William and Ophelia's Blog
William joined us in the first week of January 2003 as a PHD student at the University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus for a course in Agricultural Sciences. His wife Ophelia and their daughters Baaba and Ewura Adwoa joined him in July 2003. They went through a lot of challenges but God took them through a day at a time and finally put a smile on their faces with great success. The family has been a great inspiration to many people.
William has now graduated and returned to Ghana to take up his old job. He and Ophelia will continue to be involved in work of Christian Outreach Complex, the Christian Ministry that they were involved with before they left. At the moment, their vision is to raise funds for the Centre for the Victims of Domestic Violence and Homeless (CVDH), which is in the primary phase of its set up.
They aim to keep in touch to let us know how life is going back in Ghana.
It was raining when we arrived in Ghana with temperature range of 18oC to 20oC. To the normal Ghanaian, it was cold but to us it was warm. However it was the best weather we enjoyed in our first week in Ghana. The next morning the temperature increased to 25 oC and it became hotter in the afternoon. At a point it was very uncomfortable and unbearable for us. We were sweating like the “pregnant fish” and could hardly put on any dress. We had no choice but to resort to putting on sleeveless vest, staying under the fan or in the air condition.
Little did we know that some challenges joined the host of the welcoming package. Though we expected it to come sometime in life, we were of the opinion that the challenges came too sooner than later.
To begin with there were massive development all over the place and we even lost our bearings. We also became strangers to our own currency. We lost our proposed site for the centre for victims of domestic violence and homeless because of our inability to raise funds to pay for the site. What is even more challenging had to do with our time of arrival. We return to Ghana early June to avoid the summer hike in air plane ticket, but we have to pay dearly to that. No school will admit Baaba and Ewura Adwoa until mid September. They are therefore confined to the house. Also we are still trusting God for a job for Ophelia since she has applied for re-instatement in her former job. The accommodation given to us by my employer is going through rehabilitation and refurbishment. So we have been living in the company’s guest house.
But thanks be to God who is taking us through every situation a day at a time. He has given us the peace of mind and the joy in the Lord Jesus Christ to be calm in Him. He has given us the strength to go through all our commitments, Church and ministry engagements which are becoming busier and heavily loaded everyday. As we sing along with the song writer that: “… no ever cares for us like Jesus … oh how much great He cares for us”, we are inspired to stay in the arms on Jesus and enjoy His mercy, kindness, goodness and above all His love and compassion.
All too soon the wise saying in the Bible that: “To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) has truly come to pass and as children of God, we always have testimonies to share. After four and a half years in Sutton Bonington, UK, it was time to return to our Country of origin. Should we call it the “BIG MOVE” or “THE EXODUS”? Having shipped our personal effects, we relocated to London just for one week before heading home.
The purpose of this one week transitional period was to help the family to adjust or so to say acclimatized to the high temperature condition however, no one expected a drama. We had some fun though, but our stay in London almost became sour. Ophelia and the children were caught up in a bomb scare. They were all in the shopping mall when Baaba was asked to stay in a particular shop and receive some hair treatment while Ophelia rushed to another shop outside the shopping mall with Wilhemina to buy some hair decorations for the children. Ophelia returned within 15 minutes but was not allowed to enter the shopping mall because it was suspected that a bomb had been planted in the shopping mall. The whole market was cordoned by the police while waiting for the bomb squad to arrive. No one was allowed in neither was any one allowed out.
In the midst of the confusion, God gave Ophelia the wisdom to phone me. I calmed the nerves of Ophelia and Wilhemina and immediately, I made contact with Baaba through a phone in the shop and calmed her nerves too. I then phoned some one who knows the shopping mall very well within a short time he used a back door to get the family together and by the grace of God get them out of the mess.
In spite of the bomb scare, we enjoyed our stay in London. We toured the old original London. It was even more fun when we were on the boat since it was the first time for the children. Our flight home was smooth and we arrived on time to a very good welcome. At the airport to welcome us were: family members, officials from my office, brethren from the assemblies of God and the Methodist church.
Weekly Activities
10:45am & 6:15pm
All are welcome to join us.
There are tapes of the sermons preached in the church over the last three years. Please email Jerry Griffiths to find out more about what is available.
Sunday 10:45am
On average around fifteen children attend the Junior Church every Sunday morning. The children are aged between three and eleven. They are divided into two age groups according to their age, meeting for news and songs at the beginning and again at the end of the meeting. There are four teachers and four helpers that work with the children.
The Junior Church aims to teach about the bible and how it can be applied to everyday life. It also enables the children to talk about their lives and how God helps and guides them, giving opportunity for them to praise and thank God for what he has done. Children learn through many varied activities and get involved themselves by bringing books, stories and news to share.
