CRC of Sierra Leone
The CRCNA in Sierra Leone
In 1979, the CRC made a decision to start working in Sierra Leone. Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) and the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) went to work and eventually formed what is now called Christian Extension Services (CES). CES ministered in northern Sierra Leone through numerous evangelism and community development activities.
Then came the civil war. The sheer brutality of the civil war forced many religious and relief organizations to flee. But CES stayed, and their credibility grew even deeper among the local people. This helped CES to lay a credible foundation for the growth of the church in a Muslim-dominated area.
The CRCSL Today
Today is a time of rebuilding. By 2006, the ministry of CES coupled with renewed evangelism efforts through partnership with CRWM and the Reformed Church of Zambia (RCZ), gave birth to 36 congregations with an average church attendance of 600 plus people. In February of 2007 the church was officially registered as the Christian Reformed Church of Sierra Leone (CRCSL). In just a few short years, the church has experienced tremendous growth. There are now 62 churches with more than 5,500 believers in total.
World Missions goal, as it works alongside the CRCSL, CES, CRWRC and the RCZ, is to help develop an indigenous church reaching out through holistic ministry in Sierra Leone. It is our hope and prayer that the CRC of Sierra Leone will impact their communities in ways that allow others to experience the kingdom of God.
John Phiri
John Phiri in an is an ordained preacher in the Reformed Church of Zambia (RCZ) in Zambia, a country in southern Africa thousands of miles from Sierra Leone. When first approached about doing ministry in Sierra Leone, he said there was no way he would work there. Phiri says, “I didn’t want to go, but there was this voice inside of me that told me that this is what God wanted me to do. You can’t run away from God,” he said. “I found when I came to Sierra Leone that I was able to build on all of the good work of CRWM.”
“Serving as a pastor in Sierra Leone has been an amazing experience,” Phiri said. Paul Kortenhoven, a retired missionary who formerly served in Sierra Leone and helped train Phiri for the position, says, "John (Phiri) is doing a great job. He’s got the right gifts, at the right time, and he's in the right place."
Phiri has since registered the Christian Reformed Church of Sierra Leone with the government and the CRCSL continues to grow. He and others are deeply involved in evangelism and conducting leadership trainings to raise leaders who end up attending Bible school or seminary and then return to minister in villages scattered around northern Sierra Leone.
Read More
- The Bridge (May 2005)
- Deadly Beauty (April 2007)
- New Bible Translation Dedicated in Sierra Leone (March 2008)
- Sierra Leone CRC Sees Rise in Baptisms (April 2008)
- A Light on the Hill (April 2008)
- CRC in Sierra Leone Villages Blossoms (January 2008)
- Calvin Prof Gets a Federal Grant (April 2009)
- Sierra Leone Pastor Praises CRC (May 2009)
- Ministry Update (October 2009)
- Ministry Update (February 2010)
- Ministry Update (November 2010)
- Ministry Update (December 2010)
- Ministry Update (July 2011)