Opoku, K.A.

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R E S E A R C H  REPORTS 101
THE U N IVE R S AL PRAYER G ROUP 
"M paebo  K u w "
(A d o a g y ir i,  Nsawam)
THE C A L L  O F  THE PROPHET 
by K . A  . O poku  *
C u rre n tly  under study is the "M paebo  F e ku w ", or U n ive rsa l 
Prayer G ro u p , founded by the b lin d  O d iy ifo  (prophet) Dompreh in 
1950. This is the second in our series o f  studies o f S p ir itu a l C hurches.
The f irs t s tu d y , now  c o m p le te d , was on the C hurch  o f the Messiah in 
M a d in a .
The "M paebo  K u w " , a name re ve a le d  to  the p rophet in his 
f irs t v is io n , is no t regarded by its members as a c h u rc h . It is p r im a r ily , 
as the name suggests, a p raye r g ro u p , in w h ich  prayers are o ffe re d  fo r 
the m any adheren ts in th e ir  va rious a f f l ic t io n s .  The g roup  isU n te r- 
d e n o m in a tio n a l, and even M uslim s are  no t e xc lu de d  from m em bersh ip.
P rospective  members who have no church  a f f i l ia t io n  are advised  
to  jo in  e x is t in g  churches and to a tte n d  the g ro u p ’s w orsh ip  services on 
F ridays . The M paebo  Kuw th e re fo re  serves as a "s p ir itu a l f i l l in g  s ta t io n "  
fo r members o f o th e r churches and o th e r fa ith s  w ho may seek m em bership 
o r seek so lu tions  fo r th e ir  s p e c if ic  p rob lem s.
The g roup  now has f iv e  a c t iv e  branches: N saw am , A b u r i,  Tesh ie , 
Tesano and A cc ra  N e w  T ow n . In a d d it io n  to  the above  the re  a re  m oribund 
branches a t M am po ng -A kua p em , A s u b o i, C o a lta r  and D o k ro kye w a , a ll
in the Eastern R eg ion .
Here fo llo w s  an a cco u n t o f  the c a ll o f the p rophet recorded
d u rin g  an in te rv ie w :
" I ,  O d iy ifo  Ebenezer G ye kye  D om preh, the founder o f the 
U n ive rsa l P rayer G ro u p , A d o a g y ir i,  was bom  o f staunch P resbyterian 
X 3rents on F r id a y , 28th  D ecem ber, 1928 a t A d o a g y ir i,  N saw am . M y 
fa th e r , M r .  Thomas Asare D om preh, a fa rm e r, is an A k im  and a n a tiv e  
/  A d o a g y ir i ,  w h ile  my m o th e r, the  la te  M adam Susana Efua A d o b e a ,
! tra d e r and a fa rm e r, h a ile d  from A kro po ng  -  A k w a p im .
M r. K . A .  O poku  is a Research Fe llow  in R e lig io n  and E th ics .
R E S E A R C H  REPORTS 102.
"Though a w e a k lin g  d u rin g  my c h ild h o o d , I managed to  com p le te  
my e le m e n ta ry  e d u ca tio n  a t the Nsawam Presbyterian  M ix e d  School in 
D ecem ber 1947. I then w orked  fo r tw o  years a t the w ho lesa le  d e p a rt­
m ent o f  the U n ite d  A fr ic a  Com pany a t A k im  O da from 1948 to  1950,
" I began to have v is ions  som etim e in A u g u s t, 1948. The firs t 
v is io n , w h ic h  was preceded by a w e e k - lo n g  o f dream s, a l l  o f  w h ic h  
came tru e , o ccu rre d  on a Thursday n ig h t .  I w oke  up to  fin d  my room 
il lu m in a te d  a lth o u g h  I had pu t o u t the l ig h t  be fo re  g o in g  to  b ed . This 
g re a t ly  p u zz le d  m e, fo r  ! th ou gh t some th ieve s  had b roken  in to  my 
room w h ile  I was a s le e p . O n lo o k in g  round to  see i f  my few  personal 
e ffe c ts  had been s to le n , I behe ld  a strange sp ec ta c le  in  the eastern 
co rn e r o f my room . There the in te n s ity  o f the i l lu m in a t io n  was much * 
g re a te r , and on the w a ll there  was a c re sce n t, e n c irc le d  by a h a lo . 