Each Christmas the Junior Church puts on a play where all take part. This year "Time" was the theme. Children acted out the Nativity and Easter story showing the time when Jesus came to earth. It also asked poignant question about how we all use our time and efforts.
The Junior Church welcomes all to come and worship and learn more about the God of the bible.
For further information contact Louise Waters on (01509) 672633.
Last Monday of month
A club for fairly active retired or semi-retired men (50+) which meets on the last Monday in each month. Activities include easy walks - ussually in The Peak District or Leicestershire and visits to various places of interest, followed by a pub lunch. Good conversation and gentle humour abound.
Contact: John Dickens (01509) 673007
Tuesdays & Fridays 9.45am (term time)
Sutton Bonington Mothers & Toddlers group. Meet every Tuesday & Friday from 9.45am till 12 noon. Everyone is welcome from birth to 4 years of age.
Contact Katharine Hebblethwaite for more details.
Phone 01509 672889
Tuesdays 3.45pm
ASK? is a youth club for (yrs 3-6)
We run our programme during school term times. Our programme typically consists of craft, snacks, question times,creative Christian talks and activities and active games.
For further information telephone Beth Cumming on (01509) 843923 or email her.
Tuesdays 7.45pm
Rock Solid is resourced by Youth for Christ, which is an organisation specialising in providing resources for youth work. The material we use is specifically geared towards the 11-14 age group, with its particular tastes, interests and needs in mind and provides young people with an opportunity to explore major life issues and choices from a Christian perspective. The overall programme is high-energy, exciting with lots of activities and lots to think about.
Special events and nights out are also a regular part of the programme.
For further information contact David and Karen Gray on 01509 674762 or email them.
Wednesdays 8pm
A club for years 10 and above (14+yrs),
Meets Wednesday evenings 8pm-9.30pm
Leaders
Sarah and Paul Tremeer, Brian Butler, Paddy McGhee, Martin Steel
The club meets for social club nights, trips out, discussions about relevant issues from a Christian perspective and much more!
For more info contact Paul and Sarah Tel. 01509 672917
Small groups - Fornightly on Thursdays & Fridays
Prayer meetings - Fortnightly on Thursday's 7.45pm
We have a number of small groups meeting in peoples homes at different times and days to suit everybody. These groups for the purpose of supporting and encouraging one another. These meetings usually include an opportunity to pray together and study the bible.
The small groups meet once every two weeks.
The meeting on the alternate Thursday is an all together meeting for prayer and praise in the church lounge. We have a time of open praise followed by a special prayer topic. We also pray for people and events in the church and community as well as for friends and members of the church family serving God in different parts of the world.
From time to time we run enquirers groups for those who want find out more about Christian faith. This may be an Alpha course or something similar.
If you would like to find out more about the small groups please contact Pastor John Hebblethwaite on (01509) 672889
Alternate Wednesdays 10.30am
Coffee Break meets alternate Wednesdays from 10.30am to 12 midday in the Baptist Church lounge Sutton Bonington. It's a chance for retired people to meet and enjoy chat and friendship over tea / coffee and biscuits, followed by fellowship through varied and interesting speakers. A warm welcome is given to all and an offer of transport is also available.
Contact: Iris Bonner (01509) 672788 or Mu Miller (01509) 670231 email
Wednesdays 7.45pm
Meets weekly on a Wednesday evening at 7.45pm (in a home). All welcome! For further details of venue, or for transport, please phone Val Thomson on (01509) 670104, or e-mail Val.
Alternate Thursdays 1.30pm
Are you new to this country? Would you like to know more about life in the UK and enjoy friendship in a relaxed atmosphere (with opportunity to practice your English too!)? Perhaps you may like to share a little about your country and customs with us! You will be most welcome to join us, together with your children.
We meet on two Thursdays a month at 1.30pm in the lounge of the Baptist Church in Sutton
Bonington (next to the Post Office). We aim to finish around 3.20pm. On one Thursday we have a programme which includes outings, cooking, crafts, discussions etc, and on the other Thursday we have opportunity to look at the Bible to learn together what it has to say for our daily lives as women.
Once a month on a Friday evening we have fun having dinner together in someone’s home - a chance to relax without the children!
Please do contact Val if you would like further information.
Visit our web page to see what we have been doing recently.
Alternate Thursdays 1.30pm
Meeting on the alternate Thursday at 1.30pm, contact Val Thomson on (01509) 670104 or e-mail Val for further details or transport if needed.
Other special events throughout the year are also held, eg at the Lunar New Year, and at Christmas, contact Val for details.
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