“I long for home where suffering is banished, where tears and death are passed away. No sickness mars the health of minds and bodies, for far there is no iniquity. There is city where saints assemble, life precious stone, her glorious light resembles, for God is there and reigns upon His throne, l long for home, l long for home….” these lyrics of the opening hymn brought fond memories of the pioneers of the work of God at the Central Church when Lead Apostle Benjamin Ohene-Saffo conducted the burial service of a pioneer of the Church, Sister Janet Ama Serwa Parku.

The event came off on Saturday 27th April, 2024, at Ho, in the Volta Central Apostle Area.

Sister Janet Parku was the wife of the first Apostle ordained in Ghana, Apostle Kwesi Parku of blessed memory and mother to District Rector William Parku (Ho District). The Lead Apostle was accompanied by several Apostles and District Ministers.

The service was based on a bible word from Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

Be consoled
The Lead Apostle consoled members and the bereaved family encouraging them to find solace in God. “Our mother is not dead, she only sleeps in a better fairer land. From there we shall all meet in a time to come. What we experience in this moment is the separation of the body from the soul and spirit”. The Lead Apostle in his elaboration enlightened the mourners that, death is not a route to judgment as many believers perceive it. He entreated them to focus on participation in first resurrection which he explained is made possible through grace, belief in Jesus Christ and the Apostolate, and the sacraments. He further exhorted the gathering to live by the gospel of Jesu Christ.

A strong woman of faith
Paying glowing tribute to the memory of our late sister, the Lead Apostle extolled her contributions to the development of the church as chorister, a women’s group pillar and a wife to an Apostle of Jesus Christ. He mentioned that, her role as a pioneer of the church in Ho cannot be overemphasized and entreated all to emulate her exemplary life.

Tribute to the memory of Sister Janet Nana Ama Serwa Parku
Since the early 1970s, the early years of the New Apostolic Church (NAC) in the Volta Region, Sister Janet served as the host to all categories of visitors from far and near. As the wife of Apostle Kwesi Parku, Sister Janet’s house became the converging point for the spiritual revolution that was unfolding. Our NAC brethren from Canada, USA, Switzerland, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, as well as church members from newly opened congregations all over the Volta Region found solace in Apostle Parku's house, where Sister Janet was the gatekeeper. She hosted our District Apostle Michael Kraus and his wife, District Apostle Erwin Wagner, Apostle Godfried Schwarzer, Apostle Edward Deppner, Apostle George Van der Ploeg, Priest Benedick and many other NAC brothers. These were the brethren, who frequented Ghana as NAC missionaries from Canada, working to consolidate the Church in Ghana (Volta Region) and Togo at the time.

At a point in time, she and her comrades took it upon themselves to sponsor our young priests with transport fares and other logistics to facilitate pastoral and soul care visits to the numerous congregations springing up.

Sister Janet also distinguished herself as a pillar of strength in very trying and challenging moments. In the early days of the PNDC revolution, when the NAC in the Volta Region became a target for some overzealous soldiers and envious men, she stood strong by her husband and our Apostle, Kwesi Parku, even when he was arrested and detained for many weeks at the Volta Military Barracks in Ho and then transferred to Gonda Barracks at Burma Camp in Accra.

Age soon caught up with our dear mother and with its accompanying challenges, she gave up her spirit on Friday, 12th January 2024.

Fare thee well, mama.