Let's Go To Church!

Yesterday evening, Sefa invited me to go to church with him this morning. The people here in Ghana are very religious! I knew that the worship service here is different, with more singing and dancing, but it completely blew me away! People from everywhere were streaming into this modern concrete building - either dressed in suits or in traditional attire. Outside, chairs were set up with a screen so that more people could participate. Inside, there was a huge hall! It looked more like a banquet hall than a church: at the front, there was a stage set up with a microphone and lighting; on the right side, a live band; and on the left, the 'Nursing Mothers' Section' for mothers with children. There were professional cameras everywhere recording everything (you can see the ceremony from this morning on the official website:  https://www.centralgospel.com/?root=live ). Check it out, it's worth it!!

Men in suits and sunglasses (they looked like Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black😂) showed us our seats and made sure everything was in order. As I looked around, I only saw one other white woman, so I was being watched from all sides. It started with a pop band: people went wild! Everyone was dancing and singing along, clapping and shouting. Like at a festival, the musician at the front would shout 'shout' and everyone would scream - and all of this at 7:30 in the morning! The atmosphere was breathtaking. Everyone was in their own world, yet somehow stood together as one. At first, I didn't know if taking pictures was allowed, so I only started taking them after half an hour. Additionally, there was a choir, a cappella, and classical music. The prayer was led by a priest while everyone in the hall began to murmur to themselves; sometimes it got quite loud, sometimes very quiet. Then there was a speech about 'faith' and 'sight', which was very interesting. The whole ceremony was so profound, people laughed, cried - I had goosebumps several times!

At the end, advertisements were displayed on the screen, which I found quite strange. For example, they informed about blood donation and how important it is. They also announced when the next worship services will take place and with which priest. After 2 hours (usually the ceremony lasts much longer!), the band played one last song and we left the church.