I participated in the Ghana Men’s Walk to Emmaus #1 in January 1996. Back then, I sat at the Table of Peter.
Of all the talks given during the three-day event, the “Priesthood of All Believers” was the one that impacted me the most. It helped me gain a new understanding of the church and how it operates. As a result of that sharing, I came to understand that I had a role to play.
Before my Walk, my minister had approached me several times, asking me to serve as a society steward. On every occasion, I had found valuable reasons for not being involved—the lack of time was at the top of my list. This time, though, upon returning from my Emmaus Walk, I approached the minister and offered to serve as needed.
Serving as a society steward gave me many opportunities to become involved in various areas of the church, including being a Bible class leader. These opportunities helped enhance my Bible study, prayer, and worship life.
From my Emmaus experience, I also acquired a love of giving. I had been deeply touched by the many lovely gifts I received during my 72-hour Walk, and Emmaus encouraged me to make giving part of my life.
Because I attended a multitude of meetings and seminars as a steward, I became an avid reader. I found myself acquiring various magazines and books, such as our Weekly Bible Lessons books, monthly Methodist Times magazine, the quarterly Christian Sentinel, and others. As I write, I am a member of a group that, to date, has provided me with over 200 Christian e-books that I read in my spare time. This reading has helped shape my life. It has contributed to my development, both as a Christian leader and as an accountant.
When job changes made it necessary for me to move, the Emmaus movement gave me an opportunity to participate in various reunion groups. Whenever I moved, I quickly joined a nearby reunion group and fully participated in its activities. I especially had opportunities to promote Chrysalis and to encourage young people to participate in upcoming events.
Along my Christian journey, I have been deeply involved in various church organizations, notably the Men’s Fellowship, which I serve in various capacities. As a result of my involvement with the church, I also served as the national chairman of the Association of the Methodist Men’s Fellowship in Ghana, which led to my participation in the Methodist Church of Ghana conferences. I also served on the diocese financial team and in the circuit as the leader of the Coordinating Office of Finance and Development. I have also trained members of the circuit in financial management, strategic planning, and policy drafting.
Currently I serve as chairman of the Circuit Lay Movement Council. With my executive team, I help coordinate activities of the various organizations and assist with ironing out issues that arise in these organizations. We also work closely with the Reverend Minister to implement the decisions of the Methodist Church of Ghana.
In the Ghana Emmaus Ministries Community, in addition to serving as the Community Lay Director, I have been on various behind-the-scenes and conference room teams. I was also privileged to serve on an international team (Nigeria Walk to Emmaus).
All of these activities resulted from the impact made on me by the “Priesthood of All Believers” talk.
Ebenezer—“Thus far the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:1).
There is still a lot of work to be done in ushering in the kingdom of God here on earth. I pray for strength to serve as long as God deems fit.
It is my hope that the Emmaus and Chrysalis ministries in Ghana will be strengthened, that the Kumasi Emmaus Community will be established, and that the work will spread further north in Ghana.
It is also my prayer that, as the work expands, we will be able to develop a suitable retreat center through which we can better contribute to the further development of God’s work among us.
Hayford Asare-Bekoe participated in the first Ghana Men’s Walk to Emmaus in 1996 and now serves as chairman of the Circuit Lay Movement Council.
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