Service To Servants

Reach the Nation of Liberia for Christ June 2007

  For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
2 Cor 4:5

Dave BearchellSTS Secures Its Top Man in Liberia

 

The Board of Directors of STS is pleased to announce Rev. Robert B. Cuppah as its Chief Operating Officer in Liberia.  We are grateful for the many prayers offered on our behalf as we searched and prayed diligently for the Lord to provide the key individual who would be our "hands and feet" in Liberia, and the Lord has been faithful in answering our prayers by giving us Robert.

 

STS first became aware of Pastor Robert Cuppah during the June 2006 visit to prepare for a Crown Financial Ministries Ignite conference.  Pastor Cuppah was immediately ready to serve as a member of the Pastors' Committee.  We were overwhelmed by the tireless work he performed as the marketing leader of the committee.  His ability to determine what worked and what didn't, and then to take action on that information led us to set him aside for consideration as our top man in Liberia.

 

A few of Roberts many qualifications include: Bachelor of Theology and Bachelor of Religious Education from Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary; Pastor of Sinkor Evangelical Church; Chairman, Religious Education Department, Liberia Christian College; National Co-Chairman, Evangelical Church Union of Liberia; Academic Vice President, Liberty Theological Seminary.

 

Robert is married to Emma, and together they have four children.

 

We are so very blessed to have Robert join with us to achieve the purposes that God has for Service To Servants in Liberia.  You can learn more about Robert at our website.

 
June's Featured Ministry
 
Pastor Wesley

Greater Love Baptist Church's Medical Clinic and Orphanage is our featured Ministry-

Pastor Richard Wesley, a native Liberian, serves faithfully with his wife Laura in the Sinkor area on the outskirts of Monrovia.   Richard Wesley serves as the pastor of Greater Love Baptist Church located on Gibson Avenue in Sinkor, where he works diligently to mature a congregation of people whom God has given him to shepherd.

 

Pastor Wesley also founded the Greater Love Medical Clinic based upon a desire to see the people in the community have access to basic medical care.  Liberia's average lifespan is less than 50 years, and Liberia currently has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the entire world.  Through the hard work of caring Christians in California, a benevolent medical school in Memphis, Tennessee and the efforts of Pastor Rob Patterson, an ultrasound machine was donated and shipped to Pastor Wesley's clinic in Liberia last year.  The need for medical supplies at the clinic is great and STS is working to help find donors of the most needed items within the United States.

 

Due to the civil war, extreme poverty and poor medical conditions in Liberia, many children have become orphans.  The Christians in Liberia have been so gracious to make extreme personal sacrifices so that many of these children have food, shelter and basic medical care, but the need consistently outstrips the resources.  Showing the same love and compassion that led his church to start the medical clinic, Pastor Wesley also started the Greater Love Children's Home and the Greater Love School so that these children may be loved and cared for, as well as to have hope for an education.

 

Because of all that they do, Pastor and Mrs. Wesley and the Greater Love Baptist Church are our featured Liberian ministry for this month.  You can learn more about this ministry on our website.

Education and Training
 

STS' Work in Liberia Featured by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

An article titled "Liberia: 'Its Katrina there every day'" was published by reporter Mary Lou Pickel in the May 1st edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution based upon interviews with various members of the Service To Servants board of directors and members of Christine Tolbert Norman's family who live in the Atlanta area.  (Christine is the daughter of former Liberian president William Tolbert and founder of R.E.A.P, a nonprofit organization in Liberia seeking to provide improvement there through education.)  Service To Servants is exploring opportunities to partner with R.E.A.P to provide educational opportunities to the youth of Liberia.

 

The article focused on the work that Service To Servants, Crossroads Community Church (Lawrenceville, GA) and the Norman family are doing in Liberia and on some of the struggles that exist as the nation of Liberia seeks to emerge from the devastation of a 14 year civil war.

Logistical Services
 
Container UnloadingThe Next Shipping Container Leaves August 15th for Liberia
 

It seems like only yesterday that a 40-foot shipping container left the dock of Clark Iron and Metal in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for Liberia.  Yet it's now time to collect, prepare and ship the next container of goods to Liberia.  There is still plenty of room in this next container including room for a vehicle should a ministry need to send one over. The STS website has instructions and downloadable forms that explain the requirements for including goods in the container.

