A City On a Hill

It has been a challenging yet highly fruitful season for our JESUS Film Church Planting Strategy (JFCPS) teams in Liberia and Sierra Leone as we continue to reach unreached people groups (UPGs). In the midst of political and religious tensions as well as the ongoing difficulty of travelling to these remote areas, our dedicated teams have managed to make significant strides in establishing relationships and sharing the gospel with these communities.

The Manya people of Liberia are a UPG that our teams have been diligently trying to reach, as they have a unique and complex set of struggles in society. Because of unresolved issues related to tribal violence that occurred 400 years ago, the Manya are shunned by other tribes in Liberia. Many converted to Islam, which offered them a sense of unity and belonging in the wake of their isolation from other people groups.

Therefore, the Manya tribe is now primarily associated with Islam. When a Manya person becomes a Christian, it is considered such an affront to their beliefs that they are forced to leave their village for fear of losing their lives. They must also change their name and self-isolate, making it very difficult for fellow Manya to find each other.

This past October, our teams visited the village of Nyanwendzu in northern Liberia. Previously, we had planted a church in this village and built a simple structure for them to gather inside. We have now also pledged to provide zinc sheeting so the church will be able to meet during the rainy season.

As we chatted with members of the Nyanwenduz village’s church, they openly shared about how the Lord has impacted them and their community. Of the 78 people who live in this small village, 35 of them attend the newly-planted church!

Although the village is primarily made up of the Loma tribe, the team asked if villagers were open to allowing members of other tribes to live in their community.  Their immediate answer was a resounding “yes”.  Villagers even expressed a willingness to allow Manya tribal members to live with them.

When we asked if they would consider planting a granddaughter church in a nearby Manya village, they immediately replied, “Yes! We don’t have any problem with that, as God’s grace is for everyone.” 

The Nyanwenduz village’s attitude of grace and hospitality towards the Manya people is astounding and completely goes against the grain of tribal culture in Liberia. Their openness to people who are shunned by their own Musim-dominated villages makes this community a city on a hill, a safe haven for the outcasts and rejects of society. It is also a demonstration of the unconditional love of Christ, which overrides all religious tensions, cultural barriers and relational divides. 

In Sierra Leone, we are encouraged by how our church planting program is equipping pastors with the tools and resources needed to establish new churches in the area. Pastor Francis, who works at Zion City Assembly church in Mattru Jong, spoke to us about how the JFCPS church planting training has had an incredible impact on his ministry. 

“They gave us training in [a] seminar. It was very good, after which we were encouraged that we needed to establish churches,” he shared.

Pastor Francis explained that during the training, the JFCPS team showed them the JESUS Film and Walking With Jesus film series and encouraged them to use it as a tool for evangelism. He then went on to host his own showing and invited his village to come and hear the gospel message!

“We were able to bring this film sheet and people were there. The community came. They looked at the film. The film (Walking With Jesus, Africa) was educational and it captured a lot of Sierra Leonean context,” Pastor Francis said.

He explained that because the film was in the village’s cultural context, the message resonated with many people–even Muslims! Some Muslims ended up being converted to Christianity because they were so moved by Christ’s promise of forgiveness and the call to live as brothers and sisters.

In regards to the JFCPS training, Pastor Francis said, “These are life-living strategies. They gather all of us together . . . and we share information, we share ideas together as pastors. That helps equip us more.”

It is a delight to know that because of the JFCPS seminars and training materials, pastors are growing in the confidence and spiritual maturity needed to plant churches. Pastor Francis’s testimony highlights the importance of being continuously equipped and discipled as a leader, as well as the value of meeting together as a community of pastors to support and champion one another.

Our hearts are deeply encouraged by the impact that our ministry has had on communities in Liberia and Sierra Leone this past year. As of October 31, 2023, GAiN and JFCPS planted 164 churches across both countries. Additionally, they showed the JESUS Film to 100,436 people and witnessed 24,292 of these individuals receive Christ. Of the group who became Christians, 8,889 people chose to receive further discipleship in the basics of their faith. 

Without the gracious hand of God upon the ministry of our local church partnerships, none of these beautiful stories of grace and growth would be possible. We give thanks for the ongoing work that He is doing in Liberia and Sierra Leone to transform broken communities into light-filled cities on a hill.