Im m e d ia te ly  b e lo w  the c rescent was a g a la x y  o f seven stars, o i l  tw in k l in g .  
Below  the g a la x y  was a sm all cross, f fe l t  a c o ld  shudder run th rough my 
spine and my eyes w ere sudden ly  f i l le d  w ith  *ears. N o t kn ow ing  the 
m eaning o f the strange v is io n , I d e c id e d  to  fo rce  the door open and take  
to  my h e e ls . H o w e ve r, I fe l t  spe llbound  and dum bfounded and fe l l  
p rostra te  in the m id d le  o f  the room in my b id  to  escape. Lying In th is  
p o s it io n , and unconscious fo r some t im e , I heard a fa in t  v o ic e  c a ll in g  
my nam e, "E b e n e ze r’. !' O n ra id ing  my head in response to  the c a l l ,
I heard the v o ic e  ask: "W hy do you w a n t to  escape?  Do you w an t to  
sh irk  the re s p o n s ib ility  I w a n t to  en trus t in to  yo u r hands? D id  you not 
re a lise  th a t yo u r past dreams a ll  came tru e , and w hy d id  you n o t b roach 
the secre t to  the inm ates o f yo u r h o u s e ? " I tr ie d  to  open my eyes to 
see the one sp e a k in g , bu t my eyes co u ld  no t w iths tan d  the in te n s ity  o f 
the i l lu m in a t io n  em ana ting  from the  eastern co m e r o f  the room . H ow ever 
in the b lu rre d  scene , I ca ug h t a g lim pse  o f some w ing ed  crea tures robed 
in w h ite .  T h e ir fea tures and bea ring  ta l l ie d  w ith  those g iv e n  in  p rayer 
books fo r a n g e ls , and so I r ig h t ly  c o n c lu d e d  th a t th ey  w ere  h o ly  angels 
o f  G o d . Then the ange ls  comm anded me to  sing the hym n , "H o ly ,  H o ly , 
H o ly , Lord Gocf A lm ig h ty " ,  and I d id ,  s t i l l  ly in g  p rostra te  and s h iv e r in g . 
A f te r  th is , I was asked to  sing a series o f  hym ns, a l l  to  be found in the
R E S E A R C H  REPORTS 103.
P resbyte rian  Tw i h y m n a l. The words o f the firs t w ere :
"Y ehow a  ne me h w e fo , na hwee renh ia  m e '.!l (The Lord 
is my shepherd I sh a ll not w a n t) . The n e x t hymn was:
"H w e y ie  a e y e , ene fe a e y e , se artuanom bom tra  fa a k o " . 
(B e ho ld , how good and p leasant i t  is when brothers d w e ll in u n ity ) .
A f te r  s ing ing  a l l  the verses o f  the above hymns I heard the angels also 
s ing ing  the fo l lo w in g  hym n:
"M om m o mmoden na mo nye baako'. " ( Persevere to  m a in ta in  
the  u n ity  o f  the s p ir it  in the bond o f p e a ce ). A f te r  a i i  verses o f  the 
above  hymn had been sung by the angels they  e n jo in e d  me to  a dm it both 
M uslim s and C h ris tians  o f  a l l  denom ina tions  in to  my p rayer group and to 
w o rk  w ith  them h a rm o n io u s ly . A f te r  th is  (command) I was aslced to  g e t 
up on my fe e t and when I d id  so I re a liz e d  th a t the l ig h t  in the room had 
decreased in in te n s ity ,  and the room was then f i l le d  w ith  a th ic k  c lo u d  o f 
m is t. I was n e x t comm anded to kn ee l u p r ig h t and to  ra ise both  hands up 
in  the a i r .  O n  do ing  th a t I fe lt  someone touch  my hands, and sudden ly 
I re c e iv e d  a s tin g in g  sensation a t the tips o f  my m idd le  fin g e rs , as i f  i 
w ere  b e ing  in je c te d .  Thereupon my hands became numb and lost a ll  
se nsa tion . A f te r  a few  moments the v o ic e  said to  me: "H e n ce fo rth  your 
hands a re  b lessed . A n y  p a tie n t you touch  w ith  your.hands w i l l  be hea led  
o f his il ln e s s . A  touch  o f  yo u r hands w i l l  induce fe r t i l i t y  in s te r ile  and 
im p o te n t persons and w i l l  a lso e ffe c t easy b ir th  fo r women in t r a v a i l " .
