Global Ministries partnered with Lexington Theological Seminary for a Pilgrimage to Ghana Travel Seminar from Sept. 27-Oct. 5. This pilgrimage served as an expression of LTS’s commitment to the formation of students, clergy, and lay leaders who embody a deep understanding of our global realities, the interconnections of our lives, and the mission of the global church. The pilgrimage provided an opportunity to study the exponential growth of Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa, the efforts and challenges of contextualizing the gospel as an authentic expression of African faith and spirituality, and the opportunities and challenges currently facing theological education in the Ghanian context. There was also an opportunity to visit community-based projects of the Christian Council of Ghana related to interfaith dialogue, human trafficking, and economic justice.
Several of the travelers contributed blog posts we are sharing here. This one was written by Rev. Dr. Jon Barnes.
During their last full day in Ghana, the delegates visited Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra. TTS is an ecumenical seminary that serves five different denominations: the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana; the Presbyterian Church of Ghana; the Methodist Church of Ghana; the Accra Diocese of the Anglican Church of Ghana; and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Like LTS, Trinity offers a number of degrees, including certificates, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorates.
The president of the seminary, Rev. Dr. Fred Mawusi Amevenku (pictured below with LTS President Dr. Gillett), graciously gave his time to meet with the group to talk about the seminary and answer questions. As they talked, it became evident that while the contexts in which we teach and serve are different, Trinity and LTS share many of the same goals related to providing excellence in preparing faithful leaders for the church of Jesus Christ to strengthen the church’s participation in God’s mission for the world. Rev. Dr. Mawusi Amevenku then continued to show his hospitality by giving us a personal tour of the beautiful seventy-acre campus.
As our pilgrimage nears its end and I reflect on our time in Ghana, I am reminded of President Gillett’s words as she led our devotion on this final morning together. She made reference to words shared at our recent LTS retreat: While it is quite difficult to do when we look around and see injustice after injustice in our world, we must “trust in the slow work of God.”
As she shared these words, I was reminded of an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” We have experienced so much during this week. We have received such wonderful hospitality from Global Ministries partners, the Christian Council of Ghana, and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. Each day we have been introduced to communities and people who graciously shared with us their joys, their struggles, their work to bring about justice and love in their communities, and their desire to serve God with their lives. We have learned so much and we have much yet to learn. Through it all, we have been together: together as a group from LTS and together with our Ghanaian hosts. We know there are no easy answers to the issues we face, either in the United States or Ghana. But one thing is clear at the end of this pilgrimage. Together, we must trust in the slow work of God. And we serve God and participate in God’s mission best by journeying together. We give God thanks for the relationships that have formed, the experiences we have had, and the learning that has taken place. And we look forward to seeing God work in our lives and our world as we continue this journey … together.