Feeding orphans
The Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church Distant Members Fellowship gave food to orphanages in Monrovia, Liberia, to help them celebrate Christmas. (Photo by E. Julu Swen)
December 28, 2022
The Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church Distant Members Fellowship reached out to those in need during the Christmas season.
As part of the Christmas celebration, the Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church Distant Members Fellowship in collaboration with the Chi Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority gave assorted food items to orphanages in Monrovia, Liberia, and its suburb on December 23, 2022. The food items included rice, oil, salt, assorted canned beans, and beef.
Speaking on behalf of the two institutions, Dartor Bolo said the gesture was meant to put smiles on the faces of the children of the orphanage homes, adding, “If we can make their Christmas good by giving them the food that they need, this is the closest we can bring them to knowing Jesus Christ.” He pointed out that though they were dividing these food items with the orphanages, their intention was to witness to the recipients about the birth of Jesus Christ and his saving grace.
“We want these children and the administrators of these homes to know the Lord Jesus Christ as they live their lives in these facilities,” Bolo asserted.
Bolo, who is now the president of the Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church Distant Members Fellowship in the United States of America, told West African Writers (WAW) that the two institutions were collaborating to meet the needs of the children who did not have anyone to look to as the festive season was fast approaching.
“These children did not have any hope of how they would celebrate Christmas until we arrived with these food items,” Bolo emphasized.
He said that as they were going around Monrovia and its suburb, the looks on other children’s faces told him that they needed to do more. “The need to care for children who were made orphans either by Covid or other natural disasters is increasing by the day in Liberia,” he said.
The caregiver at the Love a Child orphanage home thanked the two institutions and called on them to keep the children on their radar at all times.
“Your prayers and gifts will help us in molding the minds of these children into better citizens of Liberia,” Rebecca Brooks Wreh said. She pointed out that the children were at risk from individuals who want to exploit their desires for food and other essential items like clothes and footwear.
Also speaking was the head of the Frances Gaskin Orphanage Home, who told donors that their gifts came on the brink of what was looking like a Christmas without a meal, stressing, “We did not know how we would have handled these children on the day of Christmas until you came in with the food.”
Bolo said over $570 was spent on getting the food items and transportation to deliver the items to the orphanages. The money was raised by two US-based organizations: the Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church Distant Members Fellowship along with the Chi Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Renovations
In addition to its local outreach, the S.T. Nagbe UMC's Distant Members Fellowship is now doing mission work with its struggling and less fortunate members in the United States of America. The fellowship renovated the home of one of its members in the state of Delaware, spending about $6,000 on roofing and other fixtures (see photo at left). Speaking to a West African Writers’ reporter, the president of the fellowship said the initiative was the group’s way of staying in touch with and upholding each other in the US.
“We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers in this home away from home,” Bolo noted. He said the S. T. Nagbe UMC Distant Members Fellowship is involved in caregiving activities in the US and back home in Liberia, adding, “We support feeding programs at the church in Liberia and provide support to orphanages.”
Bolo told West African Writers that one of their major activities is the lighting of the Christmas tree in the compound of the church. He said the event is meant to bring church members together to celebrate Christmas as a church family before going on with their individual Christmas celebrations. “At this event, we served food to all who come to the church, including at-risk young people known as 'zogos' in Liberia,” he said.
Beneficiary praises God
The beneficiary of the S. T. Nagbe UMC Distant Members Fellowship’s renovation initiative praising God in the midst of other members in Delaware, USA. The renovation cost over $5,000. (Photo courtesy of S. T. Nagbe UMC)
The more than 200-member fellowship was established over a decade ago and has been rebranded in ways that can now impact the lives of its members wherever they are. Bolo is the fellowship’s third president and the youngest to lead the fellowship. He was elected on September 3, 2022, during the annual gathering of the fellowship, where programs and projects were also reviewed. The fellowship now has a 501c3 tax-exempt status in the United States and can apply for grants to undertake projects that can shape lives and make the world a better place.
For more information on the fellowship, visit its website STNUMCDMF.
E. Julu Swen serves as communications director for the Liberia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. This article was compiled from two stories he posted on West African Writers and distributed via Twitter.