Help get Maranatha Methodist a suitable church building

Maranatha Methodist Church has great potential to make a huge positive impact in the lives of the people she seeks to serve, in and around Klagon, a very challenging community in the Tema-West Municipality within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana (More about this further below). As part of the effort to realise the said potential, and following careful strategic analyses, the need for a suitable church building was identified -- in addition to other strategies -- following which designs (Plate A shows the computer-generated 3D impression of the building) were procured and construction got underway (Plate B shows current stage). It has taken 9 years and 8 mini-stages (or even micro-stages) to get to the current level, owing to limited or insubstantial funding. Your assistance is thus so much needed to progress faster and make use of the facility to achieve the said objectives. Otherwise, it will most likely take another 20 or more years to make significant progress.

The Quantity Surveyor (Cost Consultant and Estimator) working along with the Architects and Engineers estimates that 963,958.75 United States Dollars (the equivalent of 12.3m Ghana Cedis as of February 2023 without factoring in inflation) would be required to fully complete the project, including the compound works. Thankfully, someone with a good heart just like yours has pledged to sponsor the roofing, when it is due; estimated to cost 30,812.70 United States Dollars (the equivalent of 393,166.39 Ghana Cedis as of February 2023 without factoring in inflation; almost 31,000USD).

The auditorium Gallery -- which is in focus for now -- is estimated to cost 65,676.00 United States Dollars (the equivalent of 842,000 Ghana Cedis as of February 2023 without factoring in inflation; almost 66,000USD) out of which the church members have raised 11,700 United States Dollars (the equivalent of 150,000 Ghana Cedis as of February 2023 without factoring in inflation; almost 12,000USD) and thus require additional 53,976 United States Dollars (the equivalent of 692,000 Ghana Cedis as of February 2023 without factoring in inflation; almost 54,000USD) to execute this mini-stage.

In essence, the net or eventual sum required is 921,390.46 United States Dollars (the equivalent of almost 11.8m Ghana Cedis as of February 2023 without factoring in inflation). But let us start with the amount for the Gallery as the minimum target. Any amount you donate will be greatly appreciated!

More About Maranatha Methodist Church

Maranatha Methodist Church, Klagon (hereinafter referred to as the church, or simply Maranatha) currently uses a temporary 80-seater structure (Plate D shows the structure) originally built by the Tema-West Circuit of The Methodist Church Ghana, the mother church that founded Maranatha. It was established in 2008 with some 30 members and currently has 179members.

The mission has been to equip the members to demonstrate Christian faith and Love to people in the communities. And to provide formal education and social services such as medical care, and other social outreach. The vision is to build a spirit-filled spirit-led church for the holistic transformation of Society. These are in keeping with the mission and vision of the parent church -- The Methodist Church Ghana -- which was formed in 1835 by the Association of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society and a group of local Christians who dedicated themselves to Bible study.

The church adores 5 core values, viz: Faith, Justice, Compassion, Love and Unity. These are observed and practised by the staff, members and volunteers of the church. The following are some of the factors that make Maranatha unique:

• The songs sung by the Methodist Church are unique and have stood the test of time. Believers love hymns sung at every service of the Maranatha Methodist Society.
• The teachings of the pure Word of God with relevant examples from real life
• Caring for the welfare and welfare of church members; the church has created a family environment for quality fellowship, and especially cordial relationships with each other
• The Methodist Church Ghana is one of the oldest Christian institutions in Ghana, with a long history of supporting education in high schools across the country and a university.
• The unique approach to evangelism with the employment of social service in general, medical care and awareness

In 2021, the current minister in charge conducted internal, and external situational analyses and identified the need to especially speed up the church building project, to afford and also facilitate the growth of the church, both numerically and qualitatively. Especially in light of the study by Gyan (2019) which pointed out that the Klagon area has more than half of the population having a low standard of living. Indeed, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in 2018 indicated that many people in the area live below the poverty line.

The church's current place of worship is quite a disincentive; other churches have conducive auditoriums with much better facilities and find it easier to attract worshippers. And we end up losing members (especially prospective members) to them.

Up until now, all fund-raising effort for the project has been internal, mainly on the effort of the members. But as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maranatha suffered an economic blow as most members' incomes dwindled, and were unable to fund the project significantly, if at all. Most people had to focus on survival. Also, the economy has witnessed high levels of inflation; officially 53.6% (year-on-year) as of January 2023, with some people speculating that it may be far higher in reality. It explains the need for this campaign, as the situation has not improved much. Any amount you donate will be greatly appreciated!