History
History
The ministry of the Adom Partnership began when Ghanaian Rev. Joseph Mante and his wife Florence had a vision to provide a holistic ministry to the poor to whom they ministered. Education, food, and health care administered in a Christian environment would be a witness to the love of Jesus for these people. The Adom Partnership was created when Rev. Mante came to the United States for his doctoral studies and met several Christians in Los Angeles who shared his vision. A simple partnership was formed with the name Adom which means “grace” in the Akan language of Ghana.
Since then, the Adom Partnership has provided financial support to the Amazing Grace School and sent teams of summer missionaries to visit Ghana and help in building and construction projects for the school. In 2002, API was incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization to raise funds to support the Amazing Grace School.
Timeline
- 1981-85: Presbyterian pastor Joseph Mante and his wife Florence minister in and around Ghana. As they minister, their hearts are broken by the poverty in the rural villages. They resolve “to preach to our people within the context of a properly thought-out economic development program.”
- 1985-92: The Mantes spread vision for “Adom” while Joseph pursues doctoral studies in the United States.
- 1993: Rev. Dr. Joseph and Florence Mante return to Ghana and found The Adom Project.
- 1994: 10 preschool and kindergarten students form the first class of the Amazing Grace School. The school intends to add a new class each year.
- 1995: InterVarsity college students from California help construct a wall around the first building and property of The Amazing Grace School. They bring financial resources and leave deeply enriched spiritually.
- 1996: InterVarsity’s second student team starts construction of the main elementary school building and receives spiritual teaching from the Mantes and others.
- 1997: The third InterVarsity student team continues the partnership as they observe the school, help continue its development, and learn from the Ghanaians.
- 1999: An InterVarsity team of students help lay the foundation of the 2-story junior high building and continue the partnership.
- 2001: A fifth team of InterVarsity students continues helping with construction work and observes the educational process.
- 2002: U.S. supporters of the Amazing Grace School form a nonprofit organization, Adom Partnership International, to promote spiritual, financial, and relational partnership between the U.S. and African believers.
- 2004: A Sixth InterVarsity summer team visits to deepen the partnership.
- 2005: The Amazing Grace School graduates its first 9th grade class. 100% of the graduates pass the national high-school entrance exams guaranteeing admission to secondary school–a success rate very few schools around Western Africa can match. Several students score highly enough to be placed in the most elite secondary schools.
- 2006: Two summer teams–one from a California church, and the 7th InterVarsity team– visit the school. Both teams are instrumental in the finishing of the roof of the Junior High Building.
- 2007: An 8th InterVarsity team visits the school.
- 2008: A 9th InterVarsity team visits the school led by Jared Warner and Brian Wong. Jared and Brian stay a full year in Ghana working at the school and teaching math, science, and technology to junior high students. A new school bus is purchased which drastically increases the size of the younger student classes. The computer lab becomes operational with 16 computers.
- 2009: A 10th InterVarsity team visits the school and assists in the building of a new kitchen that will serve the Amazing Grace students.
- 2010: Rev. Mante spends a week in Los Angeles to visit with API friends and supporters. InterVarsity at UCLA commits to an annual offering to support the school’s computer lab. Students generously give over $2,000 to support the computer lab for the current year.