Inside The Bible Mission School System
Enhancing Christin Productivity and Prosperity In Liberia
Introduction
The vision to establish an institution to enhance the basic values of Christianity and provide the tools to foster community unity, cultural harmony, academic advancement, and social economic self-sustainable development, started in 2022 as a pilot project in Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County, Liberia.
The pilot project consists of an Early Education and Elementary Entry School in the ERZ community in Zwedru and an upland farming initiative in Bahsayee Town, Southeast of Zwedru. The commencing of the two pilot projects is in line with the short- and long-term goals of the mission to provide sustainable agriculture resources to assist the school in its development.
The School Project
In August 2022, IBMSS, acquired a residential building to start the school project in line with the Liberia Education School System calendar for 2022/2023 academic year. The school enrolled students and recruited teachers to fill in the following classes:
Kindergarten 1 & 2, Grades 1,2, & 3
There are 5 regular teachers, a principal, janitor, and a school coordinator. The teaching staff and the coordinator are recruited on a voluntary basis with a promise to assist with a stipend while awaiting approval of IBMSS project proposal from the Penn Northeast Conference.
The volunteers are receiving $50 a month since the beginning of the 2022/2023 school year and stationery has been supplied in support of the administrative staff and students. Due to a shortfall of funds to keep up with the stipend some of the volunteer teachers have not been coming to school and as a result some classes do not have full-time teachers. Classes must be combined to keep up the school and retain the students. Presently, there are two teachers, a coordinator and principal at the school and they are owed three months of stipend.
Development Initiatives
The current structure of the school cannot keep up with the growth of the students and the Administration of IBMSS in America has embarked on an initiative to construct an eight-classroom building for the Early Childhood Education and Elementary School for the 2024/2025 academic year. Presently, one acre of land in Zwedru at the cost of $2,800 has been engaged and $1,500 has been paid to the landlord. Clearing of the land has begun and there is so much enthusiasm for the project being expressed by the students, teachers, and the community.
On May 2, 2024 at about 11:30 am, Jackson Pyne and Daniel Pyne, Administrators of IBMSS in America, met with Penn Northeast Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates and Pastor James Gottwald from PNEC, partners for the Liberia Project, to review the project since its approval by the Conference Board. During the meeting, there was tremendous excitement to have the Liberia Project initiated and issues relating to the project’s short- and long-term goals were discussed, and the development phases were initiated to roll out the project.
The project currently has a bank account in Liberia and partner bank in America to account for funds for the project. Daniel and Jackson can be contacted by phone (Daniel267-275-1200/Jackson 484-375-8851) prepared to visit the various churches in the Conference to make a presentation of the Liberia Project. Pictures of the current school building and students are available through the conference office, including some administrative paperwork for the school, such as, monthly volunteer stipends, students and teachers’ attendance records. These documents should be shared with the Conference to give an overview of where the project stands.
The partnership between PNEC and IBMSS is a manifestation of God’s exceeding power to move mountains and share his glory among his peoples. Therefore, the Liberia project to enhance Christin Productivity, Prosperity and Values is a threshold for brining Christ to his children in Liberia.
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THIS IS THE FIRST IN THE SERIES OF ARTICLES FROM IBMSS TO THE CONFERENCE.