It is recorded that Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman set the fire of Methodism in Ashanti by his first visit to Kumasi on the 1st April, 1839. On his return to Cape Coast, he wrote back home to the Methodist Missionary Society in London, requesting for an assistant to be stationed at Kumasi to lead the Christian Fellowship of ” Methodists” which had been started there by traders from the South who were mostly Fantis, and led by one John Mills.

In response to his request, the Rev. Robert Brooking was dispatched from London arriving at Cape Coast on the 13th of January, 1840 to assist Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman in his tedious task of evangelizing the heathen lands and extending this field of work to Ashanti.

On the 13th December, 1841, the Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman paid his second visit to Kumasi accompanied by Rev. Robert Brooking, where they were given a warm welcome by the then Asantehene, Nana Kwaku Dua I, and the few members of the Christian Fellowship mentioned earlier.

The stationing of Rev. Robert Brooking at Kumasi marked the beginning of the Ashanti Mission, which could not gain much success due to the deep-rooted heathenistic beliefs and practices of the people. Therefore, the intended extension further afield could not become possible until the year 1896 when Ashanti fell into the hands of the British as a conquered territory.

The demand of the Christian Fellowship of Methodists in Kumasi for leadership was met by the appointment of Rev. William F. Somerville to Kumasi in January 1897. From that time the  Ashanti Mission of the British Conference Methodist Church grew from strength to strength, making further penetration into the interior of the Bono (Brong) chiefdom) of Techiman. To be continued..