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VERSE OF THE DAY:
And he is the head of the body, the
church: who is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead; that in all
things he might have the
preeminence. -- Colossians 1:18

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“God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to
perform.”
This quote aptly describes how Ghana Calvary Methodist Church came
into being. The church was born on Sunday, October 1st 2006. But the
idea for a new church was conceived back in July that same year, when a
group of members from Ghana Emmanuel Methodist Church in Newark,
New Jersey became dissatisfied and disillusioned about the state of affairs
in that church. When efforts at resolving conflicts between a section of the
leaders and some members on one side and another section on the other
side proved futile, resulting in an increasing atmosphere of discord and
anarchy, the idea of “let’s move out and start something new” became an
ideal option.

Harvest and
Thanksgiving
Service

By the recommendation of
Rev. Dr. Samuel Arhin, a true
friend and supporter of
Ghana Calvary Methodist
Church, we embarked on
organizing our first Annual
Harvest and Thanksgiving
Service. It was four weeks
Therefore, with pain and sorrow mingled with deep-seated regrets and
before Christmas therefore we
disappointments the pastor, Rev. Nathan Addo-Nartey resigned from
Ghana Emmanuel Methodist Church on Sunday September 24th, 2006 and were left with three weeks to
plan something.
decided to start a new church. At the same instant a group in favor of the
pastor’s position approached him and asked him to lead them to start a
new congregation. Two ideas merged and the result was the birth of Ghana Only God knows how that
Calvary Methodist Church. These original members who held strategic
could be possible, but with
offices and positions in the Ghana Emmanuel Methodist Church, all
faith and prayers, led by
resigned following the pastor’s resignation and joined resources with him Pastor Nathan, a committee
to begin this new church.
was quickly formed headed by
Brother
Brefo.
Members
At first, we didn’t know where to begin therefore we agreed to meet in
individual homes on Saturday mornings to pray, study scriptures and plan willingly started pledging in
for the way forward. It was not an easy process as we still were not certain thousands to support the
how this idea could become a reality. But through faith, we all resolved to harvest.
trust the Lord to lead us wherever He deems appropriate for us.
A week of teaching and
These house meetings formed the nucleus of our being. Modeled after the prayers was set aside prior to
Wesleyan concept of class/cell groups it generated an atmosphere of
the harvest day. Speakers
freedom of expression, great joy in the Spirit, strong bond of fellowship
were Rev. Dr. Samuel A.
and togetherness, and a genuine sense of belonging among us.
Arhin,
Pastor
Martinson
Our maiden meeting was held on Saturday, July 15th, 2006 at the Yeboah Sarfo and Pastor Nathan, the
family household. Brother Daniel, his wife Christie and the family were
host. The Harvest service was
generous enough to host our first meeting. Not only did we have a
on December 17th, 2006; the
successful meeting, but they provided food and drinks as well. Everyone
service was spirit-filled as
was on fire and looked forward to the first Sunday worship service. We
members genuinely expressed
decided on the first day that this church is going to be part of the United
their faith and gratitude to
Methodist Church, therefore everything we do will be focused on
achieving that goal. Therefore, we began contacting United Methodist and God through giving; singing
other churches in the area for the possibility of sharing a facility with
and dancing abounded.
them. We were so ready to begin that, we wanted our first Service on the
first Sunday of October, when we didn’t even have a place of worship.
The sermon, “Of Nose-Ring
With God on our side, we will prevail.
and Bracelets” based on
Genesis
24:10-33
was
The second meeting was on Saturday July 29th, 2006 at Sister Mary
delivered
by
Rev.
Dr.
Adjei’s house. She and her family did wonderfully well hosting us, and
Ebenezer Obiri Addo, senior
continuing the process begun at Brother Yeboah’s household. From this
pastor of First Presbyterian
time going, numbers kept increasing each time we met and every house
we went served us not snacks but real meal with some leftovers to take
Church, Irvington.
away. It was here that our motto, “Oneness and Peace in Christ” was
agreed upon.
This idea came to be as we
saw the fruitfulness of our
We met again for the second time, at the Yeboahs on Saturday, August 5th,
joint-labor in Christ. The
2006 for our third meeting. Again, it was a meeting of great joy and spiritfilled discussion. The anticipation of a new beginning continued to fill us church therefore decided to
reward the members for their
with exceedingly great joy and enthusiasm.
commitment and hard work.
Sister Mary Adjei and family agreed to host us for the second time. So our
fourth meeting took place in her house. As usual, we were filled
On Saturday, December 30,
spiritually, physically and emotionally, as everyone freely contributed to
2006, we met together again,
the discussions and the planning.
invited friends and loved ones
to join us celebrate Christmas
We met at Sister Kate Owusu’s house for our fifth meeting on Saturday,
and thank the Lord for the
September 2nd, 2006. Though her husband Brother Grant had not
good things He has done for
identified himself as part of us, he was extremely supportive of us and
actively participated in the meeting and the hosting of the guests. On this us. There was more than
day, we had good news. The 1st Presbyterian Church at Irvington was
enough food to eat; the place
in-charge of renovating a church facility 844 Sanford Avenue, Irvington
was charged with music and
with the hope of renting it out for ethnic ministries. We quickly contacted
dancing.
them and an application was sent. At the meeting it was announced that
we were invited to participate in the communal cleaning exercise at the
site, which heartily responded after our meeting. This continued for a few All thanks go to the Almighty
God, through His Son Jesus
more weeks till we finally got the place for worship.
Christ our Savior and the
Next, we met at Yeboah-Kordie family house for the sixth meeting. It was Power of the Holy Spirit, for
another exciting time as Brother Bismarck, his wife Freda and family
bringing us into being. We
combined resources to host an ever-increasing number of members. The
excitement and enthusiasm kept pumping up as people took the initiative look forward to more exciting
and challenging years of
to pledge financial support for the work of the Lord to take off. With our
growth in ministry and
place of worship now secure, we began to plan for our first service and

