SYMPATHY MESSAGES - ARCHBISHOP TILEWA JOHNSON

 

From the Most Rev Bernard Ntahoturi – Primate Anglican Church of Burundi & CAPA Chair

 

Dear Dean Archbishop Sarfo,

It was with great consternation and sadness that we received the passing away of Archbishop Dr Tilewa Johnson. A great man of God.

Archbishop Tilewa stood tall within the Anglican Communion as well as within the ecumenical movement. We shall miss his open mind and his spirit of true Pan-Africanist.

We give  thanks to God for all the work accomplished through his servant not only  in his own country and church but throughout the whole world as well.

At this time of mourning, we do so as children of God, keeping Hope and assurance in God that we shall meet again with this giant of Faith.

Pease convey our hearfelt condolences to our sister Priscilla, his wife , to the children , to the whole family of Believers.

May God receive him in His Kingdom.

The Most Rev Bernard Ntahoturi - Anglican Church of Burundi & Chair of CAPA.

 

From the Most Rev Nicholas Okoh – Primate All Nigeria (Anglican Communion)

 

CONDOLENCE MESSAGE

 

The Grace, Mercy and Peace of the Lord be always with you.

 

We on behalf of the entire Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), write to commiserate with you over the death of His Grace, Most Revd. Dr. Solomon Tilewa Johnson, the Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa which occurred on Tuesday, 21st January, 2014.

 

As we sympathize with you, we reflect over his days on earth and thank God for his invaluable contribution to the growth and development of the Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa and the spread of the gospel in the continent of Africa and beyond. We, therefore, wish to admonish you to take solace in the Lord, because Archbishop Solomon Tilewa Johnson has faithfully served the Lord Jesus Christ and fought the good fight.

 

We commit Archbishop Johnson to the merciful hand of his Creator and Redeemer. May you know the consolation of the Holy Spirit at this critical time of such an irreparable loss.

 

The lord be with you

 

Sincerely

 

The Most Rev’d Nicholas D. Okoh

Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria

 

From the Most Rev Ian Ernest- Primate Anglican Church of Indian Ocean

 

Your Grace

 

I am short of words as I am deeply shocked by this most unexpected news.

 

I have known the late Archbishop Tilewa Johnson since 1990 when we met at the All African Council of Churches annual assembly in Lesotho. Last year I had the joy to welcome him amongst other Primates in Mauritius when they attended the CAPA orientation programme for newly elected archbishops. I also met him in New Delhi, India, last October when we both were present at an International consultation organised by Us.

 

He is indeed for me a dear brother in Christ who has been a friend and a colleague of my ministry as Primate. His intuitive skills and his spirit of frankness as a Church leader has enabled him to emerge as a unique and strong witness of Jesus Christ in regions where religious extremism and violence prevail.

 

His untimely death comes as a great blow to all those who have had the joy and privilege to know him.

 

We share in the grief of his wife Priscilla, his children and the bishops, clergy and people of the Church of the Province of West Africa. I wish here to present to them through you on behalf of the Anglican Church in the Indian Ocean and the diocese of Mauritius, the assurance of our sympathy and of our prayers at this time of trial.

 

We are grateful to our Lord for giving to The Gambia, West Africa, CAPA and the Anglican Communion a faithful and committed servant of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He will forever be in my souvenirs as I ponder over the work accomplished by him as a pastor to God's people.

 

Our eyes are moistened by tears but it is a spirit of hope that overwhelms us as we entrust unto the hands of our Lord our dear brother The Most Reverend Tilewa Johnson.

 

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God" Job 19.25-26

 

With every blessing

 

The Most Revd Ian Ernest

Bishop of Mauritius

And

Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Indian Ocean

23rd January 2014

 

From the Most Rev Isingoma K Henri –Primate Anglican Church of Congo

Dear Archbishop Daniel Sarfo and Brothers and Sisters in Christ of West Africa Province,

On behalf of the Province of the Anglican church of Congo and myself, I am writing to convey our condolences on the death of our brother Dr Tilewa Johnson.

 Johnson was a good friend of the Church of Congo and will be sorely missed, even as we thank God for the fellowship in the gospel that we shared with him. We shall miss Tilewa hugely, for the gifted theologian that he was, with a remarkable ability to draw links between people.

Dear Mrs. Tilewa, at this time we hold you and your family in our love and in our prayers. May our Lord surround you with his compassion, his comfort, his strength, and the assurance that nothing, neither in life nor in death, can separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus.

United in Prayer

++ Isingoma

______________________________________

The Most Rev Isingoma K. Henri

Archbishop of the Anglican church of Congo and

Bishop of Kinshasa Diocese

 

 

 

From the Most Rev Mouneer H Anis & Most Rev Ian Ernest – Global South of the Anglican Communion

 

My dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

 

It was a great loss for us as the Global South Primates to hear the news of the passing away of our dear brother, Archbishop Solomon. In the little time we got to know him, we learned that he is humble and ready to serve the church of Christ.

