Solomon Tilewa Johnson
| The Most Reverend Solomon Tilewa Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of West Africa, Bishop of Gambia and the Rio Pongas | |
| Church | Church of the Province of West Africa |
| Predecessor | Justice Akrofi |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1980 |
| Consecration | 1990 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1954 Bathurst |
| Died |
2014 Bakau, Fajara |
Solomon Tilewa Ethelbert Willie Johnson (Bathurst, now Banjul, 27 February 1954 - Bakau, Fajara, 21 January 2014) was a Gambian Anglican bishop. He was the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Gambia and the Rio Pongas and archbishop of the Church of the Province of West Africa. He was married and had a son and two daughters.
Early life and studies
He attended primary school at Banjul from 1962 to 1966. In 1974 he become a teacher at Gambia High School. He moved to Nigeria, where he studied at the Trinity College in Umuahia, from 1977 to 1980, earning a degree in Theology, in 1980. He pursued his studies at the University of Durham, in England, from 1982 to 1985, winning a BA in Theology with his dissertation The Impact of African Communal Ritual on Modern Christian Missions, 1821-1965.
Ecclesiastical career
Johnson was ordained an Anglican deacon in 1979 and a priest in 1980. He was consecrated the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Gambia and the Rio Pongas in 1990, the first Gambian national to be so, which he was until his death. He was elected the ninth Primate and Archbishop of the Province of West Africa, on 28 September 2012, succeeding Justice Akrofi. At the same time it was decided to divide the province in two internal provinces, the Province of Ghana, with Daniel Sarfo as their first archbishop, and the Province of West Africa, of which he also would be Archbishop.[1] He was a strong supporter of the Anglican realignment, attending GAFCON II, that took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 21 to 26 October 2013.[2]
Old Catholic Confederation
In December 2013, the Old Catholic Confederation (OCC) and the Church of the Province of West Africa announced that Johnson became the Patron of the OCC, recognizing it as a "distinct Old Catholic Christian community" in ecumenical partnership with the Church of West Africa.
Death
He died unexpectedly aged 59 years old, after collapsing while playing tennis on the evening of 21 January 2014. He was taken to the Medical Research Council in Bakau-Fajara, where he was pronounced dead.[3]
Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, of the Anglican Church of Kenya, said upon his death: "It was with shock and great sadness that we heard about the sudden death of our brother Primate, S. Tilewa Johnson, earlier this week./ In October last year we shared fellowship at GAFCON 2013 here in Nairobi and we thank God for his commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ whom he served with a robust faith and cheerful energy throughout his ministry. He was a man of global vision and his death, so untimely from our human perspective, has deprived not only the Church of the Province of West Africa, but the whole Anglican Communion of a talented leader." [2][4]
References
- ↑ UPDATED - New Primate elected for the Church of the Province of West Africa, Anglican Communion News Service, 29 September 2012
- 1 2 More Anglican Communion leaders pay tribute to the West Africa Primate, Anglican Communion News Service, 23 January 2014
- ↑ Gambia: Archbishop Tilewa Johnson Passes Away, The Point, Banjul, All Africa, 23 January 2014
- ↑ Anglican Communion shocked by West Africa Primate's sudden death, Anglican Communion News Service, 22 January 2014
External links
| Anglican Communion titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Justice Akrofi |
Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Daniel Sarfo |
| New title | Patron of the Old Catholic Confederation 2013–2014 |
Vacant |