By Stephen G. Fellajuah
Monrovia, August 26, 2025: U.S. Senator Raphael Gamaliel Warnock, a revered American politician and Baptist pastor serving because the junior Senator from Georgia, paid a courtesy go to to former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Monrovia, the place he pledged to assist strengthen financial relations and deepen historic ties between Liberia and the US.
Talking to New Daybreak Newspaper on Monday, August 25, 2025, following a gathering with the previous president, Senator Warnock mirrored on the importance of his go to and its private and political dimensions.
“It was a mission journey of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in Liberia,” he shared.
“Because it seems, I visited in 2014, and you understand shortly thereafter the Ebola virus hit the nation, so I used to be not in a position to return with the workforce that 12 months. Within the midst of that, I used to be working for the US Senate, so I’m glad to be right here, and I preached on the Windfall Baptist Church on Sunday.”
Senator Warnock recounted his first go to to Liberia over a decade in the past, after receiving an invite from Rev. Samuel Reeves, pastor of Windfall Baptist Church, to evangelise throughout an anniversary celebration. Although the Ebola outbreak and political commitments stored him from returning sooner, he expressed pleasure at lastly being again.
Pertaining to his assembly with former President Sirleaf, Warnock spoke with deep admiration.
“She is a quintessential instance of management, and I’m impressed by the depth of her dedication to the individuals of Liberia. Her work on girls’s empowerment and human dignity is inspiring,” he stated.
“She has led Liberia by the Ebola outbreak and seen the ups and downs of a struggling democratic republic that has skilled civil struggle. She was steadfast.”
Whereas the go to was spiritually motivated, Senator Warnock emphasised a broader mission: constructing significant connections between Liberia and his dwelling state of Georgia.
“Not solely have I come as a citizen and Senator from the US of America, however my dwelling area, Georgia, has deep ties with Liberia, from the accent to the meals, and different cultural similarities,” he stated.
“I’ll discover a approach to deepen connections and strengthen the financial vitality of the individuals of Liberia, who’ve been by a lot.”
He additionally disclosed that he met with a number of native entrepreneurs who impressed him with their imaginative and prescient and abilities, expressing hope for future partnerships that may assist Liberia’s development.
The go to concluded with a heat lunch on the dwelling of former President Sirleaf, bringing collectively relations, buddies, and well-wishers in a celebratory environment.
Through the gathering, each leaders exchanged artwork items as a logo of mutual respect.
Talking briefly, Madam Sirleaf welcomed the Senator’s initiative and the delegation he delivered to Liberia.
“The Senator is right here visiting as a part of a Baptist Church association, however he himself requested to fulfill with me, so I embraced the request and arranged a lunch,” she stated with a smile.
“Senator Gamaliel is a vital congressman, and it takes a Black congressman who needs to assist to assist Liberia and to work on Liberia’s progress. So it’s all the time a pleasure to obtain them and their total delegation, together with the ladies. These are individuals with good intentions for Liberia.”
She famous that many members of the delegation had prior connections with Liberia, saying, “A few of them have a historical past with Liberia, a few of them I’ve met earlier than underneath one circumstance or one other. So immediately, we may use it to reunite ourselves after a few years.”
