Posts in category: Children’s Ministry

The Nchiraa District in Kintampo Area of The Church of Pentecost has organised free vacation classes for all children within Nchiraa, a community in the Bono Region of Ghana.

The initiative, led by the District Minister, Pastor Osei Tutu Amponsah, who doubles as the Kintampo Area Children’s Ministry leader, attracted close to 100 children from different denominations and religious backgrounds in the area.

As part of the programme, pupils were taken through their regular academic curriculum, as well as extracurricular activities, including playing the musical instruments.

Speaking on the motivation and impact of the initiative, Pastor Amponsah highlighted the opportunity the church saw in engaging students during the long vacation.

‘As has been the practice, children are normally left to wander with little care during their vacation holidays, while parents go about their daily activities,’ he said, adding, ‘In the spirit of possessing the nations and transforming our spheres, the church identified an opportunity to positively impact the lives of these children through such an initiative.’

According to the district minister, in addition to the academic knowledge the children gained, they were taught other skills, interacted with other children, and studied the word of God through daily devotions that were held before classes began.

At the end of the programme, the children and their parents shared testimonies about how they benefitted from it. They were optimistic that the initiative will be sustained to positively impact the academic, social and spiritual lives of children in the community.

Report by Kintampo Area Media Team.

Parents have been encouraged to do everything possible to ensure that their children’s potential is fully unleashed.

The Director of the Children’s Ministry of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Samuel Avornyo, made the call during a working visit to the Diamond City Worship Centre in the Kasoa Area on Thursday, September 5, 2024, as part of the 2024 McKeown’s Children’s Week Celebration.

Accompanied by his wife, Jemima, Pastor Avornyo exhorted the church on the topic, “Unleash the Potential of Your Child,” referencing scriptures from Luke 19:30-36 and Zechariah 9:9-10.

Using the story of the colt tied in a village, which Jesus instructed two of his disciples to untie because he had a need for it, Pastor Avornyo posited that every child has innate potential. He asserted that until these potentials are unleashed, they remain dormant and unfulfilled.

‘That tied colt, a young donkey (a child), had a prophetic mandate according to Zechariah 9:9-10 to carry the King of Kings into Jerusalem during the Triumphant Entry. However, instead of fulfilling this divine mandate, the colt was tied in a village. When the colt was untied, brought to Jesus, and he mounted it, women began to spread clothes on the ground for the colt to walk on,’ he explained, adding, ‘Children, like the colt, need to be unleashed because their dormant potentials are needed by the Lord.’

He further encouraged parents to avoid ‘tying down’ their children with negative utterances, stereotyping, and other harmful acts. Instead, he urged them to lead their children to Christ, as this is the surest way to ensure they grow to their fullest potential.

The night, designated for praises and worship dubbed, ‘Tehilla Night,’ brought together 310 participants, including officers, parents, and children.

Also in attendance were the Area Children’s Ministry Leader, Pastor Charles K. Appiah, some members of his team, and the Resident Minister of Diamond Worship Centre, Pastor Dr Emmanuel Awudi, and his wife.

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Over the past four years, the Children’s Ministry of The Church of Pentecost has experienced a remarkable transformation, largely credited to one man: the outgone Children’s Ministry Director, Pastor Professor William Otoo Ellis.

Answering the call to full-time ministry at the age of 60, just after retiring from active working life, was a significant sacrifice that the former Vice Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) was willing to make to God and the Church.

Initially serving as the Deputy Director of the Children’s Ministry and later as the Director, Professor Ellis provided visionary leadership, steering the ministry to new heights and building on the legacies of his predecessors. Achieving so much in just four years is nothing short of extraordinary.

It was, therefore, no surprise that the PIWC-Kaneshie auditorium today overflowed with relatives, ministers (both active and retired), members, and well-wishers who gathered to participate in the retirement service held in honour the man who had elevated one of the Church’s most beloved ministries.

The event, chaired by the Chairman of the Church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, was a celebration from start to finish. The ministration, worship sessions, and prophetic messages all reflected the profound impact Pastor Prof. Otoo Ellis had made.

In his tribute, Apostle Nyamekye highlighted Ellis’s significant contributions. “Four years ago, we recognised the need to reposition our Children’s Ministry. We needed a model we could call our own. When we sought the right person for this task, the Lord gave us Pastor Prof. Otoo Ellis, and he has be able to accomplish this to the glory of God.”

“But for me,”  Apostle Nyamekye continued, “his greatest contribution was that he walked among us, the pastors, and taught us Christianity with his life. I observed him both from afar and up close, and he demonstrated true Christian character in his submissions during meetings,”

The sermon, titled “The Impact-Making Christian Leader,” delivered by the General Secretary, Apostle Samuel Gyau Obuobi, at the event was both timely and inspiring. It called on all Christian leaders to strive to make a lasting impact during their tenure.

Apostle Obuobi emphasised virtues such as humility, integrity, faithfulness, sacrifice, love, and compassion as essential traits for impactful leadership.

