News
Apostle Joshua Amissah…philanthropist, teacher and counsellor with a difference
We introduce to you Apostle Joshua Amissah, a philanthropist, mentor, a teacher and counsellor whose work in Christendom continues to reverberate throughout the world.
Originally named Kwaku Abeiku Takyi Bealey, after his paternal grandfather, he started his formal education at Challenge School, Ibadan State, in Nigeria.
On two occasions, young Joshua Amissah was brought from Nigeria to continue his education in Ghana. Having suffered this initially, he eventually settled in Ghana and continued his primary education and later enrolled at Saltpond Methodist High School to read Business programme.
Born on August 3, about three decades ago to Mr John Amissah and Sophia Mensah, all natives of Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana and of Methodist and Assemblies of God faith respectively, Apostle Joshua Amissah holds the conviction that in Christ all things go on well and Christians must make the effort to dominate the world. At school, he was appointed the school’s prefect and became one of the best athletes the school has ever had.
Apostle Amissah is a product of the University of Ghana and holds a Bachelor of Arts (B A) in Religions and Philosophy, and Masters in Ministry and Arts from the Philippines Baptist Theological Seminary.
As part of his calling, Apostle Amissah gave his life to Christ at a tender age of seven and later began dawn preaching through which he deepened his relationship and trust in the Christian faith.
Having had a good Christian foundation, Apostle Amissah became the Organising Secretary of the University Christian Fellowship ( UCF), Commonwealth Hall branch, UCF Outreach Wing which was tasked with evangelism work in secondary schools in the Greater Accra and Eastern regions.
He later became the UCF President and Student Chaplain of the University of Ghana and had the opportunity to serve as the Student’s Representation Council’s (SRC) Arbitration Committee Chairman.
He said the promises of God were true, hence Christians must cling to the creator of the universe for protection, guidance and care. “Our persuasion is that we must align everything we do with the will of the Lord.”
The man of God has advised Christians to hold on fast to the virtue of humility because of its immense benefits and that Jesus Christ himself practiced this as an example for all to follow.
Apostle Joshua Amissah advises Christians to serve God with sincere hearts, love one another just as Christ has loved them and be prepared to sacrifice a little for their friends.
Shedding light on his infancy, he vividly recalled that one of his greatest tasks as a child was to sell items like Ga kenkey, kerosene, fish, iced water, pastries, mangoes, oranges, fowls, cat and puppies among others.
Apostle Amissah is a consistent conference speaker who dazzles his audience with texts from scripture, and was the guest preacher at many churches and served as a radio pastor for the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Radio Savannah at Tamale.
Some of the churches he had ministered to included the Full Gospel Business Men’s International, the Greater Accra Regional Prayer Convention, Women’s Aglow, universities, secondary schools, and para-church organisations.
He has led many to discover the saving power of Jesus Christ and subsequently surrendered their livers entirely to the service of God. Miracles, signs and wonders have followed his ministerial works as a true disciple of God.
He was very instrumental in crusades, city and inner city outreaches, seminars, and pioneered the establishment of many groups, some of which included Joshua Amissah World Outreach (JAO), Firm Foundation International (FFI) among others.
Apostle Amissah also reaches out to the inmates of the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons.
Likes
He is a philanthropist who has written 64 books, six of which had been published, adopted three social homes where he regularly visits and supports them with their personal needs, in addition to helping the needy and supporting some young ministers and students from crèche to the university level.
He loves to play games that challenge the mind like scrabble, draft, puzzles and intriguing guess games. He was a very good footballer from primary school to university.
His favourite dishes include banku, yam and fante -fante stew.
The apostle is a man of few words but has thought-provoking messages for his audience, preaches God’s word with ease, he is a counsellor, a mentor and teacher to many.
Hobby
His hobbies include playing scrabble, draft and puzzles among others.
By Norman Cooper
News
Swallowed by the Sea! …Keta’s coastal lines, landmarks, efforts to preserve heritage
The Atlantic Ocean is no longer a distant blue horizon for the people of Keta.
It now circles around their doorsteps, uninvited, unrelenting, pulling down walls and other structures, erasing memories, and threatening lives.
Hovering precariously between the restless sea and the Keta Lagoon, this once-thriving coastal town is slowly being obliterated.
Salt water has become both a physical and metaphorical threat, dissolving the town’s past as fast as it claims its future.
Madam Aku Atitso, 62, lives in a crumbling former Prisons Service quarters – one of the few structures still standing on the eroded stretch of Queen Street.
She sits quietly at the entrance, preparing a modest breakfast for herself and her granddaughter.
The air is thick with salt and silence. “The sea took everything,” she says softly. “My husband’s nets, our mattress, our memories all gone overnight.” Her voice trembles. “This place too is dying. But it’s the last place with a roof over my head.”
A few metres away, Aunty Esinam, 79, watches the sea from a low stool beside a wooden shelter. Her eyes do not blink. “That spot,” she points, “used to be someone’s living room, a whole family lived there”.
It’s not just homes that are vanishing. Landmarks that anchored Keta’s cultural identity are disappearing one after another. The once-imposing Fort Prinzenstein, a haunting relic of the transatlantic slave trade is now more of a ruin than a monument.
the encroaching waters along Keta’s
coast.
encroaching waters along Keta’s coast
The colonial-era Bremen factory, the old cinema where generations of children once laughed at flickering black-and-white films is also gone.
Queen Street, once the town’s bustling backbone, is now a watery corridor choked with debris.
Standing atop a section of the sea defence wall, 69-year-old retired teacher Efo Kwasi Agbeko surveys what remains.
“The first police station is mostly gone,” he says, gesturing part of the building stuck in the sea sand, only ruins and a few rooms remain.
“This town is fighting, but the sea is winning,” he said.
Even the Cape St. Paul Lighthouse, Keta’s historic sentinel, leans perilously toward the water, and fishermen say holes in the shore are opening more frequently, sometimes every week.
That leaves a thick cloud of uncertainty hanging around the historic town of Keta.
Once upon a time, it was a vibrant town noted for business but currently left with ruins with a few of the residents watching in awe the sea’s devastation.
From: Geoffrey Kwame Buta, Keta, Volta Region
News
Ghanaians climax Easter with fun-filled activities
Christians around the world and other faith based groups last Monday climaxed the Easter celebration with a number of fun-filled outdoor and indoor activities.
With streets empty, fun seekers stormed church premises where picnics were held while others partied in many ways.
Others spent the day at the various beaches and music and film shows occupying the others.
velleyball competition
at the Laboma Beach
Church in Tema Community 8 engaged
in a number of activities including the
popular draught competition
At the churches, participants engaged in bible reading, football, volleyball, playing cards, table tennis, horse racing, bouncing castles, swimming and oware.
one of the picnic venues
Others played ludo, tag of war, lime and spoon, draught, music competitions among others.
The Spectator captured some of the exciting scenes around Accra-Tema for the benefit of readers.
Story & pictures by Victor A. Buxton
