"D. Huppenbauer's Report for the Year 1881"

He reports a 22-house Christian village in Kibi and 14 house-village in Kukurantumi. Of the other Christian centres he reports changes in Tumfa where a catechist's house has been built, Asiamang and Apedwa where a house was in the process of being built. Buck spent most of the year on furlough for his health, Missionary Burckhardt spent some months in Kibi, but was then switched with Munz from Begoro. Huppenbauer married at the end of the year. Date was posted from Abomosu to Kibi as Buck left, and during the year Anoba was ordained deacon and transferred from Kibi to Abomosu. At the time of Buss' death he was working on the 2-storey Kibi mission house. During the year the 2-storey house was completed its latter stages by Huppenbauer and Munz. It was a bad year for sickness among both local people and missionaries. At one time 7 people died in 6 days in Apedwa and at the same time 6 died in Apapam, while Date was finding 1 or 2 deaths in each of a string of little villages which he passed through. The missionaries suffered from many fevers, and were without Kissinger Water the whole year, Census - an increase in the total community of the district to 703, after 52 baptisms, 44 of them adults. Huppenbauer discusses in generalities the point that this is a much smaller rate of increase than in the preceding year, but argues for himself that he knows that this is not just a matter of sowing and letting the seed grow of itself, also cites a son of Ata saying that every time they preach a corn falls onto the gold-scales and sooner or later they must register this. Discussing geographical tactics Huppenbauer writes as if torn between the problem of devoting adequate time to the existing community, and responding to the promising developments characteristic of West Akim. In Osanase an ex-pupil of the school has built a temporary chapel and a house for a catechist. Two paragraphs appear to complain about new financial regulations. The school has suffered a palpable blow through the imposition of school-tax, and he wishes that introduction of 2/3 church tax had been done after a Synod. Cash is hard to come by in Akim, and many of the community had been involved in the year in building of e.g. catechist-houses, which in other areas had been put up with Mission money (Eisenschmid adds the footnote that in Akwapim it had been sufficient to call the presbyters together and explain the situation to them). Kibi - 34 baptisms of heathen, and 4 of Christian children; a complete increase of 44 led to a community total of 268. The previous year's point about service attendance and evangelism is repeated: Kibi is without doubt the furthest ahead of all the district communities. Date had challenged the community so much about what complacency there was that two members had refused to attend services at which he preached and eventually had to be excluded. A happy aspect of the situation, however, is the way in which the excluded, after a brief time in the heathen town, have associated themselves once more with the Salem, and even in this year of chapel-building have done so, working like full members of the community thereon. There has been no serious case of conflict between members of the community - a major step forward compared with past years. Household and married life leaves much to be desired, but this is not to be wondered at in view of the patterns of family life from which the Christians have come. Relations between Christians and heathen have been good - the Christians are respected by the heathen, and indeed compared with the broken-down houses, heaps of rubbish, and unchecked grass of Kibi itself the Salem presents an impressive spectacle. There is a girls' school which has been in existence for over a year and has 21 pupils. Kukurantumi - new chapel consecrated on Palm Sunday, 9 baptisms, among them the nephew and heir of the first chief of Kukurantumi. Tafo and Osiem are no longer opposed to proselytising but both want a teacher, and it is proposed to post Ewi to one of them as a permanent move. Asiakwa - no baptisms - the catechumen group was attending instructions too irregularly for that. A greater emphasis on stability is no bad thing there, however, since the community is largely made up of young people. The school has been severely damaged by the school-tax question. Abomosu and associated places - Abomosu has had a troubled year in which Presbyter Abraham has had to be replaced by Presbyter Timothy. A key problem has been the removal of Date and his late substitution by Anoba - the Christians had to suffer a lot of derision from the heathen when their teacher was removed. Huppenbauer specifically says he does not want to go into details. It is a wonder that any community in Akim can survive unsupervised for so long. Asunafo remained insulated from all this, going forward quietly the Christians now mostly living in fine houses on mission land. Tumfa, mostly composed of young people, is still exhibiting the weakness of character of Teacher Okanta. Tumfa could be developed as a centre for a travelling preacher. Banso and Akim-Akropong are both within easy reach, and the mission land there is in a fine position. Kwabeng - the people show so little desire for an increase in their grasp of the gospel that they are all suspended from taking communion. Huppenbauer adds that it is a striking characteristic of the situation in Akim that where the main business is gold-digging, the people have little interest in Christianity. Apapam makes a good impressions. Catechist Odee works well and 'on the whole it is true that where we have true and capable people as catechists the state of the community is also satisfactory'. Apweda -street preaching is now possible without the bitter opposition of the heathen. Of the 5 catechumens 2 were baptised, the rest being absent too much. A house is being built for the catechist - this will help the Kibi Christian Joshua Adai who so far has been paying the catechist's rent. Asiamang - 4 catechumen, though the missionaries had expected more. People come in great numbers to street-preaching but converts are scarce (There is a Wesleyan group in the town who want supervision). A footnote from Eisenschmid puts the Wesleyan request as coming from Abase, however.

10.01.1882

14.01.1882

10.01.1882-14.01.1882

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