Four years after renovation works began on the Kaneshie Central Assembly auditorium, church members in the Kaneshie Area of The Church of Pentecost and community leaders gathered on Friday, October 23, 2020, to witness and celebrate the dedication of the remodelled ultra-modern facility.
The multipurpose 5000-sitting capacity complex, which also houses the English Assembly and the Children’s Ministry, was dedicated by the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, with support from the International Missions Director, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, and some Executive Council Members.
More than one thousand members of the Area – including some past and present Area Heads and ministers – graced the service, which was also streamed live online via Facebook to a worldwide audience.
Exhorting the gathering at the event, the Chairman emphasised the need for the glory of God in the church to be jealously guarded.
He read from Haggai 2:3-9, 1 Chronicles 22:19 and 2 Chronicles 7, among other Scriptures, to explain that the glory of God is a non-negotiable element of the Church without which the Church becomes a mere organisation like any other.
Quoting from 1 Chronicles 22:19, he said that in the Old Testament, the two things that were required to always be in the temple of God were the Ark of Covenant (signifying the presence of God) and the sacred articles belonging to God. In the New Testament, however, he further explained, the two things that must always be present in the Church is the presence of God (the Holy Spirit) and believers, whom the Bible describes as “a holy priesthood and a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9).
He added that as priests, believers are responsible for carrying the presence of God to the temple as was in the case of the Old Testament when the Ark of Covenant was brought to the temple by the Levitical priests.
“As Christians, we are the carriers of the presence of God because He dwells in us. Therefore, it is our responsibility to bring Him to church. This means that believers have now taken the place of the sacred articles belonging to God in the temple.
“There are no more sacred articles in the temple, but people cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. So, in the New Testament what is essential in the church building are the presence of God and the believer,” he intimated.
Outlining some of the distinctive marks of the glory of God in the church, the Chairman said that “when the glory of God is present in the church, we will feel and see it.”
According to the Chairman, when the glory of God is present in the church, worship and offering become spontaneous and congregants always leave the church auditorium for their homes with joyful hearts and gladness because they have encountered God.
He advised that for the glory of God to remain in the church, believers must turn from their wicked ways and continually seek the face of God in all things. On the other hand, if they fail to heed to the commands of the Lord, He would forsake them and make the church an object of scorn and ridicule among the nations (2 Chronicles 7:20-12).
Apostle Nyamekye, therefore, urged the members, particularly church leaders, not to entertain any form of sin in the church, but to confront it with the urgency it deserves.
“We must not be persons who look the other way when sin is being perpetrated in the church, just to save our skin, but to be persons who are committed to jealously guarding the glory of God in the church, that there may be glory in the church from generation to generations,” he advised.
The Kaneshie Central Assembly church building holds an enviable place in the history of the church as the venue where the name “The Church of Pentecost” was first declared in 1962. Over the years, the building has been renovated to accommodate its teeming membership, and to give it a facelift befitting of an Area seat (a venue for Area meetings).
The remodelling project was, thus, initiated in 2006 by the then District Minister, Pastor Isaac Ekow Eshun (now Apostle and Asamankese Area Head), in consultation with the then Area Head, Apostle Emmanuel Achim Gyimah (now retired) and the then Chairman of the church, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah (now retired). After taking over as Kaneshie Area Head and District Minister, respectively, Apostle Mike Etrue and Pastor Adjei-Nimako Darkwa saw to the successful completion of the ultra-modern edifice.
The project was funded with grants received from the church’s Headquarters and the Kaneshie Area, as well as contributions from members and some benevolent individuals. Elder William Oppong Bio, and his wife, Anna, were, however, singled out for special praise for bearing about 20% of the total cost of the project.
Some of the dignitaries who were present at the historic occasion were Prophet James Osei Amaniampong (Executive Council Member and Asokwa Area Head), Prophet David K. Beditor (Executive Council Member and Ashaiman Area Head), Apostle Daniel Okyere Walker (Executive Council Member and PU Vice-Chancellor) and Apostle Dr Dela Quampah (Executive Council Member and PIWC-Odorkor).
Also, in attendance were Mrs Mary Nyamekye (Wife of the Chairman) and some retired ministers including Apostle Samuel K Ansong, Apostle Jonathan Ameyaw, Apostle J. S Gyimah, Apostle Moses Ladejo, Apostle Noble Atsu, Apostle Peter Ayerakwa, and Apostle Emmanuel Achim Gyimah
Prophet E. K. Appiah (Dansoman Area Head) and Apostle Isaac Ekow Eshun, both past district ministers of Kaneshie, also graced the event with their presence.
Together with his entourage, the Chief of Kaneshie, Nii Ayitey Kaneshie I, was also present at the event and assisted the Chairman in cutting the ceremonial tape during the dedication.
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