Posts in category: Church History

The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has called on ministers and wives to intentionally identify, train and mentor the next generation of Church leaders and members.

The General Secretary made this passionate call on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, during the second day of the ongoing Sekondi Area Ministers and Officers’ Retreat (Apostolisation) at the Ketan Central Assembly church auditorium in Ketan.

Speaking on the topic: “Repositioning Mentoring In Ministry for Maximum Impact; Focused Mentorship,” the General Secretary stressed that ministers and Church leaders have a responsibility to mentor people into leadership roles in the Church.

According to him, the mentoring relationship that existed between Eli and the young Samuel prepared the latter for the priestly responsibilities when he took over from the former (1 Samuel 1-4).

He also mentioned Elijah (2 Kings 19:19-21; 2 Kings 2:1-25), Jesus (Luke 9), Barnabas and Paul (Acts 9-15) as some biblical examples of people who excelled in mentoring.

“As a minister, endeavour to make an impact in the lives of the youth, young ministers and wives; and leave behind a legacy that would be unique and live on long after your service to the church has ended,” he charged.

The General Secretary further explained that mentorship is a two-way affair that requires full commitment on the part of the mentor and mentee to achieve the intended results.

Expounding on the Paul-Timothy Mentorship model, Apostle Kumi-Larbi said that the relationship between Paul and Timothy is a great example of Christian mentoring since both of them had the right attitude that ensured the success of the mentoring process.

“Timothy had to be humble and teachable as it took a great deal of faith and commitment on his part to submit to circumcision.

“He was free in Christ and circumcision was not necessary to have a right relationship with God (Galatians 5:6; 6:15). Yet Timothy allowed himself to be circumcised so that he could be a more effective witness for Christ,” he said.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi, therefore, urged Church leaders to be intentional about mentoring, commit to raising others to leadership roles, look beyond the odds, and have a focused mentorship mentality approach.

He added that, to succeed as good mentors, ministers must “adopt” the members as their children; be pacesetters without settling for mediocrity, and to partner with the mentees as they grow into maturity.

He also pointed out that mentors benefit from mentorship as it helps to validate their leadership skills, gives them recognition as advisors, helps them to learn how to communicate clearly,  help them gain new perspectives, give back and find new talent.

“As Christian leaders, our actions and inactions indirectly influence the younger generation, that is why we must be intentional about mentoring the next generation. When we do this, the future of our Church will be great,” he said.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi further stated that mentoring gives mentees the opportunity to learn the workplace culture, enhance their skills, receive networking opportunities, become potentials for promotion, become problem solvers and transfer knowledge to others.

PENTECOST NEWS

Kwesi Ackon, a taxi driver and member of The Church of Pentecost, is being celebrated by the whole world for showing patriotism and high integrity, having returned an amount of GHS 8,400.00 he found in his taxi cap to the owner.

Ackon, 37, who fellowships at the Onyametease Assembly in the Kokomlemle District of The Church of Pentecost, is said to have picked an old lady on Easter Friday from the Mallam Atta Market in Accra to her residence at Teshie. The old woman, a trader, unfortunately, left her apron in which the money was concealed at the back of the taxi cap.

Kwesi saw the item the following morning when he was cleaning the car. He showed it to his wife and they agreed to return it to the old woman. He traced the trader to her residence in Teshie after closing from the Easter Convention on Sunday afternoon.

Apparently, the old woman, who had been weeping throughout the whole period over the missing money, could not hold her tears when the driver returned the money intact to her. The whole community joined her to celebrate the driver amdist tears of joy. The woman donated GHS 500.00 to him as his fuel and some fishes to him in return.

The news about the patriotic gesture of Kwesi Ackon broke out when Manasseh Azure’s “The Fourth Estate” interviewed him and posted it on Facebook. Many media houses have also interviewed the illustrious member of the church.

The Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, after hearing of the news, dolled out GHS 20,000.00 to him, while some individuals have also donated various amounts to him for his singular act.

Indeed, The Church of Pentecost’s ‘Possessing the Nations’ agenda which aims at influencing every sphere of society with Kindom values and principles and thereby leading many people to Jesus Christ, is on course.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Odorkor Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Patrick Aseyoro, has said that church leaders have an instrumental role to play in realising the goal of the Church, which is to become a radiant church without spot or wrinkles.

Apostle Aseyoro said this on Monday, February 22, 2021, when he exhorted ministers and officers of the Odorkor Zone to open this year’s Odorkor Area Aposotlisation. The weeklong event wais under the theme, “A Glorious Church Revived to Possess the Nations.”

Speaking on the topic “The Goal of the Church,” with Ephesians 5:25-27 as his main scripture reference, the Odorkor Area Head stated that God has a purpose for everything He does, in like manner, He established the Church for a purpose.

