Continuing Education: In January, Hyles-Anderson College of West Africa launched a master’s program specifically for national pastors sent out by our church. We have offered our college graduates who are now pastoring the opportunity to receive advanced training at our Bible college. Our goal is to further equip them to start Bible institutes out of their own churches. We were blessed to have nine of our national pastors back with us in January.
New Auditorium: Our first service in our new auditorium was held on Christmas Day. Our Fundamental Baptist Academy students put on a Christmas play for our church, and then Pastor Speer preached a sermon on how Jesus finished what He started. Since then, each of our church services has been held in our new auditorium. Our church averaged 128 more on Sunday mornings in 2014 than it did in January 2013; perhaps some of this growth can be attributed to the fact that our church building is very visible from the main road through Bohyen. The first baptism in the new auditorium occurred on January 19. Please pray with us as we seek to complete things in the new auditorium, such as floor tile, painting, the PA system, windows, doors, and landscaping.
Purchasing Land for Churches: Ghanaian churches have a tradition of holding a harvest offering at the end of the year for a worthy cause. Our harvest offering in 2013 was specifically to raise money to buy land and possibly small structures for some of our church plants. We are praising the Lord that our church here in Kumasi has given 25,700 Ghanaian cedis (almost US$12,000) for this cause. We have already purchased land in Foase just outside of Kumasi. Very soon we will purchase plots of land for churches in the Volta Region, Ghana, and in Monrovia, Liberia. The church in Foase will hold their first service on February 2, 2014.
Awards Banquet: On January 1, our church held its second annual awards banquet. Over 300 of our church members attended the banquet. We were served chicken and fried rice with “red-red” (fried ripe plantain). At this banquet we honored our most faithful members and our most productive soul winners. Ten of our church members were present AND on time every week in 2013; Pastor Speer treated them to a meal at a Ghanaian restaurant. Fifty-nine of our church members were responsible for having at least one of their converts baptized last year. One young man, Otchere Boachie, has seen over 50 converts baptized over the last two years. Kingsley Addai Gyasi just joined our church in March 2013, but he excelled in soul winning to the point of winning our Soul Winner of the Year Award for the men. Team member, Mrs. Tammy Williams, won Soul Winner of the Year for the ladies.
Thank you for your prayers and support for Team Ghana and for our church-planting efforts!