By Adotey Allotey
On Saturday, 15th April, 2023, Club J held its annual Easter Outreach Program, this time at the Osu St Barnabas Anglican Church.
The program, targeted at the aged and needy, was the brainchild of Club J chairman in the person of Mr Humphrey Awuletey-Williams. When Mr George Whyte, an active member of the St Barnabas PCC and also Welfare Executive member of Club J, passed on in September 2022, the chairman vowed to hold the annual Easter outreach program at St Barnabas for the next five years in memory of George.
In addition to that, the chairman also promised to refurbish the washrooms to meet standard expectations.
This mission, a no mean feat, was accomplished in a record time of less than three months. It is well to note that as teenagers, Humphrey and George had an inseparable bond of friendship which grew stronger over the passing years. This bond necessitated the commitment on behalf of the chairman to memorialize his brother and friend.
As early as 6:00 am, members of the various guilds had already started converging at church premises to receive their parcels. Some 500 members of the congregation received various items, including rice, cooking oil, canned mackerel, soft drinks and biscuits. In fact, bringing smiles to the faces of the recipients was very heartwarming to the Chairman and all Club J members as well.
To mark the end of the Outreach Program, the Venerable Rev Dr Joseph Lamptey, who chaired the occasion, extended an invitation to Club J members to the forthcoming Accra East Archdeaconry Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony scheduled to take place at the St Paul Anglican Church, on 6 th May, 2023.
This event is meant to cement the growing relationship between Club J and the Anglican Church. Chairman Humphrey, on behalf of Club J, had earlier, on 2nd April which was the birthday of George Whyte – may his soul rest in peace – donated an amount of Ghc100,000 as seed money towards the building of vicarage and offices for the whole of the Accra East Archdeconry, which comprises of some seventeen churches in the whole of Accra East, chaired by the Venerable Rev Dr Joseph Lamptey. During the ceremony, lacoste shirts embossed with both Club J and Accra East Archdeaconry insignia would be on sale for all and sundry.
Interestingly, some of the congregants have already started speculating about what items to expect at next year’s outreach program.