The reports online by the learned Lord Adusei’s research has enlightened many with regard to the history of the Gyidi Church later known as The Saviour Church of Ghana as well as The True Faith Church. Lord Adusei states that, in 1875, the young Samuel Brako (also called Kwame Panin), his mother Madam Afrah, uncles, other siblings and other family members migrated from Juaben in the Ashanti Region during the Second Kumasi-Juaben War of 1874-1875. The defeat of Juaben forces led the people of Juaben, Effiduase, Asokore, Oyoko and other communities to migrate to Akim Abuakwa in the Eastern Region under the leadership of King Asafo Agyei of Juaben. The mother of Samuel Brako and his uncle Kwasi Addai Adutwum settled at Osiem, near Old Tafo in Akim Abuakwa during the reign of King Amoako Atta of Kyebi.
At the dawn of a day in 1914, Opanin Samuel, who was in charge of sounding the Church bell went to perform his duty. An angel appeared to Opanin Samuel Brako at Osiem where the Methodist Chapel’s bell stood and informed Opanin Samuel Brako that he had been sent by the Lord Jesus Christ to instruct him to establish a church whose members would worship on Saturday. Opanin Samuel, before these revelations was originally a member of the Methodist Church at Osiem and functioned as one of the church’s colporteur.
Initially Opanin Samuel faced a lot of opposition from the established churches and his own uncles at Osiem that caused him to move from place to place within the Osiem township. His uncle Kwasi Addai Adutwum, whose house Opanin Brako and his wife lived disagreed on the formation of the new church. He threw out Samuel Brako and his wife from his house. This made Brako to move and settle at a place called Kubaase part of the Osiem township. He faced hostility from the people here too. He eventually crossed the Subi River and settled near the Bososo-Begoro Road, (where the present Seventh Day Adventist Church is located at Osiem) and settled there. This location was called Asuogya during Opanin Brako’s time but it is currently called SDA.
During the early years of the church’s formation, members worshipped alternatively on Sunday and Saturday and with a lot of laxity however, the year in which his son Prophet (Odiyifo) Emmanuel Kwaku Adutwum was born, it became official that the Church would observe the Sabbath with little or no work done on that day. Opanin Samuel Brako did not worship with the SDA Church neither was he ever taught by them. Several sources within SDA and the Faith Church indicate that the Faith Church was founded wholly by Opanin Samuel Brako as an independent church and Opanin Samuel only met SDA officials in the 1930s as part of the efforts to merge both Sabbath churches. In fact, at the time of the founding of the Faith or Gyidi Church, there was no SDA Church in the Akim Abuakwa and Koforidua area. SDA only came into being in the Akim and Koforidua areas after the merger efforts failed in 1934.
In 1936, a year after the birth of Opanin Samuel Brako’s twins, he bought a large property (which was being used as a cocoa-shed) from the cocoa brokering company Swanzy and used it as a worship centre and also as a dwelling place. Most of Opanin Samuel Brako’s elders lived in this building with him. And it was at this location that the Church became fully established. Opanin Samuel Brako also secured permission from Nana Kwaku Agyei (the chief of Osiem) to use the land surrounding the Swanzy building to establish a mission. The chief agreed and many of Samuel Brako’s followers settled there and built their own houses (at present day Saviour Church Mission). Those whose houses are still found in the mission are Papa Gyan, Papa Bonti, and Papa Joshua Darko, Opanin John Kwaku Badu (Brako’s brother) and Opanin Isaac Kwadwo Asirifi. Osiem currently has the following residential zones: Afigya, Nsuo-Ase, Kubaase, Asantefoɔ mu, SDA, Gyidi, Atwomaakrom, Zongo, Ayigbe town, ECOMOG. During Opanin Samuel Brako’s time, Afigya, Kubaase, Nsuo-Ase formed the main part of the village.
Elder Samuel Brako later received one Akokora John from Huni-Valley. The two had not known each other personally. According this account, Akokora John went to Osiem to strengthen Samuel Brako. He was very reluctant to travel to Osiem because it was planting season and wanted to finish clearing the bush and the planting season before moving. The LORD understood his reason for being reluctant and by a miracle shortened the time his corn/maize took to germinate, grow and mature. After this demonstration of the LORD’s power, he quickly harvested their crop and moved to Osiem to join Opanin Samuel Brako in building the Church. In 1932, Opanin Samuel Brako also received the Kroffa brothers (Samson and Edward) who were staunch evangelists. The Krofas were helpful in planting the Church in many parts of the country
Opanin Brako’s wife (Mary Akosua Amonu Gyamfua), his children (Sarah Akua Konadu, Akua Mansah, Prophet Kwaku Emmanuel, Kofi Sem) his brothers Kwaku Adu and Kwaku Badu (the father of Opanin Abraham Kwaku Adusei the current head of Saviour Church of Ghana) and his in-laws including John Kwasi Owusu Atobra, and Kwasi Sakra (who were Opanin Brako’s brothers in-law, brothers to Amonu Gyamfua), and Kwaku Adu, a nephew of Opanin Brako, were instrumental in laying the foundation of the church.
