ACCRA, Ghana — To meet people and talk to them about Jesus, sometimes it just takes a good story. Alan Locke and a team of three other men found that to be true on a recent mission trip to Accra, Ghana, in West Africa.
Locke is a retired International Mission Board missionary to west African people groups. He and his wife, Beth, retired from the IMB in 2022. Since then he has been serving as the senior adult and missions pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church, Springfield. In late June, Locke helped a team of three other men go to Accra, the capital city of Ghana, where they trained African believers to tell stories of the Bible out in the streets and neighborhoods. This is referred to as “Bible storying” evangelism.
The other team members, Alex West, Billy Meyers and Jeremy MacLaughlin all helped the Africans from New Covenant Baptist Church get comfortable with the Bible stories, and then they would go out and just talk to people in the streets and marketplaces. They would ask, “Can I tell you a story?” Then they would tell the Bible story and ask the people how they liked the story, and “What does it teach us?” Then they would ask, “What should we do?”
They were able to see eight people make positive responses to the Bible stories, affirming they were wanting to become believers in Jesus. Locke said they helped the Ghanaian believers tell 55 stories to people they met. Thirty people were trained in the evangelistic method.
They also helped the New Covenant church lead a conference called “Two Kingdoms” which that church uses for outreach. The church leaders taught this conference and used the visiting mission team to help them with the training sessions.
The people of Ghana have many religious beliefs, but many are affiliated with Islam. Team members said they found that almost anyone would listen to their stories regardless of their own beliefs. Some had a mixture of belief systems and would nod and agree with the stories and exchange beliefs. Locke said the “storying” method was non-confrontational. They would always ask permission to speak to people and generally found them responsive as they walked through their neighborhoods.
They stayed in Accra for a little over a week. The three team members returned home and Locke stayed a few more days visiting with friends and church leaders in Ghana where he and Mrs. Locke had ministered previously, serving with the Ghana Baptist Convention.
Locke said an unexpected opportunity came his way during this extended time. A massive downpour of rain, which continued all night long, flooded parts of the city of Accra near the church. The missionary couple (names withheld for security reasons) he was staying with took him along as they distributed some food packets to the families who had been displaced by the flooding.
Alex West was the youngest member of the team, in his early 20s. He works at an insurance company. He said he found the city of Accra to be massive. “There are five million people living there.” He added, “There are parts of the city that definitely have severe poverty. But there are also big buildings and nice vehicles in the city.”
“I found the Ghanaians to be a welcoming people. They were excited to engage in conversation. They would give us things. There were many languages being spoken, especially as we got out into the slums. So we worked through translators when we could.”
One man told West he was a “Christian,” but after he listened to their Bible story and they talked through his experiences, he said he was not ready to yet accept Jesus. But West said they planted a seed and hope it will grow.
Another team member was Jeremy MacLaughlin. He said conditions were hot in the mid-summer city near the equator. Temperatures were near 100 degrees with high humidity, but he laughed and said, “A lot like summer in Springfield, Missouri!”
He said he got to share Christ with a man who had a Catholic background, but was not actively attending church. He listened and responded to the invitation to follow Jesus closer. He said, “I want to be a part of a community and grow in my faith.”
Billy Meyer, was able to speak with some of the children at the church, and he also taught the Ghanaian believers how to tell stories.
They expressed appreciation for the local missions staff there. The couple who hosted them were completing their first term of service and the storying training was part of their IMB training and capstone project. They hosted the team in the Ghana Baptist Convention guest lodge and provided several meals in their home.
Joshua Hall, director of missions for Greene County Baptist Association, said, “Macedonia is a historically strong church that came upon hard times, particularly in the aftermath of Covid. But by the good hand of God and faithful leadership, the church is being revitalized.
“This renewed health is leading Macedonia to engage both their neighborhood and the nations. Macedonia is a great example of our association’s motto, “Greene County Baptists are Great Commission Baptists.” We rejoice in what God is doing in them and through them.”
