Overcomers Assembly Church of the Nazarene in Freetown, Sierra Leone, hosted a roundtable discussion about the scourge of drugs on their community and country in early January.
Hosted by the Sierra Leone Nazarene Youth International (NYI), the event was an opportunity for the young people to invite their community—where people are either battling drug addiction or may have family members and friends fighting addiction—to hear about the physical and legal challenges of drug abuse.
The NYI’s goal in this outreach was to help the attendees, mostly young men, see the harm they are doing to their bodies and minds, and to walk with them in Christian discipleship to find a better way forward out of addiction.
Three guests joined the discussion panel: a medical doctor and two barristers (lawyers), each sharing their professional perspectives on the topic. While the medical doctor spoke about the damage to one’s body, the barristers spoke about the legal ramifications of buying and selling drugs.
One of the barristers grew-up in the community around Overcomers Assembly and was himself a drug addict at one point. He shared that only the grace of God and a saving relationship with Christ enabled him to overcome the addictions, pull his life together, and become a barrister.
Drug abuse is a growing menace in the Sierra Leone society, which has led to large numbers of young people becoming sick, shattered, homeless, mentally ill, and traumatized. The question that keeps burning in the hearts of the NYI is: “What can we (Christian Sierra Leoneans) do to help those who have already gone into drugs and those who are likely to go into same?”
At the end of the roundtable discussions, an altar call was given and several of the struggling young men gave their lives to Christ.
A vibrant group of NYI members present committed themselves to walking this difficult road with the men to help them overcome their addictions by God’s grace.
The Church of the Nazarene in Sierra Leone is grateful for this outreach, and the Africa Region churches are looking forward to seeing a transformed young population in Sierra Leone.