“Go Ye Therefore” was the theme of a worship- and music-filled commissioning and sending service at Alpha Baptist Church in Willingboro, NJ on March 21, 2010.  This predominately African American church is sending a team of 23 people to serve in Ghana, Africa from April 8 through April 20, 2010.  This volunteer short-term mission team will include Rev. Danny Scotton, Sr., church pastor, and is being organized through American Baptist International Ministries (IM) under the direction of Rev. Dr. Eleazar Ziherambere, director of African American ministries at IM.

 

“Here at Alpha Baptist, we send our money and our prayers to the Global Mission Field. Going to Ghana will be our first mission trip where we will be able to use our God-given talents to touch those in a foreign land for Jesus,” commented Rev. Scotton.

 

While in Ghana the Alpha Baptist team will do ministry at Frankadua Vocation Training Center with IM partner Ghana Baptist Convention. The team will minister to former TROKOSI slaves (women who have been forced into slavery and sexual exploitation). The Alpha Baptist women will interact with those women in several important areas, including hygiene training. The team will bring 10 notebook computers.  Two technicians on the team will help to install and train on the computers. Men will work on painting the dormitory building which is being completed with $30,000 that IM has given to support American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts’  efforts as our co-partners with the Ghanaians.

 

From Frankadua, the team will travel to Cape Coast to visit infamous castles where slaves where shipped to the Americas. From Cape Coast, the team will travel to Kumasi to visit national cultural centers such as the Ashanti royal palace at Kumasi. In Ghana, the team will visit Ghana Baptist Convention GQ and national historic sites, including Kwame Nkuma Museum.

 

According to Mrs. Alice Edwards, missions chair, the purpose of the trip is to "Vacation with Mission Vocation.” They will do mission but also they will enjoy the beauty and history of the land.

 

IM began its partnership with Ghana in 1997 when the former Associate General Secretary of the All Africa Baptist Fellowship (AABF), Dr. Frank Adams, became General Secretary. Offices of AABF moved then from Lusaka, Zambia to Kumasi, Ghana with IM missionary, Mildred Archie. IM expanded its relationship to the Ghana Baptist Convention, on their request. Today, IM works with the Ghana Baptist Convention in the areas of Leadership Development by sponsoring women in Theological Studies; and Women Empowerment through the Frankadua Vocational Training Centre, where IM partners with ABC of Massachusetts, to support these former TROKOSI slaves. 

 

“We rejoice that Alpha Baptist team will minister to those women in that Training Center. They plan to share with these young women, the love of Jesus Christ for two days they will be ministering at Frankadua,” concludes Eleazar.

 

For more information on how your church can send a team to a global mission field, contact Angela Sudermann at angela.sudermann@abc-usa.org.