GHANA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Ghana United Methodist Women’s Fellowship (GUMWF) in the Bronx is one organization in Ghana United Methodist Church which began in 1991 with approximately six members:

1st President                 Sister Grace Oteng-Sarkodie       1991 - 1994. 

2nd President               Sister Elizabeth Sarfo                    1994 - 1996.

3rd President                Sister Charity Dede Campbell      1996 - 2000.

4th President                Sister Joyce Donkor                        2000 –2003.

5th President                Sister Rebecca Adjei-Ofori            2004 - 2007.

She was re-  elected for another 3-year term from 2007-2010.

6th President                Sis Esther Abu Carr-Okrah            2010 - 2013.

She served a second term from 2013-2016.

7th and current president - Sis Jocelyn Adusei Banahene - August 30, 2016 - present.

At present our membership stands at 90.

GUMWF follows the purpose of United Methodist Women: To know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.

Greetings:

“Make You His Service Your Delight and He Will Make Your Wants His Care” In Akan “Nyame N’edwuma Na Hwe, Ama Wodze Ako Do”

        

Goals: The goals of the fellowship are:            

• To unite all adult females in the Ghana United Methodist Church and to know God with all our heart, mind and soul.

• To experience freedom through forgiveness, Bible readings and teaching members to know that forgiveness is really about empowering yourself and taking back control of one’s life.

• To foster spiritual growth through fasting and prayers; It is our prayers that our life experiences are evidence that we indeed know God.

• To develop a supportive fellowship among ourselves and our community.

 

We express our concern and love by visiting members who get sick or loose a loved one. During visitation, we sing and pray in our golden language (Akan). We create humor and laughter to uplift a member who is sick or has lost a loved one. We also celebrate happy occasions with members. We do mission work back home in Ghana- to help the less fortunate 

 

Status:

The Ghana United Methodist Women’s Fellowship participates in Metropolitan North District, New York Annual Conferences and National programs. The fellowship has been held in such high esteem that we have a representative at both the District and Conference levels. We take meetings at our local and district units seriously and learn a lot from each other. Local meetings are held every second and last Tuesdays of each month. At our meetings, we pray and also receive lectures, training, workshop and seminars from professionals from different backgrounds to improve the knowledge and skills of members, and also improve relationships with friends and love ones.

 

Long and Short-Term programs:

The Fellowship celebrates Annual Anniversaries to raise funds for our mission and to support different projects of the church. Furthermore, the Fellowship intends to continue to participate actively in the District, Conference and National programs.

 

Achievements:

Since the fellowship started in 1991, membership has expanded up until now, and it’s still growing. In the year 2004 to 2010, under the leadership of Sis Rebecca Adjei Ofori, the organization was awarded a 5 Star and a Gold Certificate due to our vast participation in both district and conference levels. In the year 2010, our 6th president, Sis Esther Abu Carr Okrah and her then Vice Sis Regina Adusei designed a cloth for the North America Circuit, of which we were the first to use for our 20th Anniversary Celebration successfully hosted by us in the Bronx, as well as the 2nd Annual Circuit Conference which was held and hosted by Brooklyn District.  Our 2nd Annual Conference was hosted by the Brooklyn Circuit in June 2012, in which Sister Regina Adusei and Sister Esther Abu Carr Okrah were chosen to represent the North America Circuit with a donation of $700.00 in support of the renovation of the Connectional Women’s Center in Ghana. The 6th Circuit conference was hosted by us again in the month of June 2016. We also helped greatly in the purchase of our 1st church Van.

 

Membership:

Membership is open to all Christian women who are interested in joining the fellowship.

 

The following are the current executives elected in the year 2016 to serve for the next three years.

• President                            Sis.  Jocelyn Adusei Banahene

• Vice President                    Sis. Victoria Okyere Manu

• Secretary                             Sis.  Joyce Mensah Quaye

• Assistant Secretary            Sis.  Augustina O. Amoako

• Treasurer                             Sis. Lucy Boahen

• Financial Secretary             Sis. Beatrice Quartey

• Social Action Coordinator Sis. Grace Yeboah Arthur

• Spiritual Growth                 Sis. Joyce Frimpong

• Porter                                   Sis.  Akua Sireboe

 

Nominations Committee Chairperson

Sister Mary Tawiah

 

Group Leaders

Co-op City Group Leader                        Sis. Margaret Serwaah Manu

Assistant                                                    Sis. Rebecca Poku

Park Chester Group Leader                    Sis. Doris Boateng

Assistant                                                    Sis. Sarah Aboagyewaah-Nkansah

Sedgwick/Univ/ Sheridan Leader:         Sis. Grace Biney

Assistant                                                    Sis. Mavis Bortse

Valentine/Walton Group Leader            Sis. Rita Adu Amoako

Assistant                                                    Sis. Augustina Osei Amoako

​

Mothers and  Advisors

Sister.  Grace Oteng Sarkodie

Sister.  Rebecca Adjei Ofori

 Osofo Maame Sis Elizabeth Nketsia

Sis Regina Adusei

 

By-Laws and Regulations:

The Fellowship follows the

United Methodist Women’s local by-laws and regulations. We have special attire for occasions that conform to our traditions of the Methodist church in Ghana. Members of GUMWF contribute tremendously to our local church spiritually, financially, and physically. We have cordial and supportive relationships with all the organizations in the church especially The Men’s Fellowship.

Furthermore, we continue the good relationship we have with the Ghana Methodist Women’s Fellowship back home in Ghana. We also share and exchange ideas

 

ABOVE ALL, WE ENJOY DOING OUR BEST BELIEVING THAT IF WE MAKE GOD’S SERVICE OUR DELIGHT, HE WILL MAKE OUR WANTS HIS CARE