Other prominent members whose contribution was crucial were Pastor Appiah Dankwa Elder Jacob Kwaku Agyei, John Kwasi Mensah (from Nkyiripuaso near Juaben, and the first ordained baptist in the Church and the father of Brako’s wife), Papa Gyan whose son Kwasi Gyan (was a prominent prophet and a relative of Brako’s wife), Moses Mossi Baanie, Elder Kwasi Beremfo, Papa Bonti, Papa Joshua Darko, Elder Ayitey, Papa Afrifa, Elder Yaw Abrokwah, Elder Duodu (a staunch evangelist and husband of Brako’s daughter Mansah), Elder Kwasi Agyapong Mensah, and Eshun Mensah, a Fanti, a singer and the composer of the Church’s early lyrics. Mr. Eshun Mensah was also Opanin Samuel Brako’s secretary (“krakye”) and a prominent evangelist who is credited with the growth of the church in many parts of the country. Opanin Isaac Asirifi was Samuel Brako’s Bible reader (“kenkani”) and lived with Samuel Brako).
Mr. Ofori Duodu, the son-in-law of Samuel Brako also used his Spiritual gift as an evangelist to preach the word of God to many people in the Akim Abuakwa area. Elder Yaw Abrokwah who was a singer and a prominent prophet left his dwelling at Old Tafo in Akim Abuakwa and moved to Osiem so he could work with Opanin Samuel Brako. Elders Emmanuel Obeng, Yaw Dankwa and Kwasi Mensah Agyapong of Amua also strenuously worked with Samuel Brako in establishing the branches in the Kwahu area. The Agogo branch of the Church was established through the pastoral effort of Elders Stephen Atta, Opanin Kone, and Mr. Acheampong who once served in the Agogo Palace. Elder Abraham Nsia of Asamang in the Ashanti Region was also instrumental in the growth of the church in the region.
Women also played important role in the early years of the Church. Apart from Madam Amonu Gyamfua (Op. Samuel Brako’s wife), other women who worked tirelessly with the men included Madam Akua Moomo (a sister to Madam Amonu Gyamfua), Maame Akua Esua, Maame Dansoa, Maame Afua Hum, Maame Yaa Henewaa and Maame Afia Ansah (a singer and a direct sister of Opanin Issac Asirifi).
Opanin Samuel Brako, the Krofas and their co-workers laboured day and night to bring the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to countless others. They preached the gospel to the people of Osiem and the surrounding villages including Old Tafo and Kukurantumi telling them to refrain from alcohol, adultery, adulatory, fornication, theft, and anything that corrupts the body.Opanin Brako entreated his followers to pay special attention to holiness, righteous, spiritual growth, fasting, prayers, love and charity.
God filled Opanin Samuel Brako, with His power (Holy Spirit) and he performed many miracles including one that caused almost the then entire Agogo community in Ashanti to convert to Gyidi. Through the healing power of the Holy Spirit the sick were healed, demons were cast, and many souls were saved from the destruction of alcohol. Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their midst members hardly ever got sick and hardly visited the hospital. Indeed, the gospel message preached by Opanin Samuel Brako and his lieutenants was so much backed by the total power of the Holy Spirit so much so that it earned them the Akan phrase “kyiri bentoa” which translates as people who have no need for physicians. People feared to sin because as soon as the sin was committed the Holy Spirit would reveal it to the prophets who in turn inform the leaders. The prophets spent most of their time interceding on behalf of the members. No one was paid for doing their job. Founder Opanin Samuel Brako preached to members to be content with what they always have.
Under the able leadership of Opanin Samuel Brako the Church spread to other parts of Ghana including Kwahu, Akuapem, Fante, Asante and Brong Ahafo. Because of lack of transportation networks most of these places were reached by means of walking. For instance when moving from Akim to Ashanti, Opanin Samuel Brako and his team would take the sleeper train from Bososo to Boankra and do the remaining journey by foot. In the early years of the church, it spread mostly through the Akan communities especially the villages but it soon reached the towns.
