 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Brief History of the
Church:
Like in other parts of Liberia, the civil war which started in December 1989 disrupted life in western Liberia and compelled more than 150,000 residents to flee that region in August 1992 when former warring factions battled for the "souls" of the region-Tubmanburg, the main provincial town of Bomi County. That was the second major fighting in two years. The first was in July and August 1990 when the country was severely pillaged for the first time. The second round of fighting was even more devastating. It uprooted the whole region and forced people to run in all directions for safety; some towards central Liberia; others, the majority sought refuge in the nation's capital, Monrovia. Three months later, as a consequence of the most devastating exchange of gun fire across the capital, commonly referred to as 'Octopus', the displaced people sheltering within central Monrovia were relocated to the western suburbs of the city where they created makeshifts huts referred to as 'Displaced Shelters'. Amidst the prevailing confusion and destruction, some Christians displaced within one of the largest shelters, the VOA 1 (which hosts displaced and refugees) organized a couple of fellowship and prayer services amongst the displaced to meet their spiritual needs. Out of this great fellowship sprung out many local congregations, one of which was 'Water in the Desert' fellowship. It was established as a displaced fellowship in 1994. After the annulment of internal displacement in 1997 when the first phase of the civil war ended, about 72 members of this fellowship urged the pastor, Reverend Kortu K. Brown to establish a regular local Church in the Brewerville Community, a settlement of more than a hundred years that became home to uprooted people throughout the 14 years of civil conflict in Liberia. A regular assembly was launched in earnest after three days fast and prayer from December 29-31, 1997. Out of those spiritual consultations and business meetings, New Water in the Desert Assembly (NWIDA) developed and the Pastor was formally inducted on August 16, 1998.
In 2000, the church relocated about a mile from her previous site on a 10-acre piece of land where it planted cassava and built a "farm house¨ for the caretaker of the mission, the Church Administrator and the current 8-office second edifice out of dirt bricks. Since then weekly activities have expended and attendance has grown to the present five hundred or more persons including the regular worship service and children Sunday school which, runs concomitantly. Members come from within and without of Brewerville. In May 2001, NWIDA began relocating to her present site in the northwest of Brewerville when the area was cleared for cassava farm and a mission house was constructed. In 2002, a health center was constructed and a school, now a senior high with more than five hundred children constructed in the same year. In 2003, fighting disrupted normal activities and forced people to flee the area. Towards the end of that year, things normalized and Church Aid Inc (CAI) constructed a 6-room 'Church Women Training Center' (CWTC) for training women and girls. This relief and development department of the Church manages and encourages micro enterprise development program that has a target to give out a million Liberia dollars in credit in one year, through God's help. Evangelism is the heart beat of NWIDA! Souls are being baptized in the Holy Ghost and lives transformed because God is in her midst. Preaching points have been established in almost half of Liberia's 15 counties over the past three years. Different programs in missions to include the Youth Missions Service placing young people in temporal rural fields for evangelism purposes, Mobile Missions: 'Mission on the move' providing material and spiritual helps through medication, technical help (i.e.) in the areas of construction, counseling, etc. to needy community residents and displaced persons returning to their prewar villages, Mobile Bible Training Clinic intended to train pastors, evangelists, etc in their places of assignments, amongst others have been established to further the works of mission in Liberia. We praise God for His miraculous works. Rev. Kortu K. Brown |
| New Water In The Desert NWIDA@2007 |