By Nelson Nannoh /2nd July 2025
Resident Bishop James Boye-Caulker of the United Methodist Church Sierra Leone Annual Conference, alongside Resident Bishop Tom Berlin of the Florida Conference (USA) and a visiting team, conducted a medical outreach in Fengehun Village, Bo District, Southern Sierra Leone. The visit aimed to engage with beneficiaries of the free healthcare services provided by Mercy Hospital, an initiative supported by the United Methodist Church and its partners.
Josephine Lappia, a beneficiary of the United Methodist Church Sierra Leone Annual Conference Health Partnership Program, expressed gratitude on behalf of her community.
She recounted how the outreach arrived when she faced severe pregnancy complications, with no local medical facilities available. Thanks to Mercy Hospital’s intervention, she was transferred to Bo City, underwent a successful operation, and delivered twin girls. “This program saved my life,” she said, praising the United Methodist Church and partners for their impact on vulnerable families.
Marian Saffa, Mercy Hospital’s Outreach Coordinator in Bo, revealed that over three hundred and fifty free medical services, including malaria testing, HIV screenings for pregnant women, and critical conditions, have been provided in Fengehun Village.
While the monthly outreach initially served ten communities, funding shortages have reduced coverage to three, forcing the suspension of malnutrition support for children. Saffa appealed for additional resources to restore and expand services.
Bishop Tom Berlin of the Florida Conference thanked God and the United Methodist Church Sierra Leone Annual Conference for Mercy Hospital’s transformative work. He reaffirmed the partnership’s dedication to supporting vulnerable communities and pledged to strengthen ties between the two conferences.
Resident Bishop James Boye-Caulker highlighted the United Methodist Church’s holistic ministries, such as Healing, Evangelism, and Teaching, emphasising that the outreach embodies their healing mission. He shared his vision to expand medical services, establish churches, schools, pastors’ empowerment and bolster human capital development nationwide. Currently, Mercy Hospital conducts forty-five outreach programs in the Bo District.
Bishop James Boye-Caulker commended staff, partners, and the community for their collaboration and promised to deepen the United Methodist Church Sierra Leone Annual Conference’s alliances with United States partners.
