Who We Are

CHURCH HISTORY

The International Baptist Church of Dakar was founded in the summer of 1979 by Pastor Edward Segars, a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) pastor and missionary, with Brother Michael Mah’Moud, a Muslim convert and international worker from Ghana. Using a small prayer group of English speakers meeting in his house, they prayed for the planting of an English-speaking Fellowship, the first of its kind in Dakar.

The inaugural service had about 30 worshippers from different church backgrounds, including Baptist, Methodist, Assemblies of God, and Presbyterians. Consequently, they chose the name, International Church of Dakar to reflect the international nature of the fellowship.

By October 1979, the congregation had expanded to include the Ambassadors from Nigeria, Ghana, and Japan as well as several exchange students from Ghana.

Pastor Segars

Under Pastor Segars, the Church’s place of worship shifted from Temple Evangelique, the American Embassy cafeteria, and the later, one of the American Embassy vacant houses when the Iranian conflict deepened. Pastor Segars had a medical emergency and had to depart suddenly to the US in the summer of 1980.

Interim Leadership

When Pastor Segars left, the missionaries at the time supported as interim pastors, preachers, and teachers. Under their leadership, the church thrived.

Pastor Warren Rush

In 1983, the SBC sent Rev. Warren Rush to pastor the Church that was worshipping at Dakar Academy. Membership had grown considerably and so Pastor Rush encouraged the Church to clarify its affiliation to the SBC clearer, a motion the church accepted for reorganization.

Inauguration of IBC of Dakar

On Sunday, 6 November 1983, The International Baptist Church of Dakar of Dakar (IBC) was formally established under the SBC based on Baptist principles and doctrines. Thirty-four Members covenanted to begin the church on that day. Others who could not transfer their membership from their home countries, joined as associate members.

With a missionary mindset to reach the lost in Senegal, Pastor Rush led the church to begin an outreach to the Serer people, led by a Muslim named Seck, in a small village after Ndiaganio, in the region of Fatick, a few miles from Mbou. With help from his local church in the USA, Pastor Rush led IBC to put up a multi-purpose building to house the church and serve as a social center and used it successfully to train women in sewing. At one baptism occasion, 105 villagers were baptized. Unfortunately, the work went down when Pastor Rush left after a conflict with the SBC over his outreach methodology.

Lay Leadership

At his departure, IBC was firmly established as a church, so the congregation elected Brother Ogunniyi to lead the church in the absence of a regular pastor.

Unfortunately, Dakar Academy soon served the Church with a year’s notice to look for another place of worship. A four-member Building Search Committee identified a domestic building, the current place of worship, for consideration for purchase. On August 1987, IBC bought the building through special fundraising and a loan from the bank. By 1992, the loan had been paid off.

After the retirement of Brother Ogunniyi, Brother Mah’Moud was appointed as the Church Leader and served with other volunteer pastors like Pastor Jackson of the Mission Baptiste de Dakar. 

Pastor Gerald Taylor

In 1989, Pastor Gerald Taylor was called by the SBC as the second pastor of the International Baptist Church. He rebuilt the evangelization ministry of the Church, including the founding of a Wolof Church. He saw the Church through the conversion of the residential building the Church had acquired into the new Church building and permanent worship center.

Pastor Kwashie Amenudzie

When Pastor Taylor left in 1993, the congregation decided to appoint its own Pastor. On 24 August 1993, a committee headed by Brother Joseph Darko led the church to call Pastor Kwashie Amenudzie, the then President of the Baptist Convention of Togo, as its first African pastor.

Under Pastor Amenudzie, the Church expanded to a double service in 1999. It engaged in outreaches to Seamen at the Dakar Port, the Leper Colony in Keur Massa, the founding of the Grace Baptist Church in Parcelles Assanies, with the late Damien Bassene as Pastor, and the Guediawaye Baptist Church, led by Brother Albert Hodges of the IMB – a ministry later transferred to the Brazilian Baptist Mission – the formation of the Baptist Association of Senegal for the purpose of collective mission work by all the Baptist churches. Out of this effort, the Kedougou Mission outreach was launched to reach out to the Bassari people group of southeastern Senegal, with the support of the North Arkansas Baptist Association of the USA.

In 2002, Pastor Amenudzie felt the Lord leading him into full time ministry as a missionary church planter. He therefore resigned as the resident Pastor of IBC in the same year. A Five-member Leadership Team, headed by, Elder Wilfred Amoako, was called to lead the Church, while a Pastor Search committee, under the leadership of Brother Dan Ole Shani, searched for a new pastor.

Pastor Kwame Owusu-Baafi

On 15th May 2003, the Church called Rev. Kwame Owusu-Baafi to be the second African Pastor of IBC. Under his leadership, IBC has experienced steady ministry and personal growth in spite of the initial two years of turbulent sailing – a violent upheaval of the church that lasted almost two years and ended in the court.

Administration:

• The church adopted a new constitution and leadership structure, with a formal office administration headed by sister Rhoda Kasudja as Administrator.
• The number of ministries increased tremendously.
• The second Administrator, Félix Malloum, led in the registration of the church.
• A new financial administration enhanced the stewardship of the church.

