About EPSU
Brief Introduction About EPSU
The Evangelical Presbyterian Students’ Union (EPSU) is one of the youth groups in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana which aims at providing a medium by which the interest in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana shall be promoted, among the Church’s students wherever they may be and through effective Prayer, Bible Studies and Evangelism programmes.
The Union which was founded in the year 1993 aimed at capturing the other youths who do not belong to the Christian Youth Builders (CYB) operates at the Local, District, Zone and National levels.
Congress which is the highest decision making of the Union convenes every year in August to take critical decisions to propel the growth and development of the Union.
The Union so far marked two anniversaries in her life’s journey; she celebrated her 10 years anniversary in the year 2003 at Chemu Senior High School and her 25 years anniversary in the year 2018 at Accra College Of Education (ACoE).
Mission
We participate in propagating the Gospel holistically by empowering our Christian youth members Spiritually, Materially, Socio-Culturally to be effective agents of the Great Commission.
Vision
To Raise A Generation of Kingdom Minded Young Christians Who Are Pacesetters, Discipline And Prosperous In All Fields Of Life.
Our Objectives
Clause two (2) of article two of the EPSU constitution states it clearly that;
“The objective of the union shall be to bring all Evangelical Presbyterian Students in the Secondary Schools, Colleges, Tertiary Institution and Churches together wherever they may be towards the development of the church and the enhancement of her influences among students in Ghana”
It is quite explicit that, the notion that the union is created to operate only in the schools as it is being circulated is fallacy but rather the union was established to operate in both the churches and the schools.
In furtherance, the membership of EPSU ranges from ordinary to honorary members of EPSU hence the misconceptions about membership should be set right.
Aims
The aim of the group is not to create rival group in the church as some people think but for the following reasons; as stated clearly in our motto: Roman 12:18 (EPSU!!!at peace with all)
- To protect our students from being lured away into other churches and organizations.
- To enable the church to still maintain its control over students in the 2nd and 3rd cycle schools
- To satisfy the ecumenical requirement of youth being organized in age groups to facilitate peer group relationship
- To establish youth evangelism in the church.
The EPSU Logo
The union’s logo was graciously designed by Mr. Dickson D. Tsey, the very first 2nd Vice President of the union from the E. P. Church – Ho-Kpodzi congregation. Motivated by the zest of youths in the church by way of fellowshipping together , he then sustained these efforts with the creative knowledge he had and wrought with a colourful and awe-inspiring piece of art which has become our logo from then till date.
Connotation of the Logo
The bible in the logo is surely the guide for every Christian and that is exactly what it stands for in EPSU. The union is a religious one and hence it is built on the word of God “The Bible”
The bird in the logo is a dove. As dove was used in the bible to signify peace, the dove in the logo represents “Peace” for the union. As one of the strong pillars of our noble union, peace is very prominent to EPSU in its entire commission to further emphasis what our motto says. However, it worth mentioning that, the dove in the logo does not have a leaf on its beaks.
The colours of the union include:
White colour: the white colour was chosen for the union due its uniqueness. The colour white as adopted by the union connotes purity. As a Christian association, we must do our utmost best to pursue purity in all we do since this is the only way we can accomplish salvation and make it to heaven.
Wine Colour (Bordeaux/Burgundy): The wine as a colour for the union connotes the blood of Jesus the Christ who was slain for our sins. EPSU adopted this colour because we believe it is only through the purification by the blood of the Lamb of God that we shall be made clean and worthy.
The cyan: this colour was adopted from the colours of the church. Since we belong to the E.P. Church, Ghana, we must imbibe some of its colours to portray the union’s relation and belongingness to the church.
About EPSU
Introduction
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church did not tackle youth work earnestly from 1847 when the church was established. It was until the late 1950s that the church decided to be organizing the youth more earnestly. Hitherto most of the youth of the E.P Church joined the Young People’s Guilds (YPG) of the Presbyterian church of Ghana, Pentecost Students and Associate (PENSA) and Ghana Methodist Students’ Union (GAMSU) for youth activities.