“Every building begins with a vision. God envisioned the church and designed it, and then He commissioned Jesus to build it according to His blueprint,” he explained.

He said that church leaders are very instrumental in fulfilling the goal of the Church because they have been called for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.

“We all have a part to play in realising the goal of the church. God has called us as church leaders to partner with Him in achieving this goal, which is to become a radiant church, without spot or wrinkles,” he stated.

Throwing more light on the goal of the church, Apostle Aseyoro explained that a goal is the results or achievement towards which efforts are directed and that everything that the Church does must point towards the overall goal of the church.

He, therefore, cautioned that “the goal of the church is not the crusades we organise, or the payment of tithes, but preparing the saints to be holy and blameless for the Groom, who is Christ,” further stressing that “the number one duty of church leaders is to prepare the bride for Christ.”

He also stated that, in fulfilling the goal of the church, the Church must be credible before the watching-world. They must also equip the saints to be a witness to the nations and to commit to realising the goal.

Apostle Aseyoro also advised church leaders to teach sound doctrine and to jealously guard the doctrines of the church. He also encouraged them to seek a deeper understanding of God’s goal for the Church in order to be able to effectively work towards it.

Touching on significance of holiness in the church, the Odorkor Area Head advised Christians not to just talk about purity but to live holy lives so that they would be attractive to the watching-world.

To achieve this, Christians must be grounded in the word of God and also encouraged to fully adhere to God’s instructions.

He cautioned that Jesus has paid the bride price of the Church (the Bride) with His own blood and will be back one day for His bride, therefore, Christians must be constantly mindful that Jesus will one day come back to earth for a radiant and spotless Church without wrinkles.

This year’s Odorkor Area Apostolisation was held at the zonal level and witnessed an encouraging participation of ministers and officers of the church in the Area.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Sawla Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle William Ohemeng-Kwakye, on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, commissioned a three-unit classroom block for the Pentecost Preparatory School, Tuna (PPS-Tuna).

The building project was funded by the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS) through its “Enhancing Quality Education” programme. The Enhancing Quality Education initiative, among other things, seeks to contribute towards enhanced access to improved quality education in Ghana, especially in deprived communities. 

Speaking at the commissioning service, the Area Head was very grateful to the leadership of the Church and PENTSOS for their unrelenting efforts in seeing to it that the school is adequately supported to provide quality education for members of the community. He also thanked the PENTSOS directorate for donating some mono desks to the school.

Apostle Ohemeng-Kwakye urged the pupils to fear the Lord and to be obedient to Him so that He would grant them wisdom and knowledge to excel in their academics. He also advised them to study hard so that they would become productive members of society in future.

On her part, the headmistress expressed profound gratitude to God Almighty and the Church for giving the Tuna Pentecost Preparatory School, which has an enrollment of over 248 pupils, the needed facelift.

Present at the event were the pastorate of the Tuna Zone in the Area as well as the Staff of the school.

Report by Philip Nana Addo (Tuna Zone)

The Berekum Area of The Church of Pentecost in December 2020 dedicated six church buildings to the glory of God.

The Area Head, Apostle Samuel Berko, who officiated the dedication services at the various assemblies, could not hide his joy about the great providence of God for His church.

Apostle Berko was full of praise to the leadership of the church chaired by Apostle Eric Nyamekye for their vision and direction to make the church stand stronger in a challenging year.

The dedicated church buildings were the Abi assembly church building in the Jinijini District, which was dedicated on December 11, 2020; Nanasuano assembly church building in the Biadan District, which was dedicated on December 16, 2020, and Adom assembly church building, which was also dedicated on December 29, 2020.

The rest were the Prince of Peace assembly church building in the Dwenem District, the Mpatasie assembly church building in the Berekum District, and the Ahongono assembly church building in the Nsesreso District, which were dedicated separately on December 30, 2020.

Report by Pastor Daniel Fosu.

The leadership of The Church of Pentecost has initiated the Global Daily Fasting and Prayer exercise to spark a great revival in the Church and the world.

The novelty, which was officially kick-started by the districts in the Kaneshie Area on January 1, 2020, is to be observed by all districts of the Church nationwide at scheduled dates.

Also, a prayer and fasting schedule for every district has been generated and circulated by the Church on the various Social Media platforms to ensure an effective exercise and the maximum participation of members at the various levels.

The initiative is part of efforts by the Church to cause a great demonstration of the power of the Almighty God across the globe following the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020.

The Apostle Eric Nyamekye-led Executive Council strongly believes that a pandemic of this magnitude ought to be a catalyst for a great move of the Spirit in the nations of the world. 

In his own words, Apostle Eric Nyamekye stated “If we have witnessed a pandemic in our lifetime, then we must also see a revival in the Church in our lifetime; for no great revival of religion has taken place without a revival of Satan’s opposition. We, therefore, sense an abundance of rain in the New Year to move the Church from one level of God’s glory to another.”

