Where has the time gone?

Festival

'The whites'

Winneba has been busy over the last few days with a local festival, central to which is a deer hunt in the early hours of Saturday.  Two teams take part, the reds and the whites, and parade round the town daily for the few days beforehand.  The numbers involved and the level of noise grows each day as they come around town building up to the hunt itself.  The reds won this time and paraded their find around the town as well (I wasn't able to be around for that, so no pictures).

'The reds' on the street
outside where I am staying

'One Spirit'

Going on a deer hunt?

Later in the day on Friday, after going to the cathedral for an early evening service, I went to a concert held at the University.

A drumming and singing group, 'One Spirit' were performing as part of the festival.  As the service had run on a little longer than planned, I only heard the last two items of the concert, or so I thought.  Just as it was coming to a conclusion, the local TV station arrived to do some filming, so there was an encore lasting about 45 minutes, including an item making a little fun of the deer hunt.

Note that the members of the group were wearing wellington boots for the item about the deer hunt. Providing it makes a noise when  you hit it, you can use pretty much anything for a percussion instrument.  So, any Berkshire Maestros percussion folk reading this, including my daughter Faith, perhaps that's something to try for the next concert?

Reds meet whites

Rally

Following the chance to watch and enjoy music and dance on Friday night, I wasn't expecting to do both the following morning.  The Diocesan Synod, the key body for the Methodist Church in the area, meets from Wednesday 7 - Sunday 11 May, and I will be attending as a guest [certainly an unexpected part of my visit]. There was a gathering on Saturday morning in the host circuit, to raise the profile of the event in the local area and also to allow church members to pray for the event.

Boys' Brigade
(and friends)

The rally started with a parade around the streets, including two bands, one at each end of the parade.  Although it was only mid-morning, it was very hot in the heat of the full sun, and I was certainly very grateful for the large bottle of iced water.  Also very thankful for the advice from a UK friend who had previously visited Ghana, and suggested that I wear dark clerical shirts so that the perspiration wouldn't show up...  The parade included dancing Ghanaian-style; I'm not sure that I've quite got the moves yet, but I am told I kept to the rhythm!

Gathering outside the mission house
in Nyakrom before the rally

 After an hour in the streets, we gathered in the church for an act of worship followed by a discussion on two topics, firstly Christian approaches to marriage and then on  an aspect of healthcare, cholesterol levels.  Both generated healthy debate, even in the large gathering there were plenty of questions and I got the feeling that the debate could have continued all afternoon.  

After lunch at the mission house (manse) it was time to return to Winneba and have some rest. In the evening, I was able to walk around the streets amidst the festival and soak up some of the atmosphere.

Sunday 

It being the first Sunday of the month, Holy Communion was included in both morning services.  The first service at the Cathedral (led in English) starts at 0700 and the second (in Fante) starts at 0930, or at least it should.  Either way an early start.  

The first service ran a little late, so there was only the chance for a brief moment to sit down quietly in the vestry before the second service which started about 1000.  It is fair to say that I've become used to a relaxed approach to time whilst I have been here, quite different to that which my grandad would have expected me to follow.

Congregation at the second service,
Ebenezer Methodist Cathedral, Winneba

At the end of the first service I was able to present the gift of a book, about John Wesley's travels around the UK, from Wesley Methodist Church, Reading where I am doing some of my training.  This gift was warmly received, and greetings from Reading were echoed in return. 

Coincidentally, the prayer cycle for the Methodist Church in the UK (in the Methodist Prayer Handbook) includes prayers for Ghana on the fourth day of the month so I was able to share these with the congregation too.  It was a delight to be able to share in the services of Holy Communion: whatever the colour of our skin, language, ethnicity and so on, this is something shared by Christians worldwide and I felt very privileged to do this as part of the congregation here.

Rest!

After over seven hours at church, it was time for a meal with Joseph, then I came home for time to relax.   I watched a film, then ate my evening meal.  I had hoped to update the blog but a power cut put aside any hope of doing that.

Mondays are a day off for all ministers so I am taking time today to catch up, including this blog.  Thanks for all the interest in my travels - good to know that I am in your thoughts and prayers.

God Bless

Patrick