Dayton UMC Ghana 2010 Church Planting Mission

Thursday, February 25, 2010

It’s tough to adequately summarize what it’s like to “Do a missions trip to Ghana”. There are so many memories and cultural differences we have experienced in such a short time that it’s starting to blur everything together. Thank God for Digital cameras!!! Even after only one day some of the photos from the airport or from our first stop in Ghana, to me seem long ago. I have been struck by the dichotomies I have seen in Ghana. One is the clothing people have and wear to church, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. Men in suits and ties, and women in top shelf dresses, dancing and chanting during the service on a dirt floor under a pavilion in what many in central Indiana would call abject poverty. The cars, streets, and dirt “roads” don’t seem to “go together” either - but the Ghanaians don’t seem to notice anything is out of kilter. They seem genuinely happy and are able to connect well with Jesus. I have experienced more than one tug at my heart in these recent days. One of them was the sound of their singing in the services. If you have seen / heard Glenn and Sue’s presentation on previous trips to Ghana you’ve heard the recordings of that sound. Trust me, it doesn’t do it justice. You have got to be there to “get it”. WOW!

It’s the same with the pictures. The photos our team has taken are as good as we know how to do. But they don’t come close to the real thing. Even still, check out these shots. Look in their faces. See the excitement and life in their eyes. It pulls you in. How can it not? - Phil

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About our ongoing Mission...

Our return trip to Ghana in 2009 was filled with preaching and children's ministry, medical clinics and building construction. Two new churches were planted in the Ashanti Region of central Ghana! We were a small group but with God's help we were mighty in terms of reaching the lost! Our evening Crusades were a great success with hundreds attending each night. Over one thousand were given medical attention during our clinics. The children were as much a blessing to us as we could be to them. Please stop by our blog at www.dumcghana2009.blogspot.com to get the whole story or to relive the entire trip in photos and text.

This all started in 2006 when Pastor John Walls and the Dayton United Methodist Church congregation asked the Lord for an opportunity to partner with the Methodist church in Ghana on an ongoing basis. God was faithful and introduced us to Joseph Otsin, a native Ghanaian who is taking the Gospel to people in Africa who might otherwise not hear about Jesus Christ. We asked the Lord for someone who is making an impact for the Kingdom of Heaven that we could assist and support on an ongoing basis. Our first mission trip in 2008 showed us just how effective we could be in saving souls by working alongside Joseph.

Joseph Otsin, ordained by the Methodist church of Ghana as a church planter, is continuing in his passion by carrying the message of Jesus Christ to all regions of Ghana. To re-cap, Joseph facilitates an ongoing ministry, working on an annual cycle with teams from the United States, that introduces people to Christ at revival style meetings in the rural villages and in newly developed suburban areas. After the meetings, the team introduces the new believers to their lay pastor, who has been trained for this role as a part of Joseph’s ministry. The lay pastor is provided with a bicycle, Bibles, and other printed materials so that he can effectively disciple the new believers. Later, as the church grows, Joseph and a team of workers return to construct a “pavilion” as a start for a new church building. In time, walls can be added to the pavilion, and the congregation has a completed building in which to worship. God is working through Joseph and the teams that assist him to plant new Methodist congregations each year in Ghana.

In 2008, thousands of new believers were won for Christ during the mission trip in February. Glenn & Sue learned much from Cecil Williamson and his veteran team of multiple pastors and evangelists. We at Dayton United Methodist Church now continue our own long-term relationship with Joseph Otsin. We have the privilege of supporting this work financially, as Joseph’s ministry is one with which our church has chosen to partner as part of our “ends of the earth” outreach. Additionally, our goal is to continue to send a full team each year to Ghana, to labor where we know that God is at work. People on these teams can become hands and feet that help, in whatever ways they can, to carry the Gospel message to our brothers and sisters in Ghana.

We are now preparing for Ghana 2010, a twelve day trip from February 19 through March 2. We plan to again plant two new churches, provide medical care to the villagers and provide children’s ministries on the order of Vacation Bible School. We will also build another pavilion in a remote village to serve as their first church building.

Upon arrival in the Ashanti Region, we will begin to populate this blog with stories and photos of our ongoing work every day or two. Please visit often to follow our adventures as they unfold!

This year, Pastor Mike will be joining eight lay people that will evangelize, teach, facilitate medical clinics and build. We also partner with a much larger group, made up of stateside prayer warriors and financial partners like you!

We ask that everyone please pray that God will raise up people within the sound of our voice to accept the Word of Jesus Christ, begin a new life in Him and become the body of these new churches in Ghana.