International Central Gospel Church, Holy Ghost Chapel, Worcester

The idea to start a branch of ICGC in Worcester came about when Mr. Emmanuel Asante approached Mrs. Rebecca Asare-Larbi all of whom were then members of Lighthouse Chapel that he used to attend ICGC in Ghana so they should start a branch here in Worcester. After that conversation, Mrs. Rebecca Asare-Larbi met Pastor Nana Danquah then also a member of Lighthouse Chapel and discussed the possibility of opening a branch of ICGC in Worcester as they were former members of church from Ghana in the city of Worcester.
After that discussion with Mrs. Asare-Larbi, Pastor Nana Danquah then called Rev. Dr. Mensa Otabil who then gave them to Rev. Emmanuel Owusu Kyereko who was then the Pastor of the ICGC branch in New York. Together with Pastor Joseph Adjapong, the church was started here in Worcester. The first meeting was held on January 07 2002, with a congregation of seven members at 15 Vincent Avenue, Pastor Nana Danquah’s house. Rev. Owusu Kyereko gave the first sermon titled “Why the need for an ICGC in Worcester”. The church lived up to its international image by having six Ghanaians and one Kenyan as congregants in its first meeting. An indication of the greatness of the church was evident in the early stages as each meeting attracted an increase in membership.
Very soon it became apparent that Pastor Nana Danquah’s house could not contain the increasing members so the church contacted the management of Crowne Plaza Hotel to use one of their meeting rooms.
At that time Rev. Owusu Kyereko who was also a pastoring the New York branch of ICGC was running a heavy schedule so the church begun using guest ministers, this did not bode well with the members as they were not sure who will be ministering. It was decided that a local pastor was needed. Pastor Charles Aye-Addo who was then a student at Drew University, New Jersey and a former assistant Pastor of ICGC Adenta-Accra became the Pastor in charge of ICGC Worcester in January 12, 2003.
In early 2004, the church temporarily used the Jefferson hall at Clark University to hold services. In less than two years of his pastoral work, Rev. Dr. Charles Aye-Addo worked indefatigably with the church to acquire Grace Baptist Church’s auditorium to be the first ICGC owned property beyond the borders of Ghana in November 2004.
As soon as we acquired our church premises, Rev. Dr. Charles Aye-Addo began making enquiries as to how to establish a free clinic. In April 2008, Rev. Aye-Addo spearheaded a community initiative to establish a free clinic on our church premises. This clinic continues to serve the uninsured, under insured and undocumented immigrants in our community. Thusly, Akwaaba health initiative has grown to become a distinctive marker in the history of ICGC Worcester.
In addition, Rev. Charles Aye-Addo initiated an after school program with Mr. Jonathan Baiden, a member of ICGC with the support of the leadership of the church to give extra classes in the area of mathematics and other subjects to students in the community and more especially ICGC kids. This ongoing program continues to challenge students to fare better in their educational pursuits.
As we celebrate our tenth anniversary, we want to give God the praise and honor for His abundant favor and grace towards us.