Edify’s partners are vital extensions of our global impact, the strong support beams extending the coverage of Christ-centered education across each nation where we operate. Each plays a critical role, from lending partners expanding sustainability in the schools we serve, to training organizations imparting wisdom to eager teachers, to school proprietors leading the very classrooms of students our vision rests on. So when the Ghana team began noticing competition among its partners, they knew they had to restore unity to restrengthen these crucial pillars.
A Big Shift
In Edify’s early days, operations were limited to a few countries, including Ghana. Initially, only a few partners were needed to support our efforts. However, as we expanded rapidly, it became evident that additional partners were essential to extend our impact. Integrating new members into such a small, close-knit team, however, proved to be more challenging than anticipated. Godwin shares, “When we added a second lending partner to the original one, the first partner began to worry about being left out.” A pattern of competition emerged, and as more joined, they began to lose sight of their once-shared vision.
One of Edify’s first training partners in Ghana, Reverend Joseph Gyebi, West African Director of AWANA, recalled, “When Edify in Ghana first began to grow, many Christian ministries operated in silos— and to be honest, we operated in competition more often than not.” This fractured mindset stole time and energy, taking the focus off of the very students on whom our mission centered. “When you take your eyes off the final destination, you begin looking at yourself instead of the people you want to serve. Once we identified the roles we all play in this picture, we stopped looking at ourselves and began to look at the beneficiaries of these efforts: the students,” Godwin shared.
Yet God had a plan for unity—beginning with the first annual 360-Degree Conference in 2017. The Ghana team hosted eight partners for a day of learning, collaboration, and prayer. Reverend Joseph shares, “Edify brought us to the table, encouraging us to work together… I sat beside a Scripture Union training partner I had never spoken with before. Yet before I knew it, we had found common ground and even discussed ways to collaborate and work together. This transformation wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t sat together and been encouraged to join forces rather than compete. We can achieve more for the Kingdom if we learn to collaborate like this.”
Unity and Transformation
This unity and transformation extended its way through every sector of Edify’s operations in Ghana, no matter how seemingly small the role. Mutari Adamu, a driver frequently hired by Edify staff who comes from a Muslim background, was invited to attend the conference, drawn by the impact Edify was having in his country and pulled in by the relationships he had made over time. Initially, he planned to avoid participating in Christ-centered activities, yet partway through the day, each attendee received a prayer partner. At first, he felt uncertain but then decided to share his requests. To his surprise, his prayer partner regularly called and checked on him after the conference. Before long, every prayer he had offered at the conference was answered, and his skepticism turned to faith. Godwin shares, “Mutari is a Christian now, and this is not our doing, but the Lord’s; it’s just another partner checking on him,” yet he is transformed for life. Godwin continues, “I remember him telling me, ‘Now when I make a trip to bring Edify staff to a school visit, I can’t even sit in the car. I feel like I’m a part of the team, and I always end up helping out in some way during the training. My entire mindset has changed.’”
What began as a small gathering has now grown to 59 attendees this past year, representing 17 partners. Florentine Adjoa Ansah-Asare, Country Director of Ghana, remarks on the team’s journey: “The 360-Degree Conference has become an event that partners look forward to. These connections are truly special. It’s a group of Kingdom-minded people coming together for a purpose, fully owning Edify’s vision for Flourishing Godly Nations.”
The covering of Christ-centered education over a nation creates space for transformation, and as we’ve seen at the 360-Degree Conference, the stronger the pillars, the further the covering. Thanks to the various partners, leaders, and teachers uniting under a common purpose, we have seen God move in Ghana in incredible ways, creating space for future generations to flourish.
