ACTIVITY OPERATION REPORT FOR OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2024
Full Time and the Extended Programs
INTRODUCTION
As the year comes to an end, one becomes so engaged in the evaluation and the computation of the statistics of the activities that were carried from the beginning of the year. Moreover, the end of year spiritual activities that are planned to be executed also add to the busy life. Not only that, the family and the local congregational responsibilities are also there keeping one very busy. Yet, in all, God has been helping us as a young administration. In the months of October and November, the school established one local congregation (this was established by our extended students) and restored one congregation (this was done by our full time students) that was almost dead, the students in the both programs progressed in their academic and spiritual activities, our graduates continued to be busy for the Lord on the field, the evangelistic teams across the country excelled in saving souls, and the Ashcrafts visited, held a motivating meeting with the administration and conducted a seminar for Children Sunday Teachers at Koindu. We know that all these wouldn’t be realized without your prayers and your partnership; hence we remain appreciative to all of you, dear brethren. As I continue with this report, I entreat you to patiently keep on reading for more details on the highlighted activities as presented below:
ACADEMIC UPDATE
You were informed that the third quarter for the full time students which started in July continued and was expected to end by the end of September 2024. Indeed, it came to an end and our students went on a short break and resumed classes on October 7, 2024. On the other hand, the extended students completed their first 2 years out of the 4 years that they have to holistically complete their studies.
EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGNS AT LUNGI AND DAUDA TOWN
In line with the mode of operation of the school, aside from daily lectures, routine evangelism campaigns are conducted twice in a quarter with the aim of either strengthening, restoring or planting a new congregation. It was in light of this fact that the school conducted the evangelism campaigns at Lungi to restore and strengthen the congregation and Dauda Town to establish a new congregation. The campaign at Lungi took place between October 22 – 27, 2024, while the Dauda Town campaign was conducted from November 22 – 26, 2024. Lungi, on one hand, is one of the big towns in the Southwestern Sierra Leone where the country’s International Airport is located. It is surrounded by water and is closer to Freetown, the capital city. It covers over 200 miles from Kenema where the school is located. The Lungi congregation was established in 2015 by one of the then elders of Tengbeh Town Church of Christ in Freetown, Alusine Kamara. Alusine who is late was a police officer by then and was transferred to Lungi from Freetown. While he was serving there, he noticed that there was no congregation in Lungi, hence decided to embark on evangelism. He could request for brethren from his congregation at Tengbeh Town to come to help in the work of evangelism. The congregation thrived for some time and the number of congregants rose to about 25.
However, Brother Alusine, who was serving as the preacher for the congregation, was an old man (in his late 70’s) who did not have much energy again to be evangelistic and who could not mentor anyone from the congregation to take from him and the brethren in Freetown stopped coming to help nurture the congregation. When his time at Lungi elapsed, he returned to Freetown where he later died and the Lungi congregation also died. By April 2022, the preachers in Freetown attempted to restore back the Lungi congregation but there was nobody among them who could sacrifice to come over to Lungi to stay and restore back the congregation. Until during one of our school’s holidays, one of our students, Justine Chokpelleh Jr., who would later graduate as the best student went to Freetown and was approached by the leadership of the Freetown congregations to upon his graduation, consider moving to Lungi to help restore back the congregation. Justine agreed to the offer and eventually requested that the school direct a campaign there to help revive the Lungi congregation. Before the campaign, Brother Justine worked so hard to locate the then members and began to restore them. The school is so happy with Justine’s commitment to the Lord; he is a young boy of 23 years, yet loves the Lord so dearly. It was upon his request that the campaign was directed at Lungi. During the course of the campaign, 2 souls were converted and 10 brethren were restored. On Sunday, October 27, we were 42 that worshipped, including the 18 of us that left Kenema to go for the campaign. Interestingly, the Lungi congregation has a building (though unfinished) that was erected through the support of Brother Alusine and Brother Samuel Kondo (late) from Koindu, Kailahun District. The Islamic dominance is one of the greatest challenges the Lungi congregation is facing. Again, it is very difficult for Justine to get food to eat as a preacher of the Lungi congregation, because he lacks financial help. Sometimes some brethren in the local congregations help a little, but not always. However, the Lungi congregation has so much prospect and potential to grow. We truly want the Lungi congregation to be strong so that some brethren who visit Sierra Leone could fellowship with the saints anytime they are there and a Sunday meets them.
The Dauda Town congregation on the other hand is one of the newest congregations in Sierra Leone as at the time of compiling these reports. At Kenema Bear Valley Bible Institute/Sierra Leone School of Biblical Studies, we train our students to be evangelistic, even after their graduation. The extended students, though only take classes during weekends, are not exempted. They have a goal that before their graduation in two years’ time, Lord willing, they want to plant and sustain two congregations. One was just planted in November as you are reading the report. Some of these students have been teaming up with the full time students for our evangelistic activities. They have regularly been going for mission work. Therefore, the congregation established at Dauda Town by these students is in continuation of the already evangelistic efforts that they are applying. Dauda Town is a big section in Kenema city that has a large population that consists of mostly Muslim inhabitants. The administration cooperated with the extended students and engaged the community in an intensive door-to-door evangelism and tract distribution, with open air preaching in the evenings, prayer session and Christian film show especially on the life of Christ and his second coming. As a result of the campaign, 6 souls were converted and the congregation was established. The school will be committed to nurturing this new congregation as well as seeking for more conversions. Apart from the conversions resulting from the campaigns, our regular weekend evangelism resulted to 1 baptism.
EVANGELISTIC TEAMS AND ALUMNI EFFORTS
Some of our graduates are fully involved in the ministry while some have some other work that they are doing yet are making some good impacts in their respective localities. As a result, they converted 5 souls and restored 1 dead congregation. So in October and November, altogether, the school had 14 conversions and 11 restorations. On the other hand, the evangelistic teams across the country pressed on with their activities and consequently, 18 souls were converted, 3 congregations were established, 2 congregations were restored, 16 brethren were as well restored and the nurturing process continued.
THE VISIT OF THE ASHCRAFTS
In November, our coordinator, beloved brother and mentor, Brother Steve Ashcraft paid us a visit, together with his God-loving wife, Sister Karen Ashcraft. They stayed with us for 2 weeks and returned back home. Their purpose of coming was to honor the graduation of the Bear Valley School in Guinea (The ceremony that was well attended by 6 of our staff) as well as to help build the Church by training their Children Sunday School Teachers like they did in Sierra Leone in August 2023. While the Guinean brethren were so much impacted by the Ashcrafts, we were as well. Brother Steve held an inspiring and a motivating meeting with us as the staff. During the meeting, he encouraged us greatly and explored other possibilities of starting Bear Valley schools in other locations. He also held a very interesting meeting with other staff and Church leaders at Gueckedou. His kindhearted wife also encouraged us by her presence. We want to say that we are very grateful to the Bear Valley Family all over the world and to the Ashcrafts for their relentless efforts in building up the Churches of Christ in West Africa. Sierra Leone.
CONCLUSION
We are hoping that the Lord will grant us another opportunity to be alive to read the December report again. Till then, may the Lord keep us and be with us all!
Thank you.
Your brother,
Peter Sahr Makundu,
Director Sierra Leone Bear Valley Bible Institute