A group calling itself “Concerned Members” of the Musama Disco Christo Church (MDCC), has called on the two factions in disagreement over the leadership of the church to cease all hostilities, threats and intimidations.

According to the group, made up of the clergy, leading members of both home and foreign missions, the situation is driving away active and prospective members of the church especially the youth, warning the situation  and could split the MDCC.

Reverend Francis Owusu, the Public Relations Officer of the Concerned Members addressing a news conference in Cape Coast on Tuesday, urged both factions to settle their differences through dialogue.

He said the call was part of the plans to reunite the church after series of leadership- related agitations.

Rev Owusu said the more than 13 years of litigation in court, resulted in the removal of Prophet Miritaiah Jonah Jehu- Appiah, the Akoboha III, Leader of the church by the Supreme Court, this year.

He said the church is currently without a clear cut leadership given the factions that have developed in the church.

In a statement the group proposed the constitution of a 15- member group of equal representation with a neutral person as a moderator which would oversee the formation of a 21-member Interim National Executive Committee (INEC) also of equal representation.

The task of the INEC would be to develop roadmaps towards the enthronement of the next Akaboha and Akatitibi (Queen), of the church after their report has been approval by the Synod

The MDCC, translated as “The Army of the Cross of Christ Church”, was founded in 1922 by the late Prophet Jemisimiham Jehu-Appiah, who took the title Akaboha I, and upon his death in 1948, was succeeded by his son Prophet Matapoly Moses Jehu-Appiah as Akaboha II.

This was in accordance with the church’s constitution which mandated the Akaboha’s son to hold the line of succession and as such, Prophet Miritaiah Jonah Jehu- Appiah was enthroned as Akaboha III in 1972.

Read the full statement below:

A PRESS STATEMENT BY CONCERNED MEMBERS OF THE MUSAMA DISCO CHRISTO CHURCH (THE ARMY OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST CHURCH) ON ‘THE WAY FORWARD’ FOLLOWING THE RECENT SUPREME COURT DECISION ON THE LEADERSHIP CRISES IN THE CHURCH.

PREAMBLE

This Press Statement is issued by some Leading Members of the Home Mission Board (Headquarters), the  Pastoral Council (Clergy), Elders Council, Leadership of Bands and Societies, and leading members of the MDCC for and on behalf of the general members of the Church (the laity) comprising fifteen (15) Episcopal Areas in Ghana, 6 Foreign Missions, namely, Ivory Coast, Senegal-Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo, and the UK, 45 Districts, 101 Circuits, 401 Stations (Branches), and 126 Choir groups with a total adult membership  constituting 60 – 65% of the total population of the MDC Church. For the purposes of this Press Statement, we would like to describe ourselves as “CONCERNED MEMBERS”.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Press Statement is three fold:

1.         To humbly remind members of the Church in particular and the public in general of          events             leading to the leadership crises in the Church.

2.         To use the medium to assist individual members and groups in the Church to make           informed decisions so far as the Supreme Court decision on the crises is concerned.

2.         To put forward for the consideration of all members who genuinely seek the well-being    of the Musama Church a road map that could lead to the enthronement of the leader of    the Church, and to warn of serious consequences for the Church if genuine reconciliation         is not reached within the parameters indicated in the Church’s Constitution.

SOME HISTORICAL FACTS

 The Musama Disco Christo Church (MDCC) which translates as ‘The Army of the Cross of Christ Church’ was founded in the year 1922 by the late Prophet J. Jehu-Appiah (the Akaboha I) in the then Gold Cost as a Pentecostal Christian movement with the Bible as its ‘unerring guide’ in the matter of Christian living. The church’s headquarters is located at Mozano a town in the Central Region which was founded by the church itself in 1951 for Church members but which has now become a ‘metropolitan mix’.

In 1948, after the demise of the founder, the church was led by Prophet Dr. M.M. Jehu-Appiah (the Akaboha II) who is the first-born son of the founder. Under his guidance the church witnessed a rapid expansion in terms of membership and infrastructure; membership extended to countries within the West African sub-region; he also established the Musama Pastoral Seminary to train all categories of officers of the church. He passed away in 1972 after effectively and efficiently leading the church for twenty-four (24) years. Incidentally, the prophet was born on 24^th August, 1924 and ruled for 24 years.

By the 1970’s adult membership stood at more than 100,000 and the leader of the church was the president of the Ghana Pentecostal Council of which he was a founding member.

In 1972, Prophet M. J. Jehu-Appiah the first-born son of the Akaboha II was enthroned as the Akaboha III at the age of twenty-six (26). This was in consonance with the Church’s Constitution SECTION 1V: 5 which read: “The Akaboha’s son is entitled to hold this line of succession as a divine right as ordered by the Holy Spirit” (Emphasis ours).

 He steadfastly continued from where his father left off. Apart from the spiritual growth that the church witnessed, there was tremendous improvement in physical infrastructure.

