Kaajaano, Accra - Presbyterian Church of Ghana

In March of 2008, Trinity Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, closed its doors and sold its church building in order to merge with another nearby congregation.  One final wish of the church was that one-sixth of the proceeds of the sale of the building – an amount of money equal to $97,000 – be given to the Epiphany congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, in the Kaajaano neighborhood of Ghana’s capital Accra.

Some years before Trinity closed, a relationship had developed between them and Epiphany, due to a Ghanaian family who had emigrated from Accra and settled in Dallas.  This family, Mr. and Mrs. Fiase and their children, helped their two Presbyterian church homes – one in Ghana and one in the United States – develop a friendship and partnership.  In 2007, a group from Dallas traveled to Accra, where they spent time with the Epiphany congregation.  There, the Trinity group witnessed first hand a vibrant congregation in an urban West African setting.  

The Kaajaano "Epiphany" chapel, built about 18 years ago.  

The Kaajaano congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana sits along Accra’s Atlantic coastline, not far from “the Castle,” the 400-year-old Danish-built fort that currently serves as Ghana’s presidential offices.  Kaajaano is now almost 50 years old.  The congregation has over 600 members and an additional 600 children and youth. 

These members are primarily the native Ga-language-speaking people of Accra, but there are a sizable number of Ewe-language speakers, too, migrants who have come to Ghana’s capital from the eastern part of the country.  Like almost all of the Presbyterian congregations in Accra, the church has an active youth program, young adults fellowship group, and women’s Bible study class.  

Looking west along the coast from Kaajaano, a view of "the Castle," Ghana's presidential offices, with the Accra harbor lighthouse in the distance.

On the same piece of land as the church, the Epiphany congregation runs a kindergarten and primary school. A total of about 300 students attend the school, which is run in partnership with the government, through the Ghana Education Service.  Over the past 30 years, temporary wooden structures have been put up to house the school, and at times small improvements were made to them.  What was intended to be temporary, though, in fact became semi-permanent.  Kaajaano knew for a long time they had to rebuild the school, but the question was how.  The church was praying that God would give them the ability to make a way forward. 

While in Accra, the group from Dallas saw the dilapidated state of the Epiphany church school.  They knew they wanted to work together to improve the condition of the buildings.  But they also had the same question, how?  Only later, when Trinity decided to close its congregation, did they realize where the funds could come from. 

The Kaajaano Church primary school is made from rough hewn wood and sits on a piece of land that is prone to flooding.  The money given by Trinity Presbyterian Church, through Grace Presbytery, will allow the ground to be graded and improved, and multi-story concrete block school building to be constructed on the same premises.  

In December of 2010, Grace Presbytery gave the final approval for the Trinity proceeds to be sent to Ghana.  At that point in time, the work in Ghana truly began.  Kaajaano hired an architect to draw up plans for the new school.  A surveyor was brought in to calculate the costs of construction.  There are hopes that ground will be broken in the second half of 2012. 

I know it can be a sad day for people when their church – the place that has been a home for them – decides to close its doors.  But even though Trinity is no longer in existence, the members can take heart knowing that their church’s resources are going to help build a Presbyterian school in Accra, Ghana. 

One person from Kaajaano even mentioned to me the story of the prophet Elisha’s death, in II Kings 13.  Even there in the grave, the bones of something that was once holy and anointed by God were able give life to another.  The same thing, he said, was true of Trinity and Epiphany.  Although Trinity might no longer be alive, it has given life to the school at Epiphany. 

As they have learned about the progress of the school, some of the former members of Trinity have expressed interest in coming to Accra, maybe on a working mission trip, or maybe to be present for the day when the completed school building is dedicated.  We’re grateful to God, therefore, that a connection between Grace Presbytery and the Epiphany congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana will continue.  

Another classroom at the primary school.

Some current student of the Kaajaano Presbyterian Primary School, sitting in front of the building that serves as the kindergarten.  There are about 300 students enrolled in the school. 

