The Church of Pentecost in the UK originated from fellowship groups formed by Ghanaian Christians in London in the early 1970s. These included the Ghana Christian Fellowship and Africa Christian Fellowship. Pentecostal members of these groups attended churches like Kensington Temple. In the early 1980s, the idea to form the UK branch of the Church of Pentecost arose to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of Ghanaian members. Elder Sam Obeng Tuudah arrived in 1986 and connected with others interested in officially launching the church. They received encouragement from Apostle Opoku Onyinah and Pastor D.K. Noble-Atsu. In 1989, the first chaplain Pastor Kwame Blankson was

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Elder Sam Obeng Tuudah
Short History with The Church of Pentecost International
The precursor to the church of Pentecost in the United Kingdom was the Pentecost Association of UK and
Eire (PAUKE). Prior to the formation of PAUKE, many Ghanaian Christians in London were members of Ghana
Christian Fellowship. Africa Christians in London were mainly members of the Ghana Christian Fellowship and the
Africa Christian Fellowship that were formed in London in the early 1970s. The meetings of these fellowship
groups were held initially at No. 5 Daughty Street, Holborn. Later, the venue moved to Tavistock Square in the
Kings Cross area. These Christian Associations created a forum for Africans, especially students, who used it as
an opportunity to fellowship with, and to support, one another. Many of the Pentecostal members of these
groups and churches then worshipped at established London churches such as Kensington Temple (Elim
Pentecostal Church), Elim Pentecostal Church (Clements Road, Ilford, Essex) and Newcourt Elim Pentecostal
Church, (Regina Road, Finsbury Park).
It was through discussions at these Fellowship groups and churches that the idea to form the Church of
Pentecost (COP) was born in the early 1980s. The idea arose due to the following reasons: Many brethren who
were known to be active in the Church in Ghana were found to be backsliding on arrival in the United Kingdom;
the brethren worshipping at Elim church did not enjoy the services because they were in English; there was the
natural desire to win souls for Christ; and the need was felt to have a unique Ghanaian/African identity in
worship in the United Kingdom. The key Pentecostal figures in these groups and churches in the 1970s and early
1980s were Elder Emmanuel Apea (an official of the Ghana Embassy in London), Elder Kofi Asamoah, Elder John
Acheampong, Elder Abraham Doku Lawrence (who later became an Elim Church Pastor), Elder Kabenia (now
deceased), and Brothers Samuel Okwei-Nortey (now Elder, and former National Deacon), Deacon Kontoh (now
Elder), and Newton Nyarko (now Apostle).
In 1986, Elder Sam Obeng Tuudah, a former National Deacon (Treasurer) of the Church of
Pentecost in the Republic of Liberia arrived in London and made contact with Elder Daniel Clottey.
The latter introduced him to Elder Apea. Following the information relating to the work of the
Church of Pentecost in Liberia which Elder Sam Obeng Tuudah shared during their discussions, the
key brethren mentioned above later decided to take advantage of the presence of Elders Apea and
Clottey (recognised government officials as well as church Elders in the country) to move the COP
idea further.
Accordingly, they gathered together the Ghanaian Christians with whom they had contact in order to form a
group that would later lead to the formation of the Church of Pentecost in the country. The first meetings of the
informal group were held at the residence of Elder Abraham Lawrence at 15 Lawrence Road, N15 4EN, and at
Elder Daniel Clottey’s 79 Axholme Avenue, Edgware HA8 5BD residence, and Elder Apea’s, 76 Roll Gardens,
Ilford, Essex.
EARLY YEARS
Founding members:
Later, in 1986, a landmark meeting of the group, convened by Elder Apea at his residence, was held
to which Apostle Opoku Onyinah and Pastor D.K. Noble-Atsu (now Apostle) were invited. These two
reverend ministers who participated in the meeting were then students of the Elim Bible College
then based at Nantwich. They told the group that they had been asked by late Apostle F.S. Sarfo,
Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, to explore the feasibility of forming a Church of Pentecost in
the country. According to them, the time was ripe for the church to be launched in the country, and
so they encouraged the group to go ahead with its plans that were in a formative stage. There and
then, the informal executive was officially recognised. These comprised Elder Emmanuel Apea
(Convenor), Elder Dan Clottey (secretary), Elder Abraham Doku Lawrence (organising secretary),
Elder Kofi Asamoah (Treasurer) and Elder Sam Obeng Tuudah (Financial Manager).
In early 1989 when it was realised that much progress had been made, Elder Emmanuel Apea took advantage of
his presence in Ghana to meet the Executive Council of the Church of Pentecost and to request that a Chaplain

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be sent to the Ghanaian community in Britain. In July of that year, Elder Sam Okwei-Nortey was appointed
General Secretary in place of Elder Dan Clottey who had been recalled to Ghana by the Ghana Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. Later that year, PAUKE moved from its place of worship at Finsbury Park to the premises of the
Elim Pentecostal Church at Ilford. In October that same year, Pastor Kwame Blankson was sent by the COP
Executive as the first Chaplain, to the Pentecost community in London. It is worth noting that the Ilford Elim
Church, where Elder Apea served as Elder under Pastor Barry Killick, greatly and generously facilitated Pastor
Blankson’s stay in the country, bearing the cost of his accommodation, and as well as living expenses.
First National Executive
The following were appointed as the first National Executive under the terms of the PAUKE Constitution which
was ratified in 1991.
1. Pastor Kwame Blankson (Resident Missionary)
2. Elder Edward Kofie (National Secretary)
3. Elder Kwesi Otoo (Mission Board Chairman)
4. Elder Sam Obeng Tuudah (Finance Board Chairman)
5. Elder Kwame Nkrumah (Charity Board Chairman)
6. Bro Asare Afriyie (Literature Board Chairman)
7. Elder Kofi Asamoah (elected)
When later Elder Asamoah relocated to Ghana, he was replaced by Elder Samuel Boateng. Elder Nkrumah also
later relocated to Ghana and was replaced by Elder Newton Nyarko. Elder Sam Obeng Tuudah left** PAUKE
later on and was replaced by Elder (now Apostle) Mike Etrue (then a student in UK). When he also left for Ghana
he was replaced by Elder Samuel Okwei Nortey.
During this period membership grew from around 30 in 1989 to 1000 by the time of Pastor Blankson’s departure
in 1996.
** I returned to Elim Church of Pentecost in 2013. The name later changed to Church of Pentecost, UK
Source: www.copuk.org/history,html or Google-Search: “Elder Sam Tuudah” (History)
or Google-search: “Sam Obeng Tuudah” (Business)
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Elder Sam Obeng Tuudah Personal/Business Contacts:
E1: samtuudah@ymail.com (Business)
E2: samtuudah@gmail.com (Main)
E3: samtuudah@aol.com (other)
WS: http://samtuudah.wordpress.com
T: www.twitter.com/samtuudah
F: www.Facebook.com/samtuudah
I: www.instagram.com/tuudahsam
L: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sam-obeng-tuudah-22913416
V: www.viadeo.com/samtuudah
S: www.slideshare.net/SamObengTuudah/sotmta-coaching-benefits01a
Mob UK +447956846118
Mob Ghana +233267871085
“My time is my life on earth.”
Sam Obeng Tuudah