Growth In Ghana

by IMOUKHUEDE, M.A. | Category: Mission | Feb 2009

The journey to Ghana from Nigeria by road is an enjoyable experience, apart from the border security checks to be faced going through Benin and Togo Republics. The scenery is very beautiful, especially when travelling along the coast, enjoying the sea breeze.

Our first trip was in 1986 as a result of requests from listeners to our Radio broadcast. The Radio station was ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa) broadcasting from Monrovia in Liberia. This radio station was later destroyed during the civil war in that country. Our work in Ghana, which was mainly in Accra in the first year, was very encouraging, as almost thirty people gathered from time to time for teaching. Many of them were saved as a result of our Gospel outreach that year, and a few were baptized believers who had a great desire to be numbered with the churches of God.

By the second year the work started to suffer set-backs because of the lack of manpower to continue regularly with the new group. In 1988 Eric Sampou and I were sent to assess what was left of the work that had begun in 1986.

In our report we observed that, although there was no one left of the group following the Gospel effort of 1986, the people of Accra were still receptive to the Gospel. As a result of this, I was released by my church district in West Africa (after my recognition as a full-time evangelist in September 1987) to follow up this new interest.

In January 1989, a new strategy for pioneering work in Ghana began: the RAM (Radio outreach, Assembly activities, Mailing centre work) method. By April 1994, a Church of God was planted in Accra.

We should say that one of the many items of literature used in the follow-up of the Radio, Assembly and Mailing Centre contacts there was Needed Truth. As far back as 1989, there were more than ten addresses on the mailing list of the Fellowship Mailing Centre who received Needed Truth magazine regularly. I decided to visit them to find out how much they were enjoying the magazine. Of particular interest was the trip to Cape Coast in Central Region of Ghana. Cape Coast lies west of Accra, a distance of about 144 kilometres. It is not near by our standard! There were three addresses, one of which was that of Brother Tawiah Ennu-Dadzie. It was quite evident from our first contact with him that he was willing to be numbered with the Churches of God who uphold the teachings presented in the Needed Truth magazine. We found him to be a baptized believer who loved the Lord and His Word. Brother Tawiah was so impressed that God had brought the truth he had longed for to Ghana. There were people already meeting in Accra, and within a year he relocated to Accra where he gave a good support to the work.

His wife and three children are with him in the Church of God in Kasoa (formerly Accra). It was not a surprise that he was one of those who constituted the nucleus when the Church of God in Accra was planted in 1994. He is now one of the overseers of the church and a great contender for the Faith (Jude 3). Needed Truth magazine in its repackaged form continues to be appreciated as it provides instruction relative to the Lord's command to, ''teach them to observe all things that I commanded you' (Mat. 28:19).

IMOUKHUEDE, M.A. | Feb 2009
Mission