Adventist Church in Ghana Builds Baptistries Because Rivers Are Polluted
Because of illegal mining, bodies of water in Northern Ghana have been contaminated. As a result, the church has begun planning to construct baptistries in its churches to continue its efforts in ministry.
According to local news outlets the illegal mining, called galamsey, goes beyond the failure of a single government but is the result of a decades-long systematic failure. Though local governments must be held responsible to a degree, local communities, law enforcement, miners, and even members of the private sector play a major role in the issue.
Mining has always been a mainstay in Ghana’s economy, since many precious metals and materials are sourced from there; however, illegal mining lacks the necessary regulation to prevent the environmental crisis from taking place. Many congregants under the Northern Ghana Union remember the days when the rivers, streams, and water sources were pristine, making regular baptism an experience focused on the joy of entering into a life with Christ.
Now, such new converts fear infection and illness from the contaminated waters. Northern Ghana Union of the Adventist church has 218,000 congregants as of the end of July 2024, with nearly 2,000 new converts baptized. Now most rivers are too contaminated to enter. The executive secretary of the Northern Ghana Union, Pastor Edward Nyarkoh, said in an interview.
“Galamsey has come to destroy all the water bodies. So it’s also affecting our baptisms. Previously, we were baptizing in rivers. But nowadays, all the water bodies are contaminated. That has resulted in this church building its baptistry for all those who would be baptized. Pastors who are officiating would not be contaminated.”
As Northern Ghana faces the environmental fallout of their natural bodies of water being contaminated, the Seventh-day Adventist church moves forward to continue baptizing by immersion.