Opoku, Kofi Asare

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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,1 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 4:32-37* 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 Yolta Region, For further 
information on the Yota Mission see Debrunner, H.
A History of Christianity in Ghana, Waterville, Accra, 
1967, P.333.
RESEARCH REPORTS 67.
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 Mholy 
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.
On the 12th of July they arrived at the chosen 
spot and that very day they cleared a site, put up a 
construction with a roof over it and spent the first 
night there, with great jubilation and singing of 
praises to God for giving them the opportunity of 
settling on this "holy spot".
Then for the next two and half months these 
eleven men cleared an area foi^  a township, felled 
huge trees and constructed an entire township of 36 
houses, including a chapel. They built the houses 
in rows with streets between them and they constructed 
one main street with trees 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 1^0
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 (N03>OO) 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:^2, 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 common".
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.
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Kingdom: a religious community

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Kingdom: a religious community

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