The Church of Pentecost UK

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The Church of Pentecost UK

• 746 Green Lane Dagenham Essex RM8 1YX
• www.copuk.org info_at_copuk.org
• Tel [phone] Fax [phone]

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The Church of Pentecost, UKGoodmayes, Essex
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History of the Church of Pentecost, UK

• According to Dr. Yanney, retired Elder of the
  Clapham South branch, the Church of Pentecost in
  the UK started in 1989 as Elim Church of
  Pentecost (ELICOP) in Finsbury Park, London, N4.
  (The COP in Ghana started in 1930 as The
  Apostolic Church.)
• In 1993, UK meetings were held in Ilford, Essex.
• The name Elim was removed in May 2008.
• The church moved into the present building in
  2002.

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Linguistic landscape

• The COP, UK is predominantly Ghanaian and Twi is
  the major language of communication during the
  Akan service from 2.30pm-5pm on Sundays. All the
  teachers of the 2-5 and 6-8 year olds are
  Twi-speaking. The Deacon is also Twi-speaking.
  (Akans are Twi and Fante peoples.)
• Ga, the language of the capital, is spoken by a
  section of the congregation and they all
  understand Twi the teacher of the 9-11 year olds
  is Ga.
• Other Ghanaian languages (and other African
  languages) and English are also heard among
  members of the congregation during socialisation
  before and after each service.
• Many children and the youth understand Ghanaian
  languages but mainly speak English.

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Church hierarchy

• The global Head Office of the COP in Labadi,
  Accra, Ghana, oversees the running of UK branches
  and appoints all paid officers
• An Apostle is the highest position, followed by a
  Prophet, a Pastor and an Elder.
• The current chairman is Apostle Opoku Onyina.
• Deacons, Deaconesses, Sisters, Brothers and Youth
  Leaders can be appointed by the UK Head Office in
  Goodmayes.

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The local communityGoodmayes Station and
Goodmayes Baptist Church
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A bus stop in Green Lane and the front of the
Church of Pentecost
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The inside of the church

• The church has retained the structure of the
  building which was first a cinema and then a
  bingo hall.
• The large stage holds a multitude of male
  officials and some female singers.
• There is no sign of the cross or any Christian
  emblem.
• This is a huge building with many rooms.

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Church attendance

• Many members live within a three-mile radius of
  the church and on Sundays, others travel from all
  over London to fill the huge auditorium.
• There are vans that pick up members from Mitcham
  (South London/Surrey border) and elsewhere for
  the International service in English from
  10am-1pm and 6.30pm-8.30pm.
• The Akan service, conducted in Twi, takes place
  from 2pm-5pm.
• All these services are very well attended.

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The congregation
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The role of women

• The rule is that women are not allowed to become
  pastors although they can lead prayers and play
  supporting roles such as preparing the room and
  taking care of the men and children.
• The women make sure that everything runs smoothly
  and they start the service with singing and
  dancing.
• Women do the cooking for special events.

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The role of the men

• The men deliver the actual service.
• Only a pastor or a higher officer can baptise a
  member of the church.
• Only pastors and above are paid a salary all
  other people, such as Deacons and Brothers, are
  not remunerated.
• The Youth is seen as potential leaders of the
  church and receive training from adults.

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Church services begin with singing, supported by
a band, and dancing mainly by women. (The
children sit upstairs for about 30 minutes before
joining their respective groups.)
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Caring teachers, happy children

• Parents enjoy the service, knowing their children
  are in the capable hands of the teachers who are
  affectionately addressed as auntie or uncle.
• Although these teachers are not trained in the
  formal sense, qualified teachers in school have a
  lot to learn from them.
• One teacher can teach 50 children with support
  from another one or two.

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Colour-coded tables for 2-5-year- old girls and
boys
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Oral text

• Teacher Sunday School Children no talking is
  a call and response for attention.
• The 2-5 year olds are taught oral texts,
  including action songs in Twi.
• This is explained to the children so that they
  understand what they are singing.
• General teaching is done in English because many
  children speak English at home, although they
  understand Twi.

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A special event

• During the special event on Sunday 27th December
  2009, the 2-5 year olds participated in many
  action songs, some of which had already been
  heard before, including Yesu wo ha, Yesu wo fie,
  Yesu wo babiara. Woye bone a, obehu, obete,
  obekyerew. Woye bone a orenhyira wo DA. Jesus is
  here, Jesus is at home, Jesus is everywhere. If
  you do wrong, He will see it, He will hear about
  it, He will write it down. If you do wrong, He
  will NEVER bless you.
• It was their Christmas party and food was being
  laid for all the children. My contribution was
  fairy cakes for everyone. They had no formal
  teaching today. However, formal teaching
  continued as usual with the 6-8 and 9-11 year
  olds before the party.

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Written text and the only text on the wall
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The Holy Bible
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Ordinary event

• The Bible text for Sunday 1st November 2009 was
  Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd.
• The 2-5 year olds filled in the missing words and
  coloured the scenery of Psalm 23 sheep, grass
  and the good shepherd on worksheets.
• The 6-8 year olds individually wrote their
  understanding of Psalm 23.
• The 9-11 year olds took it in turn to read and
  answer questions on Psalm 23.

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A teacher taking the collection from the 6-8 year
old children
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The 9-11 year old boys and girls and their teacher
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The role of the Sunday school Deacon

• The Deacon attached to the Sunday school is Adu
  Boansi with whom I have been communicating since
  July 2009. During the week, he teaches
  Accountancy in an Adult college.
• He has been most helpful and gives me relevant
  information.
• His duties in the COP include checking the
  childrens collected money, documenting it and
  giving it to the secretary of the church.
• He also helps the teachers to set up the room and
  look after the children.
• He personally set up the youth group about five
  years ago to help the youth focus on something
  positive.

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Weekly activities

• Sundays 10am-1pm 6.30pm-8.30pm Pentecost
  International Worship Centre (PIWC) 2pm-5pm Akan
  service
• Mondays 11am-1pm Akan session Prayer clinic
• Tuesday 7pm-9pm Intercessionary Prayer Tower
  meetings
• Midweek services
• Wednesdays 11am-1pm English session Prayer
  surgery
• Fridays 7m-9pm Healing Miracle Night