Ghana (MNN) ― Where can you find Korean pastors in a field, making mud blocks for use in a church in Northern Ghana? At the Oasis Training Center in Prampram.
Ambrose Brennan with Oasis says their interlocking block maker makes ministry growth affordable and timely. "We have a group of Korean pastors that are established already in Tema. They have a church there, and they've got some property in the northern part. There's a lot of unreached people in the northern part of Ghana, so they are going to build a Bible school and a church up there."
The block maker produces roughly 400 blocks a day with two or three people. It's roughly half the cost to make the block at the center than to purchase traditional cement block. Anywhere there is sand, water and cement, there is potential for a new building.
The block maker requires no electricity, and the blocks themselves do not require mortar for a tight fit. In addition, because they are lighter, the blocks can be lifted and set into place by women and children, saving the cost of a mason.
An ingenious designer created the manual block-making press when Oasis realized the need to build a retaining wall around the local health clinic. The cost of it was prohibitive.
However, with the help of the press, not only did they overcome costs, the team realized they could put up buildings nearly ten times faster than before.
As a result, interest has grown among other faith-based agencies who are working in the area. That's where we get back to the Korean pastors. Through a careful screeing process, Oasis selected the group to partner with because of their vision to share the hope of Christ in a region of Ghana nearly untouched by the Gospel.
Similar partnerships are under review, but, says Brennan, "Just keep the project in prayer. There's a lot of groups interested. We filter through the ones that we really feel are serious about it. We have been getting a lot of inquiries, so [pray] that God would just direct us and that the machine would get into the proper hands where it could be used the best."
