The month of September is usually the rainiest month of the year. This year has been no exception. Earlier in the month we encountered a storm while traveling to Tamale. The flooding was so bad that a petrol station near a creek was three feet under water. The rain makes the roads and river crossing treacherous for some of the church members. It also keeps us from visiting some of the outlining congregations that are cut off by water. We are not complaining about the rain because it will mean a better yield for the crops and less malnutrition.
We were happy to start distributing the communion tables to the congregations that we visit. We had 40 metal tables built. The size of each table is 24 inches wide; 32 inches long and 32 inches high. There is also a shelf underneath the table. We purchased fabric and Kandie made nice covers for the tables. A piece of lace is included for the table cloth to cover the communion trays (we want to keep the flies off the bread and juice). The congregations really like them! Wood has become expensive and the termites can destroy any wood work in a matter of a few years.
Timothy Niligrini continued his teaching about Church organization during the monthly class held on the 24th. This month 25 men attended the class. The men reported that 16 people were baptized and 2 restored. During the class the men verbalized their concerns as to the decreasing numbers of members in some of the congregations. Their thinking is the more money you invest into a church building the greater chance of bringing in more people or keeping them. These are some of the tactics the denominations use to increase their numbers. I stressed the need for more Bible study for young and old to help give a better foundation rather than using material things to draw people into the Church.
The chain reaction due to the price of fuel is impacting everyone. As of September the price of diesel fuel per liter is 6.35 Ghana Cedis which makes fuel approximately $4 a gallon. The price of bus fares has doubled. Food stuffs are all rising and the common person is between a rock and a hard place. The price of corn should be reducing but as of this writing it is 9 Cedis a bowl compared to last year’s price of 3 Cedis per bowl. We fear the traders will sell all the corn to the southern part of Ghana because it commands a larger price in the south. Food may be scarce next year.
This month we visited the congregations at Duuni on the 5th, Kpanjamba on the 12th, Nalongni on the 19th, and Bincheratanga on the 26th. The first three Sundays I taught a lesson on Church organization which coincided with Timothy’s church leadership lessons. The congregation at Bincheratanga is small and meets in a school block. There were more children than adults in attendance so I decided to give a lesson on Jesus feeding the 5,000. A communion table and table cloths were given to each of the congregations. Kpanjamba requested help buying two small windows for their building since the termites had caused the others to fall out. When the brothers heard we would match funds with them a brother left the building and came back with their portion of the money. We had the windows made the next week and they were delivered by a church leader after class day.
Update on Covid-19: Within the last two weeks the State Department has issued a level 3 travel advisory for Ghana because their Covid numbers are going up. When we came in August Ghana was at level 1. Level 4 is the highest level. When you ask the locals if there is any Covid around they quickly answer “No”. This is due to the lack of testing materials so who really knows how many cases there are. We are thankful we have been immunized; we still require masks here in the compound to comply with government guidelines and we pass out masks when we attend services.
We really appreciate your continued support of the work here in Ghana. The brethren are continually telling us they appreciate your supporting us so we can in turn help them. Please keep us in your prayers as we think and pray for you as well. May God bless!
In His service,
Stephen and Kandie Taylor
