The Ministry: PCC is partnered with Pastor Senyo Cudjoe of Biblical Discipleship & Growth Ministry. This ministry is focused on planting churches in the rural villages of Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Church planting is done through oral bible storytelling, music, drumming and dancing. Community transformation involves clean water projects, monthly medical clinics, the Houses of Hope village orphan support program, an orphanage, and Community Health Evangelism (CHE).
People group focus: BDGM focuses on church planting and community development in West Africa. Primary focus has been on the Ewe people group/tribe that live in the counties of Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. To date over 1,500 rural churches have been planted in these countries.
The Life Group: We are people who have an interest in what God is doing in Africa. . We meet for fellowship, prayer, and to support the church-planting, leadership development, and the community transformation projects described above. Each year the life group provides members to the mission teams that go to Ghana in support of the ministry.
Opportunities for Involvement:
- Bi-weekly prayer meetings are held in life group member’s home.
- Adopt a village orphan through the www.heartbeatforafrica.org web site.
- Provide monthly support for the construction of the Good Samaritan Orphanage
- Go on a short-term trip. Next trip is March 23-April 4, 2009.
Focus Team Leader: Ed Harrow, 298-5393 x 203; email hidden; JavaScript is required
The Biblical Discipleship and Growth Ministry (BDGM) is an indigenous, non-denominational, non-profit evangelistic church planting and training organization, planting churches in collaboration with evangelical churches among non-literate West Africans in the hinterlands, so that non-literate Africans can hear the word of God in their mother tongue (Africans reaching Africans). BDGM was incorporated 21 September 1998 in the Commonwealth of Ghana, registered Number G 14,350 with the Registrar General Department.
Mission Statement: BDGM seeks to provide learning/training opportunities for non-literate West Africans to hear, believe, accept, and share God’s love using the traditional learning styles of the indigenous people – storytelling, music, drumming, dancing, drama, and poetry – to internalize the word of God in order to become mature Christians.
Our challenge is based on Romans 10:14-15: “How then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of Whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?”
Vision Statement: Our vision is to disciple both literate and non-literate believers and train leaders in West Africa, as Grass Roots Church Planters (GRCPs) to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively, using Bible storytelling as traditional oral art to evangelize, disciple, and plant churches among the non-literate in the hinterlands, and minister to the spiritual and socioeconomic needs of the people with the cooperation of other Christian bodies of like-minded faith.
“We did not approach the government for help in any kind of project for relief for our people; we filled no lengthy application. Instead, a man of God came to us one day and said, ‘This is the village. These are the people the Lord said to bless with healthy water and a school; build a rain water catch system here.’ Glory and praise be to the Almighty God and Father who cares for us, and answers our prayer!” - from the address of the Togbewo (several headmen) of Ahornkofe Village in Juapong Mission Field, Ghana, West Africa, to the 2007 Mission Team, BDGM, and the entire village
Welcome Address from Ahornkofe Village.
History of BDGM: The founder and head of BDGM is Pastor Senyo Mawufemor Cudjoe, born 29 June 1961, at Mafi-Sasekpe in the Volta Region of Ghana. He accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Savior in 1986, and was baptized by immersion in December same year. By 1989, the call of God on his life became so strong that he formed an evangelism team, going from house to house in surrounding villages, sharing the Good News using tracts and pamphlets.
In 1995, Pastor Senyo and his evangelism team attempted to witness Christ in this manner in a village called Klokope, where 85% of the people were non-literate, and could not read the tracts and pamphlets the team distributed, even though the tracts and pamphlets were in Ewe, the native language of the people. The team, under the leadership of Pastor Senyo, decided to seek the face of the Lord for direction, and on the third day of fasting and prayer, the Lord spoke to him audibly in a powerful voice, saying “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your soul.” On 16 March 1996, God instructed him to birth the Biblical Discipleship and Growth Ministry to spearhead evangelistic church planting and training ministries among the people in rural West Africa.
