The Bolgatanga Baptist Association, under the Ghana Baptist Convention, has extended financial support to five of its member churches to aid ongoing building projects. Each selected church received GH₵2,000 as part of the association’s efforts to strengthen local congregations through internal savings and resource mobilization.
Speaking exclusively to A1 Radio’s Gifty Kudiabor, Rev. Thomas Abukari, Head of the Bolgatanga Baptist Association, explained that the initiative is part of a new policy to reinvest funds generated through member contributions back into churches for infrastructure development. The association—which includes all Ghana Baptist Convention churches within the Upper East Region—was able to save GH₵10,000 this year by setting aside part of its income, derived from the 5% tithe contributions submitted by local churches.
“We did some drastic savings this year to make sure that we help our churches. Our source of income is that every church will send 5% of their tithe offerings to the association and 20% to headquarters. So, it was the 5% that we decided to save, and this year, by the grace of God, we were able to save GH₵10,000,” he said.
To ensure fairness in distribution, Rev. Abukari noted that the association—divided into four zones: Bolga East, Bolga Central, Sandema, and Mokuso—selected one church from each zone. Beneficiaries include Beotanko Baptist Church in the Bolga East Zone, Bawku Central Baptist Church in the Bawku Zone, Sandema Baptist Church in the Sandema Zone, and Redeemed Baptist Church in Zorko under the Bolga Central Zone. The Baptist Students’ Union at the C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS) in Navrongo was also included, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to five.
According to Rev. Abukari, this marks the first time the Bolga Baptist Association has implemented such a savings-based support system. He described it as a step toward promoting accountability, mutual support, and sustainable growth within the regional church body.
“It’s the first time, and we said we’re going to make sure that we discipline ourselves so that even if we cannot raise the bar, we should maintain it. And possibly next year, if we are able to increase the number—not just four or five, but more—so that we can also assist them, that would be better,” he stated.
He added that the association intends to sustain the initiative and possibly increase the number of beneficiary churches in the coming years, depending on available resources. He further assured members that full transparency will be maintained, with financial reports to be presented during the association’s upcoming general meeting later this month.
“This year, we’ll be having our general association meeting on the last Saturday of November, and an account will be given. Normally, that is what we do. The transparency—everybody knows: this church contributes this, that church contributes that, and this is what it has been used for,” he added.
Source: a1radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Gifty Eyram Kudiador|Bolgatanga