11/28/12 2:03 PM

History

http://www.ghanacalvarymethodist.org/tp42/page.asp?ID=184027

what form it would take. We decided to have a simple worship service full outreach.
of praises and joy.
Sister Felicia Edusei Sarpong volunteered to host our seventh meeting in
her house. Her husband, Nana Asensu, a Catholic has been a staunch
supporter of our course every step along the way. Therefore, it was to our
dismay that work schedule did not permit him to be present at the meeting.
Yet he made provision for our stay to be as comfortable and pleasant as
possible. Again, new faces joined us at this meeting, thanks to God.
Our eighth and final meeting coincided with Pastor Nathan’s birthday on
Saturday, September 23rd, 2006. We met at the Brefos in Parlin, New
Jersey. Led by Sister Mary Adjei, the group organized a beautiful surprise
birthday gift for the Pastor. Again, Brother Kwaku Brefo and Sister Rose
Brefo did not lower the standard of reception set before; they kept the
level of cordiality as high as possible, making our last meeting a
memorable one. Final preparation was made for the first Sunday service to
be held on October 1, 2006. With great expectation, we all prayed and
thanked the Lord for the way He had led us.
Words are not enough to describe the atmosphere of joy and enthusiasm
that filled the sanctuary of Sanford Heights Presbyterian Church. We were
made to understand that we would be meeting in the evenings from 4:00
pm to 7:00 pm because the facility was being used by two other churches
(later became three). The Pastor, Rev. Nathan Addo-Nartey Preached on
the theme, “Delayed Gratification” from Mark 9:38-50.
The attendance on the first day was 87. On this day, all those who had
filled membership application forms and had attended some of the House
Meetings were received into full membership. We continued to meet in the
evenings till December 7th, when our designated place was ready for use.
We are now at the well-furnished and fully decorated basement of Sanford
Heights, where we meet at 10:30 for Sunday services; 7:00 pm to 9:00pm
for Friday Prayer & Healing Services and 10:30 am on Saturdays for Bible
Studies, choir rehearsals and general cleaning.

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