In view of this pursuit of the supernatural, the Church has taken up the responsibility of leading the charge by encouraging the members to undertake this consistent and well-planned fasting and prayer sequence throughout the year 2021.

Among other things, this District daily fasting and prayer initiative of The Church of Pentecost aims to set every part of the nation on fire, leading to a wave of spiritual awakening across the globe.

In Judges 15:1-5, the story is told of Samson, who out of revenge, destroyed the plantation of the Philistines. What makes this story amazing, is the strategy which he used to raze down their plantation. 

Knowing that it would take forever to raze down a large area at the shortest possible time, Samson went out and caught 300 foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose into the farms. As the foxes run through the farm, they spread the fire along, and consequently, brought the entire farmlands to ashes.

Like Samson, The Church of Pentecost is looking to quicken the spirits of the members across the board so that together they could cause the needed effect in the nation and bring about a great revival in the Church and the world.

It is a season of REVIVAL and the Children of God all over the world are being called upon to rise and make a clear statement that the LORD God Almighty, Maker of the heavens and earth, is not dead, He lives!

PENTECOST NEWS

The Odorkor Area of The Church of Pentecost has launched the “Agent of Peace” campaign aimed at raising awareness on the need for peace before, during and after the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana.

The event, which took place on Sunday, October 25, 2020, at the Odorkor Central Assembly church auditorium, was chaired by Apostle Dr Dela Quampah, an Executive Council Member of the church, with ACP Baffour Apenteng Nyamekye, the Divisional Commander of Odorkor, as the guest speaker. 

The launch also received support from the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) and the traditional rulers of the Odorkor township and its environs.

Scores of members of the church attired in branded caps and t-shirts, including the area pastorate and their wives, attended the event.

In his remarks, Apostle Dr Quampah said that Ghana remains a beacon for democracy in Africa, having organised six general elections in a peaceful, free and fair manner since 1992. He stated that the country has attained this enviable status because her citizens are generally peace-loving.

Apostle Dr Quampah further noted that the “Agent of Peace” campaign has, therefore, been initiated by the church to drum home the need for the citizenry to be agents of peace during this year’s general elections so as to maintain the tranquillity and stability in the country.

Quoting the key scripture for the campaign, Psalm 34:14, ACP Baffour Apenteng Nyamekye, in turn, emphasised the need for Ghanaians to shun all forms of violence before, during and after the elections in order to safeguard the peace enjoyed in the country.

According to the Odorkor Divisional Commander, one of the many practices that instigate electoral violence is the wrongful removal or defacing of posters and banners of political opponents.

He also advised the youth not to allow themselves to be used by political parties to perpetrate violence as a way of disrupting the polling process. He said that anyone found culpable in this regard would face the full rigour of the law and could face imprisonment or other stiffer punishments.

He also advised Ghanaians whose political parties or preferred candidates emerge victorious to be modest in their celebrations and be mindful of their utterances, stressing that “where your freedom ends is where another’s begins.”

ACP Nyamekye ended by assuring the citizenry that the various security agencies are well-equipped and very committed to ensuring that citizens obey the laws of the country to ensure a peaceful electoral process.

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, in a video broadcast shown at the event, asserted that after the fall of humankind, peace eluded the world, as a result, it (peace) can only be attained, when consciously pursued.

“Peace is an essential commodity as far as this world is concerned. However, since the fall, it has become foreign to us, so we need to seek and pursue it. That is why we are embarking on this peace campaign so that we will all be made aware that we need peace, especially during this year’s elections.”

“Let’s seek peace and pursue it for the sake of our families, friends and national stability. We all have one vote; let’s be content with that,” he advised.

Also present to grace the event were the GPCC representative, Rev. Emmanuel Nkrumah, the Chief of Odorkor, Asafoatse Osiakwan II, and the Chief of Gbawe, Nii Kwatei Abensu. They all took turns to encourage the congregants to be peace crusaders and to demonstrate their Christian virtues wherever they find themselves. They again urged all stakeholders – security agencies, political parties, the Electoral Commission and the citizenry – to contribute their quota towards a seventh successful election come December 7.

After formally declaring the campaign launched, Apostle Dr Quampah led the congregants to pray for the nations of the world, especially war-torn countries, and against the COVID-19 pandemic, which seems to be resurfacing in some parts of Europe.

The “Agent of Peace” campaign is an initiative of The Church of Pentecost to sensitise church members and Ghanaians about the need for peaceful elections and to educate them on their electoral rights and responsibilities. The campaign also aims at driving a sense of patriotism amongst Ghanaians.

The Odorkor Area “Agent of Peace” campaign launch was preceded by a float embarked on by the youth of the area to create awareness on peaceful elections within the Odorkor township.

PENTECOST NEWS