Christian and Muslim Search for Peace in Sierra Leone
Opportunities to Hear Directly from the Peacemakers

Bishop Joseph Humper of the United Methodist Church of Sierra Leone, will be visiting the United States during the first two weeks in November. The bishop will be traveling with the Alhaji Imam Uns Jah, a prominent Muslim Leader in Sierra Leone. The two religious leaders have worked for the last eight years during the shattering war that has devastated their country. And, it was the Muslims who helped the bishop to safe quarters when he was captured by rebel forces.

The bishop and the imam will be meeting with various organizations and United Methodist congregations throughout the U.S., traveling to Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, PA, New York City, and other locations where they are invited to speak.

Among Bishop Humper's goals for this trip are:

• to sensitize religious communities on the situation in Sierra Leone
• to solicit support of religious communities for lobbying activities in solidarity with the government and people of Sierra Leone
• to develop joint action programs for the consolidation of peace in Sierra Leone.

Bishop Joseph Humper is a native of Bonthe Sherbro, one of the major fishing districts in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Raised by his grandmother who could barely pay for his schooling, he began his career as a teacher then proceeded to the Bible Training Institute in Sierra Leone, The School of Legon in Ghana, the University of Sierra Leone and the Methodist Theological Seminary in the U.S. He holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Theological Studies. He was consecrated Bishop by the West Africa Central Conference and assigned to the Sierra Leone Annual Conference in 1992.

J.C., as he is commonly called, is a humble, soft spoken man who was recently elected as the first Vice-President of the General Board of Global Ministries from a central conference outside the United States. In recognition of the selfless and devoted service to the peace process in the West Africa sub region, he was conferred Doctor of Ministry Honoris Cause by the Gbanga School of Theology in Liberia.

Bishop Humper is currently president of the National Council of Churches in Sierra Leone, President of the Interreligious Council of Sierra Leone as well as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the General Board of Global Ministries. He is married to Nancy Humper and has 4 children.

Funding Opportunities to Support the People of Sierra Leone

Goal: $1.2 Million over 3 years
$400,000 Annually for following programs:

• $150,000 food, potable water
• $ 50,000 training for Health Care professionals
• $100,000 property purchase and maintenance of existing property
• $100,000 infrastructure - staffing, education, ongoing program support

To schedule a briefing with the Sierra Leone peace team, contact:      Marcia Winter      203-878-0814      mwinter@idt.net

Further Reading:
Interreligious Community Advocates for Peace in Sierra Leone

Links of Interest:
UMCOR's Sierra Leone Emergency page