Accra - We attended two temples in Accra today. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. Both of them had seating for guests, one who spoke over a public address system to the attendees, music and singing, each offered an abundance of inspiration, there were prayers in each,memories and friends were made, and special clothing was worn by many.
One of them however was packed at 9:00 am. In this one the pastor wasn't present for most of the program so a staff minister gave the sermon. The music was about Jesus and His holy name. Everyone, dressed in traditional clothing or western business suits, sang as if they were a mass choir and were, in fact, led by a choir trained for that purpose. Attendees with special needs were prayed for and at the end of the program a number of people made public commitments to give their life to Christ. The first temple is Calvary Baptist Church Adabraka and we know because we were there.
The second temple was still filling at 3:00 pm. An announcer could barely be heard over the roar of the people who were mostly dressed in red, white, or black depending on their personal allegiance. This temple is the Accra Stadium where the 17-9-4 Ashanti Kotoko defeated the 12-13-5 Tema Inter-Allies in the MTN FA Cup Ghana Premier League championship 2-1 in double overtime. After being upset in the championship two of the past three seasons, the Porcupine Warriors lifted the golden ball as children danced, women wept, and old men raised their hands into the sky. Kotoko Captain Seidu Bancey finally delivered sweet relief to Ashanti pain in the 117th minute of play. It seemed so simple and yet somewhat surreal. After such a hard fought battle between two very well matched teams (don't let the Allies' record fool you). Jordan Opuku looked to take the shot but then an Allies player struggled to tie up his feet. Thus the ball slowly rolled to the left . . . out in the open . . . right in front of Bancey who was moving toward the goal. It seemed as if time stopped for a second even though the captain never hesitated. The entire stadium held their breath, some hearts skipped a beat until the ball shot forward, then past an off balance goal keeper and there it was . . . resting peacefully in the back of the net. Pandemonium. Sheer Ghanaian pandemonium. I thought tribal warfare in Ghana was an artifact of history but then I realized it still exists on the football field. Rivalries are settled in a temple to sports and we know because we were there.
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| Calvary Baptist Church Adabraka |
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| Accra Football Stadium |
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| Members of our group were interviewed for local television. |
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| Johnathan, youth minister at First Baptist Church of New Orleans, LA, three senior youth, and Tim. |
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