Church Doctrine and Organisation
The Church was founded as a Spiritual Church and as such God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are to be revered. Both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are recognised as the main source of scriptural authority on which teachings are based. In other words, the Church draws heavily from the New Testament and also the Old Testament. Apart from worshiping and observing the Sabbath on Saturday, Founder Opanin Samuel Brako was instructed by the Holy Spirit to let his followers treat the meeting place as a holy place in line with God’s encounter with Moses (Exodus 3:5) and Joshua (Joshua 5:15) in which both leaders were instructed to remove their sandals before approaching God (see also Acts 7:33; Matthew 18:20). As a result members remove their sandals anytime they come into the presence of God. Removal of sandals takes place when members attend church, prayer service or in any other place connected with God. This is in reverence to God
Opanin Samuel Brako was instructed to follow the guidelines established in the Book of the New Testament regarding who could be ordained a pastor or Bishop. In this regard, men only would be ordained pastors and bishops, and also to pray at every religious gathering in accordance with the teachings of the Gospel as found in 1 Timothy 2:8-14 (See the notes below for what these verses say). Through this instruction, Founder Samuel Brako ordained many men from every part of the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) to become pastors for the church [9].
New converts must confess their sins during baptism. Baptism is by total immersion. Both adults and children could be baptised. In the early years of the church’s founding, members were not burdened with payments of money such as tithe and weekly collection. Tithe payment is still prohibited. Weekly collection is still voluntary. As they are not paid, pastors and deacons must endeavour to work for their livelihoods and not expect to be paid. Payments in the form of salaries and allowances were and are still completely discouraged. The Church places more emphasis on the use of African melodies. Songs are sung in local language and there is no elaborate use of musical instruments. Water and non-alcoholic beverages are used during the Holy Communion or Sacrament rather than alcoholic wine.
The church under Opanin Samuel was organised around four main ministries: The Pastoral Ministry; The Prophetic Ministry; The Evangelism Ministry; and The Music and Song Ministration Ministry. These four pillars were not separated but worked in tandem for the total growth of the Church. Each of the Ministry is headed by a person who is full of faith, wisdom and the Holy Spirit.The Head of the Church (severally called overseer, superintendent) is divinely appointed through prayers and request from the LORD Jesus Christ. Until recently (early 1990s) no elaborate titles (such as bishops, apostles, archbishop) were used for the heads of the various ministries. The title usually used during the early years of the church was the Akan word “Opanin” which translates as “Elder”. (Since the early 1990s, True Faith Church in particular has adopted titles such as bishops, apostles, Senior Apostles for its leaders).
Women are not to be left out in the church organisation. They are to be part of the strong Prophetic Ministry as prophets as well as the Singing and Songs Ministration Ministry. Sarah Akua Konadu, the daughter of Samuel Brako, Madam Akua Esua, Madam Afia Ansah were strong singers whose singing abilities attracted many unbelievers to the Church.
Dress Code
Men and women are to shun costly apparel and any appearance of the world. Men are to wear long robes (white robes during Sabbath days and red robes during all other days and occasions. The robes are to be of the same design. Modesty is emphasised. Women must cover their heads so they can have good relationships with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the angels as is instructed in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16; 1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3-6 (see the reference below for what these verses say). Opanin Samuel Brako’s favourite sermons were “Love”, “Doing Charity,” “Holiness” and “Righteousness.”
Death of Opanin Samuel Brako and Succession
Founder Opanin Samuel Brako died in the mid-1940s.. He left behind a well-established Bible-based and Holy Spirit-driven Church with branches all the country. He also left behind 10 children (Akua Konadu, Akua Mansah, Kwaku Emmanuel, Akua Afra, Kwaku Sem, Joshua Adjei Adusei, Yaa Ataa, Yaw Tawiah Moses, Kofi Badu popularly called 13, and Afua Duku) who continued the good work of their father. According to his son Joshua Adjei Adusei, he was present when his father anointed an old man by name Elder Moses Mossi Baanie as his successor. However, Opanin Mossi was old and enlisted Elder Isaac Kwadwo Asirifi to be his assistant. Elder Moses Mossi Baanie became less active due to his age and Elder Asirifi (who was very outspoken) finally replaced him as the leader of the Church. (Elder Asirifi was not a direct relative of Samuel Brako as is sometimes claimed) but lived with Samuel Brako as a young man.
