Kwabena Boateng
Class of 2020
Mission Committee Liaison
What committee do you serve on, and what is it doing to build up CSPC as the body of Christ? The Mission Committee has exciting, upcoming and continuing projects to expand CSPC’s presence in the community. Food for Thought has resumed for the new school year, and the committee, spearheaded by Nancy Reed, will be organizing food packing days. All hands are welcome for the packing line. A small library emerged as a new project for the year. The library, which looks like an oversized mailbox, will sit adjacent to the road, and will be freely accessible to the community. We still have room for a church-wide volunteer activity, and we’re searching for ideas. Please share with us any thoughts our suggestions.
Tell me about a place where you feel close to God. (Cliché alert!) Wandering in nature, whether hiking a couple thousand feet in a national park or strolling by a river, draws me closest to God and his creation. A combination of tranquility, a powerful natural presence (e.g. a rushing river or towering trees), and connection with the human experience engender this feeling. On the last part, the human experience, occurs when I observe nature and reimagine the people who may have passed through before me—whether it be a runaway slave cautiously evading captors, settlers peering over a new landscape, Native Americans discovering new passages, or even my own ancestors traversing the Ghanaian landscape. It reminds me of my connection to humanity, from the past to the future, and the role we individually have in defining our world.
Other than Presbyterian, have you spent time in other faith traditions? Yes, I spent my first year in the US attending a Baptist church in Missouri, before we moved to Illinois. It was the church that helped bring me to the US (per my mother’s account). In Illinois, through my mother’s guidance, we attended Methodist, Baptist, and Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) churches. We spent three years in and had very good friends from the Mormon church before we moved to Kentucky. After arriving in this area, we attended a Ghanaian Pentecostal church for 4 years; friends at the time introduced me to CSPC, which was fortunate, since I had left our Ghanaian church (for reasons too long for this blog). At the same time, we were exposed to Seventh Day Adventism, which was a bit surreal, in retrospect. I studied Islam in college, witnessed a Bar Mitzvah during the confirmation process, attended an Episcopalian church with Scott Buckhout in Washington D.C., and have been to Catholic services. And I enjoy talking about religion, with what little I know.
Tell me about someone who mentored or inspired you in faith. A former church member embodies more than just a mentor. This person has played a central part in and provide invaluable council to my family. They have encouraged, believed, and directed me when I’ve trapped myself in a mental abyss. They’ve also provided stern criticism when I’ve strayed from being my best self. Most importantly they have allowed me the freedom and generosity to make mistakes, and trust in my capability to resolve these mistakes. I esteem their wisdom and entrust to them many things I later reveal to my family. Someday, I hope to have had half of their impact on someone else’s life. As I write this, it becomes evident that over the last 14 years, this person has demonstrated an example of Christian love: genuinely caring about the well-being of someone else, someone you never knew, to the extent that they become family. Nostalgia leads me to wish my family wouldn’t have moved from Illinois. But a more honest perspective reminds me that I’d miss the life-changing enrichment of a few incredible individuals, especially this person.
On faith and soccer: In the summer of 1998, France hosted the World Cup international soccer tournament; I’m a massive soccer fan, and this was my first tournament. After intently watching for a month with my father, I anticipated seeing the final—overwhelming tourney favorite Brazil vs hosts France. Unfortunately, FIFA holds the final match on Sunday; and, as a powerless eight-year-old, I accompanied my mother to church–missing France upset Brazil 2-0, both goals scored by my second favorite player of all time. I vowed then never to miss another final (heaven is eternal, the World Cup is only every 4 years), which I intend to continue for this summer’s tournament.
Bonus! Pastor’s Bragging Rights: As our newest elder, Kwabena brings a wonderful fresh perspective, a keen intelligence, and an admirable willingness to serve to our congregation and our session. I always walk away from our discussions with something new to think about, which is a gift. I give thanks to God for Kwabena!
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