Ghana Church Plant: The Story So Far
Part 2: The Church (Part 1 / Part 3)
Right after arriving in Ghana (September 2019), we started to plan to start our first service. With great joy and excitement, we had our first public meeting on Sunday 2nd February 2020 with about 15 adults and 7 children in attendance. Unfortunately, for the world and for Ghana, COVID struck after 7 weeks of starting our public meetings. Like everywhere else, we had to shut down the Church and wait for the government’s instructions. We, like many nations, went into lockdown mode.
I was, however, able to continue to preach live on a local radio station here in Sekondi-Takoradi whilst streaming live on Facebook. The lockdown actually became a blessing in disguise as we were able to reach many people via radio and Facebook.
Fortunately, Ghana wasn’t in lockdown for too long. We were allowed to go back to Church meetings as long as we were wearing nose masks and keeping safe distances from August 2020. So, on the 9th of August 2020, we started to meet publicly again. Then, a few months later, we had our first water baptism, baptising 8 people.
Apart from COVID, we have had a few other challenges as a Church plant. Whilst not being able to meet during the lockdown one of our core members passed away and then, late last year, another core member passed away. We have also had to change venues a few times which I believe has slowed us down a little.
Yet there has been good news along the line too. We have seen people saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and receive spiritual gifts. We recently managed to secure our own venue thanks to Grace Church, Salisbury, and Commission. Our new venue has a 70 seat capacity with two additional classrooms which can accommodate about 30 kids. There is space behind the main hall which we can use to extend the venue when the time comes. So, there is room for growth.
Since getting this new venue we have spent much time doing renovation work and developing a vision as a Church plant. Both are now at the finishing stages. Renovation has less than 10% of work left to do and the vision and its accompanying strategy are entering the implementation stage.
We have two main objectives this year: (1) to triple in size from our current 34 members (and 13 children), and (2) and to start a new site in another town which is about 15 miles from our current venue. Our main area of focus for this projected growth will be a 3-mile radius from the venue.
We are excited and really looking forward to what the Lord is going to do with us and through us now that he has given us a venue in a very good location in the city of Sekondi-Takoradi.
We would really appreciate your continuous prayers as we begin to implement our vision of ‘’Using our Holy Spirit given gifts/talents to love God and our neighbours and to evangelise the lost in the name of Jesus Christ’’. First, thank God for his grace and provisions for Grace Community Church so far and his plans for us.
Please pray that souls will be saved through the power of the Holy Spirit. Please pray that we will indeed be able to start the new site in Shama. Finally, please pray that the Lord confirms his gospel with signs and wonders.
Thank you all for partnering with us. God bless us all.
As we push forward in all that God has called us to in Ghana, prayer is key, for Ghana, Eustace and his family and the Grace Community Church, Ghana. A WhatsApp group has been setup to share prayer requests and news. If you’d like to be added to this group, please email office@gracechurchuk.org with your name, phone number, church and permission to be added to the WhatsApp group.