"Station's Conference Minutes"

Over whether or not Catechist Kwabi should stay in Kukurantumi. Kromer remarks that they have little knowledge of the intimate situation in the Kibi families, and need a catechist of Kwabi's qualities to keep them informed on this point. To this minute is added a letter from Lodholz dated 10 May 1871 addressed from Akropong to the Kibi missionaries informing them that the Basel Committee has agreed that Kukurantumi should no longer be an outstation and that Kwabi should be transferred to Kibi. However, he has received a letter from the Kukurantumi Christian acknowledging their sins and weaknesses, and proposing to move their houses onto mission land in connection with which they beg to keep their catechist. He himself has visited the place once in December and once in March, and the difference, both in the outward aspect of the mission land and in the attitudes of the Christians (including some excluded ones) was striking. He was not altogether convinced, and asked Kwabi (by letter) how many people were building their houses on mission land, to which the answer seemed to be all of them, 3 members of the community and the excluded ones. He also asked whether there were any excluded Christians who could be re-accepted into the community, and received the answer that Andreas Ewyi and Jonas Abisawu probably could. Kwabi cited for him the proceedings of a session on the subject, with himself and the three full members of the community present. Ewyi and Abisawu were asked 'Do you repent of your sins?' - ‘Yes’. 'Are you going to continue as before?' - 'No, we ask for forgiveness’. 'To whom, then, must you turn?' - 'To Jesus'. Do you want to be accepted into the community again?' - 'If we had not wanted that we would have gone back to our heathen superstitions, though in our weakness, we have fallen into many sins. It is our earnest wish now, however, to set ourselves at the side of Christ'. 'Why have you never come to me to ask for re-acceptance?' - 'Because with our past you would never have believed us'. Abisawu said in addition (in reply to the question why he had not just lived like a heathen), that he had once fallen into a debt which his uncle offered to pay on condition that he gave up Christianity – but he said he would rather live with the debt and remain a Christian. Kwabi’s letter ends with the sentence ‘I think this description of the situation is trustworthy. The school also makes progress. Hoping that you will be able to do something for the Christians here. Yours etc.' Lodholz' opinion against that of Kromer and Haas is that in this situation the removal of Kwabi from Kukurantumi should be postponed until it can be seen what will come out of this development.

12.06.1871

12.06.1871

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