North Ghana Mission headquarters, Tamale, Ghana. Photo courtesy of North Ghana Mission. North Ghana Mission HAKIM ISHMAEL YAKUBU, AND JULIANA TETTEH Hakim Ishmael Yakubu is executive secretary of North Ghana Mission. Juliana Tetteh is an administrative assistant for North Ghana Mission. The North Ghana Mission is a part of the Northern Ghana Union Mission in the West-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists. It was organized in 1968, and its headquarters is in Jakarayili, Tamale, Ghana. Its territory includes the following districts and towns in the Northern Region: Bimbilla, Bole, Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo, Chereponi, Damongo-Daboya, Gambaga, Gushegu, Karaga, Kpandai, Kumbungu, Mankragu/Moagduri, Saboba, Sagnarigu, Sang, Savelugu, Sawla, Tamale, Tatale, Tolon, Walewale, Wusensi, Yendi, Zabzugu; the following districts and towns in the Upper East Region: Bawku, Binduri, Bolgatanga, Bongo, Fumbisi, Garu-Tempane, Nabdam, Navrongo, Paga, Pusiga, Sandema, Tongo, Zebilla; and the following districts and towns in the Upper West Region: Funsi, Gwollu, Issa, Jirapa, Lambussie, Lawra, Nadom, Nadowli, Tumu, Wa, Wechiau. As of June 30, 2019, the mission had nineteen churches with 8,530 members amongst a population of 3,573,949.1 The Origin Pioneering work and growth of Seventh-day Adventism in northern Ghana took place in the 1950s. The Chumburu people in East Gonja (now Kpandai District) made serious efforts in these years with “pioneering workers like F. Ankamah Afari of Buem and Samuel Alex Amfo”2 leading out. One Moses Kwabena Kuma who became exposed to the Seventh-day Adventist message preached the gospel message in Kumdi after his prior encounter with Adventism in Agona-Asante around the late 1940s as a farmer. His efforts indeed attracted the Chumburu and Nawuri people of the then East Gonja District. His early converts were John Kwasi Addi, Abraham Awase, and Paul Didaianyi.3 Paul Didaianyi, a native of Boafri came to Kumdi to learn blacksmith work, heard the gospel message, and returned to his native home to preach the good news. The message then spread through Boafri and Badwamsu. The Chumburu people, who heard the message in Kumdi, spread it through Blajai.4 As the Church developed and organized in the North, evangelists engaged to minister in Kpandai included E. B. Akyiano, J. A. Boateng, A. K. Boadi, F. Ankamah Affari (the first resident evangelist), S. A. Amfo, D. K. Boahene, and Kofi Antobam. T. K. Anane- Affari, who later became a gospel worker, was then a steward to K. Antobam and S. A. Amfo.5 The informal pioneering drive among the Nawuri and Chumburu went on concurrently with the formal efforts to establish the Church in Tamale, the regional capital of the North. Jesse Gibson, a missionary, raised $1000 to start missionary work among the Dagombas in Tamale. This provided funds to hire the first missionary, Emmanuel Bruce Akyiano, an Akyem Abuakwa citizen from Osiem. Despite the large Muslim and animist population he had to work among, he rose above all odds to win souls in this territory. His hard work encouraged the leadership to ordain him as a gospel minister in April 1953.6 Southern Influence Other workers who complemented the work of Akyiano were J. A. Boateng and A. K. Boadi, both from Akyem Ayirebi in Akyem-Oda; Henry E. Rieseberg, a Canadian; Johanne Onjukka; and S. A. Amfo from Nsutam in Akyem Abuakwa. 7 On the account of the hard work of these gallant soldiers of the Cross, the North Ghana field was organized into the North Ghana Mission with Johannes Onjukka as the first president and headquarters in Tamale. It was part of the West African Union Mission headquartered in Accra. The movement began to grow to encompass lay evangelistic activities, predominantly from the Akyem who came to do business in the North. This caused the church in Tamale to grow faster, and it was organized in October 1968.8 By 1970, the North Ghana Mission had grown to a membership of 116 in the Tamale church.9 From Tamale, the Church began to grow towards the Upper regions. By 1973 with the joint efforts of lay people, such as James Coffie, Rose Abaawa, Agnes Agyapomaa, and Maame Ataa, pushed the Adventist presence to Bolgatanga. Other southern business dwellers who influenced the work in the North after July 1979 included Robert Kweku Abebrese of Bekwai-Asante; Denis Mochiah, a Nzima; and C. W. Mensah from Aworowa, Techiman.10 Edmond Anifo, K. O. Amoyaw, Enoch A. Owusu, Emmanuel Krobea Asante, S. A. Koranteng, Ambrose K. Waahu, Newman Kwame Walkson, and W. B. Ackah helped to grow the church in Bolga in 1969. The migration of southern Ghana Seventh-day Adventists to the north has always influenced the growth of the Church in North Ghana Mission. In recent times, this pattern has produced a negative effect on the indigenes joining the church as they see it as a church