Bronx, NY -- The glory of the Lord always manifests among His people when the children of God gather together in unity to pray and wait upon the Lord. Such was the situation when from Friday July 25th, to Sunday July 27th, 2008 three churches in New York and New Jersey came together to strengthen their spiritual muscle at the Passionist Spiritual Center of Riverdale. Ghana United Methodist Church, Bronx NY, Ghana Wesley United Methodist Church, Brooklyn, NY and Ghana Calvary Methodist Church, Irvington NJ, led by their pastors Rev. Dr. Victor Acquaah-Harison, Rev. Dr. Samuel Acquaah-Arhin and Rev. Nathan Addo-Nartey, respectively joined forces to realize an idea which for a long time remained a dream. The theme for the retreat was "Learning to be Disciples" (Matthew 5:13-16), and was broken down into two parts, namely "Disciples as Salt" which was handled by Rev. Acquaah-Arhin and "Disciples as Light" also delivered by Rev. Addo-Nartey.
The three-day retreat was preceded by a week-long power-packed revival on the theme, "Called to be Disciples" from Monday July 21st to Thursday July 24th 2008 at Ghana United Methodist Church, Bronx NY.
The objectives of the initiative are to establish a strong relationship among the Ghanaian United Methodist churches along the East Coast, to share fellowship and to deepen a strong sense of belonging which will prepare them to face the challenges of the 21st century Christianity in North America.
Other pastors who attended and led various sessions of the program were Rev's Jacob Owusu Sarfo of Bronx, Juliana Mensah, Prince Donkoh and Osei Kodie all of Brooklyn.
The three days were filled with powerful preaching, songs of praise, Group Bible studies, intercessory prayers, and healing and deliverance during which many were delivered from various bondages and troubles. As part of the tradition the Saturday evening program was also used to raise funds to offset the cost of hosting and organizing the retreat. Members freely gave and offered to the Lord from the depth of their hearts to demonstrate their gratitude to God for His manifold blessings upon their lives.
Sunday, July 27th marked the climax of the program. Other members who could not attend the three-day program also joined from New Jersey and New York to celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was officiated by Rev's Sarfo, Acquuah-Arhin and Addo-Nartey. Rev. Jacob Sarfo preached the sermon and stressed on the importance of maintaining the glow of the holy fire, which the Lord has set ablaze in us. He encouraged participants to always remember the blessings of these three days and use that as a reference point to refrain from indulging in any lifestyle that will stop the flow of God's blessings and favor upon them.
