General Superintendent Joe Bob Amara sent the following report about their annual conference, held last April.

Annual Conference

We had this conference in April this year at the River View UB Church in Mattru Jong. Preceding the Annual Conference was the dedication of the new River View UBC Church in Mattru Jong. The building is one of the largest now in the Sierra Leone Conference with a capacity to accommodate up to 1000 members. It is a very beautiful church that we are all proud of.

Decentralization of the Conference

Our conference has now decentralized. The revised constitution now reflects this concept. More powers and responsibilities have been given to the various Conference Districts. The Secretariat now supervises and monitors very closely the activities of the districts.

Others features in the Decentralization concept include:

• Annual Conference now becomes National Conference, which meets once every two years.
• District Conference meets annually.
• The General Superintendent now becomes the chairman of Conference and the District Conferences.
• The Overseas Bishop/Director are invited as observers and to give reports.

We are experimenting as yet, and hope things will improve gradually.

Mattru Hospital

The Mattru Hospital, which was completely vandalized by rebels in 1995, is back in full operation. The rehabilitation was done by MSF Belgium with funds from the European Union. At the moment, services at the hospital are almost free with only the payment of a registration fee of 500 leones. The wards are full to capacity. Some surgery is already being done. The second phase of rehabilitation, which involves the maternity ward and the main doctor's residence, will soon kick off. Continue to support us with your prayers.

Secretariat Operation

The Secretariat, consisting of a seven man team, is still operating at the UBC Mission House in Freetown. The office is becoming tight. We have serious constraints at the moment in our work. There is need for a second-hand pick-up van for monitoring and supervision. There is need for four communication sets for the entire conference. There is need for two additional motor-bikes for the Education Office and the Western Area Superintendent.

Strategic Planning

We have recently done Strategic Planning for the Conference for the next three years, 2000–2003. We have evaluated the Conference in the light of our failures and successes for the past several years. New challenges and strategies have been mapped out for the next three years. A copy of the Strategic Plan will soon be sent to the Department of Missions.

Evangelistic Outreach

There is a big boom in our evangelistic efforts. For the year under review, our districts established the following outreach stations as a result of the Jesus Film Ministry Campaign.

• Gbangbaia District: 16 outreach stations.
• Bo District: 10 outreach stations.
• Mattru District: 11 outreach stations.
• Freetown District: 1 outreach station.

Districts are poised to do more this year and strengthen the existing ones.

Gratitude

At least four of our conference personnel have recently been provided with motor-bikes to enhance their mobility. Many thanks to the Director of Missions. Above is a photograph of three of the guys with their bikes: Rev. J.T. Johnny, Mattru Superintendent, Rev. J. S. P. Musa, Director of Church Services; Rev. J. G. Kabangai, Superintendent of Bo District. Rev. J. B. Amara, General Superintendent, is in the background.

Sierra Leone is yet to fully emerge out of the prolonged rebel mess. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Sierra Leone Conference needs support at this time to put us on our feet once again.