When Reverend Joseph Amoah met with the 13 elders of St Paul's Church in Harrogate, he felt a strong calling.

Born in Ghana before moving to London, he had never heard of Harrogate until invited to consider becoming the minister of St Paul's.

And, although the town was a world away from many of his life experiences, he found shared hopes, aspirations and values within the church community.

St Paul’s is his first ministry. On July 27 he was both ordained as well as inducted as minister of St Paul’s. Family and friends from his home church of Grange Park Leighton URC in London, including his dad and brother who are elders there, travelled to Harrogate for the service.

For the community of St Paul’s, it was a special celebration. Not only was it the first time in its history that the church had hosted an ordination service, but it also marked the end of a three-year search for a new minister after Revd Brian Hunt retired in 2021.

So, what was it about St Paul’s that drew him there? He says:

Relevant and modern

He’d like to make the church engaging and relevant for all ages - a challenge that exists generally for churches, whose congregation largely comprises older people.

Although many churches, including St Paul’s, have junior groups, Revd Amoah says it’s the 20 to 40 year olds who are more likely to be missing. This is partly because people tend to move away at this age from where they grew up, but also because they no longer find “relevance and connection” in church.

Aged 33, Revd Amoah, who was part of a thriving youth group and, later, young adults group in his home church, feels he understands what people his age are looking for:

Revd Amoah also has plans to revamp the St Paul’s website and promote the church more through social media. He says:

"Life was a struggle"

Revd Amoah grew up a world away from the four-bedroomed manse he now occupies in Harrogate. Born in a tiny village in Ghana, he lived his early years in abject poverty. He remembers only having a small bowl of food to eat each day, shared between three or four people. Clean water was scarce, and disease a constant threat. School was a three-hour walk away, and the nearest hospital so distant that a snake bite would mean certain death.

Before he was even born, his father had left Ghana for London. When he was 22 months old, his mother followed. But he says his parents being absent was the least of his worries: “Life was a struggle; the priority was survival.”

When he was nine, he joined his parents in London. Gone was the daily struggle to survive, but in its place came different challenges. He says:

"So many things don't make sense"

Added to that was a feeling that his parents had sacrificed so much for a better life that he didn’t deserve. He struggled with self esteem and confidence.

His only solace was football. From the age of 12 he played for the Arsenal Academy. He dreamed of turning professional, but it wasn’t to be. He says:

He struggled to come to terms with it, not only because his dreams had crumbled but because he couldn’t reconcile his faith with the unfairness of life. He says:

But he came to realise that “it’s not what happens to you but how you deal with it.” And for a while, he didn’t deal with it very well. He lived in “deprived and unsafe” Hackney and got caught up in the wrong crowd. He felt lost and that his life had no meaning.

Finding meaning

Revd Amoah’s parents were devout Christians and he had always gone to church. By his teens, he lacked interest and commitment. But when he was 16 his brother invited him to a youth group at the church. He says:

Revd Amoah now wants to use his experiences and his faith to offer help and inspiration to others. He says Harrogate has its own challenges, even though they may not be as obvious as those in Ghana or Hackney.

He wants St Paul’s to be very engaged in the community and to feel like a welcoming place for everyone. He adds: