Anas returns with The Messiah of Mentukwa

Months of maneuvering undercover work has unmasked a major, murky and maddening case of a magnanimous mission gone amiss; of a missionary mandate misapplied and muddled up, resulting in a merciless manipulation of man by man and the exploitation of the marginalized by the mighty messiah of Mentukwa, thus making a mockery of the mission.

A telling tale of tyrannical teachings and tutelage that has seen teenagers of our time traded into untimely matrimony under the pretext of an imminent Armageddon, a rapture as has been repeatedly read in the revered and redeeming book of Revelation.

It isn't that the horrors of the place instantly strike you upon arrival at the camp. No, on the contrary, it looks a fairly normal, sometimes solemn environment.

But, as Shakespeare will observe, ".... every look is not the same.." - Julius Caesar (Act II Scene II); "O! what a goodly outside falsehood hath!" - Merchant of Venice (Act I Scene III) So, having picked up prior intelligence about gross human rights abuses at the camp, the New Crusading GUIDE’s investigative team led by investigative reporter Anas Aremeyaw Anas went undercover as Joseph Christ in the temple.

After two and half months of monitoring activities at the worship camp, got a startling insight into the character and modus operandi of the shepherd prophetess whose flock have no right whatsoever to question her ‘prophetic’ authority and decrees.

Somewhere in the middle of Mentukwa’s forest, surrounded by lush green forested hills is the Adventist Pilgrim Prayer Camp. Children in the camp are flogged for the least offence; most of them are denied any form of education and training.

The girls amongst them are forced into marrying men because the ‘almighty’ prophetess so prophesized. Their failure to adhere to prophecies could result in demonic accusations, ceaseless insults and physical, often violent abuse.

Beyond all the beating and accusations, members are not willing to abscond for any reason whatsoever and the reason is simple; the fear that the end time is nigh and that when Jesus Christ comes the second time, they would miss out on the rapture if they happen to be out of the camp. Once they are in the camp, their heavenly salvation is assured.

From the prophetess [Ellen Jesus Christ] through to pastors, elders, women and children in the camp, the basis of the doctrine at the Adventist Pilgrim Prayer Camp, is that, they are all being prepared as worthy ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ as the end time approaches, and that the end time must not meet them in the other world of sins (modern life) and that the rapture must meet them in their camp (Mentukwa) of righteousness where there is no sin.



GROWING IN THE GRACE: HOW IT ALL BEGUN

The story of Adventist Pilgrim Camp started from Ghana’s eastern border town of Aflao. An elder with the group recounts how they worshipped back then as members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

The church had organized a crusade, during which’s deliverance session one Veronica Agbo (now prophetess Hellen Jesus Christ) was labeled a ‘witch.’ After the particular devil in her had been exorcised, she was repossessed by a ‘divine spirit’, which made her do one miracle to the other. She was also known to have pronounced others as witches and wizards.

According to the elder Lucien Anane, some of Helen Jesus Christ’s prophecies came to pass, leading to some members of the church believing in her ‘powers.’ This led to a rift between her and the leaders of the Seventh Day Adventist Church (Aflao) following which she broke off from the main church and set up the Adventist Pilgrim Camp in the same Aflao.

From Aflao she and her flock moved to Bibiani in the Western Region, after a while there she finally settled at Mentukwa in the Ashanti Region. She surrounded herself with her disciples namely Pastor Paul Jesus Christ (John Agbo), John the Revelator Jesus Christ (Kabode Reynold), Abraham Jesus Christ (Alvins Bluvi), Aaron Christ (Sampson Toto).

Elder Lucien Anane of the [CE] of the Seventh Day Adventist Church that prophetess Ellen broke off from, tells the story to the New Crusading GUIDE [NCG.]

NCG: SO tell me what’s the name of the church, how did it all happen? CE: Okay, we are SDA [Seventh Day Adventist Church], in actual fact we believe that Jesus Christ would come. But for a specific date that Jesus is coming, the church is not in agreement with that.

It happened that we were having a crusade at Abor, during the crusade the team had fasting and prayer before they go to the meeting. One time they were saying a prayer and all of a sudden, the spirit fell on the woman.

She started chanting about Antoa Nyama deity being in her, saying a lot of things, all this while they were praying for her. After the prayer she claimed shehad been delivered and the spirit of God was in her.

She started seeing visions and gathered people around her seeing visions for others. So we started doing corporate worship and she started pointing at people as witches and wizards in the church.

To us, that was not of the spirit of God, because we know even Jesus who knew every body’s status in this life never pointed at anybody being a witch or wizard.

One of the pioneers of our church is Ellen G. White. She also had this kind of prophecy and revelation, we studied and saw that in her as true but she never openly accused anybody openly.

They were called and cautioned by the church leaders to stop. That kind of prophecy was seen as wrong as per SDA, so they were ‘disfellowshipped’ - sacked from the church – and they packed their things out into the wilderness. This is how the broke off from the church.

NCG: Do you hear what’s happening in the church and how do you feel? CE: Yes, and we feel very bad. They were once brought and we thought that was the end of it but no …

NCG: What is it about the church that makes you uncomfortable? CE: Some of us in the church, the ‘visioneering’ her claims that she has visions is something that we see as devilish.

So we feel uncomfortable more so the way she kept mentioning people in the church brought a lot of confusion in the church.

NCG: So elder when is Christ coming? CE: Christ didn’t put a date or specific time but he asked us to repent especially when we see some signs. Even the angels do not know.

NCG: What do you think about what is happening there CE: In fact it is truly a headache [the church] when they left us, it is our wish that they’d all come back.

NCG: I thought you were also waiting for the coming of Christ? CE: Yes we are but that is not how Christ asks that we expect him, he did not state any stipulated time for his coming.

THE YOUNG DISCIPLES OF MENTUKWA

There are a number of young people that we came across during our time in the camp. There are nine minors in the camp; four boys and three girls, who are all steeped in the belief that Jesus Christ is coming and their sure bet for salvation is to stay in the camp when the rapture comes.

This belief is so much entrenched that, Noah Jesus Christ and his twin brother Job Jesus Christ, refused to follow their father back to Aflao some years back for fear that they would end up in hell when Jesus Christ came to earth for the second time and they were not living in the camp. For them salvation was the ultimate thing to seek, even if it meant being deprived of the love and care of a parent.

The minors in the camp were: Ruth Jesus Christ, 14 years; Priscilla Jesus Christ, 14 year; Racheal Christ, 1 year Emmanuel Jesus Christ, 1 and half years, Martha Jesus Christ, 11 years, Noah Jesus Christ, 17 years, Job Jesus Christ, 17 years, Alexander Jesus Christ, 9 years, Timothy Jesus Christ, 13 years.

Three of them were enrolled into Mmofra Mentukwa DA Primary School as a result of Police caution. However, the headmaster of the school Mr. Hubert Thomas Manu (Chief of Poku krom) says that the kids do not enjoy parental support and guidance towards their education. “I will be happy if these poor kids can be taken away from this bondage” he said.

Noah Jesus Christ, Job Jesus Christ and John the Baptist Jesus Christ. have now expressed the desire to quit the camp that their parents had dumped them into far away from their homes, but they are not allowed to leave the camp as the elders consistently spied on them and their activities to ensure that they do not ran away.

Another hurdle left to scale for them is how to secure salvation if they leave the camp before the rapture occurs. Also if they work for people in the community they are expected to bring their money back to the church

They confided in us that they had to leave their education behind in Aflao and come to Mentukwato worship the Lord.

They tell us that they are able to step out of the camp only when the leader and other members have left for the farm. That is the only time they are able to leave the camp and loiter in the Mentukwa ‘mainland,’ here; as they watch kids in Mmofra Mentukwa DA Primary School, they cannot but help reminisce about their days in school

Below is one such interaction we had with them on why they did not attend school and how they were brought to Mentukwa:

NCG: But why are you not going to school here? Noah: The elders said that, the Christ second coming has arrive so it is too late that we should go to school

NCG: Is that true? Noah: Yes

NCG: What about you, why are you not going to school? Ooh, feel free and talk to me eh Job: John, John

NCG: I’m your brother why, eh feel free, I’m your brother, or you don’t see me as a brother, hm. why are you not going to school? John: The coming of Christ has arrive that is why we’re not going to school

NCG: Now, who said the coming of Christ, if Christ comes and you’re going to school, Christ won’t stop you from going to school. You can help me, I want to understand Job: Joe John: The one who said we should stay in the house and think about God and choose the good choice and, that’s it!

NCG: But let me ask you, do you think it is good not to go to school? John: I think the idea is good, when we go to school in this time, we cannot take God, we will not think perfectly

NCG: Hmm, aaah, so if you go to school, the school will take too much of your time, you’ll not be able to concentrate on God? Boys: Yes

NCG: Hmmm, but what about if God doesn’t come? John: He promised, so he will come

NCG: But when he comes, you can be in school and he will come or when you’re in school, he won’t come to the school? John: When we’re in school, and we don’t know the good choice, he’ll leave us and go

NCG: What is the good choice? John: That is why they said that we should stay in the house and think about God

NCG: So the good choice is to be in the house? John: No, to think about the lord Jesus Christ

NCG: Why don’t you go to school? Job: I have come to show you my brother and you’re not talking meanwhile I speak with you very well. Are you feeling shy, Joe, are you feeling shy?

NCG: Joe, I said why is it that you don’t go to school? Joe: The pastors said, if we go to school, they don’t teach school now, can’t hear, we should stay in the house and think about God. Can’t hear

NCG: They’re making a little noise so wait ok. Have you told them to minimize the noise? Job: Yes

NCG: Why are you not having a phone? Job: They don’t allow us to use phones.

NCG: Why are they not allowing you to use a phone? Job: They say when we start using a phone, all our attention will be on the phone and we will forget God

NCG: is that so? Job: Yes

NCG: Ok Job, you were talking, why are not attending school? Job: My mum said the pastor told them that nowadays, they don’t teach better things in school so we will stay in the house and study the word of God the way Christ came and died for us, then we will study good life in order to attain Heaven. That is why they don’t allow us to go to school.

NCG: But have you told the pastor that you want to go to school? Job: At first, we were at Aflao when our aunt brought us here. They told us we will go to school but when we came, they said we would not attend school anymore.

NCG: As you are not attending again, what do you do; what do you do there? Job: We only worship.

NCG: worship and what? Do you work? Job: we do farming

NCG: whom do you farm for? Job: for ourselves

NCG: do you always do? Is this Noah? Job: yes

NCG: Noah, what do you always do? Job: we don’t do anything. We just go to our farms and come and worship. NCG: so what does the pastor always tells you?

Job: He says Christ will come again. So we should lead a good life. NCG: so you don’t go to school because Christ is coming again? Job: yes

NCG: will Christ not be happy when he comes and see you in school? Job: They say when we go to school right now, our attention will be drawn away from the word of God and we will follow worldly things so it is when we stay in the house that we will get time for the word of God.

NCG: when you get the opportunity, will you go to school? Job: please no.

NCG: you won’t go school? Why? Job: we have agreed on what they have told us.

NCG: what of you, when you get the opportunity, will you go to school? Job: I have to think about it.

NCG: You have to think about? What of Job? Job? Job: Sir.

NCG: Will you go to school when you get the opportunity? Job: Everyone has said his, you too say yours. He says will you go to school when given the opportunity? Noah: Yes I will go.

ABUSE IN THE NAME OF YAWEH: HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES

Physical abuse is the order of the day, and but for the prophetess and prophet, all members of the church are potential victims of this abuse. It usually takes the form of lashes using whips and has more often than not left scars on the disciples.

Even the financier of the church, Mary Jesus Christ; Aflao based business woman is not spared one such session when she dared to tell prophetess Hellen Jesus Christ that she could not fulfill one of her prophecies to bring money immediately, “I didn’t have any money on me so I could not fulfill that prophecy and for not giving the church the money i was whipped”.

Mary Jesus Christ’s 13 year – old daughter [name withheld] in the wake of her refusal to consent to an arranged marriage inspired by the ‘Holy Spirit’ had her fair share of the beating and an elder (Michael Jesus Christ) as well. The young disciples are victims who on one occasion showed us the scars that they sustained in the process.

The kids are denied education or any kind of training. And are given reasons that they are better off concentrating on the Lord Jesus Christ’s second coming and that education and other worldly interactions would disrupt their march towards salvation. The judgment they say would come like a thief and he who is not prepared for it would suffer the wrath of God.

“It is not as if all children in Mentukwa, Ghana and even the whole of Africa are in school, the problem is when the stumbling block to academic pursuit is as a result of a doctrine. And a doctrine steeply ingrained that these children remain in a trance,” Stella Appiah, a retired educationist told the New Crusading GUIDE.

At Aflao, when we met the now 15-year- old girl forced into marrying a 19 – year – old two years ago, she had refused to send her daughter to the hospital for an ailment for the reason that the doctrinal position of the church was against orthodox medication.

Auntie Mary Jesus Christ [AM] in an interview with the the New Crusading GUIDE [NCG] narrates to some of the human rights abuses in the church.

