The Retirement Service of Pastor & Mrs George Sekyi Dadey
The Reading Ghana Seventh-day Adventist Church became the destination of many church members in the UK on Sabbath, 3 September 2022. The event was the Retirement Service of Pastor George & Mrs Esther Dadey. The church was fully packed both morning and afternoon. Pastor Dadey preached in the morning on the topic, 'The Church Militant Becomes the Church Triumphant'.
The actual Retirement Service took place in the afternoon, which was attended by church officials like, the BUC, SEC and NEC Presidents, Dr Sam Davis (former SEC President), BUC and SEC Ministerial Secretaries (Pastor Samuel Ouadjo and Dr Hezron Adingo), the Area 6A Coordinator, Dr Jude Jeanville, many pastors and wives, and delegations from numerous Ghanaian Adventist congregations in the UK (GAC-UK) and non-Adventist church ministers and delegates.
Dr Emmanuel Osei (SEC President), delivered the retirement sermonette and Pastor George Kumi (NEC President) and Pastor Eglan Brooks (BUC President) offered the dedicatory prayers. The various delegations from GAC-UK gave testimonies about the ministry of Pastor & Mrs Dadey and presented them with numerous gifts.
Pastor George Dadey arrived in the UK on 24 August 1984, en route to Andrews University, USA, to do the Master of Divinity (MDiv) programme. But circumstances changed and he had to remain in the UK that year. Two further attempts were made to go to the USA, but all to no avail. Eventually, he had to attend Newbold College instead. The Bible says, "All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purposes." (Romans 8:28). Clearly, the Lord had a great work for him, to organise the Ghanaian movement here in the UK (which has spread to Europe, US and around the world), and therefore, allowed these disappointments.
After Newbold, he was elected the leader of the then London Ghana Seventh-day Adventist Fellowship in January 1988, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to succeed the incumbent Elder Yaw Bayim Adomako, who had served as the leader of the Fellowship for several years.
Pastor Dadey used his ministerial training, with the support of the members of the then 'Ghanaian Ministerial Association' based in Reading, to lead and nurture the Fellowship from September 1988 until it was organised into the current London Ghana Seventh-day Adventist Church on 18 April 1992, which currently has a membership of over 700.
In September 1999, twelve years after graduating from Newbold College, Pastor Dadey was eventually and officially employed by Pastor Don W McFarlane (the then President of the South England Conference) as the Associate Pastor of the London Ghana Church, where he did his 2-year internship under Dr Ebenezer Sackey. He was ordained on 6 September 2003 at the SEC Session at The Guildhall in Portsmouth.
He has worked for 35 years for the SEC: 23 years as a fully paid employed worker (1 Sept 1999 – 31 August 2022) and 12 years (May 1987 – Aug 1999) as a voluntary worker with the London Ghana congregation, which he organised from a Fellowship into a Church. During his time of service, the Lord used him to establish, organise and/or mentor about ten Ghanaian congregations (including the Stockholm Ghana Group in Sweden) and also one non-Ghanaian church, the Frimley Church.
Pastor & Mrs Dadey would like to, first and foremost, thank God for His calling, guidance, and protection during their ministry. They also thank the SEC (especially Pastor Don McFarlane) for giving them the opportunity to serve the Lord in this part of His vineyard; and also all attendees for their presence, support and generous donations.
