April 13, 2016 By Joseph S. Margai
The Western District Synod of the Methodist Church of Sierra Leone has refused to induct the legitimately elected treasurer of the Western District Men’s Fellowship, Saffa L. Sandy, after a member of the congregation alleged that he had cussed his mother at a church service on Easter Sunday.
In a letter dated 1 April, 2016, Chairman Western District Synod, Rev. Arnold Archer-Campbell, requested that the Chairman Western District Men’s Fellowship put on hold the induction of the elected treasurer, Bro. Saffa L. Sandy.
Rev. Archer-Campbell based his directive on what he called the “ungodly and unchristian situation at Hennessey church at Kissy, where Bro. Sandy serves as the secretary for the Men’s Fellowship, has a potential to brew malice, hatred, and confrontation.”
However, Bro. Sandy has denied the allegation, describing it as “misleading and unfounded”.
He told this reporter that on Easter Sunday, while going to receive the Holy Communion, one Okome Ashwoode Davies sarcastically said to him that ‘this church is ours and we will have to dictate what will happen here’.
“After uttering such remark, I did not say a word because I had not wanted to distract the service. For some time now, a grievance has been brewing between us and other set of people who are forcing their way to take leadership of the church,” he explained. He added that after the service, as he came out of the church he heard Ashwoode Davies using motherly invectives on another member of the church, Milton Carew.
Sandy said he advised Carew to make a report to the Police Station about the incident, which the latter did.
“Surprisingly, I received a letter from Rev. Arnold Archer-Campbell that I should not be inducted. The induction should have taken place at the Tregaskis Methodist Church at Wellington on Sunday, 3 April 2016,” he disclosed.
As though that was not enough, he added, that the allegation was published in some local newspapers, plus his photo, “which was intended to smear my hard won reputation over the years.”
Okome Ashwoode Davies, when contacted, insisted that Bro. Sandy abused him and that he reported him to the Reverend in-charge, who advised him to report the matter to Chairman of the Western District Synod, Rev. Arnold Archer-Campbell.
“This was why Rev. Campbell wrote a letter in order to put a hold on his induction as an elected treasurer of the Western District Men’s Fellowship,” he explained.
Speaking to this reporter, Milton Babajide Carew said that few months ago some members of the Hennessey Church bought a mobile phone Sim card which they used it to send abusive text messages and threatening remarks to his phone.
“I took the text messages to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police in order to help discover the doer. The doer was later discovered and charged to court and was asked by the court to pay compensation to us and they did,” he explained and added that this was why the group was unhappy with him.
He disclosed that both Okome Ashwoode Davies and his brother Festus Davies extended the grievance to him by attacking and abusing him.
“I want to categorically tell you that Saffa L. Sandy did not abuse anyone on that Easter day. The allegation of motherly invectives against Mr. Sandy is false,” he stated, adding that the decision to indefinitely postpone his induction was a ploy to distract Mr. Sandy’s efforts to serving the church.
Meanwhile, Rev. Arnold Archer-Campbell, when contacted, disclosed that he did not instruct anyone to remove Saffa L. Sandy from his post, but to put on hold his induction until the investigation about the ‘mammy cuss’ is completed.