Christian First: Me & Church Through The Years
I am a child of God (I really believe that based on the love He has shown me all these years). I am a Christian. I am a Catholic. I grew up in the Our Lady of Holy Rosary Catholic Church - KNUST Catholic in Kumasi. I had my first communion there after years of Sunday School and my confirmation. In Ghana, church going is a major thing for Christians. It is part of society, it is part of social life, in fact, it is a place for networking. It is a place for learning, for catching up on the gospel and with each other. I have not only lived in Ghana though and that is where the crux of this blog post comes up from.
1 Saturday in 2024, I was on the Konnect Kouch for Sunyani Konnect thanks to the proactiveness of Wilhemina Nunu. I was asked some questions about (my) religion. My answers drove me to do this blog post. The Konnect Kouch is a version of hot seat
in Konnect Groups for its members. These Konnect Groups are WhatsApp Groups run by or in conjuncation with the GhanaThink Foundation. Read more about it via Konnect 
and watch this video to see a physical version from a Barcamp in Ghana, and snippets from a virtual version around a Konnect Meetup.
I have always been religious as far as I could remember, praying, obeying the 10 commandments, following principles of Christianity, observing and engaging in Catholic practices, etc. I always tell people about Presec (my high school) is such a religious school. You have not noticed? Our God is Gr8. We Seven a Living God. While at Presec, we could gather for organized prayer like 4 times a day! I even became the vice-president of the Catholic Students' Association at Presec-Legon. But more than 50% of the Presecans were more religious than me. Can you imagine that? I don't know Kirk Franklin can if he read this, or heard about Presec when he came to Ghana recently, and was performing nearby at UPSA.
I went to the US in 2001, with a major focus on going to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For that 1 year in Syracuse, I did not go to church much. I was living with my dad and he was not going as much, which influenced me. MIT, on the other hand, compared to the last academic institution I was in (Presec), was a different ball game. This world-class, top tertiary academic institution, was dominated by many who were not very religious or straight up atheists. At MIT, I was more religious than 70% of all students and staff. I was not going to the MIT Catholic church much. It was a bit too esoteric and not as engaging as Catholic church services in Ghana. In fact, I became a major part of a campus ministry - more charismatic. In fact, we created this Victory Campus Ministry club as part of the church I ended up going to in Boston - Morning Star International. This church had a white (Republican) pastor and had folks from all walks of life & corners of the earth. I remember when we as MIT-VCM would set up desks as part of Student Activities Fairs at MIT. Students and others in the MIT community would walk right past us because we were a religious organization. I said wow then, and I would still say Wow now.
While at Stanford, I had some of my lowest times academically. I took to God to help me. I would sing some of my favorite gospel songs in the shower, even in private public rooms at Stanford. I would sing some of these favorite gospel songs which were introduced to me by my Presec times, my VCM days, thanks to people like Phelele (my first girlfriend), my sisters, etc. Phelele got me extra hooked on Kirk Franklin and South African gospel music. Thanks to Museke, I started to listen to gospel music from Dr Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, etc. I started going to masses at the Stanford Catholic Church, I remember when we had Ladysmith Black Mambazo come to perform in this church! I also joined my Stanford and other Bay Area friends at the Abundant Life Christian Fellowship church in Mountain View, which had mostly African-American pastors & congregation. Everywhere I go, I am looking for Ghanaians you know. I also ended up going to the Lighthouse Chapel and Pentecost branches in Oakland, California - predominantly Ghanaian churches.
Since I returned to Ghana in 2011, I have not been going to church much at all. It started this way because I wanted to rest on Sundays after partying so much on weekends. And then I would spend lots of weekends being at Barcamps, and elsewhere outside of Accra. I also think living my own, and away from my parents and my siblings who would make me go to church, caused this. My cousin once invited me to go to Agape House in East Legon, which I really loved and blogged about. I visited a Lighthouse Chapel branch once at Airport West Hotel thanks to my manager at Rancard, Ehi Binitie, as well. I have more recently been to the Adonai Grace Hub, a church run by my brother-in-law as well. In Ghana, a lot of weddings, funerals & cultural or social events have church tied into it, and that increased my church-going count. Have I been to a church (service) in another country aside Ghana and the US? I can't remember.
I have been to Mary Mother of Good Counsel Church in Airport Res multiple times thanks to Auntie Gloria and Divine Mercy Catholic Church in East Legon thanks to Sister Irene. I started fellowshipping at Christ The King Catholic Church more seriously ahead of my marriage to my wife, Tracy. I really enjoyed the marriage counselling classes there as well. I hardly go to CTK Parish, but today I watched the stream for the service - Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Clap for me eh? Basically, I have decided that even if I would not go to church as much, I would listen to more gospel music, watch streaming services from churches I admire, on YouTube, TV, etc. So help me God.
1 Saturday in 2024, I was on the Konnect Kouch for Sunyani Konnect thanks to the proactiveness of Wilhemina Nunu. I was asked some questions about (my) religion. My answers drove me to do this blog post. The Konnect Kouch is a version of hot seat
in Konnect Groups for its members. These Konnect Groups are WhatsApp Groups run by or in conjuncation with the GhanaThink Foundation. Read more about it via Konnect and watch this video to see a physical version from a Barcamp in Ghana, and snippets from a virtual version around a Konnect Meetup.Charles Kyeree: And why aren't you active in church activities? I'm not active as well but tell me your secret please..
