KOFORIDUA APOSTOLICS LAUNCH 75TH ANNIVERSARY (PAGE 20 DEC 16)

The Koforidua area of the Apostolic Church of Ghana last Sunday launched the 75th anniversary of the introduction of the church in Ghana.
The first church was planted at Asamankese in 1935.
Representatives from all branches in the area, led by their pastors and elders, attended the function, which took place at the regional chapel.
Briefing the congregation on the establishment of the church in the area, Elder J.K. Obeng of the Central Assembly, said although missionaries from Bradford in the United Kingdom arrived in the country in 1935 and settled at Asamankese the same year, it was in 1939 that they went to Abisim, a small village near Koforidua, which could only be reached by a foot path.
According to him, with the help of the first local converts, the early British missionaries managed to spread the gospel to Suhum in 1942, and Jumapo near Koforidua in 1947, where churches were planted and a lot of people admitted into the Apostolic fold.
He said the church, which started with a handful of converts, now had a membership running into thousands, with many branches in many towns and communities in the region.
One of the surviving pioneers of the church, Pastor D.T. Tenobi, recounted the difficulties the early missionaries and the local church leaders went through, some at the peril of their lives, and said in all cases, they were successful.
The Head of the Koforidua Area, Apostle J.K. Addey, who launched the anniversary, led the gathering to observe a minute’s silence in memory of all the departed men and women, whose efforts made it possible for the church to be firmly rooted in the area.
In a sermon based on Psalm 78: 38 and Deuteronomy Chapter 33, Apostle Addey entreated the congregation to build upon the gains made by the early missionaries and converts by drawing more people into its fold.
Apostle Addey, who indicated that the church would now concentrate more on voluntary work to improve upon living conditions in communities in the Koforidua area, said the spiritual needs of its members would also be taken care of at all times.