PCUSA Mission Yearbook - Ghana - February 16, 2011

In 1869, Swiss missionaries Fritz and Rose Ramseyer were captured and imprisoned by the Asante people of Ghana.  During their five years in captivity, they became the first people to preach the gospel of Christ in the Asante capital of Kumasi. 

In 1896, the Ramseyers returned to Kumasi, this time to establish a new preaching post for the Basel Mission.  Those five years in prison had prepared them well, as they once again began to evangelize among the Asante people. 

Today, the Ramseyer Memorial Presbyterian Church sits atop one of the highest hills in Kumasi, Ghana’s second city.  More than a thousand people pass through its doors every Sunday.  It is a vibrant and important congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

One block away from Ramseyer, on the grounds of the old Basel Mission, the congregation has begun to reach out to the many Ghanaian northerners who have moved south to Kumasi for work.  Although the northerners often come from families with a Muslim or traditional African religious background, they have embraced Christianity with zeal.

This Frafra-language speaking fellowship, part of the PCG’s “Northern Outreach Program,” is about 100 strong in number.  Almost all are under the age of 30.  It is wonderful to witness their new faith in Christ and the powerful way the Holy Spirit is working in their midst. 

Prayer:  Lord God, we are grateful for those who planted the seed of your gospel in years past; we are grateful for those who continue this work today.  We pray for the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and for its Northern Outreach Program.  May it continue to spread the good news of your Son Jesus Christ among all the many peoples of Ghana.  

The Ramseyer Memorial Presbyterian Church, founded in 1896, located in the heart of Kumasi, Ghana's second city.

A member of the Northern Outreach Program Frafra-speaking congregation choir, standing in front of the old work shed which they use as their chapel.