FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST MINISTRIES

SOUL CLINIC ROAD JUNCTION

PARKER PAINT COMMUNITY,

PAYNESVILLE, LIBERIA

 

 

A PASTORAL PROFILE OF PASTOR Andrew G. Tiah

 

I must first of all give glory to God for His loving kindness, mercy, and grace that brought salvation to man . Tit. 2 : 11 ; Heb. 5 : 9 ; Isa. 45 : 17 ; Rom. 5 : 8;  5:18.

I must also be thankful to Him for you. Your continual commitment towards the promotion and growth of the church of Christ in Liberia, The Fellowship Baptist Ministries, and your desire to see honesty, transparency, hard work especially in the pastors  are an indication that, indeed, you stand for what is required of us children of God-Christlike character, an instrument of evangelism.

I am of the simple God-fearing family. O was born in a village town,  Klehn Town, in Grand Bassa County, Liberia, in the year of our Lord 1966.

In 1981, following my graduation from primary school in my home town, my father sent me to the city of Buchanan based upon my request to further my education.

In March of the same year, I was witnessed to by  two brothers of Faith Baptist Church there in Buchanan, in the persons of Mark D. Corporal and Stephen G. Johnson.  And upon the invitation of the Holy Spirit, I received the Lord Jesus Christ into my life as Savior. Acts 16:31; Rom. 10 : 9 – 10.

As a truly born again believer ( 2 Cor. 5 : 17; John 3 : 5 ), I began to prayerfully and regularly study the Word of God. A month after, I joined the Baptismal class and learned what spiritual formation actually means for a new born child of God.

 

Three months after, I was interviewed and testimonies about my life in the community were gathered. And in August of 1981, I was baptized by Paster Mason Duo. Ever since I have been living for and committing my life to the service of God, by His Grace.

 

In 1983 when I returned home to see my parents I was again led by the Holy Spirit to have reactivated a Baptist fellowship there. Today it is running as a mature church.

 

I came back to Buchanan the following year and, desirous to pursue higher education, upon my graduation from secondary school I moved on to Monrovia in 1989. While in the process of transferring my  membership from Faith Baptist Church,  the Liberian civil war broke out. I turned into an internally displaced person. But I did not stop my soul-winning mandate. Throughout the war I was consistently involved with evangelizing and establishing fellowships at displaced centres where I sought refugee as the war raged on.

 

In 1998 following the war, I came back to Monrovia. That same year, I went to Buchanan to see if I could resume the process of getting my membership out of Faith Baptist Church. But that was not possible because the leadership of the church was not intact then.

 

I came back to Monrovia and started to regularly visit the Refuge Baptist Church. After studying

 with that congregation, and also, since the pastor of the church knew me personally, I was accepted into membership based on experience and my Christian walk ( 1 John 1 : 7; Rom. 6 : 4 ) . That was in 2001. But prior to that, I worked as a Classroom teacher for the Pastor's private school which was housing the church.

 

I also served as one of the adult Bible Class teachers. In the middle of 2000, I was blessed with a God-fearing sister, Princess who was also working for the same school as cashier. To obey 1 Cor. 7 : 1 – 2, on June 3rd, 2001, we exchanged our vows to live as a faithful couple. God has blessed  us with three children, namely, Elton (12 ), Andora ( 10 ), and Andrea      2 ½ ) years. Praise God that indeed Princess has been an inspiration and encouragement to the family commitment to living for God. Her intuition has been a guiding instrument for me. We have always stood for what God requires of a Christian couple.

 

Our commitment to God was and will still be considered as an embarrassment for others who may want to use God's word as a means of getting or accumulating wealth.

 

Two years after our wedding, the couple became an object of hatred. Why? Because of our Biblical positions in handling issues in the church. On one occasion I was stopped from presenting my lesson which I had planned to teach in the adult Bible Class.

 

When I persistently asked the pastor why he instructed the Sunday school teacher to stop me as was alleged by the Sunday school teacher, the pastor told me that he “just don't feel that you should teach”. Those were the words of the pastor. My wife barely one month after, was publicly insulted by the brother of the pastor's wife, who himself was a member of the church. But nothing was said about it.

 

When the pressure became very unbearable, we decided to withdraw our membership from the church based upon Amos 3 : 3; 2 Cor. 6 : 16 – 17. We considered the action of the church on that issue and many other sin issues as highly compromising on fundamental biblical and doctrinal positions.

 

I believe that teaching and preaching principles of God's word and living otherwise is hypocritical of the truth. Since then we have been visiting and searching for a Bible – teaching and Bible – practicing church of the Baptist circle. If our fellowship with the Fellowship Baptist Ministries is the calling of God, then my duties as pastor now will be performed according to the will of God who has called me.

 

I hold a BBA degree in Accounting from Liberia Christian College where I also did some Bible courses including Old and New Testament Surveys; Evangelism, Spiritual Formation, Christian Ethics, etc. I also hold a diploma from the Lamp & Light Bible Correspondence Courses where I did fifteen courses through the Liberia Mennonite Church.

 

I was in the class room for ten years as English, Phonics, Writing teacher in various Christian Schools in Liberia. I also worked in the circular world as accountant, administrator, secretary, administrative officer for both national and international non-governmental organizations in Liberia. But in these positions there was no satisfaction, because honesty and dishonesty are two opposing enemies that can not work peacefully together.

 

CURRENT NEEDS

Housing is the most urgent need now before me. Presently I am in search of accommodation for the family. Pastor Kangar is greatly concerned about it. When the housing need is met by the grace of God, then the children's education need can be addressed.

 

CURRENT DUTIES

As a new church, my major focus has been on training. Presently along with Pastor Yates, I am conducting a two-month leadership training. Visitation of both members and new converts; teaching Sunday School, and counseling are among the current duties before me.

 

FUTURE PLANS

By the grace of God ( and as my prayer request to you), my plans for the future include but not limited to the following:

Ø       Training the leaders of all departments including deacons, evangelists, men and women heads, youth leaders, ushers, etc. For now,  I have started with a general leadership training. Following this in two months, I have planned to conduct specific training sessions. Prov. 22 :6; 2Tim. 2 : 15.

Ø       In the next three months I pray that leaders of the Church as mentioned above, will be able to function in their respective areas of calling for the edification of the brotherhood Eph. 4 : 11 – 12.

Ø       Music: God loves music, especially God-fearing music. Therefore, I have planned to have a committed trained Senior and Children choirs whose lifestyle will reflect God's will. There will be special emphasis on dress code, or general moral principles; purity Vs. immorality: God's position for His Children. Eph. 5 : 19; Ps. 33 : 3; Rev. 14 : 3; Col. 3 : 16.

Ø       Evangelism: Considered the heart beat of the local congregation, evangelism which is the means of effecting the Great Commission has been organized to include two phases: house-to-house church community evangelism; community evangelism, wherein the congregation splits up into groups and engages communities in the city according to plan, regularly. There is still another strategy which is each-one-bring one on Sunday. This is expected to begin by January of next year/ Matt. 28 : 19 – 20; Eph. 5 : 16; Matt. 9 : 37 Lk. 10 : 2;

Ø       There is a major plan of putting up a structure, the Fellowship Baptist Church, as soon as arrangement and payment for a piece of land is totally negotiated. Pastor Kangar is indeed working hard towards that direction.

Ø       Please pray with us so that God who has called me May bless me with more wisdom, direction, commitment, patience, prayerfulness, righteousness and a God-cantered leadership for the promotion of the kingdom already in us.