We are glad to share with you an article we came across on social media this week by an anonymous author. It’s entitled, 50 Reasons To Read Books. Enjoy!
- Books help to feel more confident.
- Books help to travel around the world in the cheapest way.
- Books develop your personality.
- Books provide food for thought.
- Books make you laugh and think.
- Books draw you towards perfection.
- Books stimulate creativity.
- Books bring out writing talent.
- Books help in communicating.
- Books clear your vision.
- Books satisfy your curiosity.
- Books help you make more choices.
- Books help you build literary talent.
- Books do not require any special device to teach.
- Books increase your attention span.
- Books are fruitful pastime.
- Books can be used anytime, anywhere.
- Books provide entertainment, when others fail.
- Books make you powerful.
- Books help you know the ‘Whys’ and ‘Hows’ of everything.
- Books help you to create and spread fun.
- Books help you travel across time intelligently.
- Books keep you updated with facts and figures.
- Books spread love, affection and knowledge.
- Books make the best of friends.
- Books take you to intellectual environment.
- Books help you feel the world around you.
- Books entertain your mind.
- Books broaden your horizon.
- Books bring Nature to your doorstep.
- Books bring about a ‘personality change’.
- Books increase comprehension.
- Books do not require company.
- Books are stress-busters.
- Books develop a sense of belonging to people around you.
- Books provide mental and physical relaxation.
- Books act as a communication tool.
- Books are intellectually satisfying activity.
- Books provide spiritual experience.
- Books provide emotional strength.
- Books build your self-esteem.
- Books help and encourage your imagination to soar.
- Books make you smarter and wiser.
- Books help you grow.
- Books take you to a ‘world of dreams’.
- Books can change your life and vision.
- Books help in achieving ‘life goals’.
- Books develop wonderful experience.
- Books transform lives.
- Books inspire, books motivate, books build nations.
In welcoming you to the Challenge Enterprises of Ghana (CEG) website, it is my joy to share a bit of history with you which pre-dates the independence of Ghana.
Challenge Enterprises of Ghana which to many, is popularly known as Challenge Bookshop, had its beginnings as far back as 1952 when SIM (Sudan Interior Mission then and now known as Serving in Mission) sent a representative, Trevor Shaw, from Lagos to Accra to gauge the potential for expanding the distribution of the African Challenge magazine to Ghana. Initially working with the newspaper agents of the Daily Graphic, monthly orders of 650 copies were delivered by Tarzan Transport Company into Accra from Lagos.
Challenge magazine opened its first office in Accra in 1956. When independence arrived on 6th March 1957, the October 1957 issue of Challenge magazine recognized this with a special Ghanaian edition and a picture on the cover of President Nkrumah. That edition of 170,000 copies sold over 50,000 in Ghana alone which was 30,000 more than the 20,000 normal monthly circulation. Circulation had grown to 40,000 by 1961 which led to discussions about the need to provide a broader range of Christian literature in the country.
In 1968, the first Challenge bookshop was built. The bookshop opened in 1969. The bookshop operated under the auspices of SIM until 1975 when a Board of Trustees composed of three prominent Ghanaians, one senior staff member and some of the missionaries was formed. The legal formation of the CEG Board was on 25 January, 1975. CEG continued to be led by a seconded SIM missionary until 1989 when the last SIMer (Jim Mason) handed over to Ben Boateng as Managing Director.
It’s been more than 60 years and 3 generations of leaders who are all still alive since 1956, of which I am privileged and humbled to be a part of. We are grateful to God for sustaining His work. We look forward to many more years of serving Him as He transforms us first for service.
I encourage you to intently browse through the pages of this website and to support our work prayerfully in the following key ministries:
- Prison
- Annual National Challenge Pastors and Christian Leaders Conferences
- Challenge Cinema Today
- Counselling Services
- Distribution of Gospel Tracts/Christian Literature
- Hospital Visits
- Schools Visits
- Archives to Support research into Ghana’s Christian history.
Challenge is more than a bookshop! It is a whole national missionary enterprise with a global view. We have a charge to keep and a God to glorify. The Lord, our God continue to bless us all.