It was a sight to behold: in Bawku, northern Ghana, hundreds of Lutheran youth paraded through the streets to the palace of the paramount chief of the Kusasi tribe – who happens to be an idol worshipper.
“Going to greet a chief or ‘big man’ is a traditional norm, so the youth went to his place to sing and dance,” explained Rev. Dr. Nicholas Salifu, a Lutheran pastor and LHF project coordinator. “He was impressed and gave the youth a monetary gift. In Ghana, chieftaincy is not democratic, but he inherits the position from his father. The chief has the sword, but we have the Word!”
Studying the Word was an important part of Ghana’s Evangelical Lutheran Youth Fellowship, attended by over 700 young Lutherans aged 10-35. The convention included a Bible quiz, doctrinal quiz, debate, soccer competition, Bible studies, and house-to-house evangelism.
“All our youth have studied the Small Catechism (which is where the questions from the doctrinal quiz came from),” said Rev. Salifu. “In fact, I was deeply impressed by the way the children answered the quiz questions. A young man named Josiah Abanga stole the show. He never missed any question that was given him!
“The youth are surely the future leaders of the church,” Rev. Salifu concluded. “They are eager to learn the Word and want to share it with others. I can count as many as 20 who wish to do church work.”
Under Rev. Salifu’s guidance, LHF is working on catechisms and Bible storybooks in the Kusaal, Komba, Akan and Bimoba languages for Ghana.
Only with your help can this important work continue. Prayerfully consider how you can help support LHF projects.
