Episcopal Archbishop Jonathan Hart to Be Consecrated Sunday as Primate and Metropolitan Archbishop of the Anglican Church, Province of West Africa

From Liberia-

The Bishop of Liberia, the Most Reverend Jonathan B.B. Hart, who is Archbishop of the Internal Province of West Africa, will this Sunday, March 3, 2019, ascend the office of Primate and Metropolitan Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa. He will be the 11th person to hold that office, which is the highest position in the Anglican Province of West Africa.

This historic and colorful ceremony will take place at Trinity Cathedral, on Broad Street, Snapper Hill, Monrovia, beginning at 10 o’clock a.m., a release has said.

Episcopal Archbishop George Daniel Browne, also of Liberia, was the sixth head of the Province of West Africa.

More here-

https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/episcopal-archbishop-jonathan-hart-to-be-consecrated-sunday-as-primate-and-metropolitan-archbishop-of-the-anglican-church-province-of-west-africa/

Episcopal Church Launches Five-Yr Strategic Plan

From Liberia-

The Episcopal Church of Liberia has launched its five-year strategic plan, which is expected to see more emphasis on evangelism, advocacy and other activities that will cater to the spiritual and physical needs of parishioners and the Christian community at large. The plan seeks to reinvigorate the spiritual activities of the church, while at the same time diverting more attention to health and education needs, as well as engaging in meaningful and responsible entrepreneurial activities to ensure growth.

Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Jonathan B. B. Hart, said at a special convention held on Friday, February 15, that the plan is a systemic process of envisioning a desired future and serves as a guide to the ministry of the church—reflecting all elements of its work in advancement of “God’s kingdom in the Liberian vineyard.

Though approached with renewed vigor, Bishop Hart noted that the idea has been reflected upon in a variety of ways over the past few years. The plan rallies Episcopalians across the country to work towards a more vibrant Diocese. The Episcopal Church is also endeavoring to augment, improve and diversify its investment portfolio in the country.

More here-

https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/episcopal-church-launches-five-yr-strategic-plan/

‘We must Fix Ourselves, In Order to Fix Our Country’ – Prelate Urges Liberians

From D.C.-

In order to fix our country and society, we must first begin by fixing ourselves”.  The clarion call came in a powerful message delivered by the Rev. Canon John T.W. Harmon of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC as he delivered the message to Liberians at the first Annual National Day of Prayer Service held Sunday at the Bethel World “City of Faith” Sunday in Olney Maryland near Washington DC.
 
The event which brought together a cross-section of Liberians from various parts of the U.S. was attended by an array of dignitaries including the Charge d’ Affairs of the Liberian Embassy in Washington, and the diplomats, as well as civic and religious leaders. 

Prayers were offered for the three branches of the Liberian government, while supplications were made for deliverance of the people of Liberia from perpetual hardship as clergymen sought divine direction for love, and unity amongst Liberians at home and abroad to achieve progress for their country. 

In his message, Cannon Harman noted that in order to change Liberia, Liberians must begin by uniting in prayer to attain divine direction but in that process, he cautioned that Liberians must pray to first change themselves, adding “you must pray to change yourselves first before you can change others”. 

More here-

https://frontpageafricaonline.com/diaspora/we-must-fix-ourselves-in-order-to-fix-our-country-prelate-urges-liberians/

Dean, Trinity Cathedral, First Rector, St. Stephen Episcopal Church

From Liberia-

The Very Reverend Dr. Emmanuel W. Johnson, former dean of Trinity Cathedral, Monrovia and former President of Cuttington University College (now Cuttington University), has died.

This sad event occurred on March 12, at the Dulles Health and Rehab Center in Herndon, Virginia, United States of America.

His family and close friends were at his bedside when he received his eternal summons. He was in his 94th year.

Fr. Johnson served as principal of the St. Thomas Elementary School, Monrovia prior to his departure for the United States in 1956 for further studies.

He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1958 from Langston University and his Master’s in Educational Administration and Supervision from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois in 1959.

More here-

https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/very-rev-emmanuel-johnson-is-dead/

New Trinity Cathedral Dean Opposes Christian State

From Liberia-

The newly installed dean of the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Rev. Canon Dr. James B. Sellee, says he opposes the efforts of the National Christian Council of Liberia (NCCL) to make Liberia a Christian state.

