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Pastor K.O. Noonoo, who was recently selected to lead Topeka's Westminster Presbyterian Church, didn't intend to pursue ministry when he moved to the U.S. from Ghana in 1990.

In fact, when he settled in Jamestown, North Dakota, to attend what is now known as the University of Jamestown as an international student, Noonoo planned to studycomputer science.

"I soon discovered, though, that I did not start (computer) programming early enough, so I opted for something called management information science," he said. "It had enough business in it, not too much programming so I could make that work."

He graduated with that degree; married his wife, Anna, in 1995; and moved to the Chicago area to start a family. He also beganstudyingfor the certified public accountant exam.

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But perhaps his attendance at Jamestown a private Christian university founded by the Presbyterian Church in 1883 was foreshadowing, because his pursuit of accounting didn't last long.

"It was Anna who came to me one day and said:'I don't know, but I'm just wondering. If you continue on this path, in 10 years, do you see yourself happy in this field?'" Noonoo said.

Her question got him thinking, and he returned to an idea ministry that had been introduced to him several years prior.

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During his third year ofhigh school in Ghana, Noonoo said, he was first called to ministry through some of his peers.

He attended an all-boys Catholic boarding school there, and one day, he was invited to lead a prayer meeting.

"When I was done, some of my colleagues in that group said:'Oh, you did a good job. You did a good job. Have you considered full-time ministry, Christian ministry?'" Noonoo said. "I didn't like that because, for one thing, I had my own plans, things I wanted to do. Ministry just wasn't one of them."

But for some reason, he said, the idea stuck. So when Anna posed the question about long-term happiness, Noonoo began thinking again about that call to the church.

"It had never really been on the back burner," Noonoo said. "It was always there, and I had been fighting it."

After that realization, he enrolled in Princeton Theological Seminary, graduating from the school in 2002.

As the son of educators and the oldest of six children, Noonoo said his family in Ghana, with whom he stillkeeps in touch, was hesitant at first to the idea of him pursuing ministry.

"Part of it is being a son, or the first son, in the family," he said. "I had responsibilities for taking care of my parents. That's why I was sent to the United States. I was sent to the United States to study hard, earn a lot of money and send most of it to Ghana, so this is not exactly the kind of profession that fulfills that dream and that goal.

"Responding to this call to ministry, then, wasn't just me. The family had to come along, as well. That was part of the discernment process, part of the journey."

Following his theological studies, Noonoo served a church in Ohio and then wound up in Pittsburg. And almost 20 years after leaving seminary, Noonoo is beginning a new journey in Topeka.

On Feb. 1, he officially stepped into his new role as pastor of the city's Westminster Presbyterian Church.

"He's just been a breath of fresh air for all of us," said Sue Fackler, who has been a member of the congregation for nearly 40 years andwas on the church's pastor search committee."We're excited to go back to church because of him."

Noonoo said he enjoys creating harmony, building community and making the church a place people want to be.

"To make that possible, part of what we need to do is really prepare ourselves to repair relationships," he said.

And repairing relationships is an area where previous training he has hadin mediation and conflict resolution come in handy.

When it comes to building church community, Noonoo indicated the COVID-19 pandemic has posed some challenges,but he has found ways around them by streaming services online, organizing small-group activities and standing up a Facebook series called SoulFeast.

"There have been several ways he's made it feel like we're really getting to know him, even though the pandemic has been a challenge," Fackler said.

With SoulFeast, Noonoo streams roughly 10-minute videos on Facebook of him discussing a variety oftopics related to spirituality.

"The word people use is 'spirituality,' but for me, it's just being real about my experiences with God and finding a place where that can be shared," he said.

Another aspect of his leadership style is bringing people together through music. Noonoo has four African drums in his office, another drum in the church sanctuary and a rainstick instrument. And he uses some of the instruments during church services.

"That's been kind of a novelty for some of us to see and hear about," Fackler said.

Noonoo indicated being able to play the drums is special for him, too.

"In Ghana, there are people who play the drums because it's part of their family heritage. I mean, they are really, really good. They can really play. So there are the people who play, and then there are the people who carry their drums. The people who carry the drums are sort of disciples of the pros," Noonoo said.

"And then there's everybody else," he added."In Ghana, they wouldn't even let me be a drum carrier.So I just offer the little bit (of musicality) that I have. It seems to be appreciated."

He said playing those drums has taught him to bring what you have to the table. It doesn't have to be great, he said, you just have to do it.

According to Noonoo, serving asa pastorhas allowed him to make a difference in people's lives and that, he said, is inspiring.

"There are real challenges in the world. It's no joke," he said. "To be involved with creating a space where people can support one another, discern what God is up to in their lives and find some meaning in what they may do ... that's huge."

The rest is here:

From computer science to ministry here's how one Topeka pastor found his way to the church - The Topeka Capital-Journal