Celebrating the Christ-event of the planting of Methodism in the Gold Coast

Thanksgiving Service commemorating the 170th anniversary by Ghana United Methodist church, Bronx, NY which occurred on Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 2.00pm. Sermon by Rev. Ebenezer K. Dadson

Theme: "Celebrating the Christ-event"

The Founding and establishing of a Church is an act of God. Matthew 16:18 quotes our Lord Jesus Christ as saying "upon this Rock (faith in God) I will build my church".

Methodism was founded by God through his servant the Rev. John Wesley who was born in 1703 and called home in 1791. Years later seeds of Methodism were planted in Ghana in the west coast of Africa, with the arrival of the first missionary, the Rev. Joseph Dunwell who was sent by the British Methodist Missionary Society. He arrived in Cape Coast Ghana on January 1st 1835, hence the celebration of the 170th Anniversary.

The mother Church in Ghana culminated the celebration on Sunday the 27th of November at the Independence Square. Special commemorative cloth was printed for the occasion. There were also invited guests from other countries and sister Churches.

The Christ event of the establishment of the Methodist Church in Ghana can best be described as the freedom accorded the Jews from captivity. The message based on Psalm 126 1-3 and Hebrews 12:1-2 "When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream" The history of the Hebrews and Israelites is replete with surprises. When the Israelites were leaving Egypt back to Canaan as freed people it was as though they were dreaming. It took Pharaoh ten drastic events to melt his heart to let the people go; similarly when they were released from Babylonian captivity by Cyrus the non-believer pagan Persia Ruler of Babylon. These and many land marks in the history of the Jews led the psalmist to write as he did in Psalm. 126.

We in Ghana were blessed with the touch of God with the advent of Christian teachings as we never expected. Some believers had requested for Bibles in Dixcove but the Captain of the ship returned not only with bibles but a whole Missionary, the Rev. Joseph Dunwell who arrived on the shores of Cape Coast on January 1st 1835 and so our history began. Today we look back and with hope also look ahead; we are like people dreaming.

The Christ-event was not only the establishment of churches but schools were opened alongside the building of churches. The first all girls school was started by the wife of the Rev. Wrigley in 1836. This was followed by Mfantsipim an all boys? school in 1876. These stand as the oldest Secondary Schools. Christ?s influence has spread far and wide in the country as a whole. In Ashanti the symbol of the Golden Stool, stands on top of the administrative building of the Wesley College, founded in 1922/24 for the training of Ministers, Catechists and Teachers.

The Church as a Christ-event has gone beyond the shores of Ghana. As we celebrate the 170th Anniversary of the church we are like them that dream and seeking we are encircled by so great a cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1-2 ), we are determined by God to run the race that is set before us working into our Lord Jesus the founder and perfector of our faith. May the Lord bless us all and guide as we continue the Christ-event ? spreading the gospel and "making disciples of all nations". Amen.