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1.The Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR), Ghana, began in 1970, and has grown numerically, both in ordinary membership and in leaders. About 2000 prayer groups are now active in all the 20 Dioceses and the Tertiary Institutions including the Seminaries in the Country.
Leadership Teams, namely: National Service Team (NST); Diocesan Service Teams (DSTs); Local Service Teams (LSTs); Inter Tertiary Institutions National Coordinating Team (ITINCT); etc have been put in place at various levels to promote and support the development of the Renewal.
To ensure growth, proper coordination, cooperation and communication, the NST in 1991 rented and established in Kumasi, the National Office for coordinating all its leadership activities; as well as serve as a Formation, Training and Service Centre. The NST launched its vision in 1995 to build a National Formation & Service Centre (NFSC) which partly became operational during the Jubilee year (July 2000).
The name Adom Fie (House of Grace) has been associated with the Centre to remind members and those who call at the Centre about the need to remain focus on God’s mercy and the Holy Spirit freely given by the Lord.
2.MISSION STATEMENT
Adom Fie exist to coordinate, raise and empower disciples and leaders for renewal and evangelisation services in Ghana and beyond.
Methods of evangelisation need to be renewed; there must be improved training for the agents of the gospel. There is need to generate greater awareness among lay people and to involve them more actively in the mission of evangelisation. (Special Assembly For Africa Of The Synod Of Bishops 10 April-8 May 1994 - Instrumentum Laboris #24)
3. GOALS (2008-2015)
3.1 Formation
Provide formation and training in leadership and evangelisation for about 1000 persons yearly (including prayer group & ministry leaders, tertiary students, seminarians, clergy, etc)
3.2 Adom Fie
Complete the building project, furnish, equip and adequately be staffed by 2015 (i.e. 6 office rooms; counseling room; library; lecture hall; chapel; conference hall; Kitchen & dinning hall; 120 bed dormitory & private rooms accommodation; etc)
3.3 Charismatic Ministries Coordinating Teams
Promote and establish various Charismatic Ministries Coordinating Teams at the national level with operational norms/guidelines by 2010 (i.e. Music & Worship; Teaching; Women; Youth; Healing; Intercession, Marriage & Family life, etc)
3.4 Provincial Coordination
Promote, establish and support Provincial Coordinators, Teams & Offices by 2010 to effectively reach out to the various dioceses.
3.5 Fundraising
Be financially self sufficient by raising about four hundred thousand cedis (400,000.00) locally by 2015 through Adom Fie services and sponsorship drive.
3.6 Publication
3.6.1 To double by 2010 the current 15,000 copies circulation of One Body One Bread (OBOB) - a daily Catholic devotional guide and reflection, by yearly providing copies in the hands of about 20,000 youth & senior high school students.
3.6.2 Be equipped by 2012 to produce training manuals and bi-yearly News letter or magazine.
3.7 Staff Community
Seek to establish Catholic Charismatic Community by 2010 to promote, support and share in the ministry of Adom Fie.
4. SECTIONS & ACTIVITIES
The following various sections and activities have emerged over the years; and the Centre is seeking assistance to fully develop these sections.
4.1 Administration, Coordination & Management
• Meetings; Networking; Visits (National & International); Conferences.
• Communication Link: (i.e. with Partners in Ministry; Bishops’ Conference; ICCRS, NST, PSTs, DSTs, Internet, etc)
• Finance, Fund raising, Sales, committee
• Projects proposals and documentation,
• General Secretariat: Filing, Type setting; Photocopy; Binding
4.2 Publications & Publicity
• One Body One Bread (OBOB) : reprint & distribution
• Library project
• Newsletter; magazine
• Training manuals
4.3 Formation & Training
• Leadership: Prayer Group & Community Leaders
• Evangelisation: School & Programmes of Evangelisation: Course Paul; Alpha, Parish Evangelisation, etc
• Ministries: Ministries Leaders & Teams
- Youth
- Intercession
- Women
- Music
- Healing
- Teaching
- Outreach
- Marriage & Family life
4.4 Prayer, Counseling & Ministration
• Staff Community prayer session
• Prayer request
• National Week of Fasting & prayer
• Network (prayer chain & train)
• Counseling & Ministration Sessions
4.5 Youth & Tertiary Institutions
• Educational Institutions
• Seminaries
• National Coordinating Team Meetings
• Leadership formation
• Visits
• General Conference
• ITI Alumni
• Other Youth Ministries
4.6 Hospitality
• Maintenance
• Accommodation
• Catering
4.7 Media & ICT
• Data base
• Website
• Recording Studio, Radio
5. STAFF & CO-WORKERS
Adom Fie is currently manned by twelve full time staff, over twenty volunteers and co-workers serving in various committees and capacities.
The following Committees have been set up:
- Secretariat
- Finance & Fund raising
- Building & Maintenance
- Formation & Training
- Hospitality
- Publications & Publicity
- Media/ICT
- Pastoral & Chaplaincy
The Chairpersons and vice of these committees form the Administrative & Management Team (AMT) of Adom Fie.
Adom Family comprising staff, volunteers and friends of Adom Fie is being developed into a Catholic Charismatic Community.
