Around the World
Empowered by God’s Grace: Our Trip to Ghana
In July of 2019, six high school youth and seven adults from my church, Calvary Chapel, spent ten days in Ghana, West Africa. Our mission was to encourage some of Ghana’s Open Bible Church Planting Academy graduates who have planted churches, twelve in all, and to help the church plants with evangelism outreaches and small neighborhood style outreaches.
No one besides Brian, one of the adults, and I had ever been to Africa before, so it was quite an interesting cultural experience.
When we first arrived in Ghana on July 12, we were met by Kofi Gyansah, the director of the Church Planting Academy, and Rev. Okai Commey, the general superintendent of Open Bible Churches in Ghana. The next morning we began our mission to visit all the church plants. Currently there are two major regions where most of the new church plants are located, Accra and Kumasi.
While in Guana, we also visited an orphanage, a regular school, and a training school for the intellectually disabled and gave away school supplies, toys, and books. Perhaps the part of our ministry that interested the audiences most was a short three-minute skit performed by the youth that demonstrated how Jesus saves us from our sin and sets us free. It was powerful. At each school and outreach event where we ministered, the skit brought cheers and handclaps from the kids and staff alike.
Before the evening services, the team would go out into the neighborhood and visit homes and businesses, sharing the Good News. I was overwhelmed by people’s willingness to embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior and deeply gratified by God’s grace and mercy. We ended all the church services and outreach events with the skit, followed by an altar call.
The trip was not without its challenges. Anyone who has traveled to West Africa knows that things don’t always go as planned. Several of the team were visited with Montezuma’s revenge (traveler’s diarrhea). One of the youth leaders sprained a foot and spent most of the trip on crutches. Our rented van broke down on the third day, and unfortunately the rental company provided us a van without a luggage rack. As I explained to one of the youth leaders, I’ve found mission work is often 25 percent planning and 75 percent troubleshooting! We ended up tying the luggage to the roof of the van, which caught the attention of the police who manned the many roadblocks between Cape Coast and Kumasi. After a slight “fee,” we were allowed to continue, but it made for a long journey.
Empowered by God’s grace, we accomplished all of our goals and more. Many received Christ during our door-to-door evangelism ministry, and many more accepted Jesus at the evening services. We had twenty come forward to receive Jesus at one service alone. We handed out ten Bibles and left enough money to purchase forty more Bibles for all the new believers.
Even though this was a cultural adjustment for our team, our white skin proved to be a blessing. Kofi Gyansah said, “In Ghana, the white skin draws more attention and every Ghanaian wants to speak with a white man. This gave an advantage for more crowds to be pulled in to the church where the team was ministering. For example, at Pakyi in the Ashanti Region where a new church plant is located, we recorded no fewer than 150 people present to see the white [people] share the gospel and also sing to the glory of God.“
Kofi added, “Words cannot express our sincere appreciation for these wonderful opportunities we have had from this team. At Calvary Open Bible church, where I pastor, ten people were won to the Lord and four are active converts now. We are still following up on the remaining. Praise the Lord!”
Kofi summarized the results of the trip:
- Approximately 40 people were won to the Lord.
- Each of the churches visited has been revived.
- The communities now see the new church plants not as feeble, but as having a stronger force behind them.
- All the pastors were blessed with the seminar and the biblical information shared with them.
- Ghana Open Bible knows we have not been neglected!
We hope to start a new academy next year in Liberia and later in Sierra Leone. If your church is interested in learning more about this novel approach to training church planters, I would love to share the vision with you.
“We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation
to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done”
(Psalms 78:4 NKJV).
On March 1, 1967, Melvyn and Barbara Kelderman moved to Trinidad and Tobago. That step of obedience began a family legacy that decades later led us—their son and daughter-in-law—to return as full-time missionaries serving with the School of Global Leadership (SGL). Looking back, we see God’s faithfulness from one generation to the next.
Before being appointed as missionaries in 2024, we both taught secondary school while serving at Open Bible Church in Omaha, Nebraska. During those years, God gave us countless opportunities to grow in ministry and deepen our calling. Having served in cross-cultural ministry in several countries, we were grateful when He opened the door to join Global Missions full time. Today we serve with the School of Global Leadership, helping believers discover their role in God’s global mission and equipping those who are moving from called to sent.
School of Global Leadership
Since its beginning in 2010, SGL has helped revitalize the vision for missions within the Open Bible Standard Churches of Trinidad and Tobago. Their work in Trinidad and beyond has helped SGL to become a partner with the Global Missions department in helping connect, expand, and reach into other countries around the world with the Gospel.
One of SGL’s greatest joys is hosting teams from Open Bible Churches in the United States. These short-term ministry experiences allow participants to encounter Trinidad’s diverse religious landscape, including Muslim, Hindu, and African-derived faith communities, while discovering how God may be calling them to serve. SGL also equips future missionaries through online courses and hands-on training. Whether you’re exploring God’s call, preparing for long-term service, or simply wanting to learn more about His work among the nations, we’d love to help you take your next step.