BDGM Statement of Faith
At BDGM, we believe the following:
- We believe the Bible is the infallible Word of the Living God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and recorded by the holy men of old, and is of supreme and final authority. (2 Timothy 3:15-17, Hebrews 4:12, 1 Peter 1:23-25, 2 Peter 1:19-21)
- We believe in one true God revealed in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, making up the blessed Trinity. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 3:16-17, 1 John 5:6-7)
- We believe Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He led a sinless life, took on Himself all our sins, died, and rose on the third day, and is seated at the right hand of the Father as our Mediator and Advocate. (John 1:1, 14, 18, 3:16, Luke 1:30-35, Philippians 2:5-8, Acts 2:22-24, Matthew 24:44)
- We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine Person equal with the Father and the Son in essence and nature, possessing all divine attributes. We believe in His personality, power, works, and the manifestation of His gifts. He is given to the Church to be with her as Comforter and Helper. (John 15:16, 1 Corinthians 12)
- We believe salvation is by the grace of God received through faith in the Person of Jesus Christ, the only Mediator between God and man. (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5)
- We believe all people everywhere are lost and face the judgment of God, and need to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through His shed blood on the cross. (Galatians 3:22, Romans 6:23, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5)
- We believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is coming soon. (Luke 24:39-43, John 14:2-3, Romans 8:34, James 5:8, Acts 1:10-11)
- We believe in holy Christian living, and that we must have concern for the hurts and social needs of our fellow men. (Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:10, 4:11-12, Matthew 28:18-20)
- We believe baptism for the believer was instructed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and is a must for all who profess faith in Jesus Christ; it is identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. It should be administered the way Jesus did it, through immersion in water. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, Romans 6:3-5, Colossians 2:11-13, Acts 8:36)
- We believe the two ordinances of the Body of Christ are water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 11:24-26)
- We believe the Church is the Body of Christ of which Jesus is the Head and whose members are those who truly received Christ by faith. The purpose of the Church is to make Christ known to lost people, make disciples, and glorify God on earth. (Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 1:20-23)
Biblical Storytelling is the art of effectively communicating God’s message from Genesis through Revelation using the preferred learning styles of oral societies, which pass down information by oral tradition and memory through storytelling, music, poetry, and drama. Ancient Hebrews learned their sacred Scriptures from memory and not from books. The common man learned the Scriptures by listening to a teacher repeat the words over and over. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:18-20 confirmed that the entire books of the Old Testament were preserved orally for centuries. The Bible, God’s unified storybook sent with love to His creation, is made up primarily of stories: 75% is narrative/stories, 15% poetry, and 10% letters/ideas.
Get Involved!
Prayer Support. Prayer is our Number One need because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself commands it. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” Matthew 9:38. “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16.
GRCPs work sometimes in target areas quite hostile to the Gospel, and therefore need prayer support for protection and safety, as well as the Holy Spirit’s convicting of their hearers’ hearts. Sign up to be on the email prayer team today.
Sponsor a Field Leader. BDGM has 48 mission fields spread across Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, with missionary and pastoral partners in the Sudan and Kenya as well. These mission fields are coordinated by prayerfully selected field leaders, who have completed BDGM training in biblical storytelling methods. Each field leader supervises from 8 to 12 church planting activities in a given mission field, as well as their own villages. They are given a monthly motivational allowance of $50 for this tireless work.
Bicycles. Church planters travel 8 fatiguing and stressful kilometers and more to reach their target villages in very remote parts of the hinterlands, bringing the Good News to non-literates found there and nowhere else.
Seed. What is seed money and why is it important? Seed money is an amount of $50 given to each GRCP every year. GRCPs are mostly subsistence farmers, whose livelihood depends on farming. Because they do not receive any monthly allowances as church planters, we give them seed money, enabling them to sow two acres of farm land each year and boosting their morale so they can give their best in evangelizing the hinterland people.
There are two planting seasons. The major season begins late February through mid-May, while the minor season begins early September through late October each year.
What is the need? Each year we need $24,000 as seed money to be given to these 480 GRCPs: 170 GRCPs in Ghana, 160 in Togo, 130 in Benin, and 20 in Nigeria. Each GRCP receives $50 for the year.
Frequently asked questions:
Can a non-literate believer become a mature Christian and lead a church? The Bible is primarily made up of stories; it is God’s wisdom expressing itself largely through narratives. In fact, 75% of the Bible is narrative. This vast amount of stories can help a non-literate Christian to become mature in Christ and even lead others.
Does an oral, non-literate communicator convey and transfer knowledge and information in a different way than a person from the book culture? Yes. Unlike the literate, an oral communicator uses methods in listening, repetition, narrative, event and community-oriented memorization, stories, drama, and music to transfer knowledge and information.
Why is the use of the local language important in planting a truly indigenous church? Since the Tower of Babel, God in His great wisdom divided man with a multitude of languages and cultures. Using the local language makes people feel and accept their ethnic identity and language as valuable in God’s sight. They believe they speak a valid and authentic language understood by God. They in turn accept God as their God and not regard Him as a foreign God or the white man’s God.
