Church History

Each generation of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Fellowship leadership at University of Ghana came with its vision. Some leaders focused their activities on increasing the membership, while others embarked on evangelism. In particular, the 1985/6 academic year SDA Fellowship leadership had a vision to establish a permanent Adventist presence at the campus of the University of Ghana. This was premised on leadership's realisation that the SDA Fellowship on campus had not been permanently grounded – church activities were held regularly while academic work at the University was in session, whereas the light of SDA presence dimmed during the holiday periods.

The leadership, therefore, took a decision to hold an evangelistic crusade intended for church planting at the Legon Staff Village in the last quarter of 1985. Thus, the Legon SDA Church (initially called Staff Village SDA Church) was borne in 1985 out of activities/efforts by the SDA Fellowship at the University.

Under the general direction of the then Accra East District of SDA, and with the support of the Madina Central SDA Church and the direct participation of the Adventist staff of the University of Ghana, Elder Asafo Akyeampong conducted the iconic evangelistic campaign of 1985. The preacher was supported in song ministration by the Youth Evangelical Singers (YES) and King's Ambassadors of Madina Central SDA Church. The first fruits of the evangelistic campaign were five (5) persons, namely the late Elder Asaah Asare, Esther Boatemaa (now Mrs. Wallace Danquah), Mrs. Gifty Ohene Konadu, Sister Clotilda and Torgbor Obodai.

The first Sabbath worship service of the new Company of Adventist believers after the evangelistic campaign was held at the Akuafo Dining Hall, University of Ghana on December 14, 1985. Thus, December 14, 1985 is the birthday of the first church which became known as Staff Village SDA Church. However, on the third Sabbath, the place of worship was relocated to the classroom complex of the Legon Staff Village Primary School.

The Church was under the leadership of the following persons:

By December 1987, eleven other persons had been baptized, bringing active church membership to twenty-one (21). Two baby girls had also been born into the Church. Mrs. Comfort Sarquah (then Ms. Comfort Antwi) who used to worship at the Nsawam SDA Church, was the first person to have her membership transferred to the Staff Village SDA Church.

The Staff Village SDA Church, from the onset, was growth-oriented. From January 18 to February 7, 1987, the Church jointly sponsored a crusade with the University of Ghana SDA Fellowship to establish the La-Bawaleshie SDA Church. Thus, in Biblical phraseology, the University of Ghana SDA Fellowship begat the Staff Village SDA Church and the Staff Village SDA Church, in turn, begat the La-Bawaleshie Church.

The Staff Village Church was organised and received into the sisterhood of SDA Churches in the South Ghana Conference on April 24, 2004 under the eldership of Michael Kofi Andoh and Kofi Okofo Dartey. Pastor Anthony Kessie, then President of South Ghana Conference of SDA Church and Pastor Kerphas Gyamfi, Madina District Pastor of SDA Church conducted the Church organisation service. The name of the Church was then changed from Staff Village SDA Church to Legon SDA Church (LESDAC). The membership at the time was ninety-one (91).

One major concern of LESDAC from its infancy has been to raise a sanctuary on the University of Ghana community to the glory of God. The Church on September 22, 1988 made a request to the University of Ghana for land to construct a Chapel. The Church indicated that the SDA Church which had then been operating in the University community for the past 26 years had experienced an appreciable growth and that the Church intended to bring all its members in the University community together to worship under a single roof.

Seven (7) years later, on May 5, 1995, the University approved the application through its Chaplaincy Board. Consequently, in February 1996 the University authority allocated to the Church a plot of land near the present location of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office building near Okponglo. The Lord used the Church's representative on the University Chaplaincy Board, Dr. Akuamoah-Boateng, to ensure that the land was secured. We thank the Lord for His mercy.

The sod cutting ceremony for the LESDAC Building Project was held on Sunday, February 22, 2004, by Pastor S. A. Larmie, then President of Ghana Union of SDA Church and Pastor I. B. Boateng of SDA Ghanaian Church, Columbus, Ohio, USA. The Church was thus made ready to embark on the fulfillment of one of its cherished dreams, that is putting up a befitting sanctuary for the Lord.

As the Church grew in membership, the need for a Youth Centre to cater for the peculiar needs of children and the youth in the Church became imperative. The facility aims at creating an enabling environment for nurturing children and the youth to develop their God-given potentials to the fullest and to become wholeheartedly willing and ready to serve God and society.

The Legon Youth Centre is a four-storey building structure, with the ground and first floors completed. When completed, the building will have facilities such as church auditorium, conference room, library, playrooms and restrooms. The construction of the LESDAC Youth Centre started in 2019 with the same financing model as the main church building.