By Robert Dilday
Baptists in Liberia are ramping up their response to the deadly Ebola virus outbreak which has killed more than 2,100 people in five West African countries.
The Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention (LBMEC) is expanding efforts to distribute food and sanitary supplies in hard hit regions of the country and conduct educational campaigns nationally, convention leaders said in a press release.
The 300-church convention also is urging Liberians to change behaviors which encourage the spread of Ebola and to cooperate fully with government measures “including the intentional quarantining of specific communities, the restriction in the migration of people, reporting of suspected cases and the accessibility of health and burial teams in suspected communities.”
“We encourage all Liberians to withdraw from age-old traditions, such as massive assembly with the sick and dying neighbors and loved ones, and the practice of bathing the dead as a sign of final rite and reverence, that have led to further infections …,” the leaders said. “We pray that people who are held hostage to these practices will be open to safe methods in caring for those who they love and care for during these difficult times of unsolved sufferings.”
Last week the Liberia Baptist Ebola Emergency Response Team distributed food, sanitation equipment and educational resources in three especially hard-hit counties — Bomi, Cape Mount and Margibi, all along the country’s northwest coast.
Convention partners also are actively engaged in the effort. The National Woman’s Missionary Union of the LBMEC is working with the non-profit U-Foundation of Liberia to donate food and sanitation items to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary and Ricks Institute, a Baptist secondary school, are collecting supplies for distribution.
A number of Baptist organizations in the United States are channeling funds to Liberia, including the American Baptist Churches USA, the Baptist General Association of Virginia, Baptist World Alliance and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention is collecting supplies for its Lott Carey Mission School, a K-12 institution in Monrovia, to distribute.
The Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board has personnel in Liberia, as well as nearby Guinea, but last month IMB officials said personnel had no plans to leave the countries.
“We join in prayer with the entire country and particularly communities and families for healing, comfort and hope in these times of hurt, bereavement, discouragement, hunger and economic dispossession,” the Liberian leaders said.
Previous stories
Liberian seminary responds to humanitarian crisis
CBF partners with BWA to address Ebola crisis
Virginia Baptists launch initiative aimed at Ebola crisis
West African Baptists take measures as Ebola outbreak worsens
Baptists joining financial, spiritual fight against Ebola outbreak