16 Nov Bishop Pessima: Among the Vai People
A visit to Pujehun in February 2013. L-r: Jeff Bleijerveld, Bishop Phil Whipple, Bishop John Pessima with Sierra Leone leaders and workers in Pujehun. (click to enlarge)
Donna Hollopeter with people from the Vai church in Pujehun in February 2013.
Bishop John Pessima (right) of Sierra Leone Conference is currently in the United States, where he is spending a couple months visiting United Brethren churches. During a stop at the National Office in Huntington, Ind., he talked about the conference’s work among the Vai people.
The Vai, a predominantly Muslim group, live on the border with Liberia in Pujehun, one of the 12 districts (like states) of Sierra Leone. It is sparsely populated, with about 300,000 people living mostly in villages of less than 2000 people. We now have a church and school in Pujehun.
They were introduced to Pujehun by a man who grew up there as a Muslim. He moved to Freetown as a young man, became a Christian, and joined the Wellington United Brethren church. John Pessima personally baptized him.
The man later moved back to Pujehun, and died in April 2013. But before passing, he instructed that two plots of land he owned be given, free of charge, to the United Brethren church.
“We are now trying to document ownership,” says Bishop Pessima.
The church currently meets in that man’s home, and the school uses a small classroom. “For now, Rev. Peter Kainwo, the conference superintendent of evangelism, is leading the church and school,” says Bishop Pessima.
A few young men, UBs from Bo and Freetown, moved to Pujehun because of their jobs with non-government organizations. Bishop Pessima describes them as “strong UB youths who are assisting greatly.”
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