FROM BASEL MISSION TO P-SICE/P-YICE; MISSION THEN, MISSION NOW AND MISSION TOMMOROW

From Basel mission to P-SICE, much has occurred that I have not had the privilege to witness nor to experience in the years that I have been a member of the Presbyterian Church since 2006 when I first joined the Junior Youth (JY) fellowship. Fortunately, one can glean some information from the web and that is how I have come to gain some knowledge of the history of the Basel mission. And though I feel so unconnected to the people that played some role, major or minor, to the formation and success of the Basel Mission Society and pioneered the work of missions in the world, I cannot help but admire their faithfulness and courage. Their boldness and faith in God to the point of abandoning their homes for the sake of spreading the word of God is truly remarkable and inspiring.
According to Basel chronicles, the society was a venture to train missionaries for the colonial fields and prospective territories of the protestant colonial powers. The chroniclers stipulate that the purpose, timing, location of the society is with reference to a threat by the French to blow up Basel. Then a group of faithful Christians, both clergymen and laymen, made a promise to God that if He spared their city, they would establish a seminary, train missionaries and preach the word of God to the world. Their proposition, it seems was honored by God and they in turn honored their part of the bargain.
In the advent of its formation, God has been faithful and touched the hearts of many to support the Basel Mission Society. Individuals gave their resources and one such individual was the well-connected business man Carl Friedrich Adolf Steinkopf (1773-1859). He was instrumental in forming the Basel committee and facilitated the placement of candidates from Berlin. He also worked hard at building bridges across confessional and national boundaries. Despite his efforts at these bridges, factionalism took hold of the movement in the 1820’s.
When Basel turned its attention to Africa, Ghana (1828), individuals like Johannes Zimmerman (1825-1876) and Johann Gottlieb Christaller (1827-1895) came to Ghana, then the Gold Coast in 1850 and 1853 respectively. These men gave all their resources and even lives towards the spread of the gospel in the Gold Coast. Zimmerman was instrumental in making Ga a literary language of the Ga-Adangbe people of southeastern Ghana. Christaller also made Twi the most important African literary language in Ghana. And with the help of two African colleagues coupled with his linguistics skills, he translated the bible into Twi. Zimmerman made contributions to the Gold Coast as well in the field of literature. He taught at a boy’s school and a small catechist seminary. He set up a small Christian community at Abokobi with the assistance of another missionary, August Steinhauser. There he brought a local fetish priest, Paul Mohenu in 1857, to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; one of his greatest achievement . he also worked at Odumase, where he was transferred to open a new station. He was there till 1872, when failing health made him leave to Europe for a year.
These selfless men were products of the Basel Mission training in Basel, Switzerland and contributed immensely in the spread of the gospel in the Gold Coast.
Now Presbyterian Students-In-Church –Evangelism (P-SICE is one of the major activities the National Union of Presbyterian Students Ghana (NUPS-G) organizes. It is an evangelism programme that the students embark on in the long vacation periods. This evangelistic activity is geared towards the urban and rural areas of selected presbyteries. An assessment of the programme shows that it has been held in almost every part of the country. The first of its kind was held in 1986 in the Anum Congragation. Other centres have been Asamankese (1987,88,89), Salaga (1989), Nsawam (1989), Bodada (1990), New Tafo (1990,92), Kwahu Tafo (1990) and the Nzema Mission Field (1994). Averagely about one thousand (1000) tertiary students from the universities, polytechnics, teacher and nursing training colleges participate in the P-SICE programme each year.
Like the people from the Basel Mission these zealous and young men and women sacrifice so much to the success of P-SICE every year. Many give donations in cash and kind to support the programme. It is also remarkable that they abandon the luxury and comfort of their homes for the deep rural areas for two weeks, serving God and the church. The preparation that goes into the organization of P-SICE in the various tertiary institutions places a great demand on the young men and women who avail themselves to serve on the planning committees. Their studies are put under a strain and yet their loyalty to God and the energy they put into the planning of the programme makes them more than conquerors, literally. Their motivation is from Matthew 28:19. This mandates them as believers to go and make disciples all over the world. Through activities such as open air crusades, house to house evangelism, dawn broadcasting and fellowships with local congregations, P-SICE has become a training ground for the future leaders of the church as these young ones challenge themselves with such godly leadership responsibilities.
Mission was on the heart of the church in the times of Basel Mission, it still is on our hearts today and I believe our children and grandchildren will bear the burden of mission tomorrow. In the 19th century when the likes of Zimmerman and Christaller came to our shores, they didn’t have it all on a silver platter. They faced the challenge of failing health and many times political and cultural hindrances. Today P-SICE is without its challenges. The little experience I have had during my tertiary education is that though we have a number going with us to the rural areas, there are a many more believers who cannot be bothered with the work of missions. While Christaller had the desire at an early age to become a missionary, there are young Presbyterian men and women who have no zeal for missions. I knew friends who used mosquitos as an excuse to evade P-SICE and it is sad to hear such flimsy excuses when you think of many fellows that abandoned their “perfectly beautiful” homelands for a “sun scotching mosquito infested” Africa. If Zimmerman or Christaller had made half the excuses we make, where would be our Twi and Ga bibles? Much more, if Jesus had made excuses where would be our stand before God?
Another challenge is with financially support. It takes so much to organize P-SICE and it will be less straining if all Presbyterians will come in and support this venture. If you cannot go, your money and your substance can go. We need more people like Steinkopf to push the work of ministry today.
I will end by saying that, the gospel will be preached whether we decide to do missions or not. And though we are in the end times, the end is not yet come. As I said to some fellow students a year ago, ‘This world isn’t going to get better and so we must desire for our heavenly city more and more and keep in mind the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come” (KJV).’ Let us put on our mission garments and go out into the world with the gospel of salvation. Till they hear and are saved let us not keep silent. Let us rise and preach.

© AMU OBED MAWUTOH