I was a lso  d ire c te d  to  bless w a te r w h ich  w ou ld  then become e ff ic a c io u s  
fo r h e a lin g  a il  k inds o f  diseases. The angels a lso  ta ug h t me how to  bless 
o liv e  o i l  and F lo rida  w a te r fo r h e a lin g  purposes.
"T h is  b e ing  o v e r , the vo ice s  (the angels) o rdered me to  sing the 
hym n: "Yesu d i yen kan na kye re  yen k w a n " .  (Jesus s t i l l  lead o n ).
A n d  as I began to  s in g , the in te n s ity  o f  the il lu m in a t io n  in the  room 
increased  g re a tly  and I p e rce ive d  seven burn ing  cand les be fo re  m e.
I th e re fo re  in s t in c t iv e ly  increased the tempo o f the  music and as the 
n g ing  becam b more a g ita te d  ! had an intense urge to go ou t and sing 
in p ra ise o f  G o d . A lth o u g h  i t  was s t i l l  p itc h  dark  I b o ld ly  w e n t to  
fhe o u tsk irts  o f  the to w n , A k im  O d a , s ing ing  in praise o f G o d . When
R E S E A R C H  REPORTS 104.
i re tu rned  home I was g re a tly  re lie v e d  to fin d  th a t the strange l ig h t  had 
d isappeared from my room , bu t as dawn approached the vo ices  reappeared , 
asking  me to  go to  A k im  A w isa  the n e x t m orn ing (F r id a y ), where a p ro ­
phetess w ou ld  in s tru c t me as to  w ha t to  d o .
" O n  the n e x t m orn ing  I n e ith e r  w en t to  w ork nor to A w is a , fo r , i 
had then d e c id e d  no t to  a c c e p t the v o c a tio n  o f a p ro p h e t. I a rr iv e d  at 
th is  d ec is ion  because I fe l t  I was too w o rd ly  and p leasu re -seek ing  to 
a c c e p t such a d iv in e  c a l l .  I fe l t  I was lasc iv ious  and had an in sa tia b le  
des ire  fo r a lc o h o l and to b a c c o . As I stood a t the back o f my house 
ponde ring  o ve r the events o f  the n ig h t ,  I overheard  a young man asking 
fo r m e . W hen the young man drew  near m e, I in troduced  m yse lf to  him 
and took  h im  to my house to lis ten  to his m iss ion . The young man revea led  
th a t he had been d e ta ile d  in his dream to come to  take  me to Aw isa to  see 
a p rophetess. A lth o u g h  I e nqu ired  abou t his name and p lace  o f  residence 
the young man refused to  d isc lose  his id e n t ity .  U n ce rta in  as to w ha t to  d o , 
I re lu c ta n t ly  agreed to  accom pany the young man to  A w isa  to see the 
p rophetess. W hen we a rr iv e d  a t A w isa  I asked fo r the lo c a tio n  o f the 
prophetess* res idence bu t my g u id e  s im p ly  to ld  me to  fo llo w  h im . When 
we app roached  the  e n trance  to  the house, the g u ide  p o in ted  to  the house 
and asked me to  e n te r, add ing  th a t he h im se lf w ou ld  soon fo l lo w .  As I 
e n te red  the  c o u r ty a rd , I heard the s ing ing  o f ve ry  m oving  hymns in the 
room o f  the prophetess. I raised my head and saw a woman dressed in a 
w h ite  f lo w in g  gow n w ith  her head a lso tu rbaned in w h ite .  There and 
then I becam e p e tr if ie d  and co u ld  n e ith e r take  a step nor open my m ou th . 
As i stood fast there  I heard the woman g iv e  g lo ry  to  G od say ing :
"I thank thee G od fo r hav ing  g ive n  me yo u r messenger1. "  Then she 
rushed and s p rin k le d  some F lo rida  w a te r on me and covered  me w ith  a 
p ie ce  o f  c a l ic o .  A t  th is  p o in t I b roke  in fo  s ing ing  and fe l t ,  as I d id  so, 
th a t my eyes w ere  g e tt in g  o u t o f  fo cus . W ith  tears w e ll in g  down my cheeks 
I sang severa l hymns from the Presbyterian  Tw i Hymn b o o k . A f te r  I had 
fin is h e d  s in g in g , the prophetess pushed some tende r leaves o f  the snow 
w h ite  p la n t in to  "my h a n d , and sudden ly  I lost a l l  consciousness. F in a lly  
! came to  m yse lf and was to ld  th a t I had o ffe re d  prayers fo r many people
R E S E A R C H  REPORTS 105.
w h ile  I was in a tra n c e . The woman in form ed me tha t G od had chosen 
me as a m iss ionary to do His w ork and th a t I should em brace the new 
v o c a tio n  w h o le -h e a r te d ly .
A f te r  I had re la te d  the past dreams and the previous n ig h t's  
v is io n  to  the prophetess, she asked i f  I cou ld  id e n t ify  the gu ide  who 
had b ro ug h t me to A w is a , and I answered in the a f f irm a t iv e ;  then the 
prophetess b ro ug h t me food but I co u ld  not eat i t ,  fo r I had lost a ll  
a p p e t ite .  The prophetess then prayed fo r m e, gave me some money fo r 
my re tu rn  t r ip  to  O d a , and led me to the o u tsk irts  o f the tow n to  w a it  
fo r  a lo r r y .
" A b o u t f iv e  days la te r ,  I re ce ive d  a message from the prophetess, 
M adam  Sophia A b ra m , asking  me to proceed im m e d ia te ly  to A w isa  and I 
w e n t there  the n e x t day in response to the c a l l .  The prophetess to ld  me 
th a t i t  had been reve a le d  to  her in a v is io n  th a t I should observe a fo r ty -  
day fa s t, and I w i l l in g ly  c o m p lie d . For the firs t seven days I observed 
an a b s o lu te ly  d ry  fast (th a t is I to ta lly  absta ined  from  food and even 
o rd in a ry  w a te r ) .  D u ring  th is  fast I had many v is ions abo u t the w ork I was 
to  d o /  A f te r  the fa s t, the prophetess advised  me to  a cce p t my new 
v o c a tio n  w ith o u t rese rva tion s . The vo ices  a lso ke p t u rg in g  me to  take 
up the c h a lle n g e  bu t I s t i l l  e n te rta in e d  some fears and p lanned  to run 
a w a y  to  A d o a g y ir i,  my home to w n . I then began p la y in g  h ide  and seek 
w ith  Prophetess A b ram , and refused to honour any o f  her in v ita t io n s  to 
a tte n d  w orsh ip  serv ices a t A w is a . W henever I heard th a t the prophetess 
had come to  O da  I w ou ld  h ide  in a fr ie n d 's  house a l l  day lo n g . N o t on ly  
d id  I refuse to  honour the wom an's in v ita t io n  but I a lso refused to  o ffe r 
prayers fo r  those who flo c k e d  to my house fo r in te rcess io n . I w ou ld  o ften  
ask a s u p p lia n t to  w a it  fo r me in  my room and then I w ou ld  run aw ay to 
to w n . I co u ld  d e te c t those possessed by e v il sp ir its  a fte r  my fast and cou ld  
a lso  e xo rc ise  e v il  sp ir its  from  those possessed. W o rrie d  abou t reports th a t 
i was n o t l iv in g  up to  h e r expectations, the prophetess summoned me one day
* The Prophet refused to  d isc lose  these v is ions on the grounds th a t they 
w ere  secre ts , and had to rem ain so.
R E S E A R C H  REPORTS 106.
A w is a . There she w arned me th a t i f  I p layed  w ith  the w o rk , the 
D e v il w ou ld  one day have pow er to tempt m e. A f te r  th is m aterna l 
p ie ce  o f a d v ic e , she forbade me to  d rin k  a lc o h o l.
" When I re tu rned  to A k im  O d a , I n a iv e ly  though t tha t the 
strange vo ices  co u ld  be s ilen ced  and d rive n  aw ay by the scent o f 
a lc o h o l;  and desirous o f rem a in ing  w o r ld ly ,  I took to heavy d r in k in g .
