such visitors. Mr. Kola Ejiwunini of Nigeria was the main Speaker at the PAFES Sierra Leone – Liberia Conference at Kenema, in Sierra Leone in 1977. Although their visits were not very frequent, the brethren from Ghana and Nigeria helped greatly in creating the awareness and imparting the vision for a National Movement in Sierra Leone and Liberia. With the encouragement of Mr. T.B. Dankwa, a Graduate Fellowship was formed in Sierra Leone in 1977, which aimed at providing a support base for the first National Staff.

Encouraged by example from Ghana and Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia jointly appointed Mlen-too Wesley (a graduate of the University of Liberia) as the first Traveling Secretary for the two countries in 1979. One of the major goals of Mlen-too Wesley was to see the establishment of separate National movements in the two countries.

Wesley’s dream became a reality when students from Fourah Bay College, Njala University College, the Sierra Leone Bible College and Milton Margai Teachers College met at Fourah Bay College on the 31^st of January 1981 to inaugurate the Sierra Leone Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Derick Max- Macarthy (then president of (B.S.U) was elected the first Student General Committee (SGC) Chairman. A committee was appointed to draft a constitution, which the students adopted on 30^th October 1982, at a meeting held on the Milton Margai Campus.

Such a bold initiative by students put to flight the fears, hesitations and Lethargy, which the graduates had entertained concerning the appointment of a fulltime staff. The Graduate Fellowship took the challenge and appointed a Senior Advisory Board in 1982. Rev. Emerson Thomas was appointed first Chairman of the Board. They worked closely with the Graduate Fellowship towards the appointment of a full time Traveling Secretary.

By the end of Mlen-Too Wesley’s three years term in 1982, 3 Associate Traveling Secretaries Musa Jambawai, Ken Kawa (Graduates of VCU-Njala) and David Musa (Graduate of B.S.U – F.B.C) were appointed to work with students in Sierra Leone until the appointment of a fulltime staff. On the first of September 1982, the Senior Board then headed by Prof. Daniel Jonah, appointed David Musa as the first full time Traveling Secretary for SLEFES. By this time, the Nurses Christian Fellowship has also become affiliated to SLEFES. With the appointment of a fulltime staff, an office was established in the Freetown Youth Center. In July 1982, David Musa represented SLEFES at the quadrennial General Committee of IFES in England. At this meeting, SLEFES was accepted as an affiliate member of IFES (i.e. – an autonomous national movement within the IFES family.

At the joint PAFES conference in July 1984 held at the Milton Margai Teachers College campus, the challenge was given to start a SLEFES car fund. Participants from Sierra Leone and Liberia took up the challenge and several pledges and contributions were made. In August 1986, with some additional funds from Tear Fund in Holland and England, the SLEFES car was bought – a Mazda station wagon, registration no. WU 23418.

…COMPELLED BY LOVE!