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For roughly fourteen years prior to 2004, Liberia was in and out of horrific civil war. The fallout from this terrible unrest is still trickling down the generations. Fifty percent of the country’s population is less than fifteen years old due to widespread genocide. These children have endured endless fighting, malnutrition, orphanages, and lack of basic necessities such as water and education. Longing to begin the process of rebuilding his devastated nation, Pastor Moses Wheigar and his wife, Ruth, stepped up in 2008 and transitioned their existing church to become the first Harvest Bible Chapel on the continent of Africa. Under his leadership the church in Paynesville, Liberia is thriving and growing. So much so, that Harvest Bible Fellowship (HBF) has seen the deep need for raising up leaders in this war-torn country and has planted six churches so far in Liberia!



And while the churches are caring deeply for their people, there was still a need for a formal way to reach out to the children who so desperately needed help and hope for a better future. In August 2009, Pastor Moses’ church opened Harvest Christian Academy Paynesville. Now in it’s third year of enrollment, they have over 200 children in nursery through sixth grade. There are twelve teachers committed to discipling the kids to act and think biblically, and the academic standard is high. “The school is making an impact on the community...It gives us more opportunities to reach out to people in the community because the school establishes a connection with parents, as well as giving us the chance to present the gospel to the children for the first time,” says Pastor Moses, “There are so many children whose lives have been changed as a direct result of HCA. One little boy, Obediah, came to our school the first year we opened. Because of the school, he began coming to our church where he gave his life to Christ. He then invited his mother to our church where she has since given her life to Christ.”

As the school in Paynesville got underway, the extreme need to raise up the next generation of leaders for the country was clearly evident. Thus, HBF’s second Liberia church plant in Buchanan that opened in 2009, also saw fit to open a school. Just last year HCA Buchanan opened it’s doors, and while in a more rural setting than Paynesville, Buchanan still has over 170 students. HBF’s Director of International Church Planting, Kirk VanMaanan, recalls from his first trip to Liberia, “The difference they are making is real, and children are receiving Christ and being transformed from one degree of glory to another as the light of the glorious gospel is shown. They are making a huge difference in transforming one child at at time—moving a nation forward in Africa.”



The HCAs in Liberia have also opened the door to our HCA students in Elgin, IL teaching them to have a greater worldview and care for others across the world. From fundraisers to build wells and set up libraries, to hand-making alphabet and color flashcards for Liberian HCA students, Elgin students are gaining a global perspective and learning that having your basic needs met isn’t something to take for granted. Pastor Moses has come to Elgin on occasion and had the opportunity to share with our students in chapel what school looks like in Liberia as well share some requests that our students can be bringing before the Lord on their behalf.

Harvest Bible Fellowship has come alongside these Liberian churches, felt their needs, seen their ache for good education, and helped raise up the leaders to build strong churches that can go on to begin God-glorifying, high-achieving schools out of the overflow of the leadership they have in their church. Pastor James MacDonald tells us, “Fellowship is a relationship between individuals as a result of active participation in a common mission… Biblical fellowship is a little tricky, you don’t actually get real fellowship by going for it. It’s a by-product. It happens because we rolled up our sleeves and got busy working for the kingdom of Jesus Christ together!” And that’s what the Fellowship at Harvest is committed to doing.