Speaking over the weekend during his installation program, Rev. Sellee said there is no time in the history of Liberia when religion caused any harm to the people. "If we Christians want to see Liberia become a Christian nation, we should rather redouble our efforts in evangelizing and winning more souls for

Christ than seeking the assistance of the law to get it done," Dean Sellee pointed out.

People of all faiths in the country have worked together for peace and should continue to work together for the betterment of the country rather than seeing each other as warring factions on a battlefield, he admonished.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201701240688.html

New Dean of Trinity Cathedral Calls for Peace

From Liberia-


The Episcopalian Trinity Cathedral in Liberia yesterday inducted Dr. James Bombo Sellee, as the new dean, at a well-attended ceremony at the Trinity Cathedral on Broad Street in Monrovia.

Dr. Sellee becomes an ex-officio of the Bishop's Council, the Bishop's Staff Meeting and the Diocesan Synod. He will preside over the Cathedral Chapter to direct the work of the cathedral, and to take emergency decisions on behalf of the Chapter.

In his induction address Bishop Rev. Dr. Jonathan B.B. Hart said, "We do things differently in this cathedral. I say this because I have spent more than 20 years serving here and know what we do and if you are rendering justice, do justice to all without favor or discrimination. Show love to all without discrimination because without love for members of the congregation, the Dean is nothing."

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201701230559.html

Liberia: Come Let Us Rebuild Christ Church

From Liberia-

The Priest-in-Charge of Christ Episcopal Church, the Rev. Fr. Harris W. Woart, has challenged Episcopalians from Crozierville to return and rebuild the church in the same way the Prophet Nehemiah, in exile following the Babylonian captivity, returned home to rebuild Jerusalem.

Preaching on the occasion of homecoming of Christ Church members yesterday, Fr. Woart told the parishioners that they are to rebuild their church socially, spiritually and physically. "We must rebuild this very edifice we currently occupy by repairing the roof and ceiling and finding locks for the windows and doors." The church has fallen into serious disrepair over the years with major leaks and a generally crumbling, decaying structure.

On the challenge of rebuilding Christ Church, there is a far bigger challenge. The current edifice will soon be torn down by a new road construction project passing through Crozierville.

Episcopal Bishop Jonathan B.B. Hart (pictured), a born member of Christ Church, and other parishioners have identified a 25-acre plot of land immediately behind the current edifice where the new church is to be built. An architect has already been recruited to design the new church, and its members at home and in the Diaspora must now begin raising the funds to build the new edifice before it is demolished by the approaching road construction project through the settlement.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201605301312.html

EPISCOPAL PRELATE SLAMS LIBERIA OVER HARRY GREAVES DEATH

From Liberia-

The long-standing controversy surrounding the death of Mr. Harry A. Greaves, the former Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company is expected to be laid to rest as family, friends and well-wishers prepare for burial today. Sympathizers turned out in large numbers Wednesday night to bid farewell to Greaves who died under mysterious circumstances. As Greaves finally departs the world with circumstances surrounding his death still unknown, many paid tributes to the late Greaves memorializing the deceased as wreaths and flowers were laid on the mortal remains.

Murmurs Over Body’s Identity

At the start of the wake, several family members were heard discussing the identity of the body with some openly saying that the appearance of the body was far from recognition and does not look like the deceased. One family source told FrontPageAfrica that the funeral parlor said that they were doing reconstruction work and did not prepare the body properly. “The children were grumbling and said it was not their daddy and that their father’s face was brighter,” a family member told FrontPageAfrica.

Giving tribute, the Rector of the St. Augustine Parish, and Arch-Deacon of Sub-Western Archdeaconry Rev. Fr. Victor King expressed disappointment in the handling of the death of Greaves who was an Episcopalian. He blamed the security apparatus headed by some Episcopalians, adding that they head the security of the state describing the work of these Episcopalians as disappointing.
 
More here-

http://frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/7740-episcopal-prelate-slams-liberia-over-harry-greaves-death

Episcopal Relief & Development and Church of Liberia expand SGBV prevention

From Anglican News-

 Episcopal Relief & Development and the humanitarian arm of the Episcopal Church of Liberia (ECL-RD) have expanded their gender-based violence prevention and response program through a $680,000 grant from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.

The initiative is equipping and mobilizing faith leaders, networks and communities to prevent violence against women and girls and to increase survivors’ access to services. Launched in collaboration with Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and their national campaign, Episcopal Relief & Development and ECL-RD are implementing this three-year program in Grand Cape Mount and Rivercess Counties. 