There are no known photographs of Opanin Samuel Brako but everyone who saw him acknowledges that his son Prophet Kwaku Emmanuel was the carbon copy of his dad. In other words, Founder Brako was tall and slender and quite in resemblance with his son Prophet Kwaku Emmanuel.
First Schism
However, after the death of Opanin Samuel Brako, disagreement arose between Elder Asirifi on one hand and some of the leaders especially Elder Emmanuel Obeng, Elder Abraham Nsia of Asaman, Elder Yaw Dankwa and Elder Mensah of Asuonyunu on the other hand. The disagreement centred around the Biblical teachings of 1 Timothy 3:2-4 where would-be pastors are supposed to be husbands of one wife.
This text concerns the qualification of a bishop. It admonishes pastors and church leaders to be husbands of one wife but Opanin Asirifi had two wives and so the leaders objected to him becoming the leader of the church and administering communion or sacrament. Opanin Isaac also maintained that he was not a Bishop as that title was not in Gyidi Church.
The disagreement was not resolved amicably and the Church split between Opanin Asirifi and the other group during the Convention at Asante Akyem Obogu. Opanin Isaac Kwadwo Asirifi affectionately called Dadeako later named his version of Gyidi “The Saviour Church of Ghana” (nkwagyesom) with the headquarters at Osiem while Elder Obeng and his group called theirs “True Faith Church of Ghana” (nokware gyidifo) with the headquarters at Kwahu Praso, in Eastern Region. Elder Yaw Dankwa anointed Elder Emmanuel Obeng as the head of True Faith Church in 1957 with Prophet Ebenezer Adarkwaa as head of the Prophetic Ministry. Elder Emmanuel Obeng died in 1966 and Elder Joseph Ampadu was divinely elected as his successor in 1967.
The two branches continued to observe the Sabbath but over the years there has been significant changes in the organisation of the two churches. As mentioned earlier, the church under Opanin Samuel Brako was organised around four main ministries: The Pastoral Ministry; The Prophetic Ministry; The Evangelism Ministry; and The Music and Song Ministration Ministry. These four pillars were not separated but worked in tandem for the total growth of the Church. (This practice is still very noticeable in True Faith and Faith Salvation, and less noticeable in Saviour Church). Each of the Ministry is headed by a person who is full of faith, wisdom and the Holy Spirit. The Head of the Church (severally called overseer, superintendent) is divinely elected through prayers and request from the LORD Jesus Christ. Until recently (early 1990s) no elaborate titles (such as bishops, apostles, archbishop) were used for the heads of the various ministries. The title usually used during the early years of the church was the Akan word “Opanin” which translates as “Elder”. (Since the early 1990s, True Faith Church first adopted the title ”Bishop” for the head of the church. This was later changed to ”Apostle” and then to ”Senior Apostle”). Such elaborate titles are still absent in Saviour Church of Ghana.
Since the death of opanin Isaac in 1997, the Saviour Church has placed little emphasis on the prophetic ministry, whereas True Faith continues to regard prophetic ministry as a critical component of the church in line with the tradition established by Founder Opanin Samuel Brako. There is one more significant difference between Saviour Church and True Faith Church regarding activities they organise every year. The calendar year of True Faith Church is divided into three: a Synod meeting involving pastors, deacons and church leaders usually held at the headquarters; prophetic meeting involving all the prophets is held around August every year; and annual convention which takes place around 25 December till 1 January of the New Year. The annual convention is rotated throughout the branches in the country. The Saviour Church also has synod and annual convention but not prophetic meeting. Meanwhile the annual convention always takes place at Osiem and nowhere else.
THE 1914 REVELATION
One of the most important traditions surrounding Opanin Samuel Brako concerns the year 1914. According to the family history, Opanin Brako experienced a revelation in which he was instructed to establish a Christian congregation whose members would worship on Saturday.
This is a theological claim belonging to the church’s historical tradition and should be presented as such rather than as an independently verifiable supernatural event. The significance of the story lies in what followed. Opanin Brako began to develop a Christian movement centred upon: the Bible, God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, holiness and the seventh-day Sabbath.
1914 OR 1924?
This is an important historical question. Some church and family histories state that the Gyidi church began in 1914. A historical directory preserved in the Michigan State University digital collection also lists Opanin Samuel Brako, Memeneda Gyidifo (Saviour Church), Osiem, 1924.
The present Saviour Church’s official website states that it was founded in 1924 at Akyem Osiem. The Ghana Supreme Court likewise states that the Saviour Church was founded by Samuel Brako at Osiem in 1924.