Ato Ulzen-Appiah: I don't have as much time for church activities. I use my Sunday to rest.
I'm still very much a Christian and try to be like Christ.
Charles Kyeree: There is a philosophy in church that the more you give to God or the more you give out, the more it comes back... How true is this philosophy Sir?
I was also told that in order to be rich you need to be stingy at times.. you have it and say nothing is there ... How true is that one too?
Ato Ulzen-Appiah: I don't pay much in collection or tithes so I can't speak to this. Others can say whether it is really true or not.
David Amoah: Ato, please do you think not participating in the activities in the church you go can still make you get a reward from God when you die? And do you believe in heaven and hell? If yes, what do you think one may do to get to any of these?
Ato Ulzen-Appiah: I believe in heaven and hell. I'm a Christian. I'm not here to preach. I know God would reward me here on earth and in heaven because He knows my mind, my heart and what I do. I see it in my life, I believe in karma as well. If I do good for people, good things would happen for me. I have several examples. Positivity rules.
David Amoah: Why don't you have time for church activities? Is it based on your experience from your stay abroad?
Ato Ulzen-Appiah: I'd say my experience from aboard has definitely shaped how I don't get to church too much. I have met too many good and moral people who don't believe in God or participate in religious activities. It's about deeds and morals, not being religious or faith.
In Ghana, we really need to change and be better. If we say we're really religious, it should show in what we do, how we act, how we treat and help each other, etc.
I have always been religious as far as I could remember, praying, obeying the 10 commandments, following principles of Christianity, observing and engaging in Catholic practices, etc. I always tell people about Presec (my high school) is such a religious school. You have not noticed? Our God is Gr8. We Seven a Living God. While at Presec, we could gather for organized prayer like 4 times a day! I even became the vice-president of the Catholic Students' Association at Presec-Legon. But more than 50% of the Presecans were more religious than me. Can you imagine that? I don't know Kirk Franklin can if he read this, or heard about Presec when he came to Ghana recently, and was performing nearby at UPSA.
I went to the US in 2001, with a major focus on going to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For that 1 year in Syracuse, I did not go to church much. I was living with my dad and he was not going as much, which influenced me. MIT, on the other hand, compared to the last academic institution I was in (Presec), was a different ball game. This world-class, top tertiary academic institution, was dominated by many who were not very religious or straight up atheists. At MIT, I was more religious than 70% of all students and staff. I was not going to the MIT Catholic church much. It was a bit too esoteric and not as engaging as Catholic church services in Ghana. In fact, I became a major part of a campus ministry - more charismatic. In fact, we created this Victory Campus Ministry club as part of the church I ended up going to in Boston - Morning Star International. This church had a white (Republican) pastor and had folks from all walks of life & corners of the earth. I remember when we as MIT-VCM would set up desks as part of Student Activities Fairs at MIT. Students and others in the MIT community would walk right past us because we were a religious organization. I said wow then, and I would still say Wow now.
While at Stanford, I had some of my lowest times academically. I took to God to help me. I would sing some of my favorite gospel songs in the shower, even in private public rooms at Stanford. I would sing some of these favorite gospel songs which were introduced to me by my Presec times, my VCM days, thanks to people like Phelele (my first girlfriend), my sisters, etc. Phelele got me extra hooked on Kirk Franklin and South African gospel music. Thanks to Museke, I started to listen to gospel music from Dr Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, etc. I started going to masses at the Stanford Catholic Church, I remember when we had Ladysmith Black Mambazo come to perform in this church! I also joined my Stanford and other Bay Area friends at the Abundant Life Christian Fellowship church in Mountain View, which had mostly African-American pastors & congregation. Everywhere I go, I am looking for Ghanaians you know. I also ended up going to the Lighthouse Chapel and Pentecost branches in Oakland, California - predominantly Ghanaian churches.
Since I returned to Ghana in 2011, I have not been going to church much at all. It started this way because I wanted to rest on Sundays after partying so much on weekends. And then I would spend lots of weekends being at Barcamps, and elsewhere outside of Accra. I also think living my own, and away from my parents and my siblings who would make me go to church, caused this. My cousin once invited me to go to Agape House in East Legon, which I really loved and blogged about. I visited a Lighthouse Chapel branch once at Airport West Hotel thanks to my manager at Rancard, Ehi Binitie, as well. I have more recently been to the Adonai Grace Hub, a church run by my brother-in-law as well. In Ghana, a lot of weddings, funerals & cultural or social events have church tied into it, and that increased my church-going count. Have I been to a church (service) in another country aside Ghana and the US? I can't remember.
I have been to Mary Mother of Good Counsel Church in Airport Res multiple times thanks to Auntie Gloria and Divine Mercy Catholic Church in East Legon thanks to Sister Irene. I started fellowshipping at Christ The King Catholic Church more seriously ahead of my marriage to my wife, Tracy. I really enjoyed the marriage counselling classes there as well. I hardly go to CTK Parish, but today I watched the stream for the service - Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Clap for me eh? Basically, I have decided that even if I would not go to church as much, I would listen to more gospel music, watch streaming services from churches I admire, on YouTube, TV, etc. So help me God.
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