Humble Beginnings

Dr. Maria Eugenia Araba Akrofi.

In 1995, a parishioner of St. Margaret?Äôs Episcopal Church, Charlotte, NC, Alfred Doku, invited his pastor to a dinner he was hosting for the visiting pastor of his home church in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. A good time was had by all, and in true Ghanaian fashion, Very Revd. Justice Akrofi, Provost of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, extended an open invitation to St. Margaret?Äôs to visit his country. Through this act of common courtesy the seed of the Branches of the Vine ministry was planted.
In 1996, Very Revd. Justice Akrofi was elected Bishop of the Diocese of Accra. In 1997 a small team of three accepted Bishop Akrofi?Äôs invitation to visit Ghana. To say it was an eye-opening experience would be an understatement and would diminish the very real needs of the people. Bishop Akrofi?Äôs vision is to provide support for rural villages with clean water, medical assistance, building of infrastructures which included schools and churches and also crop development. Bishop Akrofi passion is education. He believes education brings transformation. During their stay the team visited a small rural village, Twerebo, located 50 miles from Accra, the capital of Ghana. This farming village of approximately 600 people had no electricity, no church, no school, no health facilities and no clean water. The only supply of water for the community was a fetid pond, the source of continual sickness and disease. As they left, the team led by Frank Myers was committed to digging a well for the village and to one day return to Ghana.