 

The most recent container included items from over twenty different U.S. based groups and organizations bound for 15 different ministries in Liberia.  A 4WD truck, 2 generators, musical equipment, clothing, school supplies and many other items were included.  Service To Servants provides all receiving, storage and shipping labor at no charge and shares the out-of-pocket costs of the shipment with those who would like to send material over.  You may contact Chuck Clark for more information.

Financial Integrity

 

STS and Crown Financial Ministries Team Up to Teach at Liberia's Firestone Rubber Plantation

 

In February of this year, Service To Servants was privileged to be part of the first Liberian-led Crown Ignite conference to be held in Liberia.  A South African team of teachers led the very first Crown conference back in November 2006, but this time the newly formed Crown - Liberia Committee was fully in charge.  Pastor Robert Cuppah provided the coordination and personally taught several of the segments with supporting teachers filling in for the balance of the sessions.

 

Approximately 60 bi-vocational pastors were trained in God's financial principles, who also pledged to train at least 100 additional Christians each.  These pastors had requested that the conference, usually an all day event, be provided during two late afternoon-evening meetings so that they would be able to work their jobs at the Firestone rubber plantation and receive the training as well.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and teaching.  Subsequent to the training, STS has received information confirming that the pastors are teaching their congregations and others the truth of God's word concerning financial matters.

 

Service To Servants is so very privileged to partner with such a wonderful organization as Crown Financial Ministries (www.crown.org) in reaching the nation of Liberia for Christ.

Business Development
 
STS Plans a Generator Sales and Service Business as Its Next Business Development Project
 
Dave BearchellFor the first time in many years Monrovia is receiving limited electrical power through a government power generating system.  For years the only electricity available, even to the presidential and congressional buildings, was through small, diesel generators.  However, even today, a major portion of the capital city and all of the remaining country have no power grid.  Therefore there is a continuing need for diesel generator sets for most people in Liberia.  During our February visit all seven of the orphanages visited had broken down generators.  The quality of the generators that these orphanages can afford is so poor as to be completely unreliable.  Therefore, a solution is needed.
 
STS is working to supply capital and management training to allow for the establishment of a Christian owned diesel generator sales and service business in Monrovia.  The capital investment will be large but the rewards of helping Christians become financially self sufficient, able to care for their families, employ others and support God's work through tithes and offerings are also large.  We are praying that various churches and other groups and individuals will consider providing a generator to an orphanage in Liberia through this new business.  See more about this at the STS website (
www.ServiceToSevants.com).

 

In This Issue
STS Secures Its Top Man in Liberia
June's Featured Ministry
STS Featured in Atlanta Journal Constitution
Next Shipping Container
STS and Crown Financial Ministries
STS Plans Generator Business
 
 
 
 

"God is not glorified when we keep for ourselves (no matter how thankfully) what we ought to be using to alleviate the misery of unevangelized, uneducated, unmedicated, and unfed millions."

 
John Piper
 
 
Links
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Please pray for those serving with STS.
 
Board of Directors
 
David Bearchell, Secretary
Lawrenceville, GA
 
Chuck Clark, Treasurer
Murfreesboro, TN
 
Gayla Edwards, Board Member
Bell Buckle, TN
 
Rodney Edwards
Bell Buckle, TN
 
Matt Elsberry, Board Member
Flowery Branch, GA
 
Beccy Lanier, Prayer Leader
Lawrenceville, GA
 
Dr. Richard Morris, Board Member
Beaver Falls, PA
 
 
Newsletter Editor
 
Marnie Farness
Vancouver, WA
 
 
 
Other
 
Christine Tolbert Norman of
R.E.A.P. in Liberia is in the U.S. right now and has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  We ask that you remember to pray for Christine's healing, physical and emotional strength, but most of all that God would be glorified.
Primary Prayer Focus

Brothers and Sisters,

We are so excited about how the Lord continues to work!  He has seen fit to answer our prayers regarding Brother Robert Cuppah coming on board as our Director in Liberia.  This month our main prayer focus is finding adequate property to begin to establish a physical location in Liberia.  The need is urgent due to the fact that our first container this year will be arriving in July.  We are looking forward to getting an ice business established and it is imperative that the container be in a strategic place where it is available to many people.  May God be glorified and may we continue to Believe Him.

Matthew 21:21-22  "And Jesus answered and said to them,  "Truly I say to you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, "Be taken up and cast into the sea," it shall happen.  And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Beccy Lanier

Contact Information
Rodney Edwards
P.O. Box 771
Murfreesboro, TN 37133
615-907-0702