We had a High
Counselor from the Stake, speak in sacrament meeting and his speaking partner
was a recently returned missionary who served in Ghana. I was very impressed
with this young Elder's talk and testimony. He bore a strong testimony of the
Book of Mormon and the Prophet Joseph Smith. He said that he knew he had value
because a God had willingly shed blood for him. He talked about his gratitude
to the Savior. He talked about a little branch where he served in Ghana and how
the Branch President had very little free time because of his work, but
dedicated the free time that he had to serving the members of the Branch. I am
sure he was a good missionary because he was able to bear such a strong testimony.
After the meeting I introduced myself to him and asked him about the Church in
Ghana, I asked if he served where Ziggy (who became famous as a BYU football
player) was from. He said no, that was
another part of Ghana where the temple is, he explained that there are four
missions in Ghana. I was surprised to hear we have that many missions in Ghana.
I decided to look up a few statistics on the Church in that part of the world.
Ghana
Facts and Statistics
Ghana
62,031
Total Church Membership
4
Missions
207
Congregations
1
Temples
35
Family History Centers
Members
have been in Ghana since 1978. In the 1950s the Book of Mormon: Another
Testament of Jesus Christ, a companion scripture to the Bible, along with various
pamphlets about the Church found their way to Ghana. These were read by many
Ghanaians who were converted to the gospel and used them as a basis to start
their own Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregations. In 1964
Joseph W. B. Johnson gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon and provided
leadership in organizing and directing congregations consisting of hundreds of
followers. In 1978 two missionary couples entered Ghana from Nigeria and
baptized many of Johnson's congregations. A building program began in 1979.
Within
a year more than 400 people had been baptized and branches (small
congregations) were organized. By 1981 seven branches were functioning in
Ghana. All converts were taught the gospel in their own language and trained in
leadership skills.
On
June 14, 1989, Ghana's government expelled the missionaries and banned the
Church. Members were permitted to hold services in the privacy of their homes,
however. Eighteen months later the government expressed satisfaction that the
Church teaches members to be obedient to government laws and promotes racial
harmony, and on December 1, 1990, Ghana permitted Church activities to resume.
By the end of 1990, membership was more than 9,000.
In
1998, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley met with Ghana's Head of State, Mr.
Rawlings, who apologized for the action taken by the government in 1989.
President Hinckley informed Mr. Rawlings that the Church would build its first
temple in West Africa in the capital city of Accra. He also met with thousands
of members in Accra and announced the plans to build the temple.
In
the 1990s humanitarian efforts have focused on member self-reliance. A number
of projects were undertaken through local initiative by members in districts
and stakes (dioceses). Some 90 percent of LDS Church buildings in Ghana include
some form of gardening activity.
The
first missionary training center in Africa, located in Tema, Ghana, was
dedicated on 17 May 2002.
There
are similar stories of church growth in Nigeria and other parts of Africa
Here are Church
Statistics for Africa:
Africa
·
Total
Church Membership | 460,055
·
Missions | 29
·
Congregations | 1,445
·
Temples | 3
·
Family
History Centers
