Africa-Press – Liberia. The Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) has concluded its 20th Biennial Convention and 164 birth anniversary celebration in Monrovia, under the theme Transforming to Sustain the LCL in the Spirit of Reconciliation.
The convention ran from April 24-28, 2024, attended by the clergy and laity of the church, Christians from other denominations, and some Liberian government officials.
Per the constitution of the LCL, the Lutheran Church holds a convention every two years to make major decisions for the development of the church.
The LCL is one of the oldest ecumenical bodies in the country, established in 1860 by the American evangelist Morris Officer.
Since its establishment, the church has immensely contributed to the preaching of the Gospel in the country, and providing education and health.
The church has a membership of approximately 120,000 members and comprises nine districts of more than 50 parishes across Liberia. It also has a congregation in Guinea.
This year’s convention theme follows the LCL’s bishopric election two years ago, which nearly caused a split. At the time, the Church carried two staffers of its central administration to court for alleged mismanagement of funds.
Delivering the keynote address for the convention recently at the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Monrovia, the President of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University (AMEZU), Rev. Dr. Emmanuel F. Johnson, called on the members to make an impact by getting the past behind them and unite.
“We have gathered here on the theme of reconciliation. For me, it is a matter of importance. You all agree with me that there is a need to put all our differences aside to make an impact,” he said.
According to Rev. Johnson, members and leaders will need to be truthful and embrace each other if the church will be sustained.
“There are lies everywhere among the Christians. This is putting on the old self, as mentioned by the Apostle Paul. People are still paying back wrongs in the church. But God has called us to shine as Christians,” he said.
He said unless the members demonstrate true love, they will not be fulfilling the believer’s calling.
Rev. Johnson challenged LCL members to take the theme of the convention seriously to bring about spiritual healing.
“To transform the Lutheran church is not an easy task. What can the people say about the Lutheran church in the communities?” he asked.
He said that the church must be able to address issues that divide them because God has given them the power of the Holy Spirit to do so.
“You must be able to mend the broken relationships, for Christ’s sake. You have that power to make it happen,” Johnson urged the Lutheran members.
In his convention statement, the Bishop of the Church, the Right Rev. Dr. G. Victor Padmore, said that the missionaries who established the Lutheran church left a legacy for the church to always reflect upon and build on.
“God used them to establish the church here in Liberia, envisioning a self-propagating, self-governing, and self-sustaining church. This vision has left a legacy of profound commitment to the welfare of the Liberian people in the area of education, health, and spiritual guidance,” said Bishop Padmore, who took over the church’s highest office two years ago, from Bishop Emeritus, Rev. Dr. Jensen Seyenkulo.
Bishop Padmore urged the members to reflect the theme of the convention in the spirit of oneness.
“Our gathering is not just a remembrance of past achievements, but also a clarion call to action looking to the future, moving forward with love and faith, embracing the changes necessary to sustain and grow in these challenges,” he said.
Reconciliation
The Bishop of the Church said the church went into a big split as a result of the elections.
However, he stated that since he took over the leadership; he had worked harder to reconcile the members.
“I have met with the aggrieved parties twice and the third time. I prayed with them and urged them to see a reason to unite. We were able to lift the suspension so that we can achieve the goal of reconciliation,” he claimed.
Sustainability
The sustainability of the church was one of the things Bishop Padmore promised to prioritize during his campaign for Bishop.
He told the conventioneers that in fulfillment of his promises, his administration had begun mobilizing parishes in the rural areas for agricultural ventures.
Bishop Padmore believes that gone should be the days that the LCL will largely depend on partners.
“We have since dreamt of a self-sustained church. One may ask, what does that mean? It means that the time is now when the LCL needs to work to help her helpers,” he emphatically said.
Meanwhile, to make this vision a reality, the 20th Biennial Convention did endorse the recommendation to set up an investment committee to be transformed into a board that will attract investment for the church.
Education
The Bishop said after many years, the church can now boast about the establishment of a university to advance the lives of the members and others.
He said that the University has been accredited by the Liberian Commission on Higher Education and classes will start in September of this year.
The Lutheran University of Liberia (LUL) will administer a college of health, education, and theology at the moment.
Health
Bishop Padmore mentioned that his administration is very much grateful to the partners who continue to support the church’s health institutions.
“Our health initiatives are aimed at the health recovery of the nation of Liberia,” he said.
Bishop Padmore said though some of the health institutions, particularly Phebe, face challenges, it remains a referral hospital within the country.
“We are engaging the partners to address some of our human resource gaps. Despite the many challenges faced by Phebe, the hospital remains the government’s referrer hospital,” he stated.
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