The Foundation - Before Liberation Bible Church
Before the establishment of Liberation Bible Church, somewhere in July 1984, I was the National Prayer Director of a group called Calvary Road Incorporated. Through this group, I got connected to a Pastor and his wife when we went to Abelenkpe, a suburb of Accra, for a 3 to 4-day crusade. Some of the souls won through the crusade were directed to New Life In Christ Church, which was pioneered by Pastor Sarfo Awuah and Mrs. Cecilia Sarfo Awuah. I ended my post sixth form national service with the church, to help establish the new souls. I stayed in that church and helped pioneer it until 1986, when I gained admission to the University of Cape Coast. While at the university, I occasionally visited the church, but I apparently resigned from my pastoral position. I was also actively engaged in ministry work on campus. This led me to working with Rev. Dr. Robert Ampiah Kwofi in the later part of 1988 to 1990. After graduation from the university, however, the pastor's wife, Mrs. Cecilia Sarfo Awuah, whose husband had then traveled to the US, and the executive of the New Life in Christ Church talked me into coming back to pastor at the New Life in Christ Church, which I did. My return quickly stabilized the church and all old members who were backsliding, giving the church a wonderful take-off once more. While there, however, it became necessary for me to resign from the church to start the Liberation Bible Church at Abelenkpe 1 & 2 Primary School in 1991. During one of the revival meetings while at New Life in Christ, about thirty (30) Liberians displaced by the Liberian war came to accept Christ. Fifteen (15) of them continued with the church but were so stuck with me and could not separate from me, so they virtually went along with me when I resigned to start Liberation Bible Church.
Ministry At Abelenkpe (1991-2001)
The Liberation Bible Church was officially started on the 1st of December, 1991, at Abelenkpe, a suburb of Accra, Ghana, West Africa. The church started with an average of 15 people at Abelenkpe 1 & 2 Primary School. The vision that the Lord declared to me is in Isaiah 61, that His Spirit is upon me to bind the broken-hearted and to set at liberty them that were in captivity. The name of the church was taken from that prophecy the Lord gave to me that He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor and set at liberty them that were bound, hence the name Liberation. While on the university campus, I became the president of the Pentecostal Student Fellowship (Pentefel), which connected me to some very powerful servants of God. Among them were Rev. Felix Kwablah and Rev. Japhet Adoku, who joined at the early stages of the church. Reverend George Amantey, Kingsley Ababio, Sammy Yoyowa, and Redeemer Agbozo were those who started with me. Some other persons, like Elder Joseph Marbel, Mama Jessey Nunu (now Reverend Mrs. Borkwe), the late Mary Ampaabeng, Mam Mary Fimson, the late Nancy Techie-Menson, and Pastor Mrs. Evelyn Nii-Aponsah, were very instrumental at the beginning stages of the church. Lots of prayer retreats, all-nights and revival meetings were some of the activities that caught on well with the environment of Abelenkpe, Alajo, Tesano, Abofu, and Apenkwa. There was power demonstration, healing, and deliverance at all times, so it went well with the deprived communities. We kept growing in numbers and adopted the Calvary Road style of organisation, where we had the music, intercessory, counseling, and the ushering ministries. We also proceeded to form the men's, women's, youth, and children's fellowships.
Holistic Ministry and School Outreach
Our ministry extended to the second-cycle schools. We ministered in Achimota School, St John's Grammar, Labone Secondary School, Amasaman Secondary Technical School, and many other schools, preaching and winning souls for the Kingdom of God. Though still in the classroom, we did not allow the place to look ordinary. We really invested in painting the whole school block and organized some new desks for the school as well. We also plastered and cemented the whole place. On Sundays, our auditorium looked different from the other classroom blocks because we made sure the place was well decorated to meet our standards and expectations. We had to raise a standard to break the poverty mindset from the minds of the people coming from the poor and deplorable communities like Alajo, part of Abelenkpe, Abofu, Apenkwa, etc., for them to know that we have been liberated from all kinds of poverty when we come to know the Lord Jesus. Concerning the development of souls, we were holistic in our approach. We did not only consider their spiritual development. We sent those who could not continue school to learn a trade or apprenticeship, and those who could continue with schooling, we supported with payment of fees, pocket money, and all kinds of things to motivate them to finish their education. We made sure that members' development was holistic, thus body, soul, and spirit.
Ministry at Tesano (2001-2011)
The church continued in Abelenkpe until the 8th anniversary, when the government brought pressure on all churches meeting in public classrooms to relocate. We were very hot, but, graciously, one of our members, Elder Joseph Marbel, who had a big plot of land beside his house, gave a portion to us, helping us make that transition. He is indeed a great pillar in the church! We quickly put up a beautiful chapel at Tesano behind the police station. Relocating the church to Tesano was a major landmark. This exodus took place in Easter 2001. We stayed in Tesano and did ministry for a long time. There were lots of challenges in Tesano! Our church was opposite a hotel surrounded by homes. Obviously, the noise from the church was a nuisance to residents. This resulted in lots of contentions, and consequently, we were sent to court. There were times when some residents expressed their grievances by physically attacking the church, posing serious challenges for the church. At Abelenkpe, we had a few of these confrontations, but they were not as intense as those we faced in Tesano. By the grace of God, we kept at it, praying and having retreats 3 to 4 times a year. Leadership of about 20 to 30 people could go somewhere and hide themselves to fast and pray. Some did dry fast, others fasted on fruit, and others broke their fast at 6:00 p.m. with some porridge or something. We really sought the face of God and, after staying in Tesano for 10 years, the Lord heard our cry and gave us two plots of land at Taifa junction in Accra.
