Methodist President Ghana Bound

The President of the Methodist, the Rev. Paul Kingston is to make a Pastoral to the Methodist Church of Ghana from 8th-25th August 2010 during which time he will meet with the Presiding Bishop of the Ghanian Methodist Church, address its Annual Conference and make a visit to Wenchi Hospital.

Mission Partners from Ireland have over the years served with the Methodist Church in Ghana and Teams from Ireland have gone to be involved in building projects.

8th August 2010 see the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Rev. Paul Kingston leaving on a Pastoral Visit to Ghana. On this visit he will be representing both the Irish and British Methodist Conferences.

The Methodist Church in Ghana is one of the oldest Protestant denomination in Ghana tracing its roots back to 1st January 1835 with the landing of the Rev. Joseph Dunwell in Cape Coast. Over the intervening years Mission Partners have gone from the Irish Methodist Church to serve with the Church in Ghana People such as the Rev. Denis Bambrick (1968-74) as well as Miss Dorothy Maze and Rev. Irene Morrow.

The connection between Ghana and the Methodist Church in Ireland has since the 1980's been cemented by the building of a clinic at Kumasi by a team from Lisburn.
Each year Dr. Alan Millar and a group of nurses use their holidays to return to Wenchi Hospital in order to perform operations as well as train locals in the use of certain medical preceedures.

During the period of his visit the Rev. Kingston will attend the Conference of the Methodist Church in Ghana to be held in Cape Coast. He will also meet with the Presiding Bishop of the Church and visit Kumasi in the Southern Central Ashanti region.

Speaking of his Pastoral Visit the President said:

"I believe it will be a trip to remember. Methodists from Ghana make a very significant contribution to the life of British Methodism and here in Ireland we too have a scattering of Ghanaian families involved in some of our Methodist congregations. Hopefully, we
shall continue to find new ways of building on relationships that are already strong"

The President will return to Ireland on 26th August.

Contact: The Rev. Paul Kingston 003531 2145619

Issued by: The Rev. Rev. Roy Cooper, Communications Officer Methodist Church in Ireland
07710945104