AUNTIE JOYCE ARYEE, EVER GREEN, EVER READY

I have done lots of articles and interviews on BEAUTIFUL GHANA, ranging from top celebrities in and outside Africa but much in Ghana as that is my roll-call. Along my line of doing what I love most, I have also delved from talking to Poli-trick-cians, the good, the bad and the ugliest, to ‘gods-of-men’ like Reverends, Pastors, Priests, Deacons & Deaconesses, Church Mothers ati Fathers, Choristers, Ushers and Usher’s wives, abi no be so dem dey call dem ni? From the list I can only say that na Pope I never get access to. But wait until I storm the Vatican, Insha Allah.

I have done a whole lot give and take but on this particular day of meeting with Auntie Joyce, it was a day of soul upliftment. She was the tutor, inspiration and above all the preacher. She did touch me. Na you sabi, if na nko se you go humbly receive those inspirational words? From the first day of booking for appointment, I saw myself going to have a time out with God. The D-Day reached and here I was in the building of the Lord and then the secretary ushered me straight into the main office of the Founder and Executive Director of Salt & Light Ministries. Here DR. JOYCE ARYEE was sitted with open arms ready for me. Inside of me, I mutely said, ‘chaiii, today na today’,

Before facing Auntie Joyce, I had equipped myself, if na you, you go go there go mess up like that Journalist wey travel from him country go meet brother Mugabe of ZimZim. By the time he got there, he had forgotten all the Qs & A?

I had just FIVE questions to ask Auntie Joyce and Oluwa God forbid if I forgot them. But before that, I had like you to know who this the name I have been singing is; She was a Ghanaian politician and businessperson and formerly the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines but now the Founder and Executive Director of Salt & Light Ministries, a Christian, para-church organization in Ghana. The Ministry aims at motivating, inspiring and encouraging people to live an effective, productive and practical Christian lives. The Ministry has been a useful resource churches and other Christian organizations and its modus operandi includes a bible study, issuance of motivational letters and evangelism, also exhorts Christians to see themselves as Salt of the Earth and Light of the World.

Apart from being a Preacher and a Teacher of the Word of God, I found out that she has done so well for herself as she bagged the State Award of Companion of the Order of the Volta in 2006 in recognition of her service to the nation, also the recipient of the CIMG Marketing Woman of the Year Award for 2007 and the African Leadership on Centre for Economic Development's African Female Business Leader of the Year Award for 2009. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Engineers. She was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the first woman to head an African chamber of mines. The list no dey finish na. Just like one function I attended, the MC spent about 1hour reciting the profile of a one year old child. What baffled me was that he was saying stuffs the child will come and achieve in the future. Yawa ooo!

Before leaving and not forgetting my questions, I found out that Auntie Joyce is highly disciplined and self-motivated, strong leadership and organizational abilities, resourceful and with excellent managerial qualities, highly responsible and loves challenging jobs and operate best within set goals, objectives and deadlines. Therefore as an independent and fair minded woman who is deemed in leadership by consensus and leaves us with no doubt of her great achievements. I threw the first question.

Enjoy jooor

As the Founder and Executive Director of Salt & Light Ministries, what has been the motivating and inspiring factor that has seen your ministry grown from strength to strength?

Salt & Light Ministry is a discipleship ministry because Jesus Christ actually is looking for disciples, people who will see Him as a master, a leader, senior brother, father and God. Someone who has something to give and will like to use his followers to give it out. Jesus Christ is God and the only one who revealed God to us, so to us we are to draw others closer to the master. Secondly, some of us want to turn God into a Father Christmas and really don’t look for a relationship with Him. Christianity is all about relationship other than that why will God create us in His own image? He was looking for a relationship and wants us to be His representatives out here in this world. It is important that we must do things that God wants and thus, people must get to know God through the things we do.

The choice of the name of the ministry is based on the empowerment of Jesus to His disciples. Salt influences and changes things for the better. It flavors, savors food, the taste becomes better. Salt halts the rottenness of foods, since there is a natural putrefaction of organic things and likewise as children we must be able to halt the rottenness, wickedness in the world. Jesus Christ told us we are the salt of this world; He didn’t say we are going to be.

The ministry is actually up to encourage all Christian on the word of God on what we ought to be. Also we must not forget that we do have a role to play. Imagine a salt on the shelve without being used, it would serve its purpose and likewise God wants us to be engaging Christians in life,  He wants us to be useful to our society. The same can be said of light; even a flicker of a match can give light where there is darkness. Just imagine your flicker, my flicker and the other person’s flicker of light can change the world. Only a few armed robbers will want to steal in broad day, even at that those who steal in daylight wear a mask.

So when Jesus says you are the light, it means the so called ‘insignificant’ you can make a difference in our world. So whether salt or light, you just need a little to make a difference. The idea is that individually we are into this world to make a difference. We do touch lives through teaching Bible studies, prayer rallies, doing the occasional discipleship formation programs, leadership training programs, writing of articles, doing radio programs, we let people who are Christians know that we are given the power of God to change the darkness and rottenness of the world away.

We must not forget that we are here in this world on a staying course until Jesus Christ returns, so He should return and find us worthy of the task of holding the darkness and rottenness away. What a pity if He comes and everything has been eaten up my maggot?

Salt & Light is a para-church organization in the sense that in is involved with the body of Christ but it is not a church. Because every Christian is salt and light, our appeal is to use any kind of media that will reach everyone. We don’t need to know them but the word of God should reach them.

Looking at Ghana as a country, when women of faith and virtue are mention, your name stands tall. We know that there has been abundance of grace from God in your life, how have you been able to sustain and maintain this God’s grace all these years?

The thing about grace is that it is an unmerited favor so all we as humans need to do is obey; provide God back with that willingness and submission. My attitude is to give back to God. I just see myself as not belonging to myself but all to God. I have grown to surrender all to the will of God. My key scripture for God’s grace is in Philippians 2:13, I like it’s translation in the Good News, Living Bible or the New Living Translation. Since God is working in me to give me the power to do His will, then all I have to do is give back my all working alongside the Holy Spirit.

How was it like combining your high office post and the ministry that God called you into?

Since 1997 and officially launched in April 1998, since God directed me into the ministry through writing articles and doing radio Bible teachings, it has been a whole lot easier than owning or starting a church. In a nutshell, listening and been obedient to God has been the key.

How do you want to see this ministry perform years after the younger generations take over from you?

I think that doing mission doesn’t always mean building a structure or something like that. To me I haven’t heard God say to me that I should go and do this or that. It came to me as a personal service to God. But touching lives to impact others to transform and do the will of God drives me the satisfaction. See how effective Paul was in empowering the work of God though he never pastured a church, so until God leads me, I will keep doing His work.

You stand as a role model to so many young ladies in Ghana and outside, what will be that ONE virtuous and candid advice to them?

For all young people especially the young ladies, we need to come into the assurance of God’s love for us. When you are assured that God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth loves you unconditionally, and has the best plans for your life, first of all it gives you confidence.

You recognize that you are important in the economy of God, that you are uniquely created and placed to play a role. That kind of confidence helps us to focus on the gifts we have and to look at where God chooses to place us. I think many of us sometimes lack that confidence so we try most of the time to be that we are not, you can’t be somebody else and that’s the joy and beauty of it.

My advice to them is to find their love, confidence, peace, ambition, achievement in God. Outside of God, we may seem to be achieving but it will be in transient. But in God even a little thing we achieve is counted in eternity. To actually wait for God to bless and locate your ambition, vision and mission in the plans of God for your life. It is better to run at God’s designed pace as seen in Hebrews 12:2.