Ghanaian ministers and Church leaders played key roles in the just ended 2019 Pentecostal World Conference (PWC) held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The conference which took place from August 27 to August 30, 2019, was held under the theme “Spirit Now.”
The mammoth conference included a 2-day Affinity Group Discussion with various delegates from the 74 nations participating in the discussion.
The immediate past Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Prof Opoku Onyinah, was a key speaker in the Affinity group sessions on the topic, “Unity Unleashed, Engaging the Wider Body of Christ.”
The discussion also saw sermons from other renowned speakers such as Dr. David Ramirez (Church of God, Latin America), Dr. David Han (Church of God, Cleveland, USA), Rev. Casely Essamuah, (Global Christian Forum, Ghana and Boston, USA), Commissioner Elizabeth Matear, (Salvation Army, United Kingdom), Dr. Cecil Robeck, (Assemblies of God, USA) and Rev. Olay Fykse Tveit (World Council of Churches in Norway).
About 100 Ghanaian delegates attended this year’s World Pentecostal Conference.
The Ghanaian delegates came from Pentecostal churches all over the 16 regions of Ghana, mainly The Church of Pentecost members and other members of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council Churches (GPCC).
Other seasoned Ghanaian ministers who played key roles in the conference included the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong Manso and Bishop Dag Heward Mills of Lighthouse Chapel International.
Representatives of Ghanaian churches based in other countries were also present at the conference.
Other topics for the Affinity group discussions included “Global Missions and Beyond,” “Missions in the Western Context – The New Apologetic,” “Impacting Culture, Education, Government, Media and Entertainment,” “Local Church Leadership, Peer To Peer,” “Spirit and Truth,” “Pentecostal Theology,” “Religious Liberties, Justice, Care for the Oppressed and Persecuted,” “Wisdom and Faith-Leading the Church in Spiritual Renewal,” “Practicing God’s Presence Naturally and Supernatural.”
Speaking to the Ghanaian delegates, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah congratulated them for their participation and encouraged them to be transformed by the lessons taught at the conference so they can impact and transform others when they return.
The PWC is the triennial gathering of Pentecostals and Charismatics, which is facilitated by the Pentecostal World Fellowship (PWF).
According to the PWC, Pentecostals and charismatics are best conceptualized as a single, interconnected set of movements referred to as Renewalists, which can be considered in three types: Pentecostals, Charismatics and Independent Charismatics.
Studies show that between 1970 and 2010, Renewalists movement grew at nearly four times the rates of both Christianity and the world’s population.
In 2010, Renewalists made up over one quarter of all Christians worldwide. It is estimated that by the year 2020, Latin America will have the highest percentage of Renewalists followed by Northern America and Africa.
Report by Isabella Gyau Orhin.
