Our bond with Ghana

And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

The Jernigan's website is a treasure trove of information about Ghana, and you may enjoy visiting to learn more. Reverend Jernigan writes of "a painful history, a time of trade in gold with the Portuguese in the fifteenth century, followed in the seventeenth century by slave trade involving the Portuguese, Dutch, British, Danish, French, and Spanish." This reminds us of our fallible nature, that we do not always act justly and love mercy. But with Jesus's lessons as our guide, Ghana offers us an opportunity to renew our obedience to God’s commandment to do justice and love mercy.

We have a special relationship with Ghana on several levels: as a church, a community, as human beings, and as children of God. First, Dunwoody UMC is the home church of the Jacksons, our missionaries in Accra, and our mission team supports the Jernigans as well. As a community and nation, Ghana is an important source of our diverse “melting pot,” an especially important factor in our region, with its high African American population. Ghana was at the heart of the transatlantic slave trade. Cape Coast Castle, which we plan to visit, was one of the largest slave holding facilities in the world and is now a World Heritage Site. And as human beings, we are all Africans, all related through our earliest ancestors on that continent.

Finally, one of the most fascinating things I discovered while studying about Ghana is the religious feeling of its people. Ghanaian culture has the reputation of being God-centered. The population is roughly 60% Christian, 25% traditional African, and 15% Muslim. So three fourths are of Abrahamic faiths. But this isn't the whole story. The traditional religion accepts one supreme God, Nyame. I like to imagine that the ancient Ghanaians felt in their souls something akin to what Abraham felt when he sensed one unifying Creator. “Nyame nshe ra wo” – God bless you.