My little kept secret family history In 1914, my paternal great grandfather Samuel Kwame Brako (of blessed memory) founded a church at Osiem in the Eastern Region that today is known in Ghana and the world-over as Gyidi. Gyidi is the first Sabbath-based (Saturday-based) Church to be established in the Gold Coast independently by an African.
Many who know the Gyidi Church know it as a respected, Bible-based, Holy Spirit-filled church. It preaches salvation to mankind through Christ and teaches all its members to be God-fearing, honest, objective, and live sin-free life.
Because members of the church wear long red robes in most occasions except on Saturdays where we wear white robes, the church is known to many as Gyidi Kɔkɔɔ. In the scholarly literature, the church is usually called Memeneda Gyidifo (Saturday Believers), Gyidi Kɔkɔɔ (believers who wear red), Saviour Church, and True Faith Church but it is same Gyidi church.
When my great grandfather died in the 1940s, there was a power struggle among some of his senior aides to succeed him. As a result of the succession struggle, the Church split into two: Saviour Church with its headquarters at Osiem, Akim, and True Faith Church with its headquarters at Kwahu Praso in Kwahu, Eastern Region.
Today, both the True Faith Church and Saviour Church are alive and well and are continuing the work of its founder and leader. Currently both Saviour Church and True Faith Church have a total membership of between 200,000 and 300,000. Saviour Church has more than 375 branches across Ghana. True Faith Church has a similar number in Africa, Europe and North America.
I was born into the church, have grown in it, have studied its principles and I have come to acknowledge that it is indeed a church that helps its adherents to obtain heaven. Asomdwoe (Peace be unto you all).