By Francis H. Murray
The Love One Another Campaign (LOAC), a Christian organization that champions the message of love and peace, has ended a one-day training for 30 Peace Ambassadors at the Council of Churches (CCSL) Hall, King Harman Road in Freetown.
The training, authorities say, was precipitated by a ‘‘thorough research’’ by LOAC, which discovered that Sierra Leoneans have demonstrated very little love for one another.
Addressing the 30 Peace Ambassadors from various CCSL Member Churches in the Western Area on Monday 10th August, Founder and National Director of LOAC, Dr. Christian Bell, disclosed that love is the cohesive force that binds families and people of diverse ethnicities together. He further noted that love is the first step to prosperity, sustainable peace and development, the absence of which, he noted, can destroy a nation.
He added that the foundation for every development is love for one another, the absence of which could lead to dire consequences like violence, which he described as a ‘‘cancer’’ in the Sierra Leonean society.
Dr. Bell described love as genuine, real or unconditional love and one involving caring for the happiness of others, without expecting anything in return, adding that it meant putting others first and caring for their highest good.
He disclosed that amidst the wealth in the country, the people still lived in abject poverty and therefore entreated the participants to replicate the message from the training to their respective communities, churches, schools, colleges and other public places.
Dr. Bell said most of these ills in society have the spirit of exploitation at their roots and appealed to Sierra Leoneans, at home and abroad, to love one another, underscoring that they must learn to live and work together.
Giving the background to the training, one of the facilitators, Pastor Peter Mansaray, noted that the mission statement of the LOAC is to influence the Sierra Leonean society to inculcate the attitude of love by introducing, disseminating and promoting godly principles, practices and precepts, stressing that in so doing, Sierra Leoneans everywhere and at all levels are given the responsibility to clearly visualize their common identity and origin.
He concluded that the organization is also providing healthcare facilities, food and non-food items to children directly or indirectly affected by the brutal civil war and vulnerable groups like women, depressed and marginalized communities and camps as a demonstration of love.
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