RESEARCH REPORTS 

66.

KINGDOM:  A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY

by Kofi Asare Opoku*

In July 1967>  a religious community was established

in a thick forest about twenty-six miles north west of
Kumawu, in the Asante Region.  The members of this commu-
nity  (church), which was called Kingdom, after Luke 22:9
(As my father appointed a kingdom for me, so do I appoint
for you), were dedicated  to the pursuit of a pure Christ-
ian life in eager anticipation "of the Second Coming of
Christ.  Life at Kingdom was communistic, along the lines
of Primitive Christianity, for members shared everything
in common,I after they had made what amounted to a com-
plete break with the modern way of life.2

Kingdom, or "Kyindom"  (the Asante version of the
name), started in Kumawu as a break-away group from the
Apostolic Church at Kumawu, and the "rebel" group was
led by Pastor Peter Amoah.  The cause of the rift which
ultimately led to secession is not yet known, but from
preliminary investigations  (interviews with two respon-
dents who were prominent members of the community), we
gather that a marked characteristic of the members of
Kingdom was their deep sense of Christian fellowship
and brotherliness, and in this they differed  considerably
from the other members of the Apostolic Church.  So great
was their love for each other that it was decided that

* Mr. K.A. Opoku is a Research Fellow in Religion and

Ethics.

1. The inspiration for the establishment of Kingdom came
from Acts 4:^2-37, where the earliest Christian commu-
nity is described.  The emphasis is on the unanimity,
the unselfishness and the brotherly love of its members.
Members of the Kingdom community set out to realize this
ideal.

2. This is reminiscent of the Yota Mission founded by
Philip Chei, in the 1920!s, at Nkwakubio, near the
Anum Peki junction in the Volta Region.  For further
information on the Yota Mission see Debrunner, H.
A History of Christianity in Ghana, Waterville, Accra,
1967, P

RESEARCH REPORTS

they should move away and settle at a place far away
from human habitation and safely insulated against the
contaminations of modern life, where they could live a
pure and unadulterated  Christian life, in fervent pre-
paration for the imminent return of their Lord.

When the idea of moving out of .Kumawu occurred

to them, some suggested  that they should settle on the
outskirts of Kumawu, but others felt that the site was
too close to town.  They therefore approached  the chief
of Kumawu who gave them an area, near the Onwam River,
where a virgin forest predominates.  And on this "holy
spot" the members all agreed  to found their community.

When the decision was reached to move out, mem-

bers began to prepare themselves through prayer and
fasting for divine guidance.  And on July 11, 1967*
a pioneer group, consisting of eleven able-bodied men,
under the leadership of Isaiah Berko, left Kumawu to
found  the colony before the other members  joined them.
They sold their possessions and took with them a few
essentials.  The eleven men assembled  in their usual
meeting place for worship and prayer before they took
off on their mission.

the
that

On
spot and
with a roof over it and spent the
construction
with great  jubilation and singing
night there,
praises to God for giving them the opportunity
settling on this "holy spot".

12th of July they arrived at the chosen
very day they cleared a site, put up a
first
of
of

Then for the next two and half months these
eleven men cleared an area for a township, felled
huge trees and  constructed an entire township of J>6
houses, including a chapel.  They built the houses
in rows with streets between them and they constructed
one main street with tx*ees lining its sides in the
centre of the town.

After the completion of' the town the Minister

and the rest of his followers left Kumawu for Kingdom,
All told, the population of the community was l]50

RESEARCH REPORTS

68.

strong, including men, women and children.  Those who '
followed the leader to Kingdom included not only his
own followers, and other members of the Apostolic
Church at Kumawu, but a good many others including
hunters, artisans, farmers, traders, businessmen,
pupil teachers etc. also joined them.  They all went
with one avowed aim:  "to prepare themselves so that
they may have a place to stand when Christ returns".*

Some followers sold their belongings and put
the money into the central coffer at Kingdom.  One
respondent, collected the proceeds (NjZTjOO) from his
farm in the Brong Ahafo Region and added it to the
central fund.  Such gestures and the total life at
Kingdom recalls the life of the early church recorded
in Acts 4:32, where the "company of those who believed
were of one heart and soul,, and no one said that any
of the things which he possessed was his own, but they
had everything in common11.

Thus at Kingdom, everything was possessed in
common.  They farmed on common land and owned all
things together* with the founder of the church play-
ing the role of leader and shepherd of the flock.
At the initial stages of life at Kingdom when the
community had to purchase food from farms in the area,
buying was done from the central fund.  Every morning,
members would queue up to receive their day's ration
from the central storehouse.  Hunters would bring their
kill to be shared among all and so did trap setters,
and fishermen.

Life at Kingdom centred around worship and work.

The day began at 5 a.m. with morning worship, and after
that there would be breakfast and preparation for the
day's work.  Assignments were daily given - farmers to
the farm, hunters and trap setters to their respective
tasks and so did artisans.  At the end of the day there
was evening service which usually lasted till 8 p.m.

*  Exact words of a respondent, Isaiah Berko, a pioneer

member of Kingdom  community, during interview.

RESEARCH REPORTS 

69.

On Sundays there was no work, but members attended

services thrice.  On other occasions members could be
summoned from work to come to the chapel to pray.

To cater for the needs of the children a school

was established at Kingdom.  There were two teachers
and several children of both primary and middle school
age and they were taught the Bible as well as reading,
writing and arithmetic.

Housing was adequately provided; each couple had
a living room and a bed room, and there were separate
quarters for unmarried men and women.  Some of the
buildings had corrugated iron sheets for roofing while
others had thatch roofs, and according to my informants
there were plans to roof all houses ultimately with
corrugated iron sheets.

But by December 11, 1968, after a period of seven-

teen months, the Kingdom community had come to an end
and the whole township with its surrounding farms was
standing idle.  Some of its members had returned to
Kumawu in disillutionment, but others, the faithful ones,
had followed  the leader, Pastor Peter Amoa, to Nkwanta,
near Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo Region, to found a
second Kingdom.

The above information was collected during pre-

liminary interviews in November 1969* with two respon-
dents both of whom were members of the Kingdom community
but are now resident in Kumawu.

I  intend to follow this up with visits to Kumawu
to gather more information from former Kingdom members
and also to visit the new site of Kingdom for the pur-
pose of interviewing the leader and the present members
of the community and to make observations of the organi-
zation and the day to day running of the community.

This study will throw some interesting light on a

pattern of religious separation which varies greatly from
that of other Spiritual Churches in Ghana and shows
interesting potentialities inherent in Christianity.