Dodgy Group Set to 'Crown' Duncan Williams

THE ISSUE OF who is qualified to consecrate Nicholas Duncan- Williams, the colourful, flamboyant leader of the popular charismatic church, Christian Action Faith Ministries, as Archbishop of 'TAPAC Churches Worldwide' has degenerated into a contest of wills and accusations over the last few weeks.

A group calling itself the Transatlantic Pacific Trust Alliance of Churches (TAPAC) stirred widespread curiosity in Ghana and overseas with a press release announcing plans to ordain the 44 year-old American-style Preacher man as Archbishop.

TAPAC has no archbishop and says it has ten Bishops, among them, one Nicholas Duncan Williams, who is featured on the website.

This newspaper and other media houses subsequently published the press release issued through the usually credible GNA, a Kwame Nkrumah created wire service, to which this paper is a subscriber.

In a due diligence service to Christendom and the public in general The Chronicle put out a little scrambler to its Europe base for a routine check on the bonafides of the group, TAPAC, and received word that it exists in the files and imagination of a former pastor of Musama Disco Christo Faith, called 'Bishop' Hackman.

A visit to the website of TAPAC, WWW.TAPAC.CO.UK listed as many as three names as members of the executive, complete with pictures of a smiling Bishop Owusu Ansah of Praise Valley in Holland, sporting a regalia and answering to the title of Europe representative of TAPAC, and a beautiful picture of Nicholas Duncan Williams with the title Archbishop-elect, representing Africa group of Bishops.

Bishop Hackman, owner of Beneficial Church in Tema and London, completes the trio of Bishops who make up the entire Executive.

The website boasts of a long list of positions waiting to be filled. (Readers should please go to the website before it is taken down today. The Chronicle has downloaded it and will be sending it to the Charities Commission in UK for their investigations along with all names that purport to be associated with it).

Chronicle learnt that Beneficial Church in London had been involved in a matter that excited the attention of the Charities Commission in London when they used to be located in Hornsey, and members of the church who have decamped en-masse told stories of woe, following this paper's investigations into the group.

Again, Beneficial Church and TAPAC have not submitted themselves to the scrutiny of the Charities Commission in London - (readers can view - www.charitiescommission.gov) to appreciate the tough regime and monitoring that churches go through in UK.

To run a non-profit institution in UK and not be registered with the commission in itself is no crime but it is highly suggestive. (This month, the British government announced a review of charities and rules governing which date to 1601).

Informed members of the Christian Faith in Ghana have educated The Chronicle that it is a basic requirement that an archbishop requires letters of recommendation from a majority of Bishops in Ghana, vouching for the nominee's integrity. To bring a group from the UK or the US without unanimous verifiable references will hurt the faith in Ghana.

In a series of discussions and interviews with The Chronicle's Europe-based correspondent, Kofi Coomson, 'Bishop' Hackman, a 64-year-old veteran of church business, explained that TAPAC may not be registered with the Charities Commission but it is registered at company house.

'Is it a business then?"

"No, it is not." However a click on the Global directory icon on the group's website sends the visitors straight to a business location- fusion, a Japanese telecom group's Voice over internet protocol and service provider, called FUSION.

"I am afraid all the information I am getting here is that you are really not above board in your dealings, and the Hackney Gazette published stories about you and your church. Why would you pass yourself off as a body of such prominence and deceive innocent Ghanaians and Christians?" he was told.

'Bishop' Hackman insisted on showing his certificates from the equivalent of Accra's registrar general where anybody can go and register an organisation and pick up a certificate to commence business, as the proof of its legitimacy.

Legally, it is legitimate, but it is a complete misrepresentation of its status and ecclesiastical legitimacy.

On occasion when Chronicle had called TAPAC single number (0044 -207- 639-4058, Hackman himself always answers the call, a clue that there is no secretariat and no staff. The website features a picture of a white lady, definitely scanned from a magazine to adorn the site.

Hackman still insists that the organisation does not merely exist on paper as being intimated by the Chronicle. A call to the office number 0207-639-4058 which is listed on the website, is also always invariably answered by Hackman.

When names of churches in Ghana or Africa that were well known were reeled off to him for confirmation, he gave out a handful of names, but when Chronicle checked, either the phone numbers did not go through or they were disconnected.

One number did go through, and the lady on the other side who answered to the name of Bishop Susanna Amartefio readily admitted to being a member of TAPAC. However when she was asked two questions, she got uptight, and queried " Owura aden?" (Mister, why?") and promptly hung up.

Later Hackman said it might be a problem of communication in the English language. In a meeting with an angry band of men who said they were Bishops, no list of members Africa-wide could be produced to Chronicle stringer sent to meet with him for credible verifiable evidence. The 90-minute long meeting ended with not a shred of visible or documentary evidence being produced.

When asked for the president of the International Board of Bishops, which allegedly interviewed Duncan Williams and decided to make him Archbishop, Hackman answered that he is the President.

The office of TAPAC is the same as the Beneficial Church which is now located at Peckam, formerly one of the more distressed underbellies of black London.

But it was at the offices of the established International Ministerial Council of Great Britain, the only body recognised by the Church of England and made up of nearly 300 bishops in London alone, that Hackman's name and his group received the kiss of death. It was IMCGB that ordained a number of Ghanaian church leaders as Bishops including Word Miracle Church International's Agyin Asare.

The leading executive of the IMCGB, and wife of the founder of IMCGB, Bishop Sheila Douglas, unequivocally said that Bishop Hackman had been dismissed from IMCGB. Pressed for reasons, Mrs. Douglas reluctantly said that he was dismissed for conduct 'unbecoming of a Christian'.

Hackman denied when this was put to him.

'Ask Reverend Boafo, (the Ashanti Regional Minister), I was a key member of the IMCGB, but the Nigerians have taken over . We have 10 Bishops. We are going to Ghana to go and make your brother Archbishop you help us don't listen to anybody "

Action Church already has one Bishop, Reverend James Saah, an unassuming alumnus of the School of Communication Studies and one of half a dozen top leadership of Action Church that Chronicle publisher has been advising over the years about the internal problems that need straightening up.