£3m Church Building for London

An impressive ground breaking ceremony has taken place for work to begin on a £ 3,000,000 church building project for the London Ghana Seventh Day Adventist church in London.

The church project, which is the most expensive church building project in the history of the Seventh Day Adventist church in the British Union Conference, is being financed by members of the church and the South England Conference.

The project when completed will have ultra-modern church facilities, including a media, music and youth halls to enhance worship activities of the church. Blessed with a bright summer sun of Sunday July 31, 2005, the ceremony was witnessed by about 200 Adventists and friends of the church from across the globe including delegates from the Ghana Union Conference in Accra, Ghana.

In a key note address the out going President of the South England Conference, Pastor Don McFarlane observed that the project is not only significant in the history of the Adventist church but also a blessing to the congregation. He praised the Ghanaian church members for their zeal and enthusiasm for the initiation of the project, adding that "as you honour the Lord, He will also honour you and bless your land".

Pastor McFarlane reiterated trust the South England Conference guaranteed the biggest loan in the history of the conference for the London Ghana Adventist Church basically due to the trust the Conference reposes in members of the Ghanaian church.

Turning his attention to why there is the need to build such an impressive church in London, Pastor McFarlane reminded the congregation that a church represents the presence of God amongst his people. Quoting from Exodus chapter 25 versus 8, he said God asked his people to build a sanctuary so he could dwell amongst them. God therefore will have a proper place to dwell among the Ghanaian congregation in London when the project is completed. A church also symbolises that though there is a lot of evil around us good will ultimately triumph over evil. He again said a church is a place people can come to fellowship and pray over difficult life's situations for situation. "This church you are putting up should be a house of prayer not only for the members of the church but for the whole community.

It must serve as a real place of refuge for the afflicted in society". He added. He finally charged members of the church to illuminate to the whole world and London in particular that God dwells in them. "Members must prove that there are men and women, young boys and girls who honest at the workplace, honest with their taxes, honest with society, so that presence of God will be felt in the community".

The senior pastor of the London Ghana S.D.A Church, Dr. Emmanuel Osei, on behalf of his congregation thanked the South England Conference for reposing such unflinching trust in the Ghanaian Church. He also paid tribute to the pioneering spirit of a small group of Ghanaians who decided to set up a Ghanaian Seventh day Adventist church in London some 30 years ago, for tireless struggle to get their dream of building a sanctuary for the lord come into fruition. The building site, formerly known as St Cedds Church, is situated between Newham Way (A13) and Chadwin Road, London E16, covering 0.62.acres. It is being developed into an ultra-modern church complex by Roper Construction Ltd. When completed the church could seat 650 worshippers

The development of the vicarage is currently being planned.