I o rg a n ize d  w e e k -e n d  trips  w ith  friends to K a de , A k w a t ia ,  and 
Asam ankese, fo r the sole purpose o f d r in k in g . But the more I drank 
the more fre q u e n tly  d id  I hear the strange v o ic e s . The v is ions also 
became more v iv id  the day I d rank h e a v ily .  The prophetess h e rse lf 
pa id  me a v is i t  to  warn me to b reak my d r in k in g  h a b it bu t her e ffo rts  
w ere  to  no a v a i l .  I m a in ta in e d  th a t I co u ld  no t become a te e to ta lle r  
o v e rn ig h t and th a t i f  G od  h im se lf w an ted  me to  stop d r in k in g  He w ou ld  
have adop ted  a m ysterious means to r id  me o f the h a b it .
" O n  one o f my ro u tin e  w e e k -e n d  d r in k in g  tr ips  to  A k w a tia ,  I 
was b ro ug h t back  home n e a rly  unconsc ious . I rega ined  consciousness 
to  f in d  m yse lf ly in g  in  a poo l o f  w a te r , w h ich  had been in te n t io n a lly  
poured o ve r m e. Then ra is ing  my head and lo o k in g  a t the eastern co rner 
o f  the room w here the  v is ions  m ostly  a p p ea re d , I so lem n ly  prayed thus: 
'O  G o d , fo rg iv e  me the d is o b e d ie n c e , h en ce fo rth  h e lp  me to absta in  
from d r in k ,  le t i t  sm ell b a d ly  to  m e '.1 Ever s ince  th a t in c id e n t,  I have 
tasted no d r in k ,  be i t  a lc o h o l o r m in e ra l. I have a lso neve r smoked 
s ince  th a t d a y .
" The n e x t day I p a id  a surprise v is it  to Prophetess Abram at 
A w isa  to  te l l  her w h a t had had happened the previous n ig h t and also  
o f my reso lu tio n  to  stop d r in k in g  and sm ok ing . This amazed and 
d e lig h te d  the prophetess and she gave  thanks to  G od for having  
lis te n e d  to  her earnest p rayers .
" Some tim e  a fte r  th is  v is i t  to  the prophetess I began to have a 
change o f  m ind .* I fe l t  I was no t the r ig h t fu l person fo r th a t kind of 
jo b .  I fe l t  the job  e n ta ile d  g re a t d i f f ic u l t ie s ,  personal sacrifices and
R E S E A R C H  REPORTS 107.
fa s tin g s . It was d u rin g  th is  tim e th a t I rece ive d  my second pun ishm ent.
O ne  n ig h t in 1950, as I lay  aw ake in bed I fe lt  th a t a mote had fa lle n  
on my brow  and as i s tre tched  my hand to  remove i t ,  the p a r t ic le  s lipped 
in to  my e y e . There and then I became b lin d  and have rem ained so ever 
s in c e . For ihe firs t tw o  months I co u ld  see n o th in g , but a fte r  th a t tim e 
the re  was some im provem ent w ith  my s ig h t. I can now see a new moon 
and can a lso  d is tin g u ish  betw een n ig h t and d a y . A  re f le c t io n  on th is  
in c id e n t a lw ays b rings to my m ind the Scrip tu res about Saul's v is io n  and 
his subsequent c o n ve rs io n . It a lso rem inds me o f G od 's  o m n ip o te n ce .
" It was a fte r  I had become b lin d  th a t I d ec ided  tha t I should abandon 
a l l  hopes o f re v e rt in g  to  my o ld  hab its  and to s ta rt my new w ork in ea rnest. 
D u ring  a l l  th is  t im e , from when I f irs t had my v is io n  up to the day I became 
b lin d  in  1950, I rem ained an em ployee o f the A k im  O da branch o f the 
U n ite d  A f r ic a  C om pany. 1 came to  A d o a g y ir i in th a t same yeary 1950, and 
founded my U n ive rsa l Prayer G ro u p . I m arried  G race  D om preh, daugh te r 
o f  Prophetess F lorence M ary  O p a re b e a , in  1956, and we are  now blessed 
w ith  fo u r c h ild re n . "
(S)®©®
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The universal prayer group ''Mpaebo Kuw'' (Adoagyiri, Nsawam): the call of the prophet

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The universal prayer group ''Mpaebo Kuw'' (Adoagyiri, Nsawam): the call of the prophet

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