Gbarnga City, Bong County, Liberia: Rev. Dr. Jerry P. Kulah has promised sweeping changes and the restoration of Gbarnga School of Theology to its prewar status. He said the ecumenical leadership that once operated the school should be reactivated during his administration. “We need to resurrect the kind of leadership that once made the Gbarnga School of Theology an enviable institution in Liberia and the West Africa Region before the war,” Dean Kulah emphasized. He also said the school has a rich history which he intends to use to develop the next phase of this institution of the United Methodist University.
The one time Monrovia District Superintendent and outstanding evangelist among the UMC Liberia clergy indicated that he will make spiritual awakening one of the major part of his administration’s efforts in renewing GST. “Learning at GST will no longer be about grades alone, but a spirit filled campus life will be essential,” Dean Kulah asserted.
He decried the appalling conditions that still beset GST in spite of the numerous efforts made by his predecessor, Rev. Dr. Yatta R. Young, to give the college a face lift. He named water, electricity, and good sanitation facilities as some of the challenges that GST is facing. He called on partners of UMC Liberia and individuals who have theological education at heart to come to the aid of the GST.
He said GST is grateful for the e-readers which were provided by the General Board of Discipleship and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. But, the new library of the institution is in need of books to make it operational.
Rev. Dr. Jerry P. Kulah was inducted into office as the new Dean of the Gbarnga School of Theology now College of Theology of the United Methodist University on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 in Gbarnga City, Bong County, Liberia. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Dr. John G. Innis, Resident Bishop of the Liberia Episcopal Area, the United Methodist Church. Dean Kulah takes over from Rev. Dr. Yatta R. Young who has been managing the institution for the last five years.
The Gbarnga School of Theology (GST) was once operated by the United Methodist, Lutheran, and Episcopal Churches prior to the war in Liberia. At the time the institution was fully funded by the three churches under an ecumenical agreement. It was later taken over by the United Methodist Church right after the war and became part of the United Methodist University in 2000.
Photos by Julu Swen