A view from inside one of the classrooms.

West African Church Music

One of the things I enjoy most about the Presbyterian churches in West Africa is the music.  The early missionaries brought with them hymns from Germany, and later England, and many of them were translated into the local languages.  Over time, some were adapted to the local musical style, while others remained unchanged.  

In worship, there are times when you can even hear the same tune, sung once with organ and formal choir, and sung later with drums and local instruments.  

In the video above, you can watch the Duke Town Parish Choir, from the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria congregation in Duke Town, Calabar, singing an English hymn entitled "Once, Only Once."

Once, only once, and once for all,

His precious life he gave;

Before the cross in faith we fall,

And own it strong to save.

In this video, the same hymn is sung in the Ewe language of Ghana and Togo, in a style of music often called borborbor (or bobobo).

Bonakye, Ghana -- the very northern part of the Volta Region

I always enjoy traveling to the northeastern part of Ghana, to towns like Yendi, Bimbilla, and Damanko, especially in the rainy season which begins in May and lasts into October. The area is very dry and dusty from October to April, but when the rains start in May, everything turns green and the rolling hills become beautiful.

It's a very undeveloped part of Ghana, because no good roads pass through the region. It is, however, the main transport route for yams that originate in the north to get to Accra. The government has been promising (for more than 10 years) to widen and pave the road from Yendi to Nkwanta to Hohoe to Akosombo. Although the work on the road has started, I still question if it will ever be completed.

As Ghana's election nears (to be held in November 2012), the residents of this area have been making more and more appeals to the government. In particular, it's common to see signs which read "No Lights, No Vote" - which is a demand for electricity to be brought to the region. In some towns, high tension wires pass overhead, but the government hasn't brought access to the people living below.

I travelled to the area in May, to attend a funeral for a colleague's mother. Here, you will see some pictures from that trip.

A man from the village who hunts in "the bush" using his locally made bow and arrow.

These young men were burning the feathers and hair off a chicken and goat. The meat will be used to feed guests who have come to the village for the funeral.

Some of the village elders.

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church congregation in Bonakye. The front wall of the church has begun to collapse, so the wood is used for extra support.

The women of the village, performing a traditional dance around a calabash, in memory of their sister who died.

The women use clay pots and calabashes to make music and dance. As the calabash hits the opening of the pot, it makes a thumping noise, similar to that of a drum.

Above and below, some of the children in the village.

In some stretches, there is more pothole than road! At times, you even have to get out of the car to look for the shallow way to cross. I once encountered a car up to its windows, stuck in the mud and water. Apparently the pothole was a lot deeper than anticipated!

Below, some "No Light No Vote" signs -- residents of the region demanding electricity.

2012 PCUSA Mission Yearbook - Niger - March 26, 2012

From the PCUSA Mission Yearbook for March 26, 2012.

Niger is one of the poorest and least developed places on earth.  The 2010 United Nations Human Development Index ranked it 167 out of 169 countries worldwide.  Life expectancy is just under 53, and the average Nigerien has attended school for only 1.4 years.

The country has an overwhelming Muslim majority, which exceeds 95% of the population.  The two main Christian denominations are the Roman Catholic Church, which ministers almost exclusively to foreign expatriates, and the PCUSA partner, the Evangelical Church of the Republic of Niger (EERN), whose membership is comprised of the Zarma and Hausa speaking people of the country.

One of the main mission focuses of the EERN has been its elementary schools.  The church sees these school as a way of both improving the education level of boys and girls in the country, as well as a means of Christian evangelism. 

In many towns in the country, Muslim families strive to enroll their children in these EERN schools, because of their high academic achievement.  There is an incredible openness to the Gospel message.  We also thank God for the high degree of peace between Niger’s Christian and Muslim populations. 

