Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Photo: Mennonite church of Ghana – Dalive congregation

    Christmas! Christmas!! Christmas!!! Christmas in Ghana is a season of magic and wonder.  

    Every Ghanaian has their own definition to what Christmas means to them. It reminds me of the fact that no matter what one might go through, nothing is permanent. It brings joy and assurance that tomorrow can be better.  

    The December weather greets us with dry air in the day and warmth at night. When this weather change is experienced, Ghanaians begin to harvest their inner Christmas spirit.  

    Neighbours begin to play sweet local and global Christmas carols to inform that the greatest season of the year is in.  

    Workers begin to work harder. 

    Children try to obey every rule set by their parents.  

    We greet each other: 

    • “May a good year meet you.” / “May we be alive to see another year as any form of bad luck moves far from us.” 
    • Ga dangbe: “Afioo Afi.” / “Afi aya ni eba nina wor, wor femomoomo, alonte din ko akafo wor ten.” 
    • Akans: “Afihyiapaoo.” / “Afi nkor nbe to yen.” 
    • Ewes: “Blonya fedzorgbenyuie na mi.” / “Blonya fedzorgbenui.”  

    This runs through the whole month. But the main celebration begins on 24 December and ends after the first week of the new year.  

    Christmas Eve begins with decorations of house and church buildings with bright lights along with colourful artefacts. On this day, folks visit their families at home. They then join their families for a midnight activity.  

    The activity that a Ghanaian will engage in on this day varies. Some choose to go partying, others prefer to stay indoor with their families but my family prefers to go for a church service where we sing local Christmas carols, hymns songs of praise and pray into the upcoming year.  

    On 26 December, women prepare special meals for their families while the men and young ones engage in so many different kinds of games and sports.  

    The King and the royal family along with many sponsors may place a trophy and the team to win gets the ultimate prize.  

    During the days from 27-30 December, most families get to spend time together: shopping, visiting entertainment parks, tourist sites or the beach. Basically, we engage in anything fun.  

    31 December is a magical day. It is a time for self-assessment and making new year resolutions. The day is mostly silent as families meet to discuss the way forward into the next year. The leaders of the church and the society call on people to try to solve disputes. The church organizes an all-night service.  

    With empty streets, neglected drinking spots and bars, sports centres closed, turned tables on the streets, the location of almost everyone is the church. People come to confess their sins, hoping to see the next year going well for them.  

    1 January is a blessed day. Every house in the community spends so much time to prepare different kinds of foods. They share these foods as gifts to their neighbours. This is a day to get satisfied and make merry.  

    The celebrations end exactly a week after. Things go back to normal. Schools begin to reopen for students; workers go back to work; everything follows in the normal way.  

    People plan for the life ahead hoping that things will go better than the previous year. 

    –Gborbitey Isaac Nii Torgbor is a member of Ghana Mennonite Church, Ghana. He is the Africa representative on the YABs Committee (Young AnaBaptists).  

    YABs Committee
    Christmas reflection videos

  • “Investing in young adults is a key way to move forward. Mennonite World Conference is the best way I can imagine to do that,” said Doug Klassen, executive minister of Mennonite Church Canada and the North America representative on MWC’s Executive Committee. 

    The member church of Mennonite World Conference puts its money where its mouth is. The church is organized into five regions – each of which sends a delegate to the Global Youth Summit. Together, leaders select one to serve as the official representative. 

    The practice started with the 2022 Global Youth Summit (GYS) in Indonesia. Church restructuring in 2017 had placed leadership development at the regional level, so it was natural for each region to select a young adult to serve as a delegate. 

    The national church gives each region $1 000 toward the cost of their delegate. It’s up to the region how to raise the rest. 

    The investment is paid back: the multi-delegate system showed its strength both coming and going. 

    GYS delegates have an assignment to survey young people in their country and write a report on the results. 

    They ask their peers about engagement with church (why are some young people choosing to invest time and energy in the work of the church? why do some young people leave?); about leadership (what are the barriers?); and about sensitive topics (which issues are difficult? How are conflicting ideas managed in the church?). 

    With a delegate for each region collecting answers according to their various strengths, MC Canada’s GYS report was more representative of the country’s diversity. 

    After participating in GYS, the five delegates reported insights into the church’s challenges neither Doug Klassen nor other leaders had named yet. 

    They brought back energy to engage their local church. 

    “Sometimes, all it takes is a captivating event or experience to bump a trajectory by one notch for a young adult to see ‘maybe there is room for the church’,” said Doug Klassen. 

    Doug Klassen wishes for as many young people as possible to encounter the deep faith found in the global church and broaden their understanding “beyond familiar Eurocentric stories.” 

    “To expose young adults to the global church is one of my highest priorities in this role,” he said. 

    Read more about MC Canada’s GYS delegates.
    Meet other GYS delegates: LMC 
    Read more about the GYS