The basic tentative schedule for staff & co-workers in the cause of the year is as follows:
• Daily morning prayer (Divine Office) @ 8:30 – 9:00 am
• Daily noon prayer session @ 12:30-1:00pm
• Working Hours: 9:00am -12:30pm & 2:00-5:00 pm except on Wednesdays
• Daily table fellowship except on Fridays @ 1:00-1:30 pm
• Holy Eucharist & Day of Adoration @ Wed 9:00am- 4:00pm
• Bi-weekly staff meetings on Tuesdays @ 10:00am-12:30pm
• Monthly day of Prayer & Healing on 3rd Wednesday @ 5:30-8:30pm
• Quarterly Administrative & Management Team (AMT) meeting on Fridays @ 5:30-8:30pm
• Yearly weekend retreats during Lent & Advent
• Formation & Training sessions
• Invitations & Visits to the Dioceses
6. NATIONAL SERVICE TEAM (NST) CORE
Adom Fie operates under the supervision of the NST Core in collaboration of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (i.e. Department of pastoral Care, National Catholic Secretariat). The present nine (9) membership of the Core is made up of the following:
• NST Chairman
• Episcopal Liaison
• National Director
• Four (4) Provincial Coordinators
• Two Other co-opted members
The positions of National Secretary and Treasurer are usually taken from among NST Core members
7. CHALLENGES
7.1 The task of renewal & evangelization in Ghana and beyond
The Church today ought to take a giant step forward in her evangelization effort, and enter into a new stage of history in her missionary dynamism. (Christifedeles Laici #35)
Evangelisation is, in fact, the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelise" (Evangelii Nuntiandi – Evangelisation in the Modern World #15).
Training, supporting and releasing people into the field for active evangelization has been a real challenge. In fact the harvest is plenty but the laborers are few. This difficulty task is compounded by the lack of funds to support these evangelization activities. Should funds be available, it will be of great help to break new grounds in the media.
7.2 Staff development & support
There are currently twelve full time staff and over twenty volunteers and resource persons committed to the Ministry of Adom fie. Maintaining the skeleton staff financially at the Centre has been a real challenge. The solution to this is commitment of the DSTs in paying their quotas and increased fund raising activities. We are also urging more members to befriend Adom fie and support the National Centre.
7.3 Books, Equipment & Transport
Sustaining the current circulation of 15,000 copies in the face of other similar publications is a major challenge.
A current project valued at Gh¢24,000 a year and with the aim of placing one One Body One Bread (OBOB) in the hands of about 20,000 Catholic High School students by the year 2010, has already been launched. Though some friends have expressed interest, there is still the need for others to come on board to fund this worthy cause. The Library project would need stock of books especially, on the Church, renewal, evangelisation, etc.
Replacement of old Office equipment and over used vehicles continues to be a big challenge. The Centre still lacks some basic office equipment like an electronic typewriter. The current computers in use are also more than ten years old and have out-lived their usefulness, thus need to be changed. The Lecture Hall also needs a good public address system and an LCD projector to ease lecture delivery. This has become necessary because it costs a lot of money to hire a Public Address system during programmes such as retreats, formation and conferences. Purchasing one will be an advantage as this will reduce the cost of organizing programmes.
Other needs of the Centre includes furnishing for the bedrooms (beds, mattresses, tables, and chairs), kitchen gadgets (as well as household appliances such as fridges, deep freezers, washing machines, serving plates, bowls and cutlery) and dinning hall (tables and chairs).
The Centre continues to rely on it’s two over age vehicles for daily errands and trekking. Both continue to be a drain on the limited resources of the centre, due to frequent breakdowns and high maintenance and repair costs. By faith, we believe God will at the right time provide the Centre with a pick up, minibus and one 4 x 4 for trekking to the Provinces and Dioceses.
7.4 Building project
The Centre which serves the purposes of Coordination and Formation is still not complete. The project is over ten years now, and the challenge is to have enough funds to complete the building to make it more operational and self sustaining.
The specific structures yet to be put up are the 120 bed facility and private rooms, plus furnishing of the 6 Offices, counseling room, Library, Kitchen, Chapel, and the Lecture, Conference and Dining Halls. As a faith project, the National Office will continue to totally depend on God who is the Great Provider.
The current value of the funds needed to complete and make the building more operational is about three hundred thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢300,000.00). Once it is completed, the normal cost of running the facility can be covered by the yearly donations from the various Prayer Groups and the services offered at the Centre.
7.5 Funding
Funding is the biggest challenge. We are trusting God to see us through all the specified projects. As God works through His Children, all members are being encouraged to work towards raising funds. The need to improve local funding has been strongly felt with the reduction and the negative responses received most of the time for project proposals sent to donors. National thanksgiving and fund raising contributions and allocations are usually not paid on time and sometimes not fulfilled. The NST and the National Office in collaboration with the various Service Teams (i.e. PSTs, DSTs & LSTs) would have to address the issue of funding with all urgency.
A possible solution to this was the proposal of Adom Foundation submitted by a Staff Volunteer in the person of Felix Ahonzo, who offered to assist in fund raising efforts and which the NST approved. The main goal of the proposal was to be locally financially self supporting in about five years time by mobilizing over 10,000 members to contribute one Ghana cedi monthly. The name, Adom Foundation was proposed for the fund. The idea was launched during the first fund raising dinner in December 2007. The PSTs/DSTs are encouraged to see to the implementation of this worthy project.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I pray that all our Staff, Volunteers, Resource Persons, Friends, and Partners in Ministry will remain committed to work with the Lord; for the harvest indeed is ripped but the labourers are few. He has given us his promise to remain with us to the end of time. We have a duty to remain focused, love each other deeply and work hard to spread the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, the source and summit of renewal and evangelisation.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”(2 Chronicles 7:14)
Let us pray with the Psalmist:
Unless the Lord builds the house the builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.(Psl127:1)
God our Father, build and watch with us. We cannot do it in our own strength and without you we are nothing; we pray in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Compiled by:
Anthony Osei Assibey
CCR DIRECTOR
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