Also in some schools – tertiary schools especially – other churches’ unions were very vibrant and were drawing the youths of E.P. Church, Ghana to their fellowships.
There was a church policy proposal for the formation of a youth movement in the E.P. Church. In 1957/1958, synod – the highest decision making body of the E.P Church – appointed Rev. Ian Strachan, a young Scottish missionary to start an organized youth movement in the church. The name given to the youth group was Christian Youth Builders (CYB) and that remained the only youth group in the church until the 1990s.
During the early 1970s, a veteran youth activist in the church by the name Rev. J.K. Akoto proposed the formation of another youth movement which he dubbed “Good News Clubs” in the secondary schools. After several considerations, the then Moderator of the E.P. Church, Ghana, Very. Rev. N.K. Dzobo appointed a committee to put together a proposal to restructure the youth movement in the E.P. Church in order to rejuvenate and respite the only recognized youth movement then, the Christian Youth Builders (C.Y.B.)
So many factors as at then clearly strained the already packed and only existing youth group the Christian Youth Builders (CYB). The major among them were; the then internal strife in the Church which apparently the Christian Youth Builders (CYB) played a major role in, which later was denting the image of the Christian Youth Builders (CYB).
Most of the members of the Christian Youth Builders (CYB) stood in the gap to prevent the then unlawful takeover of the E.P. Church’s property by the E.P. Church of Ghana members – now known as Global Evangelical Church. This action was misconstrued by many members as vehement and vigorous so they were withdrawing their children. This major drift called for an alternative action to recapture the departing youth hence the call for the formation of E. P. Students’ Union.
Also, the takeover of the mission schools in the 1960s by the government of Ghana across the country made it very difficult for the church to control its youths in the schools. This called for a ground-breaking evangelism exercise in the various schools in the country.
Another factor was; in the year 1990, the government of Ghana’s policy of Free Compulsory Universal Education (FCUBE) was fully enforced and this increased the number of E.P. Church children in schools at all levels. Hence most children could not worship with their mother churches. This placed a responsibility on the church to extend its evangelistic activities to the schools across the country.
Among the reasons was the fact that, not all youths were interested in the Christian Youth Builders (CYB) and since some of the students who had some fellowship with other church’s unions on campus could not wait any longer for the slow bureaucratic pace of the committee formed by the then moderator of the E.P. Church Very Rev. N.K. Dzobo, there were agitations for the formation of the students union in schools.
At this point in time in the history of youth movement in the church, some youths who were at the various levels of their education and wanted to still get involved in the doctrines of the church, that is, the E.P. Church, were becoming frantic and more poised to path the long awaited separations from these other unions in their various schools.
Few among such gallant church faithfuls who fought this battle were Rev. C.F.K. Kakotse, Mr. Bright Anipa, Mr. Mark Tutu, Mr. Oscar Amenuku, Mr. Dickson Tsey, Mr. Prince Agbelengor, Ms. Joyce Amegatse and just to mention but a few.
In the year 1989 and 1990, the movement started taking form and gaining weight in some churches in the then West Volta, Ho and Central presbyteries and to be precise, student youths in the church in Lorenz Wolf congregation in Tema, Mamprobi congregation, Bubuashi congregation, Accra-Newtown congregation, Ho (Dela Cathedral), Hohoe (Reverend Seegal) congregation and many more.
In 1991, yours truly, Rev. Carl Kakotse was appointed by synod committee executives to take the office of the GENERAL YOUTH SECRETARY from Rev. F.F.K. Abotchie who had defected to the breakaway E.P. Church of Ghana (now Global Evangelical Church). In the early 1992 at a meeting of the central youth committee held at the E.P. Church’s Headquarters in the conference room of the Kekeli hotel, the youth secretary (Rev. Carl Kakotse) presented a proposal from some youths in the church which suggested the formation of EPSU and Brigade movement in the first, second and third cycle institutions.
The CYB members of the committee did not take this lightly at all with the reason that the step may disintegrate the already existing youth movement and its front. But on the other hand, the presbytery coordinators and the General Youth Secretary took into consideration the plight of students in the schools.
