Aug 14: Liberia
Liberia
Republic of Liberia
Africa
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 99,067 sq kmHeavily forested coastal state adjoining Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.
Population: 4,101,767 Annual Growth: 4.23%
Capital: Monrovia
Urbanites: 61.5%
HDI Rank: 169 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 40 (10% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: English Languages: 31 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Ethnoreligionist| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 1,699,362 | 41.43 | 4.9 |
| Evangelicals | 600,533 | 14.6 | 4.6 |
| Ethnoreligionist | 1,743,251 | 42.50 |
Answer to Prayer
Peace and stability seem to have arrived for the longer term. The resignation of Taylor, his exile and trial, and the appointment of Africa’s first elected female leader – combined with the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees and acceleration of Liberia’s reconstruction – generate a forward-looking atmosphere of hope, despite urgent and obvious challenges.For an additional Answer to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
Challenge for Prayer
Obstacles facing the Church include the following:a) Repair of church buildings and reactivation of closed institutions – including schools, Bible colleges, hospitals and other facilities. Looting and destruction spared a few; many people are working to restore those that were lost.
b) Lack of biblical teaching. The church is often characterized by scriptural ignorance and materialism. As chaos seized the nation, established churches dissolved. A number of syncretistic African independent churches have increased in recent years. The majority of congregations and pastors are open to sensitive teaching and instruction. CenterPoint International Foundation, Development Associates International and Christian Education Foundation of Liberia are a few of the agencies at work in this capacity.
c) Leadership development is a great need; trained spiritual leaders are few. Many leaders had to flee or were killed; most Bible training was brought to a halt. Some refugees who studied theology in the West or elsewhere in Africa are returning with wider vision. Bible schools and seminaries are opening and rebuilding – the Baptist Seminary, Africa Bible College University, the ACFI Christian College, Liberia International Christian College (ULIC), and a Lutheran training centre among them. Trauma counselling must be an integral part of training for Christian leaders and pastors. Pray for the raising up of a new generation of leaders who preach the whole gospel without compromise, competitiveness or jealousies.
For an additional 8 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
