Called by the Holy Spirit

A Letter from John Etheredge, serving in Ghana

September 2019

It is very difficult to say “no” when the Holy Spirit speaks to you.

In May 2018, I was teaching a Sunday school class on how God uses the Holy Spirit in the church today. It was during that discussion that the Holy Spirit said to me, “It is time for you to go.” Sometimes, I need to be reminded of things. So the Holy Spirit repeated, “It is time for you to go to Africa.”

When I went into worship, a couple was sharing a Minute for Mission on the work they were doing in Zambia. Again, God was reminding me what the Holy Spirit was telling me to do. As if that weren’t enough, our closing hymn was “Here I Am Lord.” You may know the words: “Whom shall I send? Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.” I was overcome with emotion. I left the service before the benediction with tears in my eyes as I talked to God. All afternoon and evening, I cried and talked, then I talked and cried some more. On Monday morning shortly after 9:00 a.m., I was on the phone calling the Presbyterian Center in Louisville asking how to apply to go to Africa.

Thirty years ago, when my wife, Anne, and I were in lay pastor training, we both heard a call to go and serve in Africa. We prayed about it and finally decided we would go when we retired. When Anne was diagnosed with breast cancer, we had to put the call on hold again. In August of 2017, my very best friend and wife of 53 years went home to be with the Lord. Although Anne isn’t able to go with me, in serving as a long-term volunteer with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, I am heeding the call that both of us heard.

As a Community Development Volunteer in Ho, Ghana, I will assist the denomination’s efforts to address the root causes of poverty in the nation. Working with the Nenyo Haborbor program, a project that educates primary and middle school youth who have dropped out of school, I will mentor and tutor children from lower-income families. I will also support skills-training programs at the Evangelical Presbyterian Activities Centre, which educates girls who have dropped out of school, mainly due to pregnancy. At the Shepherd’s Centre of Aging, a church-based social center that engages older adults who live alone in the community, I will serve as an informal counselor and companion to the older adults who come to the center for nurture, care, and social and faith activities.

Recipients of a Self Development of People community gardening grant in South Carolina.

God has been preparing me throughout my adult life for this work in Ghana through leading me to be extensively involved in the PC(USA) both locally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and nationally. As a ruling elder, I have served on the session at Mount Pisgah and First Presbyterian Churches. I have led my church on two mission trips. As I served on New Hope Presbytery’s Preparation for Ministry Committee, I learned more about how to minister to others and the qualities God wishes us to show as we minister. In my involvement with the Self Development of People (SDOP) at both the congregational and national levels, I have come to understand poverty, oppression and injustice more deeply and have learned about ways to combat these destructive forces. In 2010, I served as New Hope Presbytery commissioner to the General Assembly. I am currently president of the Mid Atlantic Black Caucus and a member of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus Executive Board. These positions have helped me understand better how very important it is for minority voices to be heard.

In non-church-related activities, God was also at work. As I tutored at-risk boys, and as I coached boys’ soccer, God was preparing me to work with youth in Ghana. As I worked on community and school fundraisers and collaborated with fellow fathers to build a school playground, I learned about the importance of communities coming together to work for the common good. Serving on the boards of Nash County Mental Health Association, Nash County Meals on Wheels, and Tri-county Industries (a workplace for mentally-challenged people) confirmed for me the necessity of advocating for others.

Just as God has been preparing me all along for service in Ghana, I trust that God has been preparing the people of Ghana for my presence.

In John 21:16, Jesus says, “Take care of my sheep.” In this verse, we are all called to serve others in Christ and to recognize how Christ sends others to nurture us. As I serve in Ghana, I trust that as I feed God’s sheep I also will be fed by our Ghanaian partners and the people of Ghana. I ask you to please support me and my ministry through prayer and through contributing financially to my ministry.

In Christ’s love,

John