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2015/10/episcopal-relief-development-and-church-of-liberia-expand-sgbv-prevention.aspx

Presiding Bishop calls for prayer for Liberia, West Africa

From ENS-

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has urged Episcopalians to observe the Second Sunday in Advent, December 7, as a day of prayer for those in the Diocese of Liberia and the entire Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa, areas heavily affected by the current Ebola pandemic.

“The Diocese of Liberia was founded by Episcopalians in 1836, and was a diocese of The Episcopal Church until the early 1980s, when it joined the Province of West Africa,” noted Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori. “Today we continue in a covenant relationship of mutual support and fellowship.”
She continued, “Liberia is at the epicenter of the recent Ebola outbreak, and Episcopalians have turned Cuttington University (Suakoku) into a center for response in rural northern Liberia.  

The Anglican Province of West Africa includes all three nations (Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone) where the pandemic continues to develop.  The suffering and death is enormous, the economy is devastated, schools are closed, yet the caring and compassionate response continues.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/11/20/presiding-bishop-calls-for-prayer-for-liberia-west-africa/

Ebola victims feel ‘forsaken’ says Liberian bishop

From The Church Times-

SUFFERERS from of the Ebola virus in West Africa believe that "God has forsaken them", a Liberian Roman Catholic bishop, the Rt Revd Anthony Fallah Borwah, has said.

Bishop Borwah was prevented from attending Pope Francis's recent synod on the family because of the travel ban on countries affected by the virus.

He urged his fellow bishops, and the Church, to remember that it was the poor who are their priority, and said that whole families were being "decimated".

Speaking to the US Catholic News Service, he said: "We are losing our humanity in the face of Ebola. . . This disease makes impossible ordinary human kindnesses, such as putting your arm around someone who is crying."

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/24-october/news/world/ebola-victims-feel-‘forsaken’-says-liberian-bishop

Ebola In Church: A Reverend's Quarantine Spreads The Word

From NPR-

Night clubs have shut their doors. Soccer leagues have been suspended. And a strict curfew is keeping the streets empty at night.

But there's one place in Monrovia where people continue to gather despite the threat of Ebola: Sunday church service.

Since Ebola broke out in Liberia's capital city, more people have started coming to Sunday service at Trinity Cathedral, says the Very Rev. Herman Browne. And like many priests across Monrovia, Browne has been spreading the word about Ebola prevention through his sermons.

More here-

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/10/20/357399593/ebola-in-church-a-reverends-quarantine-spreads-the-word

Liberia: Ebola Not God's Punishment - Lutheran Bishop

From All Africa-

The Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) D. Jensen Seyenkulo, has disagreed with those Liberians who hold the view that the deadly Ebola virus outbreak in the country is a punishment from God. Bishop Seyenkulo said, he disagrees with those, who in the wake of the deadly Ebola outbreak, have characterized God in ways that are contradicting the Biblical revelation of God through Jesus Christ.

The Lutheran Bishop said the God that Christians serve, is not a God that kills because of sin. The incarnation is a clear manifestation of God's gracious character. Speaking recently in Monrovia, he said, sickness and death are part of the normal course of life since mankind fell through Adam and Eve, and there is no scriptural basis proving that people who fear and love God will not suffer.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201409121087.html

From AllAfrica-

In an effort to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the county, the Episcopal Church of Liberia in conjunction with the Episcopal Relief Development Organization in New York, United States of America on Wednesday, August 27, 2014 handed over some preventive materials to the C. H. Rennie Hospital in Margibi County for the use in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus in the county.

The donation included twenty-six Ebola buckets, 20 bags of rice, five cartons of Argo oil, PPE, among others.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201409012859.html

Liberia’s Cuttington University, diocese at epicenter of Ebola crisis

From ENS-

Liberia’s Cuttington University, located near one of the epicenters of West Africa’s Ebola outbreak, is reaching out to its surrounding communities while worrying about the epidemic’s impact on the now-closed school’s future, and mourning the loss of graduates and friends.

Meanwhile, throughout Liberia and Sierra Leone, Episcopal Relief & Development is in regular contact with local church partners who “are leveraging their widespread presence and trusted reputation to alleviate suffering and contain the Ebola outbreak” that has killed at least 1,427 people in West Africa since March 2014, according to an Aug. 27 press release.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/08/28/liberias-cuttington-university-diocese-at-epicenter-of-ebola-outbreak/

From Liberia (From the "Face Palm" Department)

The men of God, meanstream Episcopalians and non-denominational evangelicals alike, unanimously endorsed the following resolution:

That God is angry with Liberia, and that Ebola is a plague. Liberians have to pray and seek God's forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts (such as homosexualism, etc.) that continue to penetrate our society. As Christians, we must repent and seek God's forgiveness.

