Support UM News on World Press Freedom Day: Give to help sustain and expand the storytelling capacity of UM News. Your donation today will transform information into inspiration and ensure we can continue sharing stories of God’s work in the world through The UMC. Help us reach our $10,000 goal and keep this vital ministry fair, faithful, trusted and free for all!

Ghanaian church seeks funding to help Liberian refugees

Hundreds of undocumented Liberian refugees in Ghana have appealed to the Buduburam United Methodist Church in Ghana to assist them in repatriating to Liberia. The group approached the church because of the imminent security threat they face because of the upcoming general elections in Ghana.

According to the Rev. James Kaifunbah, Buduburam’s pastor, the group made the appeal to the church because of its initial plans to repatriate undocumented Liberians from the Liberian refugee camp in Ghana. He said this group of Liberians missed out on the United Nations 2010 Cessation Clause on Refugees Status.

“The UN gave us three options at the time; voluntary repatriation, local integration, or exemption from the first two options,” he explained. “Some of them were far from the camp, while others applications were denied by the UN.”

Because of the upcoming election in Ghana, Kaifunbah said the resident status of all Liberians still living on the camp and in other parts of Ghana is being verified by security personnel. “I am not sure what the government of Ghana or the security of Ghana will do to these Liberians as a result of being here without proper documents,” he added. The lack of official documents in Ghana made many Liberians, including some of his church members, vulnerable to arrest.

Asked if he was ready to return to Liberia, Joseph Torh, a Liberian refugee who has been in Ghana since 1990, simply said, “I want to go back home.”

Torh, a founding member of the Buduburam United Methodist Church, said when Bishop John Innis of the Liberia Conference visited the camp and discussed plans to seek help to get them out of the camp, many Liberians were happy. “Even those who are not United Methodists were now looking up to the church for this repatriation effort, but their hope is now dwindling,” he said.

When the first Liberian civil war (1989-1997) disrupted the country, many Liberians fled to countries within the West African sub-region, leaving all their belongings behind except their religion and denomination. Buduburam United Methodist was established in 1993 to serve and minister to the needs of the many Liberians, especially United Methodists. The church was greatly supported by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, but that support stopped when the last two missionaries left in 2008.

Torh was denied during the Cessation Clause application period. He and other Liberians are now looking to The United Methodist Church to help repatriate them to Liberia. “We have hope in the ability of the UMC to get us out of this refugees camp in Ghana,” he said.

*Swen is editor and publisher of West African Writers, an online publication about United Methodist happenings in West Africa and assists the denomination in Liberia with coverage for United Methodist Communications.

News media contact: Vicki Brown, [email protected] or 615-742-5470.


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
General Conference
The Rev. Gabriel Banga Mususwa. Photo courtesy of the author.

An appeal to hold General Conference outside US

The United Methodist Church’s top assembly has never met in the central conferences; the decision to hold the 2028 gathering in Minneapolis should be rescinded.
Disaster Relief
Patrick Abro (left), a United Methodist missionary serving as health operation manager in the Burundi Conference, and the Rev. Cimpaye Valentine (right), Bujumbura District superintendent, hand a bag of rice to flood survivors in Cibitoke, Burundi. With financial support from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, the church helped 140 households affected by severe flooding in the district. Photo by Jérôme Ndayisenga, UM News.

Church supports flood survivors in Burundi

With financial support from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, the church has distributed food and other supplies to hundreds of flood survivors.
Disaster Relief
Children and adults cross a mud-filled street in Kasaba, Congo, where flooding has killed at least 110 people, including five United Methodists, and destroyed hundreds of homes. A local United Methodist church was destroyed by floodwaters, affecting some 300 United Methodists. Photo courtesy of the Ecclesiastical District of Fizi.

Church members among dead in Congo floods

Five United Methodists killed, a church destroyed, and hundreds of families are affected by flooding in Eastern Congo.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2025 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved