Final Ghana Reflection

Below, you will find my final reflection about Ghana. I meant to post this a while back but life got crazy! If you haven't already and have some time you want to waste... check out my Ghana pics at wwww.photobucket.com/ghana2012

The Ghana travel seminar was an incredible experience for me from the very start. While the trip itself was incredible, I am convinced that it would not have been nearly the same without the readings and discussions that took place prior to our departure. While I found all of the readings informative and helpful in understanding the culture I was about to enter, the most interesting to me where those relating directly to religion (most specifically Christianity) rather than politics, imports/ exports, geography, etc. as my main interest in the seminar itself was learning more about Christian practices around the world today. In that light, I found it very interesting that Ghanaian theologian John S. Pobee is quoted as saying “in Ghana, to be is to be religious” as 93.8% of the population in 2000 claimed some form of religious adherence (Christian, Muslim, or Traditional).

The first thing that stood out to me in our readings was the influence of Western culture on Ghanaian religious practices. In my music studies, western influence was always a key point of discussion so it only made since that it would be present (if not more heavily) in regards to religious practices. With the arrival of Europeans and Portuguese came many new political practices, products, and most importantly in my mind, Christian practices. Paul Gifford even writes that “Ghana’s ethos is recognizably Christian” .

Catholicism, according to “The History of Ghana” was the most widely spread religious practice when the Portuguese arrived in Elmina, baptizing more than 1300. After the massacre of the Augustinian friars in the late 16th century, these Christian practices were confined to forts and castles where missionaries resided, commonly with slaves. We saw evidence of this during our visit to the Dutch run Elmina Slave Castle, where the church sat directly above the cells where slaves were held captive and scriptures were engraved on plaques in the Governor’s dining hall. One thing that I surprisingly did not see much of however was the Catholic Church, something I am still curious about.

Gocking further discusses the spread of education through Christian missionaries who had realized “that there was a close correlation between their success in converting Africans to Christianity and providing Western education” . Education was key to maneuvering the trade economy, which in turn was key to survival and led those that were working in the trade business back to Christianity. Driving through Ghana and noticing the names of schools, it is impossible to deny that there is any connection between the church and education today. According to Rev. Azormu, the General Manager of the EP Church Schools, formal education is a primary focus of the church since the arrival of missionaries in Peki in 1847. The EP Church has 761 schools in Ghana and a handful of private schools started by congregations and run by the local ministers. Even with the vast presence of the Christian church in formal education, both the PCG and EPC admit the difficulty in keeping their hand in the official workings of schools as the government continues to push them further out of the picture. The complications that come from the growing lack of oversight by the church are combated by the overwhelming presence of teacher-pastors who not only teach in the schools but oversee up to four congregations at the same time.

Another key aspect of Christianity, and more specifically Presbyterianism, in Ghana is the influence of the Pentecostal church. I found it very interesting that a religion that I previously thought to be a more Western religion even though its roots are in the Middle East, is described as being renewed as a non-Western religion in Ghana . The most prominent aspect of this influence (in my mind) is the incorporation of the “deliverance” theology in the Presbyterian Church, a very foreign concept to me. Paul Gifford writes that this incorporation is probably due to the faith gospel not achieving all it promised because it was being blocked by demonic influence. Prior to our experience in both the PCG and EPC deliverance services, I was very uncomfortable with this idea and did not think that there was any way this was ok. I saw these “demonic influences” as a cop-out for owning up to your own short comings and correcting them yourself. It is because of my ideas that I found our discussion with Aboa Ofei and our two experiences with deliverance services very profound. In my journal I write, “The main thing that I am learning is basically what I learned in Mexico and Scotland- we all worship in very different ways and no one way is right or wrong as long as our focus is right. I may find some things (ex. Deliverance) unnerving, but I appreciate their understanding and desire for connection with their culture when the rest has been so heavily westernized.” This appreciation stems from the discussion with Aboa Ofei when he immediately established the difference between Presbyterian-Pentecostals and Pentecostals/ Charismatic’s as being “We pray with them, not for them”. He further demolished my preconceived views of deliverance being the same as exorcism by explaining that deliverance can be from oppression, regression, etc and can even be called εκβαλλω (casting out). Further, exorcism rids the body of a demon, but deliverance uses the Holy Spirit. One thing that I found very interesting and would love to look further into one day was the very different response to deliverance in the PCG (falling, shaking, screaming, rolling, etc.) compared to the EPC (the occasional weakness causing them to need to sit).

One final aspect of Ghanaian Christianity that I was very interested in was the role of the Woman in the church. As a female seminarian who has already had a few heated discussions as to whether a woman belongs in the pulpit or not and with this trip being on the heels of the Mexican Presbyterian Church cutting ties with PC(USA), an action brought on mostly by 10-A but partially fueled by other disagreements such as ordination of women, I was very curious as to how the Ghanaian churches deal with the issue. I was left hanging after our readings as some alluded to women having a voice and being supported while others went the other direction and addressed the fact that all is really not well with women in the church . In our discussion with church leaders in both the PCG and EPC, I was comforted to learn that not only are women ordained, but the President of the PCG even acknowledged that the women of the church are the most active and dedicated members. PCG requires that at least 1/3 of sessions and the General Assembly be women and they are even able to say that one of their female ministers is a key influence on the decision for Malawi to ordain females.

In addition to the knowledge I gained from these readings prior to the trip, I also had many expectations based on my western life and experiences. I expected worship services to be much longer than they were, to see people dancing all over while listening to traditional African drumming, and to hear the members of the congregation yelling out during the service while the preacher pounded on the Bible. My experience at the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Atonsu and Trinity Church was definitely a learning experience in preconceived ideas. While one service I attended (PCG in Atonsu) was fairly long compared to our services (2 ½ hours), the way it was broken up with Bible study before the service made it very similar to how we do Sunday School followed by church. Dancing was limited to a few occasions of praise music which was only accompanied by traditional drumming once. The biggest surprise for me though was the silence found in the congregation during the sermon, only calling out “Amen” when prompted by the minister who was calmly preaching. The experience at Trinity was very similar with the exception of it being a much shorter service because it was the first service of the day.

Since our return from Ghana, I have had a lot of time to reflect on our experiences. I think the largest portion of my reflection came when I went to church for the first time back in the States. Even though this service was joyful, the people were friendly, and coincidentally there was African drumming, this service lacked something for me. I am still not sure of what that “something” specifically is, but I think it goes back to the fact that our “joyful” is because we are happy and like the sermon and music, and disappears the minute we step out of the sanctuary. The “joyful” in Ghana is full of excitement, love, and the Spirit. Prior to our trip to Ghana I would have laughed at myself for commenting on the presence of the Spirit because I thought we just experienced it in a calmer way. While that is still the case, there is something to be said about being so moved by a worship service that it leaves you smiling, dancing, singing, and praising beyond the worship service. I think about Mama Lucy from Kumasi and the love that radiated from her, even in her mourning the loss of her brother. I don’t know that I can think of anyone here at home who radiates God’s love and action in their life in such a prevalent way that truly makes you want to ask what has happened that they are so happy. Since meeting Lucy, as well as the many other people that hosted us, I have made it my goal to radiate that same love and action in such a way that not only makes someone wonder, but makes them feel the same love. I more readily recognize that there is much more to worship than a few songs, prayers, and a sermon and just like the Ghanaians, I am trying to make sure that my whole life is a worship service rather than just a few hours on Sunday and Wednesday.

This travel seminar had a huge impact on my life, personally and professionally. Thanks to our many hours on the bus, I was able to sort out a few things going on back home and get my mind in the right place to handle them once I got back home. My life is more balanced and focused now and I seem to have a better grasp on many different things in my personal life. In regards to my professional/ ministerial development, I am even surer that I am on the right path for me (made most prevalent to me during my experience of leading devotion in Ho). While I know that I want to be in a smaller church, I am still trying to discern this pull to be involved on an international level. I am even more curious about Christian practices around the world, and while theoretically I could travel around the world studying for the rest of my life, I don’t see that actually happening. That being said, I am now trying to discern just where international Christian studies can fit into my ministry in the future.

What I love most about travel seminars is that while the more focused learning happens just before and during the trip, the learning never stops. I find myself looking back to my experiences to add to class discussions and asking our Ghanaian students more questions. As far as I am concerned, this seminar will never actually end as it will always play some role in my life. At this point, I look forward to seeing just how that happens and where I go from here!