Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village gets bus, mattresses

Field trips for young ones living at the Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village in Duahzon, Liberia, will be much easier thanks to the gift of a 16-seat bus.

“We need to expose the children of the village to the world around them,” said the Rev. Robert N. Sieh, director.

The bus, 64 mattresses and various other items, worth more than $20,000 total, were given to the village by the Detroit Conference of The United Methodist Church, and by Maple Grove United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio.

The bus will help with administrative tasks and overall efficiency.

The Rev. Robert N. Sieh, director of The United Methodist Church’s Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village, stands outside the center. Photo by E Julu Swen, UMNS.

The Rev. Robert N. Sieh, director of The United Methodist Church’s Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village, stands outside the center. Photo by E Julu Swen, UMNS.

“We are always spending money to rent vehicles to either pick up visiting guests, go to the market, or take the children and staff members to the hospital,” Sieh said.

The United Methodist clergyman called the bus “a blessing … from our brothers and sisters in the United States of America.”

As for the mattresses, Sieh said that gift from Maple Grove United Methodist Church was needed and timely.

“Though we have about 70 children, making sleeping comfortable for 64 of them with new mattresses is an outstanding way the U.S. church is partnering with the church in Liberia,” he said.

He added that other churches throughout the United Methodist connection have been involved in helping the village meet the needs of disadvantaged children.

Students work together on spelling words in the combined kindergarten and first grade classroom at the Bishop Judith Craig Children's Village in Duahzon, Liberia, in June 2017. File photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS.

Students work together on spelling words in the combined kindergarten and first grade classroom at the Bishop Judith Craig Children's Village in Duahzon, Liberia, in June 2017. File photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS.

“We are in partnership with several United Methodist churches overseas to make sure the children of the village are secure and treated well,” he said.

The village provides basic education, health care and counseling for the children.

The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries solicits support for the village through Advance #11820A.

Namesake Bishop Judith Craig is retired from the active episcopacy but teaches church leadership and serves as bishop in residence at Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

The village was established in 2000 to provide care for children left orphaned by civil war in Liberia.

Swen is a communicator in Liberia. News media contact: Vicki Brown, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests. 


Like what you're reading? Support the ministry of UM News! Your support ensures the latest denominational news, dynamic stories and informative articles will continue to connect our global community. Make a tax-deductible donation at ResourceUMC.org/GiveUMCom.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Birgitte French (second from right) of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference addresses a class at the Mama Lynn Center in Kindu, Congo. The center provides training to vulnerable women and girls. During a visit with other members of a United Methodist delegation from the U.S. in September, French expressed her joy at strengthening the conference’s partnership with eastern Congo. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Center provides hope for women in Congo

The Mama Lynn Center, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, provides training and spiritual support to women who have suffered sexual violence, helping them regain their dignity and become economically independent.
Central Conferences
Tafadzwa Chingosho works in his fields in Hanwa, Zimbabwe, to keep the crops free from weeds. Chingosho, who left school to pursue his dream of being a farmer, gained skills through United Methodist programs including Zimbabwe Volunteers in Mission and the Yambasu Agriculture Initiative. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Church programs help young farmer pursue dream

Despite struggling academically, 18-year-old Tafadzwa Chingosho is finding success in pepper farming after being trained by The United Methodist Church.
Disaster Relief
Community representative Janvier Murhula (left) thanks The United Methodist Church during the distribution of food supplies in Bukavu, Congo. The United Methodist Committee on Relief provided a solidarity grant that supported 100 households in the city. At right is the Rev. Esther Furaha Kachiko, Bukavu District superintendent. Photo by Philippe Kituka Lolonga, UM News.

United Methodists provide vital aid in Congo

The United Methodist Church, with grants from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is providing food and social support in war-torn eastern Congo.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2025 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved