BEACON OF LIGHT OUTREACH
Touching Lives and Making a difference
Beacon of Light Outreach is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing hope and transforming lives through healthcare, education, faith formation, and humanitarian assistance. Inspired by the Gospel call to love our neighbors, we partner with generous donors, volunteers, and local partners to serve underserved communities, especially in Ghana. Our mission is simple: to be a beacon wherever poverty, illness, and hopelessness threaten human dignity. We believe even the smallest act of kindness can illuminate lives, restore hope, and create lasting change.
Our Story
A few weeks before my ordination to the priesthood, my spiritual director offered me advice that has shaped my entire ministry: "Martin, as you go into the priesthood, always remember that the priest's hands are not meant to hold on to things but to pass them on to others. If you take care of God's people, God will take care of you." Those words became the guiding principle of my priesthood. Throughout my ministry, I have tried to live by them, serving others, especially the poor and the less privileged. Time and again, I have found that wisdom to be true: whenever we place our trust in God and care for His people, He faithfully provides. Although I had long felt called to do more for struggling communities in Ghana, I lacked the courage to take that first step. God, however, had already begun preparing the way.
In July 2022, I was assigned to St. Joseph Parish in Key West, Dubuque, Iowa, and to Holy Family Parish in New Melleray, Iowa. Only a few months later, after daily Mass, one of my parishioners, Helen Lyons, approached me with an extraordinary proposal. Years earlier, she had witnessed deep poverty during a visit to the Dominican Republic. Ever since, she had longed to help those in need but had never found the right opportunity. She shared that she believed God had brought us together for that purpose and pledged that her family would donate $5,000 annually for five years to support charitable work.
Around the same time, my family experienced the heartbreaking loss of my brother-in-law, Clement, who died suddenly at 30, leaving my sister and their four-year-old daughter. I was preparing to travel to Ghana for the funeral, so I promised Helen I would think about what she had shared with me. As I traveled to Ghana for Clement's funeral, I reflected deeply on Helen's generosity and the possibility that God was calling us to something much greater. Those who know Helen will testify that when she wants something and is convinced, she pushes it! By the time I returned from Ghana, Helen had already spoken with our pastor, Msgr. Thomas Toale, about her intentions. Together, we began discerning how best to respond to this unexpected opportunity. Looking back, it is clear that what seemed like a simple conversation after Mass was, in fact, the start of a remarkable journey of faith.
The First Step
Our first planning meeting brought together just four people: Helen Lyons, Paul Heacock, Rose Ann Kunkel, and Marilyn Loewen. We gathered with generous hearts and a desire to help, but none of us could have imagined where that first meeting would lead. We had little experience launching an international charitable mission, yet we trusted that God was guiding every step. At that meeting, we identified our first mission: to expand the surgical facilities at St. Theresa Hospital in Nkoranza, Ghana. For more than 50 years, this hospital, which serves over 250,000 people, had only one operating room. During emergencies, medical personnel were often forced to make heartbreaking decisions about which patients could receive life-saving surgery. Deeply moved by this need—and by the memory of Clement—we committed to helping build additional operating and recovery rooms.
With the encouragement of Msgr. Thomas Toale and the support of the parish councils, I shared this vision with our parish communities during Lent of 2023. What began with Helen's generous $5,000 gift grew into an extraordinary outpouring of generosity. During that first year alone, more than $57,000 was raised to begin construction. The following year, donors contributed over $91,000, enabling the project to be completed. Today, the expanded surgical (operating) center enables multiple surgeries each day and provides hundreds of free surgeries each year to patients who otherwise could not afford life-saving care. Countless lives have already been transformed because ordinary people chose to answer God's call to generosity.
Expanding the Mission
The success of the hospital project opened our eyes to other urgent needs and inspired us to continue the mission.
Education
Our second major initiative was the construction of a 250-bed dormitory at Mt. Carmel Girls Senior High School in Techiman, Ghana. For many young women, particularly those from rural communities, access to safe housing is essential to receiving a quality education under Ghana's boarding school system. The new dormitory provides students with a secure place to live and learn, helping open doors to opportunities that can transform their lives and those of their families and communities as well.
Faith and Community
Our third major initiative is the construction of a new Catholic church in my hometown, Atebubu. The church will provide a permanent place for families to gather for worship, receive the sacraments, deepen their relationship with God, and strengthen their community of faith. Construction is underway, with completion and dedication expected in August 2027.
Health Care Support
In 2025, the mission expanded its healthcare outreach by shipping a twenty-foot container of medical supplies and equipment to hospitals and clinics throughout the Diocese of Techiman, Ghana. These supplies were generously provided by MercyOne Hospital through the initiative of Melissa Sprenger, Director of Missions, and other MercyOne staff members in Dubuque. The equipment and supplies are helping to strengthen healthcare delivery, particularly in rural communities where resources are often limited.
From a Mission to Beacon of Light Outreach
As these projects unfolded and their impact became visible, more and more people reached out to support the mission and help it continue. Their generosity and encouragement made it clear that what had begun as a small charitable effort needed a more permanent structure to allow the work to grow and continue into the future. From this vision, Beacon of Light Outreach was born.
The name Beacon of Light Outreach captures what lies at the heart of our mission. A beacon does not remove all the darkness around it; it simply shines—and by shining, it helps others find their way. We believe the same is true of every act of generosity. A gift that may seem small to one person can become medicine for someone who is sick, an education for a young person, shelter for a student, a place of worship for a community, or hope for a family facing circumstances they cannot overcome alone. Our goal, therefore, is to keep the fire that was lit burning through our generous contributions, partnerships, volunteer service, and prayer, so that together we can continue to make a difference in people's lives, especially among the poor and underserved.
Building the Future
Through the generous support of Rev. Fr. Paul Attah-Nsiah and many others, Beacon of Light Outreach has been successfully established as a nonprofit organization in both Ghana and the United States, providing the organizational foundation needed to facilitate its initiatives and expand its mission. Although I am recognized as the founder of Beacon of Light Outreach for official purposes, I have never considered this ministry to be the work of one person. Helen Lyons, whose generosity planted the first seed; Paul Heacock, Rose Ann Kunkel, and Marilyn Loewen, who gathered at that first meeting; our pastor and parish communities; our donors, volunteers, partners, friends, and everyone who has prayed for and supported this mission—all have helped build Beacon of Light Outreach. In that sense, Beacon of Light Outreach belongs to all.
Help Us Keep the Light Shining
Beacon of Light Outreach exists because ordinary people chose to respond to extraordinary needs. It exists because people chose compassion over indifference, generosity over comfort, and hope over despair. And its story is still being written. Every gift, every prayer, every partnership, and every act of generosity becomes part of that story. Together, we can bring healing to the sick, educational opportunities to young people, strength to communities, and hope to those who need it most. One person can light a candle, but together, we can become a beacon.
Thank you for believing in this mission and for helping us keep the light shining.
May God bless you for being part of the Beacon of Light Outreach family.
Rev. Fr. Martin Gyan Obeng