Our Vision: The Christian Revival Church Association exists as a group of cooperating Christian Revival churches that seek to glorify God by following the leading of the Holy Spirit in helping each other fulfill Christ’s mission
Our Mission: The mission of the Christian Revival Church Association is to pray for and encourage each other, equip leaders for ministry, promote mission involvement, and hold our churches accountable to Biblical standards
CRCA History
Prior to any narration of the genesis of Christian Revival Church Association, it seems appropriate to digress and mention favorable factors that blended with the move of the Spirit of God. It can be recalled that since independence in 1847, the country had kept itself virtually in two territories with a coastal segment-lying forty miles inland from the Atlantic seaboard as the main orbit of Christian evangelization, education and civilization, while the hinterland was considered a hotbed of animistic practices and barbarism. Dr. Bedi Bediako, a physician, was employed as a professor at the A. M. Dogliotti College of Medicine at the University of Liberia. He felt called by the Holy Spirit to start a Tuesday night family Bible study in Monrovia, which bloomed rapidly into Thursday prayer meetings and finally Sunday church services. The church, faced with a space problem and the ever-present influx of new believers, furnished the open gymnasium of the William V. S. Tubman High School on the 12th Street in Sinkor and called itself the Christian Revival Fellowship Church (CRFC). At the time of the onset of civil war in 1989, Ghanaians comprised about 99% of CRFC’s membership. A huge exodus took place at this time that disrupted the church’s worship services and evangelistic efforts. This experience was typical of churches and other religious institutions throughout the county. Due to the bleak political climate, even the founder of the fellowship, Dr. Bediako left the country. CRFC was effectually closed from the last months of 1990 until the establishment of an interim government confined to the capital city of Monrovia.
Replanting the CRFC
With the gradual return of normalcy to the city and the return of some members of the fellowship, former CRFC member James Washington had the vision to reestablish the ministry of the church. Despite general pessimism about finding church members again restoring the fellowship, six members decided to continue meeting for prayer. But who would minister to this small group of believers? The pastoral vacuum was filled through a recommendation by one of the group members, Mrs. Florence Dukuly. Florence came in contact with Rev. Dennis Aggrey on the University of Liberia Campus. Dennis was then working with Great Commission Movement of Liberia (a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International) with university students. Dennis was busy doing evangelism, discipleship, and leading small group Bible studies six days a week. In June of 1992, four members visited Dennis at his Congo Town, Catholic Junction home and asked him to work with them. Dennis said that he was ready but asked whether the group members themselves were ready. He added that he did not tolerate laziness in doing God’s work and that he would be ready with a promise about their readiness from this group. Without a pastor in a virtual desert of men of God during those days, the group felt greatly relieved with a new pastor whose insistence was not money or physical comforts but rather a church ready to do God’s work. During his time of service, which began in 1992, Dennis took the university students he was working with into the community to conduct a massive evangelistic campaign which significantly augmented the congregation. After showing the Jesus Film for two weeks, Dennis and the students established many small group Bible studies through the fellow-up process in the Sinkor area in Monrovia. In less then two months, this group of six Christian Revival Fellowship Church members grew to an average church attendance of 110. As the church grew, Dennis remarked at a service that God had called him to evangelism and discipleship and that he wanted to step down from being the pastor to focus on training and outreach. This revelation shocked the church and was followed by a laborious search for a pastor. Dennis continued his ministerial calling that did not insist on new believers solely coming to the CRFC but also to other Gospel-preaching churches.
Fundamental Shift from the Founder
In 1996, a committee was set up headed by Dennis to incorporate Christian Revival Fellowship Church with the Republic of Liberia. This document was processed and approved by the government of the Republic of Liberia on March 8. In August of 1996, Dennis departed for studies in the United States and Pastor Orlando Aggrey took over the affairs of the church until October 1997, when the church decided to hire a pastor from without. In a well-attended business meeting, the name of Pastor Jeree Addy was submitted and agreed on to succeed Pastor Orlando Aggrey. From then on pastor Jeree Addy pastored the church until January of 2005. After pastor Addy’s departure from CRFC, God blessed this growing congregation with a pastor from their own fellowship; Rev. Sam Tabolo. Pastor Sam K. Tabolo is married to his beautiful wife Paulshe Tabolo and have three biological children with several adopted. He is a graduate of the University of Liberia and has a certificate in Biblical studies from the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary. Pastor Sam K. Tobolo has a great heart for the Lord’s work, especially for CRFC.
Infrastructural
Development
Even though, this congregation is the oldest and the mother of three Christian Revival Fellowship Churches, they do not have a building of their own. The focus has always been evangelism, missions and church planting. Throughout the church’s existence, the main place of worship has been the Tubman High School gymnasium or cafeteria. This has usually brought some inconveniences to the worshippers, especially during the wartime and peace consolidation period. The areas used as worship grounds were converted for lodging areas for displaced persons or captured headquarters of armed factions. These unpleasant experiences over the years had the leaders of the church to contemplate on the need for their own building. They were also given a deadline to vacate the school premises. During the administration of Pastor Orlando Aggrey, the church located and procured a piece of swampy land which was used as a city dump in Sinkor located on 13th Street. When Dennis returned after his studies from the United States a fast-track working drawing was designed which he had received through a vision. This octagonal brick structure was designed under the supervision of a blind architecture friend of Dennis’. Dennis explained what he saw in his vision, and Bradea Renee (the blind man) detailed to Emanuel who did the drawing for the construction of the Monrovia Christian Revival Fellowship Church. This congregation is grateful to God, Samaritan’s Purse, and other Christians local and abroad who are contributing to the building project. With this challenging task, the local church is still paying a mission pastor and reaching to other parts of Liberia with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In 2007, the growth in church plants birthed the creation of an association that would monitor new and developed churches. The name changed from CRFC to Christian Revival Church Association (CRCA).