Outreach Ministry

Senegal

• The Talibe Ministry was established to reach out to the Talibe street children who roam the streets of Dakar as beggars.  
• A literacy program for them continues at the elementary, middle, high schools, and college level, with one graduate with an associate degree. The program is now based at Dalifort as “Xaley Borom Bi Center” the center IBC inherited from Dave and Denise McCarthy of the World Venture mission.
• The church went back to revive the mission outreach at Koulouck Mbada.
• In partnership with the Thies Baptist Church under the late, Pastor Dana Diouf, the ministry of Pastor Kwashie Amenudzie, and Dakar Academy, IBC put up the Koulouck Baptist Church building. At a grand service on 30 November 2008, the building was dedicated to the Lord of the church.
• Between 2006 and 2013, IBC adopted free medical consultation as an outreach tool and a platform for evangelism in Dakar, Koulouck Mbada, and Sendou. Huge local medical teams partnered with a team from the USA and ministered along with the evangelism and outreach teams from IBC and Thies to witness the love of God in Christ to the people.
• Between 2014- 2018, IBC partnered with teams from Hong Kong to continue the medical campaign in Koulouck and to the Talibes in their Darras.
• On 8 March 2015, a local disciple, Samba Ndong was installed as pastor of the Koulouck Baptist Church.
• The church partnered with New Tribes Mission, now Ethnos 360, in its Bible translation work among the Budik people’s group of Southern Senegal through a steady annual/monthly (please check with FO) financial and prayer support.

Beyond Senegal

• In Niger:
  • IBC sent its first missionary, Dr. Yakoubou Sanoussi, a surgeon and his wife, Yop, a nurse, to Niger to work at the SIM hospital at Galmi.
  • Sanoussi is the current Director of the hospital, after leading in the training of many surgeons. The couple seriously engages in evangelistic outreaches within the hospital and in many villages in the area.
• In Togo:
  • Through the financial and prayer support of the ministry of Pastor Kwashie Amenudzie and his wife, Daavi, in the establishment of a center for the training of African missionaries.
  • They trained and sent out many local missionaries and other African countries.
• In Ghana
  • IBC reaches out with financial and prayer support through the church planting ministry of Pastor Justice Williams and his wife, Sophia, former members of IBC.

Transition Process:

• In 2013 Pastor Baafi felt led to transition out of Senegal.
• A Pastor Search Committee headed Brother Bill Bosley brought in Reverend (Dr.) William Okyere, from Ghana, as Assistant Pastor/Administrator to understudy and takeover when Pastor Baafi left to continue his education in Canada.
• A wrongful arrest and imprisoned of Mrs. Okyere at the Dakar airport on false drug trafficking charges disrupted the process in an extremely painful way.
• After three years and four months incarceration without trial, the Lord, by His own doing and timing, working through the intense prayers of the local and international church and missionary community, and later involvement of the government of Ghana and appeal from some members of the US congress, Mrs. Okyere was acquitted of all charges and released from prison.
• However, as a result of the suffering the family endured for three years, Pastor Okyere resigned after six months of rest in Ghana with his family and was released from his contract with IBC.

The Church Building Expansion Project: Joy in the Midst of Trials:

In the midst of all these trials, the Lord led His church to embark on our church building expansion. The project was completed and dedicated on 29 November 2015 with much joy and thanksgiving to the Lord. Isn’t God good?

However, the experience of Pastor Okyere and his family left the church deeply bruised and left struggling spiritually and emotionally.

Final Transition of the Baafis

Pastor Baafi’s struggles manifested physically, and after three hospitalizations and other serious illnesses, he signaled retirement and began preparing the Church leadership for the future. In May 2021, he gave a notice of retirement on 16 May 2023.

In May 2021, the Church leadership set up a Transition Committee (Sister Afia Kyei [Chairlady], Auntie Amelia Drummond, Deacon Rotimy Djossaya, Brother Fatai Adegboye.) and a Pastor Church Committee (Elder Joseph Darko [chairman], Pastor Josh Dickinson, Deacons Apol Soriano, Rotimy Djossaya, Sister Elizabeth Ndiaye).

The Pastor Search Committee began its work in 2021 in  what would be a close to two-year search. The Transition Committee began surveying the congregation, leadership, and employees for what they wanted in a new Pastor. This committee reported to the Church Council all findings, and their timeline for accomplishing the various tasks before them. They began arranging the transition issues concerning both the departing and incoming Pastors.

In the interim, the pastor led in establishing these things:

• An IBC Financial Management Review to explore opportunities for efficiency as well as growing IBC income.
• An IBC Church Council Charter which delineates the principles to bring the Council to the next level.
• A revision and adoption of the Church Constitution by the Congregation on March 19, 2023.

The Pastor Search Committee come up with two candidates after a one-year search. Both candidates traveled to engage with the congregation in Bible studies, preaching, and congregational meetings fellowship.

On Sunday, 15 May 2023, the congregation voted to call Rev. Moses Sodeinde to lead IBC as the next Pastor of IBC. Following the vote, Pastor Baafi and Mama Akos left Senegal after twenty years of service at IBC on 16 May 2023.

 “May the Lord who has brought us thus far, continue to guide and strengthen His Church into a higher realm of spiritual experience and growth for His own glory. And so, we continue to say, “God is good, all the time; and all the time, God is good. The best is yet to come; for we have not seen anything yet!” (Pastor Kwame Owusu Baafi)

Pastor Moses Sodeinde

On October 8, 2023, Pastor Moses Sodeinde was installed as IBC’s Pastor in the presence of His lovely wife and their youngest son Daniel. Welcome on-board Pastor Sodeinde.