Less than three years from now, 1,000 participants in the 24th general council will descend on Accra. An Alliance delegation to Ghana this month found the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana already preparing to host the meeting.

The main site proposed for the general council is the University of Ghana, in Legon, Accra. The Alliance delegates toured the campus in search of the best locations for worship, meetings and Bible study, looked at offices for the council secretariat, and visited the student dormitories and other housing facilities.

"The campus is an ideal location", Doug Chial says, "with great infrastructure, and ample space for all our needs. Delegates can walk in less than ten minutes to the proposed worship and meeting venues from all the dormitories we are likely to use." Chial is a Geneva-based member of the general council coordination team.

"The most exciting proposal is to build a stage and raise tents for open-air worship in a large field at the centre of the campus. Worship in this space should really inspire the council."

Local members of the general council worship committee told the delegation of their plans for a resident youth choir, an evening of singing with local church choirs, and other ways to share Ghana's rich culture through drama and dance.

Celebration is at the heart of Ghanaian worship and services overflow with prayer, song and dance. In visits to five congregations, the Alliance delegates felt the warmth of Ghanaian hospitality and the rich spiritual life of the hosting churches.

The national organizing committee for the council includes four people who are nationally renowned for their leadership in worship and music. Council participants can expect worship, singing and dancing to be among their strongest memories.

The Alliance team also visited Trinity Theological Seminary and held discussions with Emmanuel Asante, the seminary's president. Trinity is the proposed venue for an international programme for ministry students that will run for three weeks in parallel with the council. Participants will be able to share in general council deliberations and celebrations - and to gain credit.

The Warc delegation included Setri Nyomi (general secretary), Lydia Adajawah (executive committee), JOY Mante (general council coordination, Ghana), Doug Chial (general council coordination, Geneva) and Renate Herdrich (finance coordinator). The visit gave the two churches an opportunity to welcome home Warc's general secretary - with open arms and obvious pride.

Alliance churches in Ghana will do much more than host the general council. They are clearly committed to involving their members in reflection on the theme "That All may have Life in Fullness" (Jn 10.10). Setri Nyomi told a packed meeting of ministers from the two churches in the Greater Accra region that they will play a crucial role in engaging their congregations in practical and spiritual support.

National organizing committee inaugurated

Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in Osu, downtown Accra, is Ghana's oldest Reformed congregation. Over 300 pastors, parishioners and choir members gathered there on November 17 to inaugurate the national organizing committee.

Setri Nyomi told them that hosting the general council is a privilege. It will bring the entire world's attention on Ghana in the run-up to the council. It will involve the entire world in praying with Ghana.

It is also a responsibility, he said.

"Ghanaians are very good at hospitality. But it is not easy, especially in these challenging times. We are grateful for the leadership of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana and the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for opening their doors wide to the world Presbyterian and Reformed family. We are grateful to JOY Mante and to the women and men serving on the national organizing committee for agreeing to accept this challenging task. We are grateful to the government and peoples of Ghana, for we are not just coming to the Presbyterian family. We are coming to engage in a pastoral visit to Ghana."

The national organizing committee is chaired by JOY Mante, academic dean of Trinity Theological Seminary and the Ghana-based general council coordinator. Its nineteen members will tend to arrivals, immigration, transportation, housing, meals, publicity, health services and fundraising.

George P Hagan, chairman of Ghana's National Commission on Culture, chaired the inauguration, with HE Ambassador BG Godwyll, chief director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the guest of honour. The moderators of the two host churches - Livingstone K Buama (Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana) and Sam Prempeh (Presbyterian Church of Ghana) - also took part.

During the inauguration, Emmanuel Som-Tetteh, a member of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, received $1,000 for his prize-winning entry in the all-Africa general council logo competition.

At the centre of the logo is the Gye Nyame ("except God") symbol. An Akan proverb says: "The great panorama of creation dates back to time immemorial, no one lives who saw its beginning, no one will live to see its end - except God."