The Korle Gonno Central Seventh-day Adventist Church has officially launched the Costal Crusaders Club following the successful completion of a five-year child evangelism strategy that transformed the lives of children and families within the Korle Gonno and Chorkor communities.
The launch of the Costal Crusaders Club marks a new phase of youth-centered evangelism by the church after leaders described the initial outreach mission as impactful, fruitful and life changing.
Church leaders explained that the evangelism strategy began in 2019 under the Southern Ghana Union Conference’s “OYIM, One Year in Mission” programme, which sought to mobilize young people into communities to spread the gospel and identify pressing social challenges.
Korle Gonno Central SDA Church had six representatives participating in the pilot programme, where members adopted Christ’s method of evangelism through direct community engagement and needs assessments.
Through the outreach activities, the church identified several major challenges affecting residents in Korle Gonno and Chorkor, including poor interest in education among children, choked gutters and open defecation in coastal communities.
Following the assessment, the church developed a child evangelism strategy focused on education, mentorship and spiritual growth.
Although initial plans for vacation schools and Pathfinder programmes faced setbacks due to the work schedules of volunteers and later the outbreak of COVID-19, the church remained committed to the mission.
In April 2021, Korle Gonno Central SDA Church officially launched a weekend school outreach programme to support vulnerable children through academic assistance and spiritual guidance.
Church leaders recalled that the first outreach day recorded no attendance despite extensive preparations, but the following day seven children attended, giving hope to the mission.
Since then, the church has consistently transported children from surrounding communities to church every weekend, where they are fed and taken through lessons in English, Mathematics and Science alongside biblical teachings and mentorship sessions.
The church disclosed that more than 150 children have benefited from the programme over the past five years, with between 40 and 75 children attending regularly.
As part of the spiritual impact of the outreach, 14 children and three parents connected to the programme have been baptized.
Leaders of the church said the success of the child evangelism strategy inspired the official inauguration of the Costal Crusaders Club to sustain and expand the mission among young people in coastal communities.
Under the Costal Crusaders initiative, the youth will spearhead a Community Youth Evangelism programme aimed at attracting more young people into the church through practical and youth-focused outreach methods.
The church observed that traditional evangelism methods no longer attract many young people, making strategic youth engagement necessary.
To sustain the next phase of the Costal Crusaders programme, the church is seeking support for evangelism materials, feeding programmes, educational assistance for children and camping activities.
Korle Gonno Central SDA Church estimates that GH¢275,000 will be required from May to December to support the continuation and expansion of the Costal Crusaders outreach mission.
The church appealed to members, philanthropists and the general public to support the Costal Crusaders initiative to help transform more lives through education, mentorship and the gospel.
