Dear Partners in Mission:
Over the weekend of November 25/26 we received word that the government of Sierra Leone had placed the nation under a curfew after armed men attacked and freed inmates from the Pademba Road Prison in Freetown. These individuals were then seen clashing with government police and military, exchanging gunfire and destroying property. The motive for the attack and freeing of the prisoners is not clear. Sierra Leone’s president, speaking yesterday evening stated the leaders of the attack have been arrested. He has also been very careful not to use the term coup. However, the political situation in the country is tense, the borders have been closed, and flights to and from the country have been cancelled.
When I heard of the situation I immediately reached out to Bishop Momoh of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone, our global partners. Through WhatsApp we were able to communicate with him as he sheltered in place to avoid being caught up in any of the violence. I shared that we in the NT-NL Synod would be keeping him and the ELCSL in prayer and pray for a peaceful end to this conflict. He expresses his gratitude to you for those prayers and for our continued commitment to supporting the work they are doing in Sierra Leone. As of Monday morning he reported that he is safe and that he has gotten no word of any members of the church being injured or of any damage to church property. I pray that will continue to be the case.
The NT-NL and the ELCSL have a long history of mutual commitment. I am grateful for the work Bishop Momoh has been about, particularly the work to create a sustainable, self-supporting church. This includes the water bottling project that we in NT-NL provided funds for and now provides both income for the church as well as employment for individuals in the community. The church has also made the decision to lease property they own in Freetown to again provide cash flow for the church. These moves are strong indicators of how Bishop Momoh’s vision for a sustainable church, working in partnership but not solely dependent on our financial support are coming together. In the fall of 2024 Bishop has called for a meeting with NT-NL, ELCA, and LWF partners and will likely mean a group from NT-NL will travel to Sierra Leone. Assuming of course the political situation is such that it is safe to do so.
Please continue to hold the people of Sierra Leone and particularly Bishop Momoh and the ELCSL in prayer. We are grateful for the work we do…
#InMissionTogether,
Bishop Gronberg