28/05/2026
I remember 40 years ago, I was a very young man living in Nima at the time. It was a compound house, and Pastor Annor also lived there. That was the parents’ home of Pastor Edwin Donkor.
I remember that Sunday, the 26th of February, when the church was starting. We used to meet in a small classroom at the Kanda Cluster of Schools. I remember setting out from that house and walking from Nima to Kanda Estate to the classrooms there.
At the time, I wasn’t thinking about today because 40 years felt like another lifetime. I was simply thinking that we were going to start a church. It was something very unusual for us to do, and it certainly wasn’t easy, but we were determined to begin.
When we arrived, a few people who had joined me from Kanda Fellowship gathered there, and some had invited their friends. That was how we started this tremendous church we now call International Central Gospel Church.
The classrooms had no electricity, and since we started meeting around 4 PM, the services often stretched into the night. In those days, when we entered praise and worship, we praised until the Holy Spirit was satisfied. We sang, danced, and sweated in God’s presence, and when we felt we had praised enough, we moved to the next part of the service.
Because there was no electricity, we used kerosene lamps to light up the place. We had absolutely nothing, yet we had everything because God was with us.
That seemingly unsung gathering on that evening has now given birth to something remarkable in our lives. I know for certain that without God, I would never have been able to accomplish any of this. This is truly the doing of the Lord, and it is marvelous in our sight.
I was telling our pastors that when we were starting, I was supremely confident. I was a very confident young man, with no shadow of doubt in my heart. I was full of zeal and conviction. But now, when I look back, I realize how many difficulties we could have faced and the many ways we could have failed. I could have made a mess of my life. I could have fallen. So many things could have happened.
Yet when I look back today, I am amazed that despite my youthful confidence, innocence, and sometimes even foolishness, God still guided every one of my steps and brought us this far.
Now, with the wisdom I have gained over the years, I am even more grateful to God for His preservation and protection. It is amazing that after 40 years, we are still standing. I started ICGC before I was 25 years old. — Dr. Mensa Otabil on the “humble beginnings” of International Central Gospel Church.
Lessons you can pick from this:
1. Great things often begin small: A global ministry like ICGC started in a simple classroom with no electricity. Never despise humble beginnings.
2. Vision does not wait for perfect conditions: They had no sophisticated equipment, no auditorium, and no resources, yet they started anyway. Sometimes obedience matters more than comfort.
3. Faith sees beyond the present moment: While walking from Nima to Kanda, he was not thinking about 40 years ahead. He simply took the next faithful step.
4. Passion can compensate for lack of resources: They had no electricity, but they had passion, hunger, and the presence of God. Spiritual fire can achieve what money cannot.
5. Consistency over time produces impact: Forty years of staying faithful turned a small gathering into a remarkable movement.
6. The presence of God is the greatest asset: “We had absolutely nothing, but we had everything because we had God with us.” That is one of the deepest statements in the entire testimony.
7. Preservation is also a miracle: Success is not only about starting well but also lasting well. Surviving 40 years in ministry is a testimony of God’s sustaining grace.
8. Youth is not a limitation: He started ICGC before age 25. Never underestimate what God can do through a young person who is surrendered and disciplined.