NCG What are some of the things you can recall in the church that you do not like? AM: If you do little mistake, they’ll beat you. Whether you are small or big, they insult you. Because whatever you read is from the bible what you do, the least mistake they’ll insult you, they’ll slap you.

NCG: Who beats you? AM: Prophetess

NCG: How do they beat you? AM: first they used cane, later they use hand on you. And they started pointing at everybody as witch, wizard. Now it’s left with one Prophet, initially they were five.

But two of them dropped; it remained three, they said we all were witches and wizards, only one remained who the woman said was not a witch, so … first it was not like that.

NCG: Have they beaten you before? AM: Yes, they beat me.

NCG: What did they use to beat you? AM: Cane, and other things I don’t remember but they beat me.

NCG: So what about the children? AM: Ah! They beat everybody, they beat everybody only the pastor.

Michael Jesus Christ - father of four boys within the camp, tells us that there were times he had to receive canes from the church leaders, “it was not a nice experience receiving canes for an offence that i had not committed but who was i to challenge the prophetess,” he said in an interview.

on one occasion, he was forced to roll on the ground whiles being beaten for a sin that they had not committed: ‘at times they’ll ask you to roll on the floor. They plant yam, they asked that we uproot it after some time, then they asked that everybody boils it so that we eat.

We finished eating by 10 am and had to wake up at 4, then they said the Lord rather asked that they plant the yam but did not add that the planted yam should be uprooted and eaten.

THE PROPHETESS, WITCH CRAFT AND ATONEMENT OF SINS

Like most prophetic church leaders, prophetess Hellen is undoubtedly a very influential person, whose words are seen as gospel commandments; adherents have to go all lengths to obey her dictates even if it encourages persons to go as far as end their lives. Adherents are virtually psychologically enslaved to her.

Prophetess Ellen is a leader whose words could not under any circumstance be challenged. Every action of the group is based first and foremost on her ideals and thoughts.

So what are her ideals? She strongly believes and has indoctrinated same into all members of the group that they are in their last days on earth and the most important thing is to attain salvation which effectively means to cut oneself off from the worldly possessions.

The first accusation that is usually leveled against any member whose actions go against the dictates of the camp, is that he or she has been possessed by ‘evil spirits.’ This accusation paves the way for deliverance from the hands of the evil forces.

Her influence is so entrenched that when members for whatever reason are unable to fulfill some religious obligations, they risk being whipped after they are accused of being witches or wizards.

Another thing that we observed whiles in the camp was the mode of atonement of sins. Individuals are whipped for over stepping boundaries be it in the scripture or as per strict camp rules.

However, when the leader commits an unbiblical offence also, the punishment for his sin is shared amongst the members especially the leaders of the church. When a leader also commits a crime, the church may decide to choose a member to be whipped to cleanse him of that offence.

Auntie Mary narrated to us the mode of atonement for sins commited by the leaders. The members and elders are made to take the beatings when the prophetess goes wrong, so that it serves as a warning to the prophetess not to sin again; “even the pastor, when it happens that he should be beaten, they beat the elders in place of the pastor.”

Auntie Mary [AM], confirms the beatings in her own story: ‘we went to the farm and my load was too heavy so I asked one of them to help me, when we returned they said I should carry my own cross and that no one would carry it or me. Why should I let somebody help me?”

NCG: What did they use to beat you? AM: Cane, I don’t remember but they beat me.

NCG: So what about the children? AM: Ah! They beat everybody, they beat everybody only the pastor. Even the pastor, when it happens that he should be beaten, they beat the elders in place of the pastor.’

Prophetess Helen Jesus Christ’s powers according to Job Jesus Christ, Noah Jesus Christ and John Jesus Christ

Job: As for being a pastor, when God calls you, you cannot. NCG: ask him whether God has spoken to him before? Job: When the Holy Spirit descends unto his servant and he speaks.

NCG: Why, are you also not a servant of God? Job: No

NCG: So who always talks to you through God? Job: She is there

NCG: he is there, doesn’t she has a name? Job: She is called Ellen.

NCG: Ellah? Job: Ellen

NCG: Ellen. Joe, my brother asked you of a school, what are you doing, will you go? No, let him talk about Ellen, He say someone is…. Ellen, Ellen, who is Ellen? Is she a lady? Job: Yes.

NCG: Did she come to work yesterday? Job: No

NCG: Because I don’t even know her. So what some of things God reveals to Ellen that she always tells you? Job: She tells us that heaven is sweet so we should fight for it and stop all the worldly things that are sins and follow Christ so that on His second coming, he will take all of us away.

THE TOWN MENTUWA & ADVENTIST PILGRIMS’ CULTURE

Mentukwa, is a small village far removed from the capital of the Ashanti region, right in the middle of Pokukrom and Bechem on the Kumasi – Sunyani road. Like many other such areas in the country, it has a very serene atmosphere on any day.

The typical farming society is with only a few brick buildings, most structures are made of mud and thatch. Rural electrification has yet to reach Mentukwa even though Pokukrom, the closest town is with electricity.

A typical day in the village is of people waking up to cock crows shortly after which people set out to go to their farms that are in some cases miles into the thick bush that lies beyond Mentukwa ‘mainland.’

One would see a few old folks seated in open compounds with the few kids who are not yet enrolled in schools loitering at home, whiles long distance travelers are seen waiting or arrive just in time to catch the very dusty and rugged commercial vehicles that ply the very bumpy, untarred and rough Mentukwa road.

In the Adventist Pilgrims Prayer Camp; they live a life seclusion, with little or no interaction with the Mentukwa people.

Prayer is a big deal as adherents have to pray several times each day with a duration pegged at not less than 5 minutes each session. The point of reference is a tree, which is personalized for each person to pray on.

General worship sessions can take very long and each member is supposed to actively participate every time. At the center of the message of each sermon; the imminent Armageddon and that the best place when that time comes is in the camp, the salvation center.

Every day except Sunday is a day to worship twice, mornings, evening and several other times in-between; the main worship day is on Saturdays 7: 00 am – 10 am and 5 pm to 6: 00 pm for first and second service respectively.

They wear footwear made of wood with leather made flap. They do not take meat and pepper; members are always dressed shabbily and are disheveled for most of the time. Their belief is that all other people are sinners, it is wrong to leave the camp because salvation would elude all who do so.

A striking feature about them is that that every member is given a new name with the surname; Jesus Christ.

Their belief is that, surely on the day of the rapture, a high calling would bear their name hence the change of name closer to the Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples.

THE GOOD SIDES OF THE MENTUKWA MISSION

Our undercover reporter (Joseph Jesus Christ) says that the people are generally nice and calm always preaching the word of God and they share with everybody whatever they have.

Again, Auntie Mary Jesus Christ is generous enough to tell us some good sides despite the harsh ordeal that she and her family had gone through in the Adventist Pilgrims Prayer Camp. She enumerates amongst others how prayer was very important within the camp.

The fact that they went to preach the word of God, they read and learnt the bible a lot amongst others: “we pray a lot, you can pray more than 15 – 20 times a day, you study the bible, morning, afternoon, evening; you do worship morning , evening, you have your own time to pray, if they clap, you go to your tree and pray.

And whatever you read in the bible, that’s what they expect you to do, if you do otherwise, the beating would come. That’s what I like about the church.”

“They make it a point to teach the children to read the bible, so once a while they teach them, they say you should speak our local language and we should learn the twi. So when we are going, we can effectively preach to the people,” she added.

THE MENTUKWA MISSION: LESSONS FROM THE WORLD

The most famous religious sect that went bad ‘Jonestown’ Massacre of November 1978, when as many as 918 members of the People’s Temple in the United States of America were killed after drinking cyanide laced ‘kool aid’ on the instructions of leader of the temple Jim Jones.

Experts have posited amongst others that adherents of certain cult churches are coerced into obeisance by psychological trickery and such people become alienated from their family and circle of friends.

In the case of Africa, the Ugandan story of how 500 followers of one Joseph Kibwetere under the group African Movement for the Restoration of the 10 commandments committed mass suicide, when they set their small church ablaze from within.

Once a staunch roman catholic, Kibwetere anointed himself a ‘bishop’ claiming to be privy to correspondence between Jesus and the Virgin Mary and that he had been commanded to announce the coming apocalypse of 2000.

All leaders that came to join him began to exploit the followers by fleecing well to do members, Kibwetere in his last days sent a letter to the Ugandan government about the imminent end of the world after which the sad act of burning himself and his followers followed.

The paper promises to tell the full story from Aflao of how Auntie Mary Jesus Christ’s 13 – year – old daughter was forcibly married to one of the church members. She narrates how she resisted sexual advances and how she was eventually overpowered as she holds her one year old baby who was made as a result of the prophecy in its next edition.