The headquarters was linked to the national grid, pipe-borne water was extended to the town and the main roads in the town were tarred; a senior high school and the Musama School of Music were established. Choir groups in the church became the toast of many lovers of sacred music, especially classical music.

THE BEGINNING OF CHALLENGES

In the beginning from the early 1990’s the Akaboha III started introducing a number of measures not only to improve the fortunes of the church, but also remove and do away with certain practices that continued to affect the steady growth of the church. This process was referred to as “RESTRUCTURING”. Some of the challenges included misapplication and misappropriation of church funds by some elders and ministers, certain spiritual practices by some officers of the church which were at variance with the beliefs and value systems of the Church. Again, the Akaboha III took the unprecedented step of introducing the wearing of sandals in the Church room which hitherto was not allowed.

This decision did not go down well with ‘some powerful conservative elements’ in the Church even though the liberals largely welcomed it, especially the youth. What appeared to have ruffled the ego of some elders and especially some pastors, was the Akaboha’s attempt to link promotion within the ranks of the clergy in the church’s administrative set up to monogamous marriage and appreciable level of education. The attempt was described jokingly as “One pastor one wife”. Polygamy within the ranks of the clergy was rampant and was becoming a disincentive. Some of these measures met stiff opposition from some quarters in the church, especially from officers at the church’s headquarters. Things came to a head when in 2001 some of the persons affected by the Akaboha’s measures turned round and accused him of mismanagement.

MUSAMA AT THE CROSSROADS

 In November, 2002 a group of individuals at the church’s headquarters led by Revds.’  Jerisim Offa Jehu-Appiah , J.K. Addae and Mr. H.Q. Jehu-Appiah (all deceased) with the backing of some ministers and elders rose against the leadership of the Church specifically the Akaboha III and accused him of mismanagement. They also made reference to some newspaper publications about the leadership of the Akaboha. (It turned out later that those publications were the work of these same individuals).

During the Church’s annual synod, the I’Odomey Conference in February 2003, the Conference took notice of the accusations raised by the group and directed that the Executive Committee of the Church should set up a body to look into the issues and then re-call the Conference to look into their report. That was the last time a constitutionally mandated body of the Church was heard of so far as the accusations were concerned. The group through subtle means arrogated to themselves executive powers and constituted themselves into a so-called Interim Management Committee (IMC) and in that capacity claimed to represent the entire church.

As expected, some members of the church including some executive committee members felt that the behaviour of the so-called IMC was not appropriate so far as the Constitution of the Church was concerned and therefore demanded that the IMC should be disbanded to allow the I’Odomey Conference (the highest decision-making body of the Church) to decide on the issues raised by the group.

THE CIVIL COURTS

But before any of the allegations raised by the group could be debated, Jeresim Offa Jehu-Appiah and his cohorts performed some rituals (including slaughtering of sheep) in Mozano claiming that it signified the removal of the Akaboha III. It may be of interest to note that the slaughtering of sheep for the purpose of removing the Akaboha is alien to the Constitution, the beliefs and values of the Church. The so-called IMC then proceeded to the High Court at Agona Swedru to seek an enforcement of their decision against the Akaboha. Well, needless to say the case travelled all the way to the Supreme Court of the land. The Supreme Court affirmed the decisions of the lower courts, that is the High and the Appeals Courts much to the disappointment of the majority of members of the Church.

Again, it may be tempting to wonder whether any attempt was made by members of the Church who did not subscribe to the actions of the so-called IMC to stop them. Between 2003 and 2011 several well-meaning Ghanaians from within and outside the church made countless and fruitless attempts to have the problems resolved through the Church’s own laid down internal mechanisms of arbitration. Unfortunately, the so-called IMC refused to participate, making it impossible to have the issues settled amicably. While these efforts were being made, the so-called IMC purported to confine and enthrone one Fifi Jeeba Jehu-Appiah as the Akaboha IV in 2013. Of course, both the High Court and the Appeals Court struck down the illegality and the individual involved was made to sign a bond to be of good behavior or risked going to jail.

MOTION FILED AT THE COURT: WHO TOOK THE AKABOHA TO COURT

Interestingly, the motion filed by the so-called IMC right from the High Court to the Supreme Court reads:

‘THE MUSAMA DISCO CHRISTO CHURCH vs PROPHET MIRITAIA JONAH JEHU-APPIAH’

 Jerisim Offa Jehu-Appiah and Rev.J. K. Addae are the ‘ex parte’ at the High Court and the Appeals Court, and Rev. J.K.K. Begyina and Rev. J.E.K. Mensah at the Supreme Court.

From the above, it seems it would be fair to conclude that it was the entire membership of the Musama Church that litigated against the Akaboha III and succeeded in removing him from his office as the Akaboha. What this means is that the entire membership now has the singular responsibility to determine the future of the Church; and that this obligation cannot be left in the hands of a few individuals who want the world to believe that they are in-charge of the Church now.   