 

On behalf of my brother Archbishops of the Global South of the Anglican Communion, we would like to extend our condolences to Mrs. Priscilla Johnson and the family of the late Archbishop Solomon Tilewa Johnson, as well as to the Church of the Province of West Africa. We trust that the Lord will comfort the family and the people of Gambia.

 

May the Lord bless you!

 

From the Most Rev Dr Onesphore Rwaje – Primate Anglican Church of Rwanda

 

Dear Dean and Canon Eiwuley

 

Greetings from the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda.

 

We have received the shocking and sad news of the passing of our dear brother in Christ and colleague in the ministry of the Lord, the Most Rev Dr Tilewa Johnson, Archbishop of the Anglican Church of West Africa.

 

On behalf of the entire Anglican Church of Rwanda (Bishops, Clergy and laity) I convey to all of you our condolences. May our Lord continue to give strength and may His hope remain with you and with the bereaved family.

 

May the soul of our beloved Archbishop Tilewa rest in eternal peace.

 

From the Most Rev'd Thabo Makgoba - Primate Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Anglican Church of Southern Africa Shocked by Sudden Death of Archbishop Johnson of West Africa

 We have received news of the sudden death in Banjul of Archbishop S. Tilewa Johnson, Bishop of The Gambia and Archbishop of West Africa, with deep shock.


Archbishop Johnson and I met daily at the Assembly of the World Council of Churches, sharing both light moments, deep theological discussions and the challenges of leading an Anglican province. My wife, Lungi, also worked with him at a recent meeting of the mission society, Us (formerly USPG).


We are both immensely saddened at his passing and send our condolences to the Diocese of The Gambia and the Province of West Africa.


May he rest in peace and rise in glory.


+Thabo Cape Town

Posted by Thabo Makgoba at 12:48 PM

 

From the Rt Rev'd William Mchombo – Bishop & Provincial Secretary Province of Central Africa

Dear Canon Anthony,

 It is with great sadness and regret that we have learnt about the untimely passing away of a colleague and Primate of the Church of the Province of Central Africa. We remember him in Central Africa as a colleague and a good shepherd of the flock of God. He has interacted with all bishops in this Province, having visited us on two occasions last year in Botswana. He was full of laughter and jovial. You could not miss him in a group of bishops.

On behalf of the Archbishop of Central Africa, the Most Revd Albert Chama, the Episcopal bench, clergy and laity of the Province, and indeed on my own behalf please accept our sincere condolences to the family and the entire Province of West Africa. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children so that the Almighty God may give them succour at this time of trial and distress. We commend our beloved Archbishop’s soul to God’s eternal peace in the hope of rising again in glory.

 Sorrowfully yours,

 +William.

 

From the Most Rev'd Anis Mouneer - Primate Anglican Province of Jerusalem and Middle East & Bishop Diocese of Egypt

My dear brother Archbishops,

 Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

I am writing today to extend my condolences after the death of His Grace, Archbishop Solomon Tilewa Johnson of West Africa.  Please accept our heartfelt condolences from the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, as well as the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.

Please be assured of our prayers for his family and the Province of West Africa. 

Yours in Christ,

 

+Mouneer

From the Most Rev'd Stanley Ntagali - Primate Church of the Province of Uganda

 23rd January 2014

 Dear Dean and Canon Eiwuley,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life!

The news of the sudden and tragic passing of Archbishop Tilewa Johnson has been a shock and has brought sadness to all of us.  On behalf of Mama Beatrice, all the Bishops of the Church of Uganda, and the Provincial Secretariat, we extend to you – all the family members of Archbishop Tilewa – and all the Christians of the Church of the Province of West Africa our heartfelt condolences and assure you of our steadfast prayers for you.

 It was such a blessing to have fellowship with Archbishop Tilewa at the recent GAFCON 2 conference in Nairobi last October, and now we are in shock that he is no longer with us.  Yet, we know that our fellowship in Christ transcends time – we are one with those who have departed and we shall be re-united with them face to face. Only God knows the number of our days on this earth, and we believe now that Archbishop Tilewa has moved into the nearer presence of our Lord and is advancing from glory to glory. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints.” (Ps 116.15)

  We pray that as you commend Archbishop Tilewa to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, may the Lord help you, and all of us, to keep hope alive even as we grieve. Paul said, “We do not … grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). 

 Yours, in Christ,

 The Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali -ARCHBISHOP OF CHURCH OF UGANDA.

From Rev Canon Samitiana- Provincial Secretary Anglican Church of Indian Ocean

 

Dear all,


It is with great shock and distress even with the hope of the resurrection that I received the departure of Archbishop Johnson Tilewa: such a lively and joyful figure of a servant and leader of  Christ's people.


May he rest in peace and will rise in glory. May His people be comforted in his word and his spirit.

Can Samitiana