 That a three-day indoor fast and prayer across the nation be observed, commencing next Wednesday, August 6th, and concluding Friday, August 8th.

That an inter-denominational committee be constituted to present said resolution to government.
That if government is in agreement, the Republic of Liberia be locked up for three days of fast and prayer. All movement should be restricted during those three days. People should stay at home for three days of silence, fasting and prayer.

More here-

http://www.liberianobserver.com/news-religion/god-angry-liberia

West Africa: Liberia Bishop Jonathan Hart Heads West Africa's Internal Province

From All Africa-

Bishop Jonathan Hart of the Episcopal Church of Liberia has been enthroned as archbishop of the Internal Province of West Africa (IpWA) in the Church of the Province of West Africa (CPWA).

Hart succeeds Bishop Solomon Tilewa Johnson of The Gambia who died in office on Jan. 21, 2014.

Hart was elected on May 1, 2014 by the Electoral College of the IpWA in the St. Augustine Anglican Church in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He is also the dean of the CPWA. Hart now assumes the role of having oversight of the Anglican Communion bishops from Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Cameroon and Liberia.

Hart was consecrated as bishop of the Episcopal Church of Liberia on March 2, 2008.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201407100269.html

Liberia: Local Episcopal Church Still Divided

From Liberia-

A local parish within the Episcopal Diocese of Liberia, Saint Augustine Episcopal Church still appears to be divided with the men's department on one hand and the Preist-in-Charge and the vestry (Church administrators) on the other.

The St. Augustine Episcopal Church located on Bardnersville Road is engulfed with crisis despite the intervention of Bishop Jonathan B.B. Hart.

The President of the Men's Department Prince Bolden told this paper last evening that he is preparing his letter of resignation from the Church.

He said his resignation as president of the men and member of the Church stems from the manner in which the Priest of the St. Augustine Episcopal Church, Rev. Nyema Harmon is administering the parish.

Bolden stated that Bishop Hart did little to resolve that ongoing crisis in the Church.

Recently, Bishop Hart set up a special investigative committee to look into the crisis at the St. Augustine Episcopal Church. The committee has completed its work and findings have been submitted.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201304010852.html

Liberia: Breakaway Imminent

From Liberia-

The seems to be an imminent breakaway in the St. Augustine Episcopal Church as the men vowed not to cooperate with an investigative committee set up by Bishop Jonathan B. B. Hart to look into the conflict of the Church.

The Augustine Episcopal Church Men have already made their position known that they cannot work with Rev. G. Nyemah Harmon as Priest-in-Charge due to his inability to unite the Church and provide leadership.

Rev. Harmon has failed to release funds to the men's department to underwrite the cost of the window project which they said have been overdue.

The men led by its President Prince Bolden maintained that he will not honor the invitation of the investigative committee until funds requested for the Church's window project is released to them.

The latest decision by the St. Augustine Episcopal Church Men appears to be that they are bracing to breakaway as it was done at St. Stephens Episcopal Church where prominent members broke away to establish the Anglican Church.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201303111227.html

Episcopal Bishop Seeks Resolution in Church's Crisis

From Liberia-

The Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Liberia, Jonathan B. B. Hart has held discussion with aggrieved men of the St. Augustine Episcopal Church aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to the looming crisis in the local Episcopal Church.

The meeting held Tuesday, February 5, 2013, at the Trinity Cathedral on Broad Street, was convened by Bishop Hart.

Information gathered from the meeting which lasted for nearly two hours revealed that the St. Augustine Episcopal Church Men, led by its President Prince A. Bolden, was frank in telling Bishop Hart the division existing in the Church is due to the manner in which Priest-in-Charge G. Nyema Harmon is administering affairs there.

The St. Augustine Men insisted that Rev. Harmon be replaced to avoid division in the Church.

However, after listening to the concerns of the St. Augustine Men, Bishop Hart said he was primarily interested in the resolution of the conflict before taking a decision.

Bishop Hart requested the St. Augustine Episcopal Church Men to make their complaint official by writing his office on Friday, February 8, 2013.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201302070868.html