A pastor, who attended our VC last year (2000), invited me to witness a Seed Project he is undertaking with his church at Ashiaman near Tema, some 21 kilometres away from Accra. This is a very big town, one of the most densely populated towns in Ghana, but it is a slum with all its trappings – no toilet or garbage collection facility, etc.
Though the pastor's church is based in Tema, about 15 kilometers away, they decided to undertake this project to demonstrate God’s love for the people in this community. Through a local FM radio, they invited the people of the community for a clean up exercise. A day prior to the exercise, the church members visited the area, interacted with them and showed the Jesus Film.
Last Saturday when I visited the project site, the turnout from the community was massive. Church members came in two bus loads. The interaction was unique because it was difficult to know who was a church member and who was not. They sang together, collected garbage and weeded together. Within an hour, a very vast place had been neatly cleaned!
A Moslem opinion leader of the area who actively took part in this exercise had the following to say when he met me with the pastors of the church.
“When I go to my fellow Moslem believers in the Mosque right now for them to come out for this exercise, they will never come. And for you Christians to have come from Tema to work with us, joyfully, ignoring all the smells, really demonstrates that you people really know the God you are serving.”
The merry-making at the end of the project was incredible. Very soon the head pastor will be establishing a branch of the church in the area since the people in the community are demanding for it. To this people of the community, it is the first time that a church has come out from a well-endowed area to their community for such an exercise. To God be all the glory! |
