When the people heard of this phenomenon, they came together in a great multitude and were amazed and marvelled, for they heard them speaking in their own language. Peter then preached, telling them that this was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. He further instructed the people on how they might receive the Holy Ghost and said, ‘’Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:38-39).

However, since the day of Pentecost and the days of the early church, there came a falling away. “Let no man deceive you by any mean: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first …”(II Thessalonians 2:3). Yet there are recorded in gifts and manifestations of the Apostolic Church. In the days of Tertullian (third century), Chrysostom (fourth century), Christians of the thirteenth century, the early Quakers Wesley, Whitefield and Irving, there is evidence of many receiving the Holy Ghost as the revival fires swept over the country. During the last twenty-one days of the nineteenth century, a band of earnest, hungry-hearted ministers and Christian workers in Bethel Bible Collage, Topeka, Kansas, U.S.A., called a fast, praying earnestly for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which, to their joyful surprise came upon them in the early hours of the morning January 1, 1901. The people were heard speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance just as it happened on the day of Pentecost in the year 30 AD. A great revival immediately broke forth, which soon reached the state of Texas and then west to Los Angeles, were in the year 1906, it centered in and old building on Azusa Street.

Ministers and evangelists gathered in Los Angeles from every section of the United States and Canada and missionaries returned from the foreign fields to learn about and receive this marvelous experience. Many who came were soon filled with the Holy Spirit. These workers and missionaries, as well as pastors and evangelists, returned to their fields of labour and preached with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Thus the Holy Spirit revival spread over the earth in a very short time. A great movement was started and men preached this great experience with zeal and anointing, in a desperate effort to fulfill the great commission, “… go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”(Mark 16:15).

With the coming of the Holy Spirit the Word of God became a new book. Truths which have been largely hidden for many years were made clear. In the year 1914 came the revelation of Jesus name. the pivotal doctrines of the absolute deity of Jesus Christ and baptism in His name were recognized as tenets of faith. God marvelously confirmed this message as the gospel was preached in its fullness.

The power which was hidden in the name of Jesus began to be revealed. Literally, thousands were baptized into the name of Jesus Christ and multitudes received the Holy Spirit while in the water. Great numbers were healed of incurable diseases; demons were cast out, as in the days of the Apostles. In many cities where this message was taken the report were the same as that of the Samaritan revival. It was a duplication of a great move of God. “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12). The number of those who believed ad experienced the blessing of the full Pentecostal message grew rapidly and soon it was realized in order to properly reach the world with the whole gospel it was necessary to have a proper basis of cooperation and fellowship; therefore, during the early half of the twentieth century, various group were organized. Among them, two of them were The Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ, Inc. and the Pentecostal Church Inc. As time went on, these two became closely associated in doctrine and fellowship. N the year 1944, men of wisdom and understanding realized that we could do far more as one body than separately, especially in evangelizing the world. Steps were taken to unite the two bodies during that year and the final merger of the two bodies into the United Pentecostal Church International became a reality in 1945. This started a concentrated effort in foreign missions work which has been moving ahead with great strides. The purpose of this united body is to preach the whole gospel to the whole world by the whole church. To this end we pledge our prayers, our faith, our life and love, our earthly means of support and our time, in the fear of God and for His glory alone. The basic and fundamental doctrine of this organization shall be the Bible standard of full salvation, which is repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We shall endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit until we all come into the unity of faith, at the same time admonishing all brethren that they shall not contend for their different views to the disunity of the body. 1. Joel 2:28-32. 2. This information was taken from International Bible Truths. An overseas ministries publication. Reverend R. K. Rodenbush, Reverend H Yohe and Reverend Jack Langham made the first personal contact in Ghana, for the United Pentecostal Church International. We had been to Nigeria where we had baptized more than 1,000 in Jesus name, including 33 pastors. And on our way home, we stopped in Ghana to meet with some Ghanaian preachers who had expressed their interest in learning more about the oneness of God and water baptism in Jesus name. From the first visit in 1966, subsequent correspondence and visits followed. Visitors to Ghana in those early years were Reverend Oscar Vouga, General Director of foreign (Global) missins, Reverend S.L. Latta, Reverend Jack Langham. Reverend Basel Williams and Sister Else Lund, missionaries from Liberia. It was agreed that we should continue dialogue and pursue the possibility of the UPCI in Ghana being established. Reverend S. L. Latta and Reverend Basel Williams, missionaries in Liberia, conducted the first baptismal service in 1968 where several were baptized in Jesus name. some of those baptized were: Reverend and Mrs. M. R. Asamoah, Reverend and Mrs. E. N. Apemah, Reverend and Mrs. E. L. Asamoah, Reverend and Mrs. M. K. Nartey, Reverend and Mrs. B. E. L. Andoh, Brother I. B. Nikoi and Sister Marjorie Nikoi, Sister Juliana Monnie, Deacon Nartey and others. The late Reverend M. R. Asamoah was the first to receive the revelation of the oneness of God in Christ and be baptised in Jesus name. In 1968, Robert K. and Evangeline Rodenbush were appointed as first resident missionaries from the UPCI to the nation of Ghana arriving October 6, 1969 with their one-year-old son, Rob who is now a UPCI ordained minister. After many meetings and discussions beginning at the Avenida Hotel in Adabraka and Osu (Christianborg), Accra (with the baptised pastors and deacons) Robert K. Rodenbush formally organised the UPCI of Ghana. The first national board was: Reverend R. K. Rodenbush, Superintendent Reverend M. K. Nartey, Mission Secretary Reverend E. N. Apemah, Presbyter – Eastern and Central Region Reverend M. R. Asamoah, Presbyter – Greater Accra Region Reverend E. L. Asamoah, Presbyter – Ashanti region Brother I. B. Nikoi, Presbyter, Secretary/ Treasurer