Why are churches planted in villages not growing? Church planting is like planting corn, and for planted churches to grow, they must go through step-by-step processes. You cannot plant, harvest, and get bread from corn the same day. As such, church plants must go through the same step-by-step process. Failure to follow process leads to weak, dying, or non-reproductive churches.
Activities/Ministries
Leadership Training. BDGM is involved in leadership training of potential Christian leaders as well as leaders on the field. Leadership training involves communicating Christ effectively, church planting, and Biblical interpretation. Currently, the organization has 25 church planters in two years’ leadership training at four hours a week with breaks.
Biblical Storytelling. Storytelling is rooted in the African culture. It has been the means of preserving the history of most of the tribes for generations, and in most villages, is the main source of entertainment. BDGM gathers the people just as they do in local storytelling, chooses Bible stories in the context of the people’s culture. The stories are told in their local dialect, and the purpose and meaning of the scripture is maintained and communicated.
BDGM operates in communities where African traditional religious practices are still deeply rooted among the people. Almost every family has a specific deity worshiped by the members of that family or clan. Islamic religion is also making inroads at a high pace among the people. Those who embrace the Gospel are often no longer considered part of the family. New converts are treated with contempt because they no longer take part in the religious practices. Eventually, in the case of death or permanent disability, dependents of these believers look to the Church for survival. BDGM currently takes care of 52 children whose guardians are deceased.
Project Justification. The project draws its justification from the increasing number of orphans suffering for lack of care and basic life support and education. The situation is worsened by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and conflicts within the region where the organization operates. The project seeks to mitigate the plight of these orphans who, for no fault of their own, have become destitute, rejected by their families and fending for themselves. It is envisioned that this intervention will address the plight of these orphans through the provision of basic life support in the form of shelter, clothing, food, basic education, and basic health care, offering them hope for the future.
In addition, there is the dreaded HIV/AIDS pandemic, declared by the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS as Africa’s worst killer. On the continent, sub-Saharan Africa is hardest hit due to poverty, illiteracy, and lack of information. The HIV Sentinel Survey conducted in 2004 revealed 28 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are living with this disease, not including unrecorded cases. In Ghana, at a prevalence rate of 3.6%, an estimated 130 people contract the disease daily and the incidence is highest in the 15-49 age group. By 2003, the Ministry of Health recorded 29,990 deaths from AIDS, resulting in over 111,921 AIDS orphans.
In the Ho municipality, where the project is located, the prevalence rate in 2004 reached 5.8% and is increasing. 12.6% of the 835 cases recorded in the Volta Region from January to June 2004 were in Ho. Dependents of patients who are either dead or out of active employment suffer the stigma of HIV and become destitute. Many of them end up on the streets where they are exposed to harsh conditions and various crimes.
BDGM believes that in order to make its goal of proclaiming Christ to the people achievable and sustainable, it should share the spiritual and emotional burden of believers; thus the establishment of Good Samaritan Home would help provide basic humanitarian services, as well as secure the continuity of the Gospel.
Contact Us
Executive Director Pastor Senyo M. Cudjoe
Biblical Discipleship and Growth Ministry
P.O. Box HP 1127
Ho, Volta Region
Ghana, West Africa
Phone: +233-91-28101
Mobile: +233-24-4011169/4044938
email: email hidden; JavaScript is required
email hidden; JavaScript is required
website: www.africalovesjesus.org
US Partners’ Contact Information
Edward D. Harrow
Africa Coordinator
Pantano Christian Church
10355 E. 29th Street
Tucson, AZ 85748 USA
Phone: 001-520-749-9491
Phone: 001-520-298-5395
Mobile: 001-520-870-8224
email: email hidden; JavaScript is required
email hidden; JavaScript is required
Bankers:
Donations to support BDGM should be wire-transferred through:
CITIBANK NA
111 Wall Street
New York, NY 10043
Account Number 36964987 of Agricultural Development Bank, Ltd. Of Accra, Ghana
Favoring Biblical Discipleship and Growth Ministry Account Number 5051000000825, Denu Branch.
Most Pressing BDGM Needs:
Bicycles at $90 for all remaining 280 GRCPs
Annual seed money, $50 for each of the 480 GRCPs
Motor bikes at $750 each for all remaining 38 field leaders
Good Samaritan Home Project: Support the orphanage.
