Divinely inspired: Global Ekklesia turns1

A special reflection:

Editor’s Note: After serving as a key state witness years ago, under mandatory “subpoena” in two major international war crimes trials held in the U.S. that involved two former Liberian warlords, plus a third in Europe, involving another ex-rebel general, our goal was to hang-up our journalistic jerseys and say a goodbye to journalism altogether. In fact, we even received a publication offer from someone, but turned it down. However, it seems the LORD had another task for us-a slightly different type of journalism-as clearly indicated below:

Banner photograph of Global Ekklesia’s editor-publisher, covering a mass protest by students of the University of Liberia in 2018, almost immediately after Pres. George Weah took power. Photo by Rev. Beyan Gbolumah

Exactly one year ago today, October 6, Global Ekklesia debuted but with a spiritual mandate that we help spread the Good News (the Gospel), in the earth before the Second Coming of our Messiah, Jesus Christ.

By all accounts the move didn’t come by chance but rather, it was predicated upon a calling, and was preceded by a sequence of events such as trials that had befallen our family. 

However, we kept pressing on, honestly inquiring of the LORD what then He would rather have us do for His Kingdom? 

After waiting for about a year and praying fervently, the “million-dollar” answer was finally revealed through the help of the Holy spirit: it was a soothing directive to publish the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 

As we hesitated, trying to figure out where this “thought” might be coming from, it became quite obvious that our Maker, God Allmighty wanted us to feature WEDDING and OBITUARY columns in the coming Gospel magazine.   

We became a little hesitant and asked Him through prayer to speak or reveal more-that is if all of this, came from Him, the LORD, in that a newspaper “publication” would be the least thing for anyone to consider, especially in the midst of a family tragedy!

As the week went by, the presence of the Holy Spirit could be felt from within as revelation regarding reasons for which the LORD might have chosen WEDDING and OBITUARY columns, started to gradually sink into our head. Next, two names popped up and GLOBAL EKKLESIA became final.

Firstly, He seems to want to restore the dignity He once bestowed upon Marriage, per Biblical definition, devoid of politically correctness! Secondly, it was revealed that the Obituary was to record the good deeds of God’s “faithful” departed whose fine works in the earth hadn’t seen the light of day.

Indeed, the more we thought, or pondered these “revealing ideas”, the more tense the spiritual warfare around us became, an indication that the ideas were not just wild or ordinary “thoughts” but that they were divinely inspired.  

As it happened the following expression streaked into our head, like the flash of a lightning: “…these are not new to you, you’ve done them before and can do them well…” Contents, pointing to some of our past works in both The Inquirer and The AfricaPaper we initially edited, again flashed.

As a matter of obedience, we answered YES to the LORD’s calling and in no time, we were led by the Spirit to write down the LORD’s instruction just as Moses had done in Exodus 34:27, upon God’s command, for remembrance and to execute certain task.

After all, it occurred to us that we (while faced with perils in the middle of the Liberian Civil War), had promised to work for the LORD’s Kingdom-that is, if only He would save us from the prevailing destruction in the country at the time. God, indeed, honored our plea!

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Below are excerpts from an obituary we wrote on the late Alfred Bangura, a long-term teacher of Sierra Leone. Born a Muslim, Bangura converted to Christianity. He embraced the poor, often working behind the scenes, and never sought recognition from his community. Titled “A Man of Extraordinary Character, An Obituary,” the article was published August 10, 2018, in The AfricaPaper.

“Out of compassion he helped a multitude of people, many of them who were total strangers-at times, even to the dismay of his own family members in a country where an individual survives on one U.S. dollar per day.

During his teaching career, which spanned more than 40 years, Bangura adopted ten children-some as young as two days old-including a blind boy, whose parents survived on little means in the northern town of Lunsar.

Stories abound that, while he worked as a schoolteacher and later, a missionary in the country’s northern district, he would quietly leave home only to later be seen returning with an adopted child. 

Mr. Bangura’s elder daughter, Elizabeth Bangura, a professional nurse and resident of Brooklyn Center, vividly remembers an incident after her father had left home to teach as he did every day. He traveled to a nearby village where he saw a blind teenage boy sitting alone without parents.

“He asked the boy where are your parents and the boy said they were all at the farm,” Elizabeth, fondly known as “Betty,” explains. 

Bangura, a young man, walked with the boy, N’Fah Alie, to the parent’s farm and arranged to adopt him. This was 1982 and N’Fah was three years old. By this time, Sierra Leone had a school for the blind. Betty who worked at a military hospital, registered N’Fah to start Brail classes. 

It was in 1973 when the most bizarre moment of all happened. Father Bangura caused awe when he arrived home with a large basket gently sitting on his head.

“We quickly ran to him wondering what he had in the basket,” said Betty.

In it were two babies, a girl and a boy. Their mother had died after giving birth and their distraught father, Bangura’s cousin, had given them to him for adoption the moment he asked.”