The Scripture Union Ghana has cut sod for the construction of a $7.4 million campsite project at Pepawani near Aburi in the Akwapim South Municipality of the Eastern Region.

The multi-purpose project, situated on 14.2 acres of land, comprises a 1000-seat main auditorium, a 1000-seat multi-purpose hall, dormitories, and 13 chalets.

It also includes facilities such as the Administration Block, Sports and Fields, Prayer Garden and Reserves, and Gate House with Parking.

The first phase of the project, which involves the construction of a 1000-seat main auditorium and other facilities, is estimated at a cost of $4.9 million.

Dubbed the “Children and Youth Development Campsite,” the project seeks to provide accommodation for members of SU and end its reliance on public schools during camp meetings.

It would also help positively impact the lives of more young people through discipleship.

Council Chairman of SU, Morgan Fianko Asiedu, at the unveiling ceremony of the project explained worriedly that Scripture Union has over the years hosted its children and youth camps predominantly in public Senior High Schools across the country.

He added that the practice is no longer feasible because of the difficulty in securing such facilities.

“The difficulty of relying on public school facilities and the high cost of using private commercial facilities necessitated the need for SU Ghana to develop a campsite for the ministry,” he said.

Lawyer Asiedu said the camp when completed would provide accommodation for its members during activities and reduce the financial burden on the Union.

He added that, the campsite would also help imbibe in the children and youth, a sense of uprightness and the fear of God to benefit the community and the nation.

General Director of SU, Rev. Derek E. Koomson, said the project was a testimony to how God is using SU to reach the rest of the world.

He noted that the project was an opportunity for the two parties—the SU and the Pepawani community—to strike a bond of friendship for the benefit of the youth and the larger community.

“We are not just coming to construct a building, but also to train the young ones in the way of Christ so they will grow to become responsible leaders for society and the country,” he said.

Rev. Koomson also disclosed that the campsite would be available for use by churches for their activities, adding that other similar projects will take place across the country after the completion of this one.

Presiding Bishop of The Methodist Church, Ghana, The Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, described the campsite as an intentional project in investing in the young and the youth.

He assured the SU of the Methodist Church’s support to ensure that the project materialized.

Kyidomhene, Pepawani, Nana Kwafo Kwasi Wiafe, thanked the leadership of SU for the project, urging the beneficiaries to make good use of the facility when it is completed to acquire knowledge.

Meanwhile, Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, commended SU and urged it to use the facility to mould the lives of young people to become responsible citizens.

Scripture Union Ghana is a national, autonomous, Evangelical Christian Organization and the largest para-church, which started as a school and Bible study movement in the early 1950s.

It has, since the early 1970s, grown beyond the boundaries of traditional evangelicalism into a hybrid—an evangelico-charismatic movement.