Minister Lawrence Gonqueh of the Mount Zion Prayer Ministry situated at 20th street in Sinkor, in the Liberian capitol of Monrovia, says the country's churches are suddenly packed with new members because many people only seek God when they are in a crisis.

“Churches will continue to be overcrowded because nonbelievers think and feel the Temple of God is a place they can go as a means of escaping from Ebola. Therefore, some local churches with about fifty members have increased to almost two hundred,” says pastor Lawrence Gonqueh.

Liberian churches in general are very much united in the fight against Ebola, he emphasized. Pastor Gonqueh pointed out that many people converge on a daily basis to pray, and they have the conviction that with the help of God, Ebola will leave Liberia.

“Most of the churches are now empowering their members economically by giving out loans and assistance. Ebola has changed the socio-economic aspect of churches. [Ebola] has practically gained ground in every part of the country, and its killing spree seems to be unstoppable,” says pastor Gonqueh.

On the other hand, leader of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Ebola Task Force, Rev. Emmanuel Johnson, says it’s the responsibility of Churches to solve social problems and aid the needy.

“Churches should be able to share food with the sick and needy. It is not healthy to see people dying,” says rev. Emmanuel Johnson who is also the head pastor at AME Zion church in central Monrovia.

Wash your hand, do not touch

“Whenever I am delivering a homily, I remind the congregation that Ebola is real! Wash your hands. Avoid touching dead bodies,” he says.

His Church National Task Force Team has distributed Electronic Pressure Thermometers, rice and anti-Ebola resources in villages and communities in and out of Monrovia County. The materials are valued at over USD $10,000, he told The Media Project.

The Co-Chair on the AME-ZION Special Task Force, Dr. Benjamin Lartey says the church has instituted healing and trauma counseling programs as another measure in fighting the deadly Ebola epidemic.

“Ebola survivors go into communities accompanied by their counselors. People who have lost their relatives must be counseled in order to avoid stigmatization,” says Dr Lartey.

He challenges the Liberian government to apply the same measures toward churches to help reunite Ebola survivors with family members and their communities.

Regular fasting and prayers

Minister Solomon Dougbe, a member of the AGAPE Prophetic Fellowship located at the GSA Road in Paynesville, says Liberian churches are fighting Ebola by engaging in regular fasting and praying, and he believes this will help to expel Ebola from the country.

“Ebola is one of the most traumatic pandemics faced by citizens, and the church is praying without end to win the Ebola fight. Our church has established a "Special Ebola Prayer Task Force’’ to pray for the menace to leave Liberia. Prayer warriors meet Tuesday and Thursday weekly to pray against Ebola,” says Dougbe who is also the Assistant Clergyman of New Creation International.
 
“Ebola has thrown our country backward as people. We need to forget about our differences and come together as one," Dougbe says.