“And from all these parameters, we can confidently say Pastor Prof. Otoo Ellis has made a significant impact in his generation and beyond,” he concluded.

Glowimg tributes from the Children’s Ministry and the General Council praised Pastor Prof. Ellis for the innovative programmes he introduced, including the Community Children’s Club (CCC), Jethro Initiative (JI), and Foundation Builders Conference (FBC).

The Women’s Ministry of PIWC-Kaneshie also honoured Dr. Florence Otoo Ellis, wife of the retiring Ministry Director, for her virtuous qualities and admirable teaching ability.

In an emotional speech, Pastor Prof. Otoo Ellis thanked God, the church leadership, his immediate family and all who supported him in diverse ways during his tenure of office.

The retirement service of Pastor Prof. William Otoo and Dr. Florence Ellis, was truly intergenerational, featuring ministrations from children—a fitting tribute to the Children’s Ministry Director.

Everyone who attended the event would attest that it was a unique and joyous occasion, filled with celebration and valuable life lessons.

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The outgoing Children’s Ministry Director of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Professor William Otoo Ellis, has called on children workers and all Christians to exhibit the nature and characteristics of God. Prof. Ellis made the call on Friday, July 19, 2024, during the climax of the Foundation Builders’ Conference held at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh. Speaking on ‘The Nature and Characteristics of God,’ with scripture references from Exodus 34:6-7 and 1 Peter 2:9, the former Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), explained that the initial intent of God is to create man in His own image and likeness, and that man will take dominion over the earth, be fruitful and multiply. According to him, God breathing into man after moulding him, made man a partaker of God’s nature.Pastor Prof. Otoo Ellis revealed that the nature and characteristics of God can be characterised into two; communicable and incommunicable characters. He mentioned that the communicable characters of God are characters that God shares with humans while the incommunicable characters are only found in God and distinguish Him from man. The Children’s Director reiterated the need for children workers to exhibit God’s communicable characters, saying, ‘We are expected to reflect the nature and character of God to show all that God has deposited in us.’He reminded children workers that God has entrusted to them the task of leadership, authority, love and care of children. To properly execute this mandate, Prof. William Otoo Ellis tasked them to pray to seek help from God so they can receive the grace to be obedient and portray these attributes.

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A Technology Consultant and Educator, Mr Emmanuel Arthur, has admonished children workers to make conscious effort to use technology to enhance their work in the church.

Addressing participants at the 2024 Foundation Builders’ Conference held at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, on the topic: ‘Technology as a tool for the unleashing agenda,’ Mr Arthur said artificial intelligence (Ai) is now being programmed to mimic the natural intelligence of human beings.

‘Human beings used to predict the activities of machines but now, machines are predicting the activities of humans,’ he disclosed.

Explaining further, he stated: ‘The next best friend of your child in the next ten years will be a machine not a human being.’ This, he said, was because machines can entertain children better than humans.

Mr Arthur, who is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ramsys Infotech Solutions Limited, cautioned children workers to be mindful of the content they expose children to, saying, ‘The more information you put out there on the internet, the more vulnerable you become.’

According to him, machines are racing against humans and are fast overtaking human efforts. Predicting the future, Mr Arthur said: ‘In the next twenty years, most of the children being trained now will not get jobs because artificial intelligence (AI) will be doing most of the jobs.’

Mr Arthur indicated that Ai is becoming very powerful, and a lot of people are using it to do so many things – bad and good. He, therefore, called on children workers to have a balance between wisdom from God and basic knowledge in technology to be able to raise godly children in order to live in this technology world.

Bringing his message to a close, he noted that Ai has come to stay, so children workers need to abreast themselves in its application to meet the needs of the children they handle.

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A Commissioner at the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Elder Ismael Edjekumhene, has encouraged children workers to see the work of a Sunday school teacher as an ordained call from the Lord.  Speaking on the topic, ‘Child Evangelism’ at the 2024 Foundation Builders’ Conference held at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, on Thursday, Elder Edjekumhene, who is the Assistant Evangelism Leader for Haatso Area of The Church of Pentecost, indicated that ‘child evangelism is not something that you do when you can’t find anything to do for the Lord.’ He added that it is not everybody who can be a Sunday school teacher, and so it is a special calling from God.According to him, child evangelism is a spiritually based ministry to capture children for Christ, saying, ‘God commands us to evangelise to all creatures, so evangelism is a must, and we must win children for the Lord as young as they are.’ He encouraged teachers to preach the gospel message to children and bring up those who believe to understand what it means to be Christians and ensure that they are identified with the body of Christ – Matthew 19:14, ‘Let the children come to me.”Children too can perish,’ he said, citing the flood that destroyed the world, including both the old and the young, in the days of Noah. With scriptural reference from John 21:15-19, he explained that Jesus instructed his disciples not to concentrate only on adults but spend time with the children. ‘Don’t to leave everything to chance; we need to ensure that the children we are training are solid in the faith. We need to spend time, be intentional and make sure that the children are solid in their faith,’ he said, adding, ‘Build a perfect foundation for the children else, they will be fed with wrong messages because when there is a vacant land and you don’t plant on it, everything grows on it.’He added: ‘As a Sunday school teacher, you play a crucial role in the life of the children. Therefore, prepare yourself adequately before you minister to the children. Every teacher must have two cardinal goals which are: to teach the word of God in a way to bring the one who does not know the Lord to come to the Lord and be able to make decision for himself, and to teach the one who already knows the Lord how to live a victorious life to the glory of God.’PENTECOST NEWS

