ELCSL: A Beacon Light In The Community

ELCSL: A Beacon Light In The Community
From September 19 to 28, 2007; I visited Sierra Leone and met with the leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone, to review the mission and priorities of the church, and learn the best way to accompany the ELCSL in mission. During this visit, I stopped at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) which is one of the 16 congregations of ELCSL.

The Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church and school is located at Up Mountain Peak Cock Farm, Wellington, Sierra Leone. Overlooking the city of Freetown from the Up Peak Mountain, the Calvary church embodies literally the Good News that we found in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Mathew (see Mathew 5: 14-16 -NIV). The CELC is a beacon light in this community of about 2,000 peoples. Through the school and community initiatives, the church is engaging in peace building and reconciliation by sharing light with Muslim neighbors. Light is shinning over this small community and children can be children again not child soldier.

The school provides access to education to 300 children, a space for community interaction, and a medium by which the community is being rebuilt and recovered from trauma so that healing could take place. The congregation is around 260 baptized members. The uniqueness of the church and school is that the service offered by the congregation is accessible to all regardless of their faith or political affiliation which is not always the case in Sierra Leone even in the context of post war and reconciliation.

The ELCSL has maintained a much needed presence in peace and reconciliation ministries as well as a supportive ministry for amputees in the form of skills training and economic development through micro-credit financing. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Global Mission Unit provides grant support for mission outreach and church administration. The Northern Texas- Northern Louisiana Synod, companion synod of ELCSL, supports the Jubilee Center and other ministries of the church.

ELCSL is one of the ELCA Global Mission companions in West Africa. ELCSL has a membership of about 2000 members, 13 pastors and 16 congregations. Rev. Thomas J. Barnett, a former ELCA GM scholarship recipient, is the presiding bishop.

Of Sierra Leone’s 4.9 million people, 70% live below poverty line. There is high unemployment, particularly as a result of the ten year civil conflict. The socio-political situation of Sierra Leone is characterized by fragile peace, endemic and pervasive poverty.

Despite the devastation of the civil war, the ELCSL is still standing and continues its ministries of word and Sacraments through teaching, preaching and healing.

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