Looking to the Future
While Trinidad remains our training base, we believe God is expanding this vision. Our hope is to establish SGL training hubs in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa so that future leaders can be equipped within their own languages and cultures. As we continue partnering with Global Missions, we believe God will open doors to train and equip missionaries from everywhere to everywhere.
We are deeply grateful for the churches and individuals who pray for us and faithfully support this ministry (Philippians 1: 3). Together we are helping prepare the next generation of workers who will carry the gospel to the nations. Just as others invested in us, we now have the privilege of investing in those God is calling today – and we believe He will continue telling His story from generation to generation.
About the Authors
Brent and Sara Kelderman are pastors and missionaries with Open Bible Churches USA. After serving as teachers at a public high school in Nebraska and as associate pastors in their local church, God expanded their calling into full-time missions. Throughout their marriage, God has woven a passion for the nations into their hearts. They currently serve within the School of Global Leadership (SGL) in Trinidad and Tobago. Their ministry includes hosting missions teams, leading missions training, and partnering with local churches. They are grateful for all God has done and look forward to all He will continue to do in and through their lives.
In parts of Nigeria today, land is no longer just a livelihood – it’s a battleground. In search of increasingly scarce water and grazing land, semi-nomadic Muslim herdsmen are moving their flocks south into areas already inhabited by Christian farmers. This encroachment has intensified conflict, resulting in thousands of deaths, the displacement of millions, increased kidnappings, and deepening ethnic tensions. This is the environment in which Open Bible’s ministry continues day after day.
Despite these challenges, the Gospel is advancing.
Okon Obot, Open Bible’s Superintendent in Nigeria, shared the following story with me:
Recently we held an evangelistic crusade in one of the affected regions. Despite security concerns, people came looking for hope and peace. Evangelistic crusades remain a powerful and effective way to share the Gospel in village communities where fear and uncertainty are a part of daily life.
The theme of the crusade was “Arise and Shine,” and over 300 people gathered. By the end, sixteen people had given their lives to Jesus and fifteen were immediately baptized and welcomed into the church, each a testimony to God’s faithfulness.
A high point of the crusade was the reconciliation of a family of brothers divided for five years. Under the conviction of the Holy Spirit as the Word of God was shared, they chose forgiveness and were restored to one another. They returned to their homes with joy and peace.
In response to God’s work in their lives, the brothers donated a large piece of property in their village, Mbabuu, for the construction of a church building.
This is where the 2026 Global Harvest Offering, “Build Hope for Africa,” comes in. When we reach our goal of $200,000, Nigeria will be one of the recipients. Open Bible will partner directly with Pastor Okon to build a new church building in a place like the village Mbabuu.
This is more than a construction project – it is the next step of what God is doing. Despite hardship, churches in Nigeria are growing and new buildings are needed to serve expanding congregations and reach their communities.
Your gift to “Build Hope for Africa” can help provide a visible witness of Jesus in a region marked by instability and equip local leaders like pastor Okon to continue evangelizing where the need is great.
In a place where land is fought over, God continues to build His Church!
Snapshots of the vibrant ministry happening in Nigeria:
About the Author
Tammy Swailes is passionate about cross-cultural Christian education, so working with INSTE Bible College to disciple and equip leaders throughout Europe and beyond is a great fit! Tammy has lived in Europe since 1999 – first in Hungary and now Ukraine. Before that, she was in Japan, as well as Spokane, Washington. She now serves as INSTE regional director in Europe, assisting INSTE programs in five languages. Tammy has her undergraduate degrees in both Missions and Christian Education and a MA in Intercultural Studies. Photography, good coffee, multi-cultural experiences, and the family’s Yorkie are some of Tammy’s favorite things.
Have you ever wondered, What in the world are our Open Bible missionaries doing now? We wish we could visit every church or sit down over coffee and share what God is doing where we serve—but that isn’t always possible.
So this month, we’ve gathered brief notes from missionaries around the world. As you’ve read these updates from around the world, we invite you to pray for our missionaries—their families, their ministries, and the communities they serve. Please also share these stories with your church so others can join in prayer.
Use the interactive map below to see the updates:
Trouble seeing the map? Click HERE
About the Author
Tammy Swailes is passionate about cross-cultural Christian education, so working with INSTE Bible College to disciple and equip leaders throughout Europe and beyond is a great fit! Tammy has lived in Europe since 1999 – first in Hungary and now Ukraine. Before that, she was in Japan, as well as Spokane, Washington. She now serves as INSTE regional director in Europe, assisting INSTE programs in five languages. Tammy has her undergraduate degrees in both Missions and Christian Education and a MA in Intercultural Studies. Photography, good coffee, multi-cultural experiences, and the family’s Yorkie are some of Tammy’s favorite things.