Immanuel Presbyterian Church: A congregation transforming lives through volleyball

In the heart of Madina, a local Presbyterian church has redefined the notion of community service through a highly effective initiative: a volleyball team called the IPC Volleyball Club.

The team, IPC Volleyball Club, is proudly owned and managed by the Immanuel Presbyterian Church, which Reverend Colonel Adoteye-Asare, currently heads.

This program has fostered a sense of physical fitness among its members and has also transformed lives by providing jobs, educational scholarships, and even opportunities to play at the national level.

IPC Volleyball Club is competing in the Greater Accra Volleyball League and is currently sitting 8th on the table with 10 wins and 5 defeats after 15 games with three games in hand.

The team recently finished as runners-up in the Greater Accra Volleyball Association (GAVA) Knockout tournament and WINABIG volleyball tournament, losing to Ghana Airforce and Ghana Army in both finals, respectively.

The team, which originally started as the Immanuel sports team, originated from the annual Ga-Presbytery YPG district games.

The church began mobilizing talent and skilled individuals within the community, inviting friends and colleagues from Madina to join, which initiated the evangelistic aspect of the team.

The church encouraged these individuals to attend services, offering them the opportunity to play for the team.

Once they identified with the church, they were selected to play.

The team won the Ghana Presbytery YPG games three consecutive times and then started playing competitive matches.

Football players from other teams joined and played together as a church team.

Notable players like Prince Tagoe, Ben Acheampong, Isaac Vorsah, and Patrick Owusu, who played for national teams and foreign clubs, came through the IPC system.

Over time, volleyball became more prominent than football due to players travelling and aging. The volleyball team, strengthened by members from the Madina community, became formidable and continued to play in the Greater Accra Volleyball Association (GAVA) league from 2010 under the guidance and then supervision of the then minister-in-charge of the Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Rt. Rev. Dr. Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, the current moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

Despite its successes, the team encounters various challenges, the primary of which is financial.

Evans Asante, Chairman of the Immanuel Congregation Sports Committee, highlighted financial constraints as their biggest challenge and called for public support.

“All the pastors have supported us tremendously. Some challenges include financial support for players from outside Greater Accra and mobilizing for matches. Even when we win and need to represent the team or country, financial issues prevent us. The church has been wonderful in supporting the idea and helping us mobilize the youth. If we had more financial resources, we could do even more,” he said.

The church’s volleyball initiative operates in four thematic areas (the 4 Es): evangelism, education, empowerment, and employment.

Wugah Shaddrack Selali, the head of marketing for the volleyball club, explained the club's objectives and their impact on lives and society.

“The club focuses on four main areas: evangelism, education, empowerment, and employment. We encourage members to pursue higher education and provide support for those whose calling is not educational, such as jobs and trades. The club has many people who support and groom the younger ones,” he said.

George Asare, Chairman of the IPC Evangelism and Mission Committee, said, “Supporting the IPC volleyball team touches many hearts, brings employment, and even education. We are looking for opportunities to better people's lives so they become assets to society.”

Richard Offei, a member of the Madina Congregation Church session, emphasized the importance of the volleyball team to the church and called for brand support and partnerships.

“The volleyball team is part of the church's urban mission strategy. In urban centers, many things distract young people from God and their focus on life. The church uses volleyball to bring young people's minds to God. We want to partner with others to support the team and make it a global brand. We call on

anyone interested in helping young people use their time profitably for God and their development to sponsor the team,” he said.

With a strong foundation and a clear vision for the future, the IPC Volleyball Club is poised for even greater success. The club intends to continue to invest in its facilities, enhance its training programs, and expand its reach both locally and nationally.

As they strive to make their mark on the international stage, IPC Volleyball Club remains committed to its core values of evangelism, excellence, sportsmanship, and community engagement and seeks support from corporate Ghana as well as individuals in achieving their objective of touching lives through

Volleyball.