A PIONEERING ENTERPRENUER IN AFRICAN FOODS WHOLESALING AND RETAILING BUSINESS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The late Deacon John Kwaku Obeng hails from Offinso – Ashnati from a maternal heritage and born and bred in Agogo – Ashanti from his paternal heritage 62-years ago. His parents are the late Mr. James Obeng and Madam Mary Ntua. Deacon Obeng left behind a widow, Mrs. Theresa Obeng, four daughters namely Elizabeth Obeng, Mrs. Denilda Obeng - Gyau, Lisa Obeng and Harriet Obeng, and a son Jeffery Obeng.

Deacon John Obeng was a pioneering member of the Ghana Business Council, and its first Vice-President. He was the Chairperson at multiple social functions. The Ghanaian communities in the USA and especially the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan area have lost a good friend. A sudden illness and a quick death, was a big blow to us all, vigilant and intercessory prayers by Churches and sympathizers alike, asking the Sovereign God to spare a precious gift to the community, finally resulted to Deacon Obeng’s departure to his creator confirms the biblical saying that, the will of God giveth and that same God taketh away at the appropriate time. That time was when Deacon John Kwaku Obeng’s spirit gave up at the Fairfax INOVA Hospital in Virginia that Saturday early morning on December 5, 2009. To all Christians, it is an acceptable phenomenon, and as such, we are all at peace with the God.

Deacon John Kwaku Obeng served with The Church of Pentecost U.S.A. Inc., Baltimore, Alexandria, Dale City and NOVA Central Assemblies for a combined number of years. He was ordained a Deacon by Apostle Sampson Yiadom in 2007. He was a member of the local Pentecost Men’s Movement (PEMEF) executive, and the second person to chair the local building committee. Under his leadership as the Chairman of the Building Committee, Deacon Obeng help raised approximately, $400,000.00 through membership contributions to the Local Building Fund. He was also a pioneering member of the Baltimore Assembly Church in Maryland when it started in 1998.

His entrepreneurial zeal started in his infancy way back in Agogo with his father as he assisted in a small family food supply service business, so it wasn’t long enough when after his tertiary education he moved to Accra the State capital to co-owned a business with a friend by name Sam that culminated in nurturing and forming the Sam-Peters Enterprise.

With help from a bosom classmate called Ernest Baah, Deacon Obeng migrated to the United States of America in 1978, and settled in New York City. Although he worked as a plumber and an HAVC Technician, life was still not easy in the Big Apple for the Obengs’ after years of struggles and financial hardships, they decided to sell off all of their personal belongings including their furnishings to purchase a used Ford van and move down to Baltimore – Maryland, with Mrs. Theresa Obengs’ State Department employment and being the dominant income earner, life was still difficult for the family until Deacon Obeng started procuring African Foods from New York to hawk in his Ford van to Africans in both Maryland and Virginia metropolis.

A major stop on his hawking route on one Sunday afternoon was at The Church of Pentecost, Alexandria Assembly Church where he will park his van and wait patiently till Church closes in order to hawk his African Foods supplies to Church members. So on that faithful Sunday, he had an encounter with the then Presiding Elder of the Church, Elder Peter Amponsah (now a District Pastor for the Greater Dallas Forth Worth Area) of the Church of Pentecost in Texas, who invited him into the Church sanctuary and introduced him to Jesus. Deacon Obeng accepted Christ and was later baptized by full immersion. His wife and family also joined the Church and are still members to the Glory of God. In 2007, Brother John Kwaku Obeng was ordained a Deacon of The Church of Pentecost U.S.A. Inc., by Apostle Sampson Yiadom, former Washington Regional Head.

The door to door hawking paid off and soon, the OBENG INTERNATIONAL FOOD INC., first wholesale and retail store front business was in operation in Hyattsville in Maryland. Elizabeth Obeng, the eldest of the Obeng daughters, assisted her parent in managing the day to day operations of the store at that time. Her selfless and dedicated support to her parent’s nucleus business has been cherished all these years by the Obeng family.

As the Hyattsville location grew with business opportunities, Mrs. Theresa Obeng saw the vision to expand and shared it with Deacon Obeng, who in turn advised his wife to let them fast and pray over the vision. The reliance on their Pentecostal faith became stronger as husband and wife ventured into the Nation’s Capital and opened their second store at the Farmers Market on Florida Avenue and 4th Street, North East Washington D.C.

In 2006, the need to expand the operation saw the opening of the Lorton, Virginia branch which later moved to the Route One corridor (Jefferson Davis Highway) in Woodbridge, in 2008. Deacon John Obeng also opened several branches in Ghana including food processing plants, that supplies his operations abroad as well as servicing the families of his American customers in Ghana.

Mrs. Theresa Obeng, the living first American Matriarch of the Obeng Clan in the U.S.A, will have to carry on, where her husband left off. Not only is she saddled with the need to see her young children through high school and attain higher education as mature and discipline business men and women, but also the need to maintain an equilibrium of effective management and administrative prowess, by rising to the protective and a dominant stature of both a Matriarch and a Patriarch as well as all the financial pot holes and headaches that comes along unforeseen circumstances when sudden unexpected partnerships ends in death such as this. With the visionary zeal to which came the blessings of the most high God, we pray for the continued success of Mrs. Theresa Obeng and the children

Later over the years, as the young John Obeng children grow into mature adulthood, namely Mrs. Denilda Obeng-Gyau, Lisa, Jeffrey and Harriet, all shall continue to be involved in the family foods service businesses in the U.S.A. The lost of their American first generation patriarch, is a big blow to the family and the Ghanaian Community at large. We therefore ask for your prayer remembrance and support of the entire Obeng families in USA, Ghana, Holland, Belgium, UK and other parts of the world, in times like these.

The Late Deacon John Kwaku Obeng will be laid in state at the Word of Life Assemblies of God Church at 5225 Backlick Road, Springfield, Virginia 22151 from 6:00PM to 9:00pm on Friday January 15, 2009. Funeral Celebrations follows immediately after the viewing from 9:30PM to 3:00AM.

May the soul of this faithful first generation American patriarch, rest in the bosom care of his creator. Amen.