“Creator Spirit by whose aid the world’s foundations first were laid…”The Church Choir of Christ the King Ghana Methodist Church, Bethlehem, Georgia in the United States of America, sang the Chorale Introit and with that, prayed the Holy Spirit of God to be present at the Divine Service to launch the Fifth Anniversary of the Church. And at the end of the service as the congregation with thousand voices sang the closing hymn by Rev. Gaddiel Acquaah, “Jesus Akofo”; it was abundantly clear the Holy Spirit had aided in having a spirit filled worship service.
The theme of the yearlong celebrations is: “Arise and Shine as a Light Unto the Nations”. The service held at the Church's beautifully clad Sanctuary in Winder, Georgia, welcomed several guests including a delegation from Ghana Ebenezer Methodist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina led by its indefatigable Society Steward, Sister Doris Ama Gyamfi.
The Service also saw the dedication of an organ, touted as the largest and most tonally varied instrument in the world. The organ is a wind instrument played from a keyboard with its tone produced by pipes of metal or wood to sound by compressing air flowing through them. The organ’s ‘stops’ allow the organist to combine a number of different pitches while playing only one note.
This organ was donated by the families of Messrs. Curt Crank and Ron Hutchenson who encountered the Choir Master and Organist of the church, Brother Anthony Eiwuley-Morkeh playing the organ in a store they had all visited. Touched by his God-given gift they together contributed and bought the Organ for his church. An elated Brother Eiwuley –Morkeh, recounted how he saw the organ, realized he had no money on him then and said a prayer to God in his heart. He sat down behind it and played ‘Great God of Wonders’ from the Methodist Hymn Book 356 ‘in a zig-zag style on the organ’s pedals’. He followed that with other favorite Methodist Hymns of his. The above named families gathered around listening in awe. The next thing he knew they handed him a receipt and said simply take the organ to your Church.
Playing it for the first time before the Congregation as the Choir rendered famed Louis Lewandowski’s Psalm 150, Organist Eiwuley-Morkeh beamed with joy and sang heartily along. Members joined in praising God with stringed instruments and organs as exhorted by Psalm 150 verse 4.
After introducing members of the 5th Anniversary Working Committee led by Brother Samuel Dwamena-Boakye, to the Congregation, Caretaker of the Church, Brother Joseph Essiful-Ansah, outlined the activities slated to mark the year-long celebrations which include a visit to Savannah, Georgia, where Founder of Methodism Rev. John Wesley and brother Rev. Charles Wesley worked hard to introduce Christ to the then newfoundland 280 years ago. Members of Christ The King he revealed will spend a weekend in Savannah, Georgia, sharing in tracts and the Gospel with the good people of Savannah, Georgia as a fitting tribute to the man who declared “The whole world is my parish”. The main vision of the anniversary incidentally is that each member wins 5 Souls for the Lord to mark 5 years of God’s grace.
The Anniversary Working Committee was ushered into service with a powerful prayer by Sister Josephine Ehui. The home of the Ehui family in Dacula, Georgia, was the birthplace of Christ The King Ghana Methodist Church. The Caretaker thanked the couple for opening up their home for this endeavor in those early uncertain days and prayed God to count it unto them as righteousness.
A high point of the Service was the introduction of the Church’s Anniversary song “Jesus Beda Kan edzi”, composed pro bono for the Church by renowned Ghanaian composer and musician, Reverend Newlove Kodwo Annan. A recorded version of the said song, sang and played by the music icon was first played to the Congregation who listened with joy after which the choir and congregation sang as Organist Anthony Morkeh played it on the newly dedicated Organ.
Having had a feel of the Anniversary song, members took to the floor in Ghanaian picnic-style dancing all over the Sanctuary. They were joined by the guests including some from other States who had joined a member of Christ the King, Sister Florence Trudy Davis to thank God for the life of her late mother Madam Theresa Blay-Whyte of Half Assini, Ghana.
Preaching the sermon, Caretaker Joseph Essiful-Ansah called on Ghanaians in the United States to be a light unto the Nation. He stated among others that following money and pleasures abroad continues to lead many otherwise confessing Ghanaian Christians astray. Adding that Ghanaians abroad who have devoted themselves to the Scriptural Holiness, as propounded by Founder John Wesley, and are affecting people around them in foreign lands are not out of their minds or foolish.
They, he stressed, have come to appreciate the work at Calvary and have decided to share the gospel with others and through all the earth abroad the redemption from sin King Jesus offers. Christ the King’s membership includes African-American and Caucasian families. It is also an active member of the Whole Body of Christ Alliance of Winder, Georgia. The Alliance is a broad spectrum of Churches in and around Barrow County, Georgia.
In a post service interview, Sister Doris Gyamfi stated that the Service was Spirit-filled. Adding “it is always a blessing to come to Christ the King and we are blessed to be part of this Special Service to launch her 5th Anniversary and dedicate the new Organ.” She said she was especially touched by the Sermon based on Colossians 3:12 to 16 and hoped others present were just as blessed. It was her fervent hope and prayer that Christians would heed the advice and endeavor to live by it.
Sis Doris was impressed by the way the whole Service was organized, stressing it had to be the Holy Spirit at work because one could feel His Presence all over the Sanctuary all through the Service. ‘God bless Christ The King and use it as a model to build other Churches in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit ‘, she concluded.
Undoubtedly members left the Church’s Sanctuary thereafter singing appropriately in heart and mind, some lines of the specially composed Anniversary song, ‘Ohen Jesus n’Asor hom ma yen kotow no, yen sor, yen yi n’ayew” to wit ‘members of Christ The King worship, glorify and praise Him.’ And why not the Church has been blessed these last few years and can only pray that as it marks five years it would indeed be a light unto the Nations.
Source: Sis. Karen Essiful-Ansah.
