A Brief History

Over twenty years ago God called Pastor Morie S. Ngobeh to give up his well-paid job to serve Him full-time. One day, while he was attending the Evangel Assemblies of God Bible College, Pastor Ngobeh walked through the Victoria Park downtown Freetown when his heart was drawn to a group of gambling street boys. When he approached them they were convinced he was a police officer. To make him prove otherwise, they challenged Pastor Ngobeh to buy bread for them, which he did. From that time on, relationships started to develop with the youth out in the streets of Freetown. Many of them were addicted to marihuana.

In 1985, Pastor Ngobeh founded the “Deliverance Ministries”, which he registered with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs. He formed a team to reach out to addicts, street youth and others who were suffering from mental or spiritual oppression. The team visited drug dens and shared the Good News of Jesus Christ with whoever wanted to listen.

During school holidays, Pastor Ngobeh asked permission from the principal of the Evangel Bible College (Campus Frazer Street, Murray Town) to invite the boys and  young men for two consecutive weeks of intensive counselling and prayers for them to quit drugs. One of the these young people is currently an elder in the “Joy Assemblies of God Church”, which was planted by Pastor Nogbeh.

Throughout the year, Pastor Ngobeh and his wife opened their home at 42 Fort Street as a day care centre.

In 1994 they were given access to the current premises at 34 Fort Street and after two years of preparation, City of Rest officially opened its door as a residential rehabilitation centre in 1996.

Over the years hundreds of men and women have come to be part of the City of Rest community for some weeks or months or even several years. Many of them received healing and restoration and are now responsible citizens. Many also decided they wanted to follow the Lord they had come to know as their Saviour and Healer, Jesus Christ.

The ministry of City of Rest continued throughout the brutal civil war of 1991-2002. Situated near the State House, City of Rest found itself in the middle of one of the fiercest war zones. Neighbouring buildings were ransacked, houses nearby burnt down, but the rebels never touched City of Rest. They did however burn down the only vehicle the institution owned.

After many years of pleading with the Government of Sierra Leone, God intervened and in May 2008 three acres of land were offered to City of Rest for the construction of new facilities. Currently the work is in progress. We are trusting the Lord for an increased capacity of seventy beds, with separate homes for the men, women and youth. For an update on what is going on, go to News.

Objectives

Our objectives are:

1.To sensitise (young) people about substance abuse and mental health in order to

a)prevent them from developing addictions and

b)promote a compassionate response to those who are facing psycho-social, mental and/or spiritual challenges in their lives and/or are struggling with addictions.

2.To preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are lost and to actively reach out to those who are struggling with addictions and/or suffering from mental disorders, inviting them to trust God for their healing and restoration.

3.To provide ambulatory and residential care for those affected by substance abuse and/or mental disorders and to bring restoration through compassionate care, counselling, life-skills training, vocational training and (informal) education.

4.To facilitate the reintegration of those who have completed the residential programme into their families and communities and the society at large through active follow-up and support.

5.To seek excellence in all we do by continuing to learn and develop as an organisation and in our professional and personal lives.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of our programme are:

1. •   Young people at risk of falling into addictive habits
   

2. •   People suffering from addictions to drugs, alcohol or prescribed medicines
   

3. •   People recovering from addictions to drugs, alcohol or prescribed medicines
   

4. •   People suffering from mental disorders
   

5. •   People facing psycho-social, mental and/or spiritual challenges in their lives
   

6. •   Anyone living or working with people of the above named categories
   

7. •   Anyone wanting to learn about people of the above named categories
   

Memberships & Registrations

“City of Rest” is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Sierra Leone and registered with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs as a Local Voluntary Organisation.

On an international level “City of Rest” has a link with the International Substance Abuse and Addiction Coalition.

Links:

www.isaac-international.org