Ghanaian Chaplaincy Ends Services In The UK

; Ghanaian Christian Council – Uk Takes Over

The Ghanaian Chaplaincy Service in the United Kingdom set up to provided pastoral care and mission for Ghanaians in the country has been dissolved.

The Services was the first to be established in the UK by any foreign mission in the United Kingdom.

The service has been replaced by The UK Ghanaian Christian Council to provide modern directions regarding pastoral care and mission within the Ghanaian community in the UK.

Complexity of issues such as leadership and increasing difficulty in funding of the service were some of the factors that necessitated the change.

Individual member churches of the Council will now take over the missionary activities and pastoral care services of their members but will coordinate for all national programmes such as Republic and Independence Days as well as annual choral nights.

It was seen as fifty years of effective partnership in mission that saw great achievements of which the United Reformed Church, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church jointly led the fort.

The joint mission of the three churches, all members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches working together through the Ghanaian chaplaincy was seen as fruitful to the Ghanaian community in the UK.

In 1961, there came the need for such an institution to provide chaplaincy service to the increasing number of Ghanaians most of whom had arrived in the UK for further studies as a results of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s vision of higher education and professional development for Ghanaians after independence.

Most of these Ghanaians then faced with problems such as the differing accents which hindered verbal communication between themselves and the English members of their congregations as well as other cultural differences and style of worship.

It also offered services to the needy such as the sick, Ghanaians facing deportation and removal as well as those in prisons.

According to Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK, Professor Kwaku Danso Boafo the seed that was sown 50 years ago has blossomed into a strong tree that has sheltered, nourished, and strengthened the faith of many Ghanaians as well as their counterparts – citizens of the UK.

Addressing a church service to mark the end of the services of the chaplaincy, He noted that Ghana has many good lessons for the rest of the world. He said it was about time the nation made it known to the whole world what it has provided towards global development.

Professor Danso-Boafo observed that the Ghanaian Chaplaincy service has also blessed many other Africans adding that many churches searching for models of how to establish churches in the UK had the model from Ghanaians.

Professor Danso Boafo stressed the need for churches to exit for purposes that will benefit mankind and not to drain the resources of individuals.

He said pastoral care and practical gospel mission must be the priority of churches to ensure the holistic development of church members.

The Ghanaian envoy who on a number of occasions represented Ghana as Ambassador and also engaged in several international duties for Ghana, said many renowned figures he meets laud Ghana for its economic, political and diplomatic achievements.

“I have a lot of instances to share with you but for time I will talk about few.” He sited the instance of Ghana’s alternating of political parties in power since the inception of the Fourth Republic, as one major lesson for African countries to learn. He said the feat has propelled Ghana’s democratic dispensation to a higher pedestal than any other third world country.

The High Commissioner observed that many third world countries have only successfully carried out multiparty democratic elections but Ghana’s success story in multiparty elections is exceptional due to the circumstances under which the change of governments have taken place.

He also mentioned the production of highly international figures such as Kofi Annan and others as enviable.

He therefore urged Ghanaians to be proud of their country and continue to work hard to achieve more for the nation.

The last head of the Chaplaincy, Reverend Sylvanus Tetteh spoke against what he described as disunity among Christians and said, “It is worth noting that one of the most urgent challenges facing the Christian Church is the bickering and disunity among Christians.”

He therefore called on all Christians and Ghanaians in general to exhibit high sense of unity to ensure a united country.

The occasion saw some of the past Ministers of the three churches including Reverend Dr. Setri Nyomi, Reverend, Professor Emmanuel Martey, and Reverend Francis Amenu.