DIRECTORs REPORT PRESENTED TO THE 40TH PRESBYTERY HELD AT THE PRESBYTERY OFFICE FROM 11TH to 15TH APRIL 2012
PREAMBLE
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart,rather we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 2 Cor. 4:1-3 NIV
Coming out from school in August 2011, I received a transfer note and subsequent appointment to Bana Hill as Director of the Bana Hill Lay Training Centre. I thus reported at the Presbytery Office on 1st September 2011 only to find out that Bana was not yet ready for the family to move in to begin work. I thus had to accept the challenge to work together with the Presbytery to get the place ready.
Plan for take off
I consequently set in place a programme to get the place ready, and discussed with the chairman as follows:- To make road to Bana at least conveniently "motorable" by 15th Oct. 2011
- To complete work on Director‘s Bungalow and office by 30th Oct.
- To complete electricity and water installations by 30th Oct. 2011
- Duty vehicle to be available by 30th Sept.
- Director moves to Bana officially by 4th Nov.
- cleaning and beautification of Bana compound to begin from 1st Sept. 2011
- Reroofing of classrooms to be completed by Nov. 15th 2011
PROGRESS:
Following this programme the following has been achieved as at February 2012:
- About 2/3 of the access road has been graded.
- The office wooden floor paneling has been removed and the floor tiled and painted. A septic tank has been constructed in the Director‘s Bungalow. The compound has been floored and all rooms tiled and painting is almost completed. A few finishing touches including outside painting is left to be done.
- The ECG has now installed the 2 meters which cost has been paid to them and we now have light on the Hill. We are left with few fittings in the rooms and the lighting of the compound estimated at.
- For water, we have contracted some consultants for an estimate for installing a Booster pump to lift wafer from ‘D-T1’ to the campus and distribute it to various places on campus, which went up to a whooping GH¢ 21172.52. We are still thinking of how to get water at the top before getting funds to install the pump. We have however repaired the lines and water is flowing at D-T1. We will need to put the rain harvest system in order before the next raining season in March.
Programmes and Visitors
- In July, before I assumed work, the Presbytery‘s Milwaukie partners on their visit to the Presbytery visited Bana.
- A EMS official from Germany, Rev. Ryley Edwards on September also visited the Centre. He was excited about what he saw on the Mountain and promised to convey the message home. He also requested Bana to host a couple who are ministerial probationers and would like to have their holidays in Ghana in April this year.
- In 2011, the Centre hosted 7 groups who climbed the Mountain for spiritual exercises. This includes the Presbytery‘s Prayer Retreat from 26th − 31st Dec. this year we have already hosted the ‘House of Compassion Ministry’ from the 16th to 21st January. 30 ministers and spouses and other leaders lodged on top of the Hill with many others commuting from town every day. We continue to receive calls of people who wish to climb the mountain.
Centre programmes
A Preparatory Course was organised for aspiring Trinity and SMT exams candidates from 1st − 4th December 2011. The Centre programme for 2012 is set and the first programme, a catechists‘ refresher courses has taken place from 16th − 18th February. 17 catechists participated in the course. Another refresher course slotted for 29th − 31st March could not come on due to a few hitches. Registration for the first Foundation programme has however started and should end by March ending for the course to run from 22nd − 29th April.
Hindrances to Settlement in Bana
There is not the likeliness that the Director and family can move up the Mountain any sooner because:
- The Director‘s home and Office are yet to be furnished (estimated at GH¢ 9266).
- There is a small portion of the road yet to be worked on
- The duty vehicle is still not yet available. Bana is such that the family cannot reside there without a vehicle and our mobile courses cannot run.
Work in Progress
- The Grounds-man has started clearing the weeds, but we will need more hands in support to do this initial work. After settlement, beautification would be planned and carried on gradually.
- The Centre Budget for the year is under preparation and will soon be ready to be presented to the Board and subsequently to the Head Office. Likewise also, long term, medium term and short term plans are underway and will soon be ready.
Pragmatic Steps:
The next pragmatic steps to be taken are:
- Furnishing of the Director‘s Office and Home. This is very necessary to give the Director access to the necessary tools and equipments to work.
- Acquisition of the duty vehicle. There are winds of our Milwaukie partners sending about 6.000 dollars (GH¢10380) for the vehicle though it has not yet reached us. But we currently need 34,900 dollars (GH¢ 60377) to purchase 4 wheel drive Mitsubishi vehicle strong enough for our hill. While we hope that Milwaukie will fulfill their promise, we still realize that we shall need a top-up of about 28900 dollars (GH¢49997). We must therefore find means to purchase the vehicle in order to get settled to work.
- Provision of source of water. The immediate possible attempt is to prepare for rain harvest soon before the next rains. This can only be effectively possible if we settle early enough to do this works. For it is not easy working from below the mountain. This is estimated at GH¢ 1340
- Appointment of Board of Governors and Handing Over. This has become very important and necessary since we have entered the 5th month after the Director‘s appointment. We need to know what we have and who to work with in other to plan and execute the plans effectively and subsequently report effectively.
Conclusion and Deliverance:
It is important to note that Bana has good prospect in the sense that:
- Its history and topography (the mountain, the masi stream with its local dam and Finnish solar eclipse expedition monument) makes it a possible tourist attraction
- It is attracting Christians who need place for spiritual exercises and retreats
- It is attracting Old Boys who wish to see their alma mater back to life
- It will still attract people who are hungry for theological education.
These prospects are however, contingent on our ability to set the tone for making the place attractive. We need to immediately expand our boarding and lodging facilities and improve their conditions. Our programme will feature this as part of our priorities. We are therefore sounding the clarion call to all hands to come on deck, beginning from the Presbytery herself. We understand critical conditions could not permit any budgetary allocation for Bana in the Presbytery budget, however, we wish to submit that a supplementary budget be prepared to at least allow the Presbytery take part in the furnishing of the Director‘s house or office, which will cost us GH¢3340 and GH¢3480 respectively. This will give her the strength to call with us to others.
We are also appealing to Districts, locals and individuals to support with the following:
- Cement to raise 150 bags to repair the road
- Single size beds at the cost of GH¢ 80.00 per 1
- Single sized mattresses (high density) at the cost of GH¢ 180 per 1
- We appeal to Presbytery to consider discussing and taking decision on the training of our untrained catechists.
- We also appeal to Districts and locals to cease the opportunity to register their candidates to begin the Foundation this year.
As I humbly submit this report to this august council, I pray for the Lord‘s blessing, long life and prosperity for the PCG, the Dangme-Tongu Presbytery, our partners and the Josenhanse, Training Centre.
Amen.