Introduction

 The Musama Disco Christo Church “meaning the Army of the Cross of Christ Church,” was founded in the year 1922 by the Prophet Jernisimham Jehu- Appiah, a former Catechist of the Methodist Church. It was first started as a Prayer Group known as the Faith Society in the year 1919, at Gomoa Oguan in Winneba District, Ghana.

The Church sprang up in the field of destitution, trials, temptations and intimations. The few members were falsely accused before Chiefs and the Court of Law. Some were cast into prison and others were beaten without cause.

On 24th December 1923,the period of intimidations and persecutions set in more sharply at at Gomoa Ogwan that the members found it necessary to flee for safety to Onyaawonsu (now deserted), where they were fairly treated at the first period of their stay. however, they were able to procure a land for settlement at a place near Gomoa Fomena; and on 17th October 1925, they immigrated to this new site and built a village and named it “Mozano” (My Town).

At Mozano, the church developed greatly and membership expanded daily throughpreaching and healing. ‘And they went forth and preached everywhere,the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following.'(Mark 16:20).

Twenty three years later, the Prophet had his I Heavenly Call, 0n 23rd September 1948. After the death of the Prophet, Nana Essaah the Chief of Gomoa Fomena, the owner of the land, had some dispute with the Church. The Chief bred pigs in Fomena, the neigbouring village of Mozano, which affected the sanctity of the town, Mozano, according to the religious Chief of the Church. This, coupled with other reasons both political and economical, and also spiritual, made them acquire some land at Gomoa Eshiem where on 26th January 1951, they moved to the settled permanently, caring the remains of the Prophet Jehu- Appiah; under the permit of an ‘Exhumation order’ by the (Gold Coast) Ghana Government. This place-is still called Mozano, which, according to the order of the Founder, remains the headquarters of the Church.

One important event in the history of the Church which was a trying period of the members; which, later brought the final triumph of the Church, was the arrest of the Founder and his faithful seven!

On 23rd November 1932, some religious group from Bensu, near Agona Swedru, also headed by one Appiah, a Revivalist, clashed with the Swedru Police while they were on their “evangelical itinerancy,” which resulted in many deaths including their Leader, Appiah. The District Commissioner then stationed at Winneba misapprehended the M.D.C. Church to be a branch of the “Group” from Bensu, which at that time had been gripped and almost crushed by the Police. More incidentally, the Leader of M.D.C. Church also bore the same name ‘Appiah.’ So three days after the incident, a squad of Police arresting commanded by a Police Commissioner came to Mozano and arrested the Prophet, his elder brother and seven elders of his followers to Swedru Police Station; and after interrogation they set them free after having found the M.D.C. Church to be quite different from the ‘Bensu Group’.

The news of the arrest of Prophet Appiah and his followers spread far and wide and the Paramount Chief of Abura State at that time, hearing the news, took the advantage of arresting the Musama members in his State including the Founder’s (Prophet Appiah’s) father and put them in jail.

The Prophet, on hearing this swore to an affidavit; and by the order of Justice St. John Yates of the Cape Coast High Court, the Chief released them and set them free.