"Rösler's Report on the Station Anum for the Year 1893"

In the course of the year Missionary Martin travelled to Europe. Missionary Obrecht was posted to Aburi, and Missionary Lehmann posted to Anum. Among their local assistants Assistant Catechist Ruben Kwame was transferred from Tsate to Gyasekan, and replaced by Teacher Dako from Anum. Three local assistants had to be expelled from the mission, Teacher James Opare in Worawora, Thomas Ofei in Kpalime, and one of the Akwamu area teachers. In each case marital irregularity was the problem. They have held four catechists' and teachers’ conferences in the year two for those of the upper area in Ntwumuru, and two for those of the older area in Anum (the conferences were a combination of serious discussions based on papers written by all the participants, and informal gatherings e.g. in the Anum mission house). The mission anniversary brought the whole district together - Rösler notes how five languages could be heard (including German, English and Kyerepong) though most of the people can understand Twi and many speak it. Building - Hall and Clerk now have their houses finished. A new and roomier chapel in Kpalime has also been finished. In Boso the walls of the new chapel have been completed. In Vakpo the rain has destroyed part of the swish walls of the chapel in process of being built and the work is at a standstill. Rösler regrets that a sideline of their work like building takes so much time and energy - if they use wage labour they have to pay a lot because the workmen know that there are no others to take their place. If they ask the congregations to do it then the task is constantly to get them to work, and there is usually tension over the question whether or not the missionary is forwarding all the available money for the use of the building - and whether he could not get more from Basel if he asked for it. The European missionaries travelled for 131 days in the year, the local workers for 375 days. Many places asked for teachers during the year. Of the 85 baptisms of heathen in the district as a whole the largest number were in the Akwamu area - after which came Vakpo where 8 adults and 9 children were baptised. There were 16 exclusions. Spirits drinking is on the increase in the community. When so many of the catechists and teachers have 'no inner life' it is not to be wondered that the congregations lack inner life also. They still have difficulty keeping children in school, and the effective of the withdrawal of financial assistance to pupils in middle schools will mean that they will get no catechists etc. from the Volta area in the mission. In Anum an increase of 3 adults baptised was balanced by 4 exclusions - two were a married couple who lived in continual strife, parted and left the station. A third was an ex-elder who took a second wife (heathen) and took to liquor. A fourth because she swore a fetish oath before the elders of the town during a case about a quarrel. They people are if anything too friendly with the people of the town. Sunday morning services are well attended, not so the morning and evening prayers. Boso - 3 adults baptised, and one elder dismissed, and replaced only with difficulty. Liquor is being drunk by a number of the members, which leads to public quarrels between members and the destruction of family peace. In Kpalime the members of the community worked hard on their new chapel, but the 'fall' of Philip Ofei was a hard blow and several catechumens lapsed as a result of it. Tsate has benefited by the withdrawal of Reverend Kwame, who was not loved by the community on account of his love of power. They now number 64, mostly living on the mission land. They have a coffee plantation, and their main occupation is the preparation of local cloth. The Christians nominally at Vakpo are all in fact from Bomeh one hour away, and have settled themselves in a separate village. Kpando is offering little in the way of results even the school numbers have declined once the novelty wore off and the Mission refused to begin with the teaching of English as was requested. The town is a haunt of people for some reason or other excluded from the English colony. During the year the Mohammedan chief Osman Kato died.

27.02.1894

27.02.1894

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