Evangelism in the Gold Coast

As in most mission fields, the staff of the Gold Coast Mission is made up of full-time evangelists and teacher-evangelists. The teacher evangelists teach school during the week and engage in the church worship period and other soul-winning services during the week end.

By J. CLIFFORD, President, Gold Coast Mission Field, West Africa

As in most mission fields, the staff of the Gold Coast Mission is made up of full-time evangelists and teacher-evangelists. The teacher evangelists teach school during the week and engage in the church worship period and other soul-winning services during the week end.

When the schools are vacated in August of each year, teachers and evangelists unite in planned evangelistic campaigns in different parts of the field. This year twenty-three cam­paigns are going forward, fourteen in unen­tered places, and nine in places where the work needs to be strengthened.

Some of the people for whom we work are illiterates, some read the vernacular, and some read English. The majority are heathen, but some belong to one of the missions working in the country. Each year a series of subjects is planned so that the people are led step by step to a full knowledge of the truth.

In order to reach the literates we use posters printed on our little mission press. These post­ers announce the subject for each day. As to the illiterates, it is sometimes possible, if the chief is friendly, to have the first invitation proclaimed by the "gong-gong" (the town crier) ; but the best results are obtained by vis­iting from house to house, inviting the people personally. When the hour of service is near, the workers go through the town singing hymns and inviting the people to follow them to the meeting place.

There are prejudice and opposition in many parts of the field. Amon, many it is freely evi­dent that there is apathy in religious matters. As workers we seek to uplift Christ in our work and preaching, and by His love win the souls of men. The prophecies have their place in preaching. History of past nations may be little understood, but a rapidly developing Africa is anxious to know the meaning of the signs of our day, and often the question of Pilate is asked, 'What is truth ?" Evolution and higher criticism are popular among the educated class, and a foundation of belief in God's Word must be laid.

Where it can be used literature is a wonder­ful means of holding attention and clinching truth. English tracts are used wherever pos­sible, but we also print and use tracts in the vernacular for those who cannot read English. There is great anxiety among readers to get old copies of the Signs and other of our good missionary magazines, and friends in the home­land who send these to us do much to help our soul-winning efforts. Those who read the mes­sage for themselves become our strongest mem­bers.

From the beginning of our campaign a Sab­bath school is started, and interested people are invited to these special studies of God's Word. Converts are enrolled in the hearers' class ; and as they make progress they are changed to the baptismal class, and prepared for baptism.

The population of the Gold Coast is mainly found in small towns and villages. There are sixty towns with a population of more than three thousand, and thirteen thousand villages with a population of less than three thousand. Our lay members do much to help carry the message to new places, but we look to evange­listic campaigns in strategic places to help us carry the message to the more than four million souls in this field.

Subjects for Evangelistic Campaigns

1. The Miraculous Origin of This World (crea­tion).

2. God's First Test of Man's Love (tree of Knowl­edge).

3. Origin of Evil and Its Results.

4. God's Words of Love to Man (inspiration of Bible).

5. God So Loved the World (the plan of salvation; Gen. 3 :15).

6. The Saviour Comes to This Earth (birth and life of Christ).

7. Jesus Our Sacrifice and Our True Priest.

8. Jesus the Deliverer From Evil Spirits.

9. Jesus Is Coming Again.

10. The Meaning of Present Events (the signs of the times).

11. Man's Choice and Satan's Punishment (mil­lennium).

12. The Law That Jesus Loved (Ten Command­ments; Ps. 40:7, 8).

13. The Day That Jesus Loved (Sabbath).

14. God's Last Invitation to Man (Sabbath re­form message; Rev. 14 :6, 7).

15. Heaven, Where Is It, What Is It Like?

16. Does God Care What We Do? (the judgment).

17. No Life Without Jesus (state of dead; 1 John 5:t r, /2).

18. God's Gifts and My Privilege (tithes and of­ferings).

19. The Living Temple of Jesus (temperance and health reform).

20. Prophets, True and False.

21. God's Good Angels Our Helpers.

22. How God Can Make a Good Man Out of a Bad One (new birth).

23. The Door Into the Church (baptism).

24. Jesus the Way of Life (the two ways; Matt. 7:13, 14).

By J. CLIFFORD, President, Gold Coast Mission Field, West Africa

September 1949

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