The Director of Pent Media Centre, Pastor Dr Felix Dela Klutse, has charged children workers to endeavour to maximize their potential to postively impact the lives of the children they teach.

Pastor Dr Klutse, in a presentation on the topic, ‘Maximizing Your Potentials For Exponential Growth,’ at the 2024 Foundation Builders’ Conference at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, on Thursday, explained potential as ‘a gap between who you are today and who you will become tomorrow.’

He revealed that potential requires deliberate effort to grow into reality because ‘it’s the seed of greatness planted within every individual, waiting for the right conditions of effort, perseverance, and opportunity to bloom into remarkable reality.’

He revealed that God has planted a seed of greatness in every human, waiting for it to generate through efforts.

Sensitising participants on how to maximize their potential, the Pent Media Centre Director mentioned a person’s ability to see or identify potential as the first step in achieving their goal. This, he said, involves their ability to spot problems and profess solutions to solve problems.

Another way he pointed out as a means of maximizing potential is dreaming big while believing in God, oneself and personal abilities even when others doubt them.

He admonished children workers to see frustration as opportunity. He also entreated them to commit themselves to never-ending improvement, develop their hobbies, have passion, take a calculated risk, and treat time like gold.

Pastor Dr Klutse highlighted the killers of potential as fear, doubt, complacency, and disobedience.

He cautioned children workers not to take for granted efforts that will help them maximize their impact, else they will regret it one day, saying, ‘If you make a mistake in your morning season, you will pay for it in your noon season.’

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The Patron of the Children’s Ministry of The Church of Pentecost, Prophet David Kankam Beditor, has encouraged children workers not to exchange the power invested in them for anything.

Prophet Beditor, who is the Obuasi Area Head of the church, said this during a sermon he preached on Thursday at the 2024 Foundation Builders’ Conference at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC).

He admonished children workers to hold on fast to the authority (Holy Spirit) they have received from God. He also advised them to hold on fast to their righteousness, not allowing anything to stain their righteousness.

‘As a child worker, people should find comfort in you. Don’t leave what has been entrusted to you ajar,’ Prophet Kankam Beditor uttered.

He entreated children workers to watch their actions, tongues, companions, hands and heads.

The patron cautioned children workers to take care of the children entrusted in their care else God will deal with them.

Prophet Kankam Beditor seized the opportunity to eulogise the outgoing Children’s Ministry Director, Pastor Professor William Otoo Ellis, for taking the ministry to a higher height in the past four years.

Prophet Beditor revealed that Professor Ellis has put in place lots of structures in the Children’s Ministry, saying, ‘The Church of Pentecost Children’s Ministry will miss you for the transformation you have brought to the ministry.’

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An Associate Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Reginald Adjetey Annan, is passionate about promoting child health and well-being.

Addressing children workers of The Church of Pentecost at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, on Wednesday, he urged teachers to play a pivotal role in advocating for children’s health.

Prof. Annan drew inspiration from Proverbs 11:1, which states, “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.” He interprets this biblical wisdom as a call to maintain balance in all aspects of life, including health. According to him, God desires the well-being of His people, both in spirit and body.

The esteemed lecturer acknowledged that unhealthy lifestyles can significantly affect individuals. He specifically highlighted the role of processed and ultra-processed foods in disrupting metabolism. These dietary choices contribute to lifestyle diseases, affecting both children and adults.

Prof. Annan emphasised the importance of limiting screen time for children. ‘Excessive hours spent watching television or using phones can have adverse effects on children’s health,’ he said.

Instead, he encouraged parents and teachers to engage children in physical activities for at least six hours a day.

Concerned about childhood obesity, Prof. Annan advised parents and teachers to be cautious about the sugary drinks they provide to children, saying, ‘Sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity.’ He recommended opting for water as a healthier alternative.

Prof. Annan pointed out that global causes of death have shifted dramatically as natural causes no longer dominate mortality statistics.

To make informed dietary choices, Prof. Annan encouraged Ghanaians to read food labels diligently, saying, ‘Awareness of ingredients and nutritional content empowers individuals to prioritize health.’

Prof. Annan underscored the importance of both prayer and knowledge. While faith is essential, he urged participants to also seek evidence-based information.

‘A holistic approach to health involves combining spiritual beliefs with practical understanding,’ he concluded.

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