Sierra Leone

BACKGROUND

Primarily farmers, the Kuranko occupies a mountainous region within the northeastern Sierra Leone highlands, extending into Guinea.

The region lacks adequate road systems and is not easily accessible, leaving the Kuranko socially isolated, which explains why most of the Kuranko have held on to their traditional culture and animistic religion.

They believe that in the forests, the rivers, and the mountains live quasi-human beings known as Nyenne. These are "bush spirits," who are believed to influence Kuranko life in different ways.

Others are either Muslim or Christians (only 5% of the Kuranko people).

JESUS FILM CHURCH PLANTING STRATEGY TEAM (JFCPS)

In the Northern Province of Sierra Leone in the Kabala area, there is one JFCPS team.

Each team member is from the area where they are planting churches and therefore they do not only speak the language of the people but they are thoroughly familiar with their culture, history and religious beliefs.

The Kuranko JFCPS team has developed a good working relationship over the years with several denominations in the area who are passionate about outreach and church planting. This is typical for all the JFCPS teams in Sierra Leone and is a major factor for the success that the JFCPS teams are experiencing.

BACKGROUND

The Sherbro land encompasses low-lying southwestern coast of Sierra Leone, from the Ribi to Bum Rivers, including the Turtle, Sherbro, and Plantain Islands and extending inland for some 15 to 30 miles. Bonthe District, coastal areas of Moyamba District.

Two distinctive features of Sherbro political life are its secret societies and women paramount chiefs. The people are mainly fishermen and traders.

Sierra Leone is rich in natural resources however the country is mired is desperate poverty because the Liberian civil war spilled over into Sierra Leone in the 1990s and the government eventually collapsed. A series of military coups and brutal guerrilla wars ensued over efforts to control the lucrative diamond fields in Sierra Leone which ended up totally devastating the country and completely destroying its infrastructure. Because of this anarchy and systematic destruction the country has been ranked amongst the world’s poorest countries during the last decade.

The Ethnologue indicates that the Sherbro population has Traditional, Muslim and Christian religions, with no mention of any Scripture translations available to this people group. The Joshua Project estimates that evangelicals comprise 5% of the population. The JFCPS team church planting reports often mention the prominence of the occult, secret societies, and ethnic religions in the villages where they are working.

JESUS FILM CHURCH PLANTING STRATEGY (JFCPS)

There is one JFCPS team located in Gbangbatu Junction and is planting churches in remote villages throughout the Moyamba District.

The roads that the team must travel on are hard on the teams and their equipment. During the rainy season roads become dangerous and often impassible. The local churches that they seek to work with are often so poor that they have little to invest in helping the JFS teams to establish new churches. Our teams are also hampered in their work by the lack of reliable electricity and very poor phone and internet service making communication very difficult. Poor health care leaves many sick and without the proper medicine many struggle to overcome chronic sickness and disease.