The most careful historical formulation, therefore, is: 1914 marks the beginning of the Sabbath-oriented religious calling and movement associated with Opanin Samuel Brako, according to church and family tradition; 1924 is the formally documented founding date of the Saviour Church at Osiem.
The history of Christianity in Ghana is much broader than the history of the European missionary churches that became established along the Gold Coast. Long before Ghana became an independent nation in 1957, African Christians were reading the Bible for themselves, interpreting its teachings, establishing congregations and developing forms of Christian worship that were not created by European missionaries.
One of the most remarkable examples is the Saviour Church of Ghana, historically associated with the Gyidi movement and with the Saturday Sabbath. The church’s present official history describes it as an indigenous Christian denomination founded in 1924 at Akyem Osiem in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It identifies itself as a Sabbath-observing church and emphasizes Morality, Healthcare, Education and Agriculture as important dimensions of its mission.
For historical purposes, 1914 may be described as the beginning of the reported Sabbath calling and movement associated with Opanin Samuel Brako. The message was repeated in 1922 and as such the church was started, but instead of the Saturday Sabbath, they worshiping on Sundays like the other churches. The message was repeated two years later that the church was not meant for Sunday worship. He immediately informed members and thus they all changed to Saturday as the day the worship and Sabbath.
THE AFRICAN ORIGIN OF THE SAVIOUR CHURCH
The Saviour Church is very important because it belongs to the history of African-initiated Christianity. The church did not originate simply as an overseas missionary organization brought to Ghana by Europeans. Its roots are associated with Ghanaian Christians who studied the Bible, prayed, preached and developed their own understanding of Christian worship.
The present Saviour Church describes itself explicitly as an indigenous Christian denomination. This indigenous character makes its history particularly important.It demonstrates that African Christians were not merely passive recipients of Christianity. They also became interpreters, preachers, prophets, organizers and founders of Christian movements like Men’s Company, Women’s Company, Boys Company, Junior Boys’ Company, Girls Company and Junior Girls’ Company.
The Saviour Church therefore belongs to the broader history of Ghanaian Christianity in which African religious leaders began to ask fundamental questions:
- What Does The Bible Actually Teach?
- Which Day Is The Sabbath?
- What Constitutes Holiness?
- What Should Christian Worship Look Like?
- What Role Does The Holy Spirit Play?
- How Should Christians Live?
- How Should The Church Serve Society?
The Saviour Church emerged within this wider search for a distinctly biblical and African Christian identity.
The Saviour Church’s Sabbath teaching also draws attention to the practice of Jesus. Luke records: “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day.” (Luke 4:16)
The church therefore regards Jesus’ Sabbath practice as significant. Jesus did not present the Sabbath as an irrelevant institution. He said: “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” (Mark 2:27–28) The Saviour Church tradition therefore sees the Sabbath as part of the biblical pattern that Christians should seriously examine.
THE APOSTLES AND THE SABBATH
The movement also points to the practice of the apostles. Luke records concerning Paul: “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures.” (Acts 17:2) Another passage records: “And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” (Acts 13:44) These passages became important to Sabbath believers because they demonstrate that the apostles continued to use the Sabbath as an important occasion for teaching. The argument is not merely: “Moses kept the Sabbath.” It is also states that “Jesus observed the Sabbath, and the apostles continued to preach on the Sabbath.”
THE BIBLE AS THE AUTHORITY
Historical accounts of the Gyidi church describe the Old and New Testaments as its scriptural authority. This is important because the movement’s Sabbath doctrine cannot be understood separately from its broader understanding of the Bible.
The Old Testament was not discarded. The New Testament was not treated as a replacement for everything that preceded it. Rather, the movement attempted to read both together. This is expressed in Christ’s own words: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” (Matthew 5:17) And Jesus continued: “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18).
GOD, JESUS CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
The historical description of the church characterizes it as a spiritual church in which God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are revered. The Holy Spirit occupies a particularly important position in the movement’s historical spirituality. The early church expected the Spirit to guide, reveal, warn, encourage and empower believers.
This is reflected in the New Testament: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things.” (John 14:26) The Saviour tradition consequently developed a strong prophetic dimension.
THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY
Prophecy became one of the distinctive ministries of the original movement. Historical accounts state that prophets played an important role in the spiritual life of the church and that the prophetic ministry was closely associated with prayer and spiritual discernment.
