To: The Family of
Canon Kodwo E. Ankrah &
The Church of the Province of Uganda
General Secretariat

 

Geneva, June 4, 2015

 

Dear Ms. Eleanor Maxine and the Family, Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

It is with great sadness that we received the news of the passing of the Lay Canon Kodwo E. Ankrah of the Church of the Province of Uganda, a native of Anomabu, Ghana.

I write to express my sincere condolences as well as those of the World Council of Churches. The Canon was respected and beloved among you, the Church of the Province of Uganda and his childhood Methodist Church in Ghana but also within the ecumenical movement, through his leadership in the Christian Council of Ghana, the All Africa Conference of Churches and the World Council of Churches. A true “sojourner” in his own words in transit from Ghana to Uganda from 1970s to the time he was called to the eternal home on Friday 29th May 2015.

We remember him and his great contribution to the ecumenical movement. We thank God for giving us this great Pan-Africanist and ecumenist to serve the church and God’s people. We cannot but acknowledge his true commitment to ecumenism and humanity for traversing national boundaries, denominational identities and his deep engagement with the plight of refugees in Africa, especially in the Sudan.

Canon Kodwo Ankrah was a highly motivated and effective church leader. We thank God that among his many contributions he authored Development and the Church of Uganda: Mission, Myths and Metaphors (Nairobi: Acton Publishers, 1998).

We join the family and the ecumenical movement to celebrate his life and gifts. I extend my sympathy most especially to his beloved wife Eleanor Maxine and the entire family who mourn, and pray for peace and comfort at this difficult time.

Your sisters and brothers in Christ join you in thanking God for the life and witness of the Lay Canon Kodwo E. Ankrah and his contribution to church and humanity.

Yours in our common Lord,

 

Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit
General Secretary

cc: The Rt Rev Yona M Katoneene Anglican Bishop of West Ankole, Uganda and member of WCC Central Committee