For the first two weeks of my time in Ghana, I led a group of students from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, under the auspices of the seminary’s World Mission Initiative program, for an immersion experience. We spent the first few days becoming acclimatized to Ghana and learning about Ghanaian life in general, and Ghanaian religious practices in particular. The students were then assigned to pastors of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, who serve churches in the Ho area. For the next eight days (including two Sundays) the students shared in the life of the churches to which they were assigned and learned about the life of a pastor in Ghana. During this week, I met regularly with the students at their locations to provide supervision and support. In addition, I used this week to lead workshops and seminars in three other towns (Adidome, Kpedze, and Hohoe), and to visit and provide support for the work of the EP Church Seminary in Peki. I was able to use a motorbike that had been purchased by my congregation for my transportation during this time. The motorbike was then assigned to an EP Church district, to allow its pastor to travel more easily from church to church. Following the immersion week in Ho, the students and I returned to the capital city of Accra for a few days of rest, recreation, and debriefing before the students left to return to the US. After the students’ departure, I led another workshop for a congregation in Accra, and then traveled to the north of Ghana to conduct leadership seminars in two different locations (Bolgatanga and Tamale). These seminars were joint ventures of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana and the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, which are both partner denominations of the PC(USA). I then returned to Accra to attend the annual pastors retreat of the EP Church, where I spoke on the topic of stewardship. During this time, I also had the privilege of meeting the family of a former head of state of Ghana, who had been a friend of my grandfather when they both were in the Netherlands during the 1960s. My plans to travel to Togo after the pastor retreat for two or three days had to be cancelled, due to circumstances beyond my control. After this interlude, I then led a partnership meeting of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, and the Presbyterian Church (USA). During this four day meeting, we discussed ways in which our partnerships can address a variety of issues of concern which face the churches in Ghana.
If you would like to read my journal with more information about the trip, please visit my blog.
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