A New Light in Africa

In February, 2005, I had the honor of traveling to Liberia with a Greater New Jersey Conference delegation to participate in the Liberia Annual Conference, held at First UMC, Monrovia. That country was struggling to get back on their feet after years of bloody civil war, and with UN Peacekeepers present everywhere we looked, they were struggling to rebuild. Our host, Bishop John Innis, told us how Liberia was once called "the bright light of Africa." He and the people of his annual conference looked with hope to the new election that would be held in October of that year.

You've probably heard those elections raised Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, an active member of First UMC, Monrovia, to the office of President of Liberia. Last week she came to the United States to address Congress on March 15th. According to the news reports, she is "the fourth African head of state and the eighth woman to address a joint meeting of Congress. Invitations to address Congress are extended to international dignitaries only once or twice during a typical year," according to a report on AllAfrica.com.

On Tuesday of this week, she stopped by to see two other United Methodist who live in the area: George and Barbara Bush. Mrs. Bush traveled to Liberia in January to attend Sirleaf's inauguration, along with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

If the nation of Liberia is going to restore itself as the light, United Methodists all around the world will be able to take pride in the part our church has played. Bishop Innis, the episcopal leader of this wonderful conference, has been courageous beyond our imagining in his call for a leader who would put greed and self-interest aside and be a godly leader -- open and accountable. Without wavering he has shared his dream of a leader whose legacy for Liberia would be selflessness, who would see the children of Liberia as its greatest natural resource. We all pray Ms. Sirleaf will be the fulfillment of that dream.

The needs in Liberia, from what I saw first hand last year, are overwhelming. Imagine a major city whose infrastructure has disappeared, where utilities are no longer provided. Electricity is available only if you have a generator and only when you have the fuel to run the generator. Phone is service is gone, except for cell phones, which only work off pre-paid cards of minutes (there are no accounts, no way to deliver bills). Garbage is not picked up, but burned in the street, in the alleys, por by the side of the road. The list goes on and on.

So as Liberia struggles to get back on their feet, Ms. Sirleaf has come to ask the US to stand by their side, and help them rebuild their post-war nation. There is some indication our Congress will provide at least some of that aid. The truth is that the United Methodist Church has been at the side of Liberia through all struggles, and we will still be standing there when Liberia is once again the bright light of Africa.