THREATS

The situation on the ground now however, appears to be one of uncertainty.

First, the so-called IMC is threatening other church members at the headquarters who they perceive to be opposed to their methods. (Press Statement by Rev. Bagyinah; GNA: 20/11/2015)

Second, any individual member and/or branches of the church that voiced opposition to the numerous court cases and in some instances satanic practices undertaken by the so-called IMC are tagged as an enemy.

If this situation continues, it could lead to the opening of several fronts of conflicts within the Church. The decision of the Court has left the Church without a functional leadership.

A careful reading of a recently issued press statement by one Reverend Isaac Kwesi Bagyinah who described himself as the “General Secretary of the MDCC” clearly confirms this position. Very much aware of the absence of a functional leadership, the “General Secretary” used the phrase “the church directs” throughout the press statement without any clear reference to any statutory body of authority in the Church. (GNA: 19/11/2015).

It is clear that those who currently parade themselves as leaders of the Church did so through the backdoor. And we all know what Jesus Christ said about all those who come through the backdoor.

OBSERVATIONS

As concerned members of the church we wish to make the following observations:

1.         It is now a fact that following the decision of the Supreme Court, the Musama Disco Christo Church is now without a leader (The Akaboha).

2.         It is also a fact that following the unfortunate demise of the Akatitibi II last year, there is no Queen for the Church.

3.         It is a fact that the Church now has two parallel administrative structures right from the last branch of the Church to the headquarters.

4.         All the various decisions of the Courts leave the administration of the Church in the hands of the members of the church as at now.

5.         All members therefore have obligations under the Constitution of the church to review and rebuild the various administrative structures of the church.

6.         The so-called IMC is trying to present itself as the legitimate leaders of the Church which is far from the truth. They are aware that more than 60% of the membership including foreign missions (Ivory Coast, Liberia, The Gambia, Nigeria, and the UK) does not support their cause.

7.         The current situation is driving away members and would- be members, especially the youth from the church. Membership has dropped significantly.

8.         There is a real possibility of a schism (a split) of the Church if issues are not properly handled and compromises reached.

THE WAY FORWARD

            Now there is no clear-cut leadership in the Church (because there are two factions claiming to represent the Musama Church) in the wake of the Court’s decision. Therefore, we wish to put forward the following as the processes to lead to an effective and genuine reconciliation in the Church.

1.         A group to be known as “The Group of Eminent Persons” should be constituted. The individuals should be nominated by the two factions claiming to speak for the Musama Church, seven from each faction. Membership should not exceed 15. The 15^th person should be an outsider but who is a friend of the Musama Church. His or her role would be that of a Moderator. The main task of the Eminent Persons would be to preside over the formation of an Interim National Executive Committee (INEC) and also provide the Terms of Reference for the Committee.

2.         The Interim National Executive Committee should be constituted by nominees from both factions including members of the Jehu-Appiah Family who are paid up members of the Church. The Committee should be headed by Rev. Jeri Hart Jehu-Appiah with Rev. Juba Molda Jehu-Appiah as his deputy. The membership should not exceed twenty-one (21).

3.         The INEC should be clothed with powers to fashion out a road map towards the enthronement of the next leaders (Akaboha & Akatitibi) of the Church in accordance with the Constitution of the Church. The INEC should present its Report within three months to the Group of Eminent Persons for its consideration.

4.         The Group of Eminent Persons should then call into session the I’Odomey Conference to consider and approve the Report of the INEC and then direct the way forward in accordance with the Constitution of the Church.

5.         Both The Group of Eminent Persons (GEP) and the Interim National Executive Committee (INEC) should regulate their own meetings.

6.         While all these processes are underway, Prophet Miritaiah Jonah Jehu-Appiah remains in his late father’s private residence i.e., Namosville to be appropriately resettled by the Church as a former Head of the Church. The Prophet, it must be noted, continues to be the oldest and an integral member of the Jehu-Appiah Family, he remains a member of the Church, and a prophet of the Church. Indeed, the various courts appeared to indicate this position, albeit indirectly. Nowhere in their decisions was the Akaboha 111 asked to relinquish his roles, as a prophet or a member of the MDCC. The Church should therefore be responsible for his maintenance and be accorded all the courtesies as a former leader of the Church.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it is clear that the Musama Church, in the absence of the Akaboha has two factions fighting for the soul of the Church. Both factions remain members of the Church and therefore have legitimate claim to helping with the processes for the enthronement of the next head of the Church, of course, in accordance with the Church’s Constitution. If there is no compromise, it could lead to the breakup of the Church. It is therefore important that both sides work together for the good of the Church.

 

Signed,

Fiifi Buckman (ESQ)

+233 24 466 34 53