Prayer:  God of justice and mercy, we pray for the church in Niger, whose mission and ministry is taking place in such a difficult setting.  As your children, you have called us to let our light shine, so that others may see our good works and thereby give glory to you.  May the EERN be a true and abiding light to the people of Niger.  May it provide the people with food that nourishes both body and soul.  In the powerful name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. 

 Rev. Sani Nomaou, Mr. Ibrahim Adbou, and three elders of the EERN meet with Rev. Debbie Braaksma, Africa Area Coordinator.   

2012 PCUSA Mission Yearbook - Nigeria - March 24, 2012

From the PCUSA Mission Yearbook for March 24, 2012.

Although the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria is one of the oldest Christian denominations in the country, founded when Scottish and Jamaican missionaries arrived in Calabar in 1846, for many years it remained a small, regional church, based in Nigeria's southeast. 

Since 2008, the church has been undertaking a campaign to triple its membership.  It hopes to do this by planting new congregations and mission stations in unreached areas, and by evangelizing in parts of Nigeria where it has never been before.  During the past two years, the church has added about 150 new congregations and mission stations, raising the total number in the country to about 1400. 

The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria now requires all of its new seminary graduates to go through a two-year period as “Provers of Ministry” before they enter the ranks of the ordained ministry.  During this time, Provers are assigned either to plant a new congregation or shepherd a newly founded one.  Although the work isn’t easy, the number of students entering seminary remains high. 

The church believes that this emphasis on church planting and evangelism will not only allow it to grow, but will help spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Church to more parts of Nigeria.

Prayer:  Lord God, we lift up the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria as it works to spread your love, made known to us through Jesus Christ.  May the church touch more lives with the Good News of the Gospel.  May it be an inspiration for us, as we took work to spread the message of Christ in our own communities.  Amen.  

The Deputy Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Rev. Daniel Etim, with a pastor of one of the newly established congregations.  

Dangbe Tongu Presbytery Office, Odumase Krobo, Ghana - February 2012

The Dangbe Tongu Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana is situated at the old Basel Mission Station in Odumase Krobo, a town about two hours northeast of Accra.  At one point in time, in the middle part of the 20th century, the station hosted the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School, before it relocated to Legon, Accra.  Presec is thought to be one of the best secondary schools in Ghana.

One the grounds of the presbytery is an old baobab tree.  The tree even gives Presec its local nickname, Odadee.  Over the years, many of the students have carved their names in the tree, giving it a distinct look.  

In recent years, the presbytery has done a wonderful job maintaining and renovating the station.  The presbytery offices are there, and some of the rooms have been turned into a guest house.  For a few years now, the Dange Tongu Presbytery has had a partnership with the Milwaukee Presbytery, of the Presbyterian Church USA.  

Some American Presbyterians from Milwaukee visited Dangbe Tongu in July, 2011, and we're hoping that some Ghanaian Presbyterians from Dangbe Tongu will visit Milwaukee in September of this year.  Pray that they are able to secure their visas!

The old mission station, with the original chapel in the background.  

Some of the original buildings (these ones still in need of renovation).  

The orginal Swiss and German missionaries to Krobo land built, lived in, and worked from this station.  

The giant baobab tree, which dwafs my car parked underneath it.  A mango tree, on the right, has even grafted  itself into the baobab.

The students' names, carved into the trunk.  

Eglise Evangelique Presbyterienne du Togo, Annual Synod, Tsevie, Togo, February, 2011

The EEPT - Eglise Evangelique Presbyterienne du Togo, held its annual synod in February, in the town of Tsevie, about 30 miles north of Togo's capital Lome.  The procession into worship began at the church's primary school, on one side of the main north-south Togolese highway, and crossed over into the chapel on the other side.  Traffic was stopped for about 20 minutes, in order for this to happen.  For the recession, it was the same thing in reverse.

During the worship service, the EEPT ordained 15 new ministers.  It is during the ordination service that they are first allowed to wear the pastoral robe.