Ministry at Taifa (2011-Present)
We started developing the land at Taifa, and after laying the foundation and platform, we realized that Tesano was too small for us. We also considered that the heat generated during praise and worship in the auditorium at Tesano was overwhelming. We quickly raised tents on the platform at Taifa, and in 2011, we moved to worship under a tent. It was good except that we had to always pray against rain coming during worship, but the Lord taught us lessons by being beaten by the rain on several occasions to help us learn how to endure affliction for the kingdom of God. After three years of development, the Lord blessed us, and we were able to roof the place. Today we have a wonderful edifice. A world-class edifice of a beautiful church that can seat between 700 and 1000 people when all available space, including the balconies are utilized. The place has become our Rehoboth, the place where God has given us rest, called the 'R-Bonnke Chapel'. To the glory of the almighty God, He has even added more lands that we never thought of. As we kept praying, the Lord has blessed the church with four more plots right in front of the church, giving the church one acre of land, and we are so excited about it. Being carried by the grace of God is excellent; we can talk of over 300 people meeting on a good day at church, though still growing. We thought in the year 2016, being a church that could do church planting outside of Accra in the Greater Accra region, but the investment made in acquiring the land in front of the church has lowered it, but nonetheless the investment is worth it. We believe that in the coming years, the development plan of Liberation Bible Church will have branches outside Accra. We will be in the Volta region, the Eastern region, and most probably in the Central region. As we climb higher, we will also go to Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, and Western Regions. Then we shall be in the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West Regions.
Apostolic Grace and Global Impact
By the Grace of God, the Apostolic Grace upon my life gives me access to churches in all 16 regions of Ghana, where I go to bless, preach, and conduct revival meetings. Though we do not have church branches in those cities and regions, our influence and impact are nationwide, considering the invitations I still get from churches across the nation. We intend to plant more churches to bless the masses with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our primary mission is to propagate the liberty that Jesus won for us at Calvary. We believe that at Calvary, the atonement work of Jesus Christ paid the total price for our redemption from sicknesses, diseases, poverty, and all the negative things that have bedeviled mankind as a result of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. The message we propagate is that when you receive Jesus and the word, and you stand in faith and prayer, you will be liberated from all the shackles, tentacles, and tenterhooks of the devil. This is the message of Liberation Bible Church, which we carry to the nations of the world. Most of the sons and daughters of Liberation are doing well abroad. We can talk of Pastor Clarence Roberts, Assistant pastor of Lord of Harvest Church, Virginia; Pastor Paul Twum Berimah, assisting at the Pentecost Church in Massachusetts; Wisdom Attipoe in the Assemblies of God in Athens, Atlanta, Georgia, and also an executive member of a Ghanaian Christian fellowship there; Evelyn Bransford, a wonderful minister based in New York but ministering in other states in the US and beyond. In Europe, Tosby Attipoe is one of the pastors in the Church of Pentecost, Ireland, and many more. These are all sons and daughters of Liberation who grew up in the church. So though we do not have church branches abroad, the sons and daughters all over the world are pastoring churches and doing marvelously well for the Kingdom of God.
Our Journey Through The Years
Milestones of faith and divine intervention
Church Goals
The 5M's that guide our ministry
Membership
Building a vibrant community of believers committed to growth and fellowship.
Maturity
Developing disciples who are spiritually mature and equipped for ministry.
Ministry
Serving God and community through various outreach and support programs.
Mission
Spreading the gospel locally and globally to reach the lost with salvation.
Money
Wise stewardship of resources to fund ministry and care for those in need.
Our Vision and Mission
The vision that the Lord declared to me is found in Isaiah 61:1 that His Spirit is upon me to bind the broken-hearted and to set at liberty them that were in captivity. This has been and remains our foundation. We believe that at Calvary, the atonement work of Jesus Christ paid the total price for our redemption from sicknesses, diseases, poverty, and all the negative things that have bedeviled mankind as a result of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. When you receive Jesus and the word, and you stand in faith and prayer, you will be liberated from all the shackles, tentacles, and tenterhooks of the devil. Our approach to ministry is holistic - we minister to the whole person: body, soul, and spirit. We are committed to raising up Spirit-empowered believers who will transform their communities, planting more churches across Ghana and beyond, and carrying the message of liberation to the nations of the world.
"The message of Liberation Bible Church is that when you receive Jesus and the word, and you stand in faith and prayer, you will be liberated from all the shackles, tentacles, and tenterhooks of the devil. This is the message we carry to the nations of the world."
Apostle James Nii-Aponsah
Founder & General Overseer, Liberation Bible Church