BREWERVILLE, MONTSERRADO COUNTY – Following an assertion by Liberia’s Minister of Information, Hon. Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, that he has not seen any other “New Water in the Desert” assembly across Liberia, the church leadership on Saturday, September 12, 2025, clarified for the public that there is more than one “New Water in the Desert Assembly” (NWIDA) in Liberia and beyond.
On September 9, 2025, while responding to reported assessments of government officials’ performance, Minister Piah strayed from the issue to question the numerical strength of the assembly pastored by Bishop Kortu K. Brown.
The Minister asserted that when one travels around the country, “you can see a Baptist Church or a Methodist Church but you can’t see New Water in the Desert. The only one here is the church on the VOA Road in Brewerville,” implicitly rebuking Bishop Brown for describing government officials as “lazy” when, according to him, the bishop himself has not expanded his church nationwide.
According to Bishop Brown, however, the Information Minister was completely wrong. “The Minister is in error. New Water in the Desert is a denominational headquarters assembly with several local branches across the country,” Bishop Brown stated. “If the chief government spokesperson can stand on such a big platform and confidently give the public such misleading information, we wonder what else he’s saying to the public with such confidence that is not true.”
The church added that the Minister would serve the government’s information dissemination machinery better if he researched his facts before going public. “Imagine someone outside the country listening to the Minister spewing out such incorrect and misleading information, what will they think about the overall accuracy of the government’s information dissemination machinery?” the statement noted.
Members of New Water in the Desert and its affiliates, along with the wider Christian community, expressed concern over how the Minister could put out such inaccurate information with boldness and without remorse. They urged the Minister to correct his facts, warning that such misinformation could make it difficult for Liberians and non-Liberians to believe official statements issued by the Ministry of Information.
The church further encouraged the Ministry of Information to properly research before presenting information to the public to avoid eroding confidence in the government. “The New Water in the Desert Assembly reminds the Ministry that its weekly platform is meant to disseminate accurate and balanced information on government performance, not to spew misleading remarks about individuals or institutions who may disagree with them. Otherwise, people will lose confidence in the platform and this will create a credibility crisis for the government,” the statement read.
Bishop Brown emphasized that spiritual strength cannot be measured by numbers or buildings but by the will and purpose of God. He referenced Matthew 26:53, in which Jesus rebuked His disciples for trying to fight during His arrest, reminding them that He could call upon His Father for more than 12 legions of angels if He desired. Quoting Zechariah 4:6, Bishop Brown added: “It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord.”
The New Water in the Desert Assembly describes itself as an Apostolic Pentecostal church that believes in the infallibility and inerrancy of the Word of God. The church upholds the doctrine and fellowship of the Apostles as recorded in Acts 2:38–42, promotes evangelism as the heartbeat of the church, and regards prayer and fellowship as central to the Christian life.
