Faith Comes By Hearing continues to grow in northern Ghana

Based on a report from the Rev Kofi Owusu, General Secretary, Bible Society of Ghana

Yusif Suhuyim, who came to faith as a result of the Dagbani Faith Comes by Hearing program in the area around Gushiegu, northern Ghana. He is now a member of the supervisory team for the regional Faith Comes by Hearing program. Photo: BSGhana (GHA04DJ-13.JPG)

GUSHIEGU, Ghana — “Since I cannot read, I use the cassettes to preach.” Yusif Suhuyim, 34, is now one of the supervisory team for the Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) program in the Gushiegu district of northern Ghana. Once, though, he knew no religion other than juju, traditional animism.

The Bible Society of Ghana has been running the FCBH program among the Dagbani people of northern Ghana since 1992. Although Christians account for only a small proportion of the population, the churches are very active and new listening groups are being set up all the time. It was during a visit by an FCBH team to his own village, Bog Kamunayilli, that Mr Suhuyim first encountered God’s Word. He was initially given just the Gospel of Matthew to listen to, but this proved to be a turning point in his life. When he heard the words of Jesus, “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, CEV), he realised that he had found a way to escape the fears with which juju had burdened him. After some time of deep thought, he decided to commit his life to Jesus and to throw away all the charms in his house.

“If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest”

“Jesus said he would give me rest. I have become free ever since,” he explains.

Since Mr Suhuyim came to faith, he has been blessed with the gift of healing and the ability to memorise large sections of the Bible. In turn, many others in his community have been prompted to join FCBH listening groups and a church with a congregation of more than 50 has been established.

Among those who joined Mr Suhuyim in attending a training session run by the Bible Society for FCBH supervisors in Gushiegu in March was John Fuseini. Like Mr Suhuyim, he has seen at first hand how FCBH is changing the lives of people in remote rural communities in northern Ghana.

Mr Fuseini’s village, Gaa, lies on the stretch of dusty, deeply rutted road between Tamale and Gushiegu. The few hundred people who live there devote their days to farming, rarely travelling outside the immediate area. Mr Fuseini himself is one of the few who ventures regularly, on his ageing bicycle, to Tamale. Here he buys non-prescription drugs which he then sells in Gaa and six other local villages. Because many people are unable to reach the nearest clinic, 50 kms (35 miles) away, he is seen as the local doctor. For him, though, this business is doing more than meeting people’s health needs; it is serving God.

“I often give the drugs to people on credit since most cannot afford to pay promptly,” he says. “The love of God compels me to help, even if it negatively affects my business.”

As he promotes the FCBH program in the villages he visits, Mr Fuseini regularly sees evidence of the way in which God’s Word brings spiritual healing.

Healing

“The excitement on people’s faces as they listen to the Scriptures brings them healing,” he explains.

Regular training for supervisors like Mr Suhuyim and Mr Fuseini has become essential as, in some Dagbani communities, the FCBH program starts to go beyond straightforward listening group sessions. Rallies are now being held at which issues raised during discussions in FCBH sessions are addressed. Bringing together people from several different villages, these rallies have provided an opportunity for pastors to guide people in looking at questions including tithing, Christian marriage and the Scriptures and culture.

Radio

While audio cassettes have a significant role to play in bringing God’s Word to Dagbani communities, there are people for whom a different format may be more appropriate. Batteries cost more than most can afford, and in any case few own a cassette player. For some time now, the Bible Society has felt that radio could be the best way to reach such people. Kofi Agamah, the Society’s Opportunity 21 manager, voiced this vision in 2000 (see Special Report 25/07).

John Fuseini, who sells non-prescription drugs in his village of Gaa, northern Ghana, and the surrounding area. He also supervises the local Dagbani Faith Comes by Hearing program, and calls it "the best drug for he soul." Photo: BSGhana (GHA04DJ-14.JPG)

“We need to have the New Testament broadcast several times over a period of at least four months,” he said then. “I think a regular series could really be of benefit to the FCBH program in this region. People will hear the Scriptures on the radio and will then have a hunger for more.”

Now, four years later, this dream has become a reality and there are regular FCBH broadcasts on Radio Savannah, the local government-run station. Stopping in villages on their journey to Gushiegu for the supervisors’ training session, Bible Society staff heard several accounts of the positive impact of these broadcasts. One pastor told of how the broadcasts have prompted people to join his church, while another reported that he has received many requests for Scripture cassettes.

Bicycles