by Lois Wilson
On Friday, July 8 I returned home from my fourth trip to Ghana with a deep sense of gratitude to each of the other members of our 14-member team and to the Ghanaian planning committee, chaired by Rev. Alice Kyei-Anti (widely known as Mama Alice). Other Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) committee members included: Barbara Asempa, Elder from the Tema Redemption Church (Community 9) and Executive Director, HOME OF CARE AND PROTECTION (HOCAP), a Christian NGO and Rev. Enoch Pobee, District Minister, Greenwich Meridian Church, Tema Community 1. The PCG committee was assisted by Rev. Joshua Heikkila, PC (USA) Field Representative in West Africa. Planning started in fall 2010 when Mama Alice was a mission visitor to Westminster.
Two of the goals for Westminster’s 2011 trip were to better understand how leaders in Ghana are working to eliminate extreme poverty (as outlined in the UN’s Millennium Development Goals) and to visit places in Ghana where Mama Alice has lived and worked during 42 years of paid ministry to the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (both as a lay person and as a member of the clergy). She had additional service as a teacher (five years) and as a mid-wife (overlapping with her paid ministry). She has served PCG as a pastor, missionary, chaplain, mid-wife, nurse, Director of the PCG women’s program, and an advocate for change. (Click on this link for a larger article about Mama Alice on the Mission and Outreach page on our web site).
I was strongly impacted by our visit and developed a much deeper understanding on how actions by strong individuals can help people in a country move out of extreme poverty. Later this month I hope to put together a pamphlet on what we learned about Mama Alice's ministry, documented with pictures from Global Photographer Connie Houde.
We'll let you know when the pamphlet is complete. In the meantime, please keep Saturday, August 13, 5 p.m. on your calendars for the report from the five youngest members of the team.
On Friday, July 8 I returned home from my fourth trip to Ghana with a deep sense of gratitude to each of the other members of our 14-member team and to the Ghanaian planning committee, chaired by Rev. Alice Kyei-Anti (widely known as Mama Alice). Other Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) committee members included: Barbara Asempa, Elder from the Tema Redemption Church (Community 9) and Executive Director, HOME OF CARE AND PROTECTION (HOCAP), a Christian NGO and Rev. Enoch Pobee, District Minister, Greenwich Meridian Church, Tema Community 1. The PCG committee was assisted by Rev. Joshua Heikkila, PC (USA) Field Representative in West Africa. Planning started in fall 2010 when Mama Alice was a mission visitor to Westminster.
Two of the goals for Westminster’s 2011 trip were to better understand how leaders in Ghana are working to eliminate extreme poverty (as outlined in the UN’s Millennium Development Goals) and to visit places in Ghana where Mama Alice has lived and worked during 42 years of paid ministry to the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (both as a lay person and as a member of the clergy). She had additional service as a teacher (five years) and as a mid-wife (overlapping with her paid ministry). She has served PCG as a pastor, missionary, chaplain, mid-wife, nurse, Director of the PCG women’s program, and an advocate for change. (Click on this link for a larger article about Mama Alice on the Mission and Outreach page on our web site).
I was strongly impacted by our visit and developed a much deeper understanding on how actions by strong individuals can help people in a country move out of extreme poverty. Later this month I hope to put together a pamphlet on what we learned about Mama Alice's ministry, documented with pictures from Global Photographer Connie Houde.
We'll let you know when the pamphlet is complete. In the meantime, please keep Saturday, August 13, 5 p.m. on your calendars for the report from the five youngest members of the team.