The biblical foundation is “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” (Joel 2:28) The New Testament similarly says: “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1) The prophetic ministry therefore became one of the major features of the movement.
THE FOUR MAJOR MINISTRIES
Historical descriptions of the original movement identify four important ministries:
- Pastoral Ministry
- Prophetic Ministry
- Evangelistic Ministry
- Music and Song Ministry.
These ministries reflected a broad understanding of Christian service. The pastor taught and shepherded. The prophet ministered through spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit could posses any member to prophesy and retribute sin or reveal sins secretly committed by anyone.
The evangelist carried the message beyond the local congregation. The musicians helped lead worship and preserve the church’s spiritual and cultural identity.
HOLINESS
Opanin Samuel Brako’s preaching is remembered particularly for its emphasis on love, charity, holiness and righteousness. Holiness was not regarded as merely an outward appearance.
It concerned the whole life. The Bible says: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14) The church therefore emphasized moral discipline. Members were encouraged to live in ways that demonstrated their faith.
LOVE AND CHARITY
Love was another central theme attributed to Opanin Samuel Brako in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. Jesus said: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)
The movement therefore understood Christianity as more than doctrinal correctness. A person could claim to know God while failing to demonstrate love.The Christian life had to produce visible evidence.
MORAL DISCIPLINE
Historical descriptions of the movement emphasize honesty, godliness, avoidance of immorality and disciplined living. This is consistent with the biblical teaching: “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.” (Psalm 15:2) And: “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22) Thus, the Saviour Church’s original message was not simply: “Keep Saturday.” It was more comprehensive: “Keep God’s commandments and live a holy life.”
REMOVAL OF SHOES
One of the most distinctive traditional practices was the removal of shoes in places regarded as holy. Historical accounts connect this practice with God’s command to Moses: “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
Joshua received a similar instruction: “Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy.” (Joshua 5:15) The Opanin Brako tradition applied this principle to worship and prayer. Historical accounts state that members removed their sandals when entering church and other places designated for prayer or divine encounter. The practice represents reverence. It communicates the idea: “I am entering into the presence of God.”
DRESS AND THE RED ROBE
The traditional church became visually distinctive because of its clothing. Historical accounts describe white robes on Sabbath days and red robes on other days and occasions. Modesty was emphasized, and women were traditionally expected to cover their heads. This contributed to names such as: Memeneda Gyidifo Saturday Believers. The clothing therefore became part of the public identity of the movement.
MODESTY
The traditional dress teaching was connected with biblical passages concerning modesty. Paul wrote: “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety.” (1 Timothy 2:9) Peter similarly taught: “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel.” (1 Peter 3:3) The emphasis was that Christian character should be more important than outward display.
WOMEN AND HEAD COVERING
Historical accounts of the Op. Brako movement connect women’s head covering with Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11. Paul wrote: “But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head.” (1 Corinthians 11:5)
The passage became part of the theological reasoning behind traditional head covering. This illustrates the movement’s characteristic approach: practices were often justified through direct appeal to biblical passages.
BAPTISM
Baptism was an important part of Christian initiation. The New Testament describes baptism in terms of burial and resurrection: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father.” (Romans 6:4)
This symbolizes the believer’s death to the former life and beginning of a new life. The traditional movement emphasized immersion in baptism, according to historical accounts of its early practice.
HOLY COMMUNION
The church also observes Holy Communion. The Biblical foundation is found in Jesus’ words: “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) The historical tradition of the movement is also notable for its rejection of alcohol as part of its broader moral discipline. Historical a ccounts describe the early church as using water or non-alcoholic alternatives in Communion rather than alcoholic wine.
PRAYER AND FASTING
Prayer occupies a central place in the church. The church’s spiritual culture was characterized by seeking God through prayer, fasting and intercession. Jesus taught: “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29) The early church therefore did not regard prayer as a ceremonial activity performed only during formal worship. Prayer was a means of seeking God’s direction.
HEALING AND DIVINE INTERVENTION
The historical tradition of the church contains numerous accounts of healing and spiritual interventions. The church’s early spirituality expected God to answer prayer and act directly in human The biblical foundation is: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him.” (James 5:14). Another is; “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” (James 5:15) Healing therefore formed part of the movement’s understanding of active faith.
EVANGELISM
The church did not remain confined to Osiem. Historical accounts describe the spread of Opanin Samuel Brako’s ministry into areas including Kwahu, Akuapem, Fante communities, Asante and Brong Ahafo. As of now, the church has spread so much so that their presence could be felt at approximately all Districts in the country.