belonging to the Akans, the tribe of southern Ghana from which came the initial members of the church in the North. However, this is not the only factor causing the indigenous tribes not to attend church. Other reasons include difficulty in following doctrines, polygamy, strong attachments to traditions, the growth of Islam, and the presence of Roman Catholics in Wa, Lawra, Tumu, and Navrongo. Despite these challenges, the Adventist message has reached all of these areas and churches have been opened.11 Opanin Emmanuel Sarpong of Nsuta-Asante also influenced the growth of Adventism in Walewale among the Mamprusi. Growth of North Ghana Mission It took Adventism northern Ghana more than a decade, from 1950 to 1968, to become a mission. When the North Ghana Mission was established in 1968, Johanne Onjukka became the first president. He was supported by an executive committee comprised of K. O. Amoyaw, D. K. Boahene, James Coffie, R. O. Opoku. Amoyaw and Ojunkka were the only ordained workers; while D. K. Boahen, Kofi Antobam, and R. A. Salifu were licensed ministers.12 In 1974, Walton S. Whaley, an African-American, succeeded James M. Hammond as the president of the North Ghana Mission. There were just two organized churches in Bolgatanga and Tamale with a membership of 408 and twelve workers at the time. Though the number of organized churches remained the same up until 1979, the membership increased to 870 (comprised largely of member from the South). Professor Owusu Mensah acknowledged that the first historic ordination in the mission was that of E. A. Owusu in 1974. George Elmer Bryson, another African-American, took over from Whaley in 1978; however, he soon returned to the United States and unfortunately died in an automobile accident.13 C. B. Mensah, the union secretary in Accra became acting president of the mission. In 1980, L. G. Antonio, a West Indian based from Great Britain was appointed president.14 Meanwhile, the Upper East and Upper West regions each had only one pastor, Adams Alhassan Nwumele in Kpandai and Samuel K. Koranteng in Bolga respectively, and the whole of the Northern Region was one district of churches pastored by J. K. Dankwah.15 Around 1984, I. T. Agboka became president with T. K. Anane-Affari, secretary, and Isaac Owusu, treasurer. From 1986 to 1991, S. A. Koranteng was president. He was followed by A. K. Waahu, during whose administration, Amos Oppong, served as treasurer and Abass Issifa, secretary. Issifa was succeeded by Zachariah Asuboni as secretary. Waahu was elected secretary when E. O. Abbey was elected president, and Oppong Mensah was elected as the treasurer at the fifth triennial session held in Valley View University, Oyibi-Accra, May 16-21, 2000.16 The next administrative team was led by E. Y. Frempong, president, with Solomon A. Annan secretary-treasurer, and Adams Alhassan Nwumele, departmental coordinator and later secretary, from 2004 to 2008. From 2009 to 2010, Paul Adu Sampah was the president with Philemon N. Aboungo, secretary, and Solomon Annan, treasurer. In 2011, Fred Agyei-Baah became president with Philemon N. Aboungo, secretary, and John Okrah, treasurer, who all served until 2015. From 2015 to 2018, Adams A. Nwumele served as president, assisted by Seth Adjei-Mensah, secretary, and Emmanuel K. Bawah, treasurer. In 2018, Godfred Kwesi Ataburo became president with Hakim Ishmael Yakubu, secretary, and Clement Puori Guri, treasurer. They were all serving at the time of writing.17 Bole District Bole District started with a membership of six in 1993 at Bole under the leadership of Matthew Kofi who came from Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo region. The other members included Nii Lamtey, Amanowa Monica, Mr. Agiri, and Maame Frema. The church grew to encompass Kelampoblie, Mandari, and Tinga under the leadership of Enoch Brenya (2011-2015). Hakim Ishmael Yakubu came to sustain the gains and entered Bale and Gbampe (2016-2018). The district is a young district and at the time writing had a membership of 117.18 Buipe District The church in Buipe opened in 1993. The war between the Gonjas and Konkombas interrupted the progress of the church here for some time, and sometime in 1994, after the war was over, the believers started meeting again. In 1995, Paul Danquah was posted there as a church pastor. He built the church building and a school before departing in 2000. A Global Mission Pioneer took over from him, and later Samuel Atta Berfi was appointed church pastor on November 8, 2015. At the time of writing, Theophilus Appiah-Mensah served as pastor with a membership of forty-six in the Buipe church and thirty-six in the Damongo church—the only two churches in the district.19 Tatale District The Tatale church was established in 1984 in the Yendi District. Te Tatale District was formed from a portion of the Yendi District in 2017.