History of the Amsterdam Ghana SDA Church
The church dates its history back to the late 1970s, when a Ghanaian Adventist brother by name Samuel Aborakwah migrated to the Netherlands.
The church then consisted of different nationalities and they were worshipping in the central part of Amsterdam. Though he didn’t understand a word spoken during the service as it was done in the dutch language, brother Aborakwah continued attending service every Sabbath as it was his custom back home in Ghana and depart as soon as the service ends. A Christian sister, Maryland, from Trinidad observed our brother and lather approached him for acquaintance. Since that time the brother associated himself with this family and visited them after Sabbath service.
Later in the year 1980s other Ghanaian bretheren also migrated to Amsterdam and joined Brother Samuel. Among them are Brother L.F. Oppong, brother Fokuo sister Jane Fosu, Brother Kwame Atuahene, brother Michael Asiamah and many others. Getting to the later part of the 1980s the church decided to sell its premises. Our bretheren together with other Adventist brethren, find another place of worship in Amsterdam West. Because most of the blacks who where worshipping were residing in the Amsterdam South East, they decided to pull away to find a place in the Bijlmer to worship to save them from the long distance they have to travel every Sabbath. Under the leadership of brother Brother Bushinon and pastor Schuitevoeder, they were granted their request.
The early 1990s saw the migration of other Adventists joining the church. Among them were Brother Akuoko Frimpong, brother Larbi, etc. The Ghanaian brethren were very much united, meeting after church service in brother Aborakwah’s house for socialization. During all these times the Dutch and English languages was the means of communication at service. By then the church was worshipping at the Drie Stromen and Pastor Steins was the shepherd. Some of the Ghanaian brethren were finding it difficult to understand the languages used and wished that the service be conducted in the Twi or Ghanaian language. Because of this language barrier most left the church.
The brethren who remained in the church then contacted the pastor for a possibility of pulling away and organizing a Ghanaian Seventh-Day Adventist Church where service will be conducted in the mother tongue so as to be able to reach the Ghanaian community in Amsterdam and its surroundings. Because the Ghanaians were then the largest community among the other ethnic groups worshipping at the Drie Stromen, they weren’t granted their request. Our brethren were not discouraged but rather they kept asking until in 1995, the church decided to allow only 15 members of the community to form a group.
God moves in mysterious ways. In this very year 1995, the General Conference session was held in the Netherlands. This gave the group the opportunity to come into contact with many Ghanaian pastors and church members from all over the world who attended the session. During this very period also, the small group of 15 members decided to conduct the first European Ghanaian Adventist Camp Meeting so as to be able to come into contact with other Ghanaian Adventists in other parts of Europe. God blessed this camp meeting with guest speakers from some of the pastors who attended the General Conference Session. Among them was Pastors M.A. Bediako. Emmanuel Osei, P.O. Mensah and Pastor Sackey.
The church has passed through a lot of difficulties; the outstanding one being a place of worship. Members do contribute weekly to pay for the place of worship. But one thing keeps them on: their faith in Christ as the leader and founder of the church. Today, the 15 member group has grown and counts more than 200 church members. It is not their might, nor their strength; but by the power of God that they have come so far. So they say “ EBENEZER”. This is where the Lord has brought them to.
Readers found this Ghana SDA Church webpage when they searched for: Michael asiamah
