The Rev. Canon Rosina Ampah, OSH

The Rev. Canon Rosina Ampah, OSH in the garden at the Convent of St. Helena in Augusta GA

Storytelling as Ministry

The Rev. Canon Rosina Ampah, OSH believes in following the teaching style of Jesus, and finds that it reaches the hearts of both young and old alike. A native of Ghana, West Africa, she joined the Order of St. Helena in 1978 and took her final vow in 1983. She was ordained to the priesthood in 1993 and was one of the Chaplains to the Lambeth Conference at Canterbury, UK, in 1998. Rev. Rosina being the first Ghanaian Anglican woman to be ordained to the priesthood, was honored in her home diocese on October 24th 2004 to become the first Honorary Canon at Christ Church Cathedral in Cape Coast, Ghana, West Africa.

About her ministry, Sr. Rosina says, "I give weekend storytelling retreats, day-long storytelling events at schools, and use a lot of stories in my sermons. Storytelling for me is a great ministry in that it is a way of conveying to people great truths about life. Jesus used a lot of stories in his teaching during his earthly ministry because individuals can associate with one or two of the characters in a story without having to agree with the whole story. Furthermore, a good story can convey a quick message to the heart in a way that nothing else can.

"In my country Ghana, West Africa, stories are used to teach morals, ethics, spirituality, hospitality, and -- the most important of all -- to help form a person's character. I grew up on stories and I have come to treasure them more because they are perpetual educational tools.

"I tell stories to groups of all ages and help them to unlock the wisdom in a particular story so that they can use the skills to work through situations, just as the story's characters did. Some stories are packed with tools or skills used in solving conflicts, some are examples of high moral standards one could use as models to live by. Some stories are experiences of peoples or animals who ignored certain warnings to help them look out for things that will make them fail in life, because they thought they were too smart for such encounters and suffered as a result. I have stories that are just for entertainment and fun as well as stories used only for preaching because they help to convey to my listeners in a very simple but precise way the good news of Jesus Christ.

"Whatever form or structure of the story I tell, it has a moral, ethical, and challenging aspect to it and I try to leave my listeners with questions that they may want to pursue either in their own personal life or within their families. I believe this is what Jesus did most of the time, to leave his listeners struggling to come to grips with what was true for them.

"So for me, storytelling is a huge ministry to be explored by many." -- Sr. Rosina Ampah

Sr. Rosina conducts retreats, quiet days, counseling, intergenerational workshops, storytelling retreats. vacation Bible schools, and provides preaching and supply work for parishes. She is also available for spiritual direction and guidance.

The Rev. Canon Rosina Ampah, OSH
The Convent of St. Helena
3042 Eagle Drive
Augusta, GA 30916

Phone: 706-798-5201
Fax: 706-796-0079
e-mail: sisters@osh.org