Liberians gear up for post-war evangelism

Church members in Liberia were concerned when controversy arose after a presidential runoff election in the troubled West African country.
But by mid-December the controversy appeared to have subsided, and Liberians were celebrating the election of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected woman head of state.
“Liberians are readyfor peace and do not want to go back to war,” said George Tengbeh II, ministerfor the Weala Church of Christ, near the capital, Monrovia.

Liberians went to thepolls Oct. 11 to choose from a list of 22 candidates for the country’spresidency. The election led to a runoff between the top two vote-getters,Johnson-Sirleaf and George Weah.
Weah lost the earlyNovember runoff, but his supporters alleged fraud. International observers saidthe election was fair. Weah called for another election. Some of his supportersthreatened to break the country’s fragile peace after 14 years of civil war.
“Economic hardshiphas engulfed the city,” Washington Yan-whea,youth minister for the West Point church, Monrovia,said during the protests. Nonetheless, church members continued with plans fora late-November gospel campaign.

IsaacDaye, a minister in the nearby country of Gambia,traveled to Monroviafor the campaign and reported nine baptisms. Liberians referred to the campaignas a time of “recharging of our spiritual batteries for the year ahead,” Dayesaid.