By Benjamin Mensah
Accra, Nov 08, GNA- Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ghana on Friday began the celebration of 100 years in Ghana of their notable preaching, teaching and other activities, asserting that they have made a positive impact on the Ghanaian community.
The two-day event, being held at the Ghana headquarters premises on the Nungua Tema Beach Road, is on the theme: “Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ghana-100 Years of Faith in Action, Positively Impacting Communities at the Very Core.”
On Friday, November 8, 2024, the first day, officials at the Ghana headquarters, called Bethel, took journalists and other visitors through a tour of the facilities of the Ghana headquarters.
Staff volunteers, both present and past serving were hosted at a gathering, where the leadership of Jehovah’s Witness appreciated the voluntary services of the staff.
Invited Witnesses who have been in the preaching, evangelism and teaching work during the past 100 years would also hold a gathering at the headquarters on the second day, November 9, 2024.
From the entrance to the Ghana headquarters, through the reception, the facilities and back to the reception, journalists and other visitors invited to the celebration gazed in awe, an ambience of the beautiful scenery of a well-kept environment that predicts a paradise earth under the Kingdom rule.
Officials at the Ghana headquarters took journalists and other visitors through photos and videos on the activities of Jehovah’s Witness in Ghana since William Brown and Claude Brown, both foreign missionaries began preaching the Bible-based message of the Witness in Accra, Ghana in the 1920s.
There was afterwards a media interview, and officials explained how the Witnesses had positively impacted the lives of the Ghanaian community in the areas of education, literacy, health care, human rights, responsible exercise of personal freedoms and promoting peace in the communities.
“Witnesses have made a very positive impact on the Ghanaian community in the last 100 years,” Mr. Daniel Adashie, Media Contact of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ghana said in a media interview.
He added: “Apart from preaching the truth in the Bible on religious doctrines, the Witnesses, through their activities have improved the lives of Ghanaians by giving education on human values, family morals literacy classes.
“They have also ensured more religious freedoms and human rights to the welfare and advancement of the Ghanaian community.”
Mr Adashie said the celebration would allow the Witnesses to take stock of their activities and explore ways of advancing the Kingdom preaching and disciple-making work.
One area, he noted that had been of a challenge was when people misunderstood Jehovah’s Witnesses on their position of political neutrality, bloodless medical treatments and not accepting blood transfusion.
He, however, noted that the Witnesses were engaging the medical community, which was gradually accepting the Witness position of bloodless medical treatments.
Mr Adashie called for the upgrading and enhancement of medical systems for alternatives to blood transfusions for more patients to access non-bloodless medical systems.
Mr Obed Owusu-Kissi, an official of the Public Information Desk of the Ghana Branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses conducted the media through the Bethel Office, Service, Maintenance, Health Service, Personnel, Accommodation and Translation Departments.
He said the Ghana Headquarters oversees the translation of Witness literature in 56 West African languages, including 16 Ghanaian languages.
“Apart from the Ga Language for which translation was done and supervised here, we have remote translation offices in communities where the local languages are spoken,” Mr Owusu-Kissi said.
Mr Owusu-Kissi also explained how the environment was conserved through water treatment, water reuse for gardening, fish farming and water treatment at the Ghana Headquarters before it was discharged into the sea.
He emphasised all the staff were volunteers and explained how a Witness qualified to work at the Ghana headquarters.
GNA