Cameroon: Church Chronology

July 21, 1974 • Yaoundé, CameroonThe first sacrament meeting was held in the Hôtel de l’Unité in Yaoundé, with three members of the Ellsworth A. Cragholm family in attendance. Beginning on July 28, 1974, regular meetings were held at the Cragholm home in Ranch de Ngaoundaba, and they were known as the Ngaoundere Bawa Group.

1979–1989 • England, Italy, France, USASeveral citizens of Cameroon joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in other countries and returned to Cameroon.

September 5, 1991 • YaoundéThe first senior missionary couple, Paul Dee and Arlene Payne, who were serving in Nigeria, were called to go to Cameroon.

October 16, 1991 • YaoundéDr. Erik Essousse, minister of territorial administration, was given the registration request for achieving recognition of the Church.

November 27–29, 1991 • YaoundéElder J. Ballard Washburn was the first General Authority to visit Yaoundé. Time was spent discussing future plans for the Church in Cameroon.

May 2, 1992 • YaoundéYebe Mbetebe Justin and Agbortabot Ako Moses were baptized in the swimming pool of the Canadian Embassy.

June 1992 • YaoundéThe Cameroon Yaoundé Mission was announced, but the Church had not yet received government recognition. The Ivory Coast was taken out of the Ghana Accra Mission, and the Ivory Coast Abidjan Mission, which included Cameroon, was organized in May 1993.

January 10, 1993 • YaoundéThe Bastos Branch, the first in Cameroon, was organized, with Zang Gervais Gerard as president.

April 10, 1993 • YaoundéThe first Relief Society and Primary were organized in the Bastos Branch.

May 2, 1993 • YaoundéThe first Sunday School was organized.

September 9, 1993 • YaoundéCameroon president Biya Paul approved the Church request for legal recognition. About 30 people had been baptized, and some 60 investigators were attending meetings. By the end of the year, 60 baptized members were on record in the Bastos Branch, and about 100 people were attending Sunday meetings.

November 3, 1994 • CameroonThe first three missionaries from Cameroon, De Fontchanda Yanou Alain Joseph, Njumbe Luc, and Ambas Abdon Guy, were sent to serve in the Ivory Coast Abidjan Mission.

August 5, 1996 • Douala, CameroonThe Douala group was organized, with Bongongui Yondo Ernest as leader.

November–December 2002 • CameroonSenior missionary couple John and Ilse Young were the first missionaries assigned to Cameroon since 1994. Before the end of the year, young missionaries were also assigned to work in Douala.

July 18, 2004 • DoualaThe Douala Branch was created. Bongongui Yondo Ernest was sustained as branch president.

August 14, 2005 • Aba, NigeriaA group of 42 members from Cameroon began their first trip to the newly dedicated Aba Nigeria Temple. The 500-mile trip took 65 hours, with members often pushing and pulling the bus through mud bogs. The group rejoiced in being able to receive temple blessings and do work for their kindred dead. The trip spurred new growth in the Cameroon branches.

April 20–October 28, 2008 • DoualaHumanitarian projects to drill water wells in the villages of Pong and Ngambe were received with great “handover” celebrations. The wells, which served more than 25,000 people, were expected to help abate diseases and deaths related to contaminated water.

2010 • CameroonChurch membership grew from fewer than three hundred in 2004 to more than one thousand in 2010, with high retention rates.

April 2019 • CameroonTotal Church membership was 2,125, with 13 branches and one family history center.