7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God
(Romans 14:7-12)
The words of St. Paul sum up the worldview of our beloved colleague, Very Rev Prof Joshua N. Kudadjie, or Prof, as referred to by many of us. The WAATI family received the news of his death with a heavy heart.
Prof Kudadjie was a founding member of WAATI. He joined hands with the Rev Desmond Tutu and Rev Canon John S. Pobee (who also passed on, the day after Prof. Kudadjie departed) to establish WAATI over 48 years ago.
Prof. Kudadjie’s desire was to see this Association become the mother umbrella of all theological institutions in West Africa, and to this he diligently committed himself. Prof served WAATI as:
- Secretary and Chairman of the Ghana Zone
- Chairman of the West Africa Group
He also served as Editor or co-Editor of some of the publications by WAATI.
As an ethicist, Prof ensured that WAATI got its values right in all its deliberations and publications.
Prof’s contributions at WAATI Conferences were very insightful and thought-provoking. We recall the recent valuable contributions he made during the 2017 WAATI Conference, held at the Pentecost Theological Seminary, Sowutuom, Accra. His fatherly stature was outstanding.
The 2019 WAATI Conference held in Liberia, resolved to recognize all gallant senior Brothers and Sisters who had toiled hard for the Association. Little did we know that Prof would pass on before this was done. Nevertheless, we will, at the appropriate time, honour his memory, because WAATI is proud of his tremendous contributions, in ensuring that the Association remained accredited and keeping to its vision.
We mourn the loss of our friend, colleague, and father. We pray that he rests in the bosom of the Lord.
Prof, Fare Thee Well!