Posts in category: Church News

The Youth Ministry of The Church of Pentecost has held six days Business and Entrepreneurship Seminar for members of the ministry across the country.

The summit which took place from Tuesday, 7^th to Sunday, 12^th July, 2020, was held under the theme, “Creating Business Opportunities in my Immediate Environment.” It was the first of its kind to be held through a virtual platform due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The event recorded a total attendance of 806 participants from all the Areas in Ghana, was held in three batches, where each batch had two days of presentation and interaction.

Addressing the participants at the start of the summit, the Patron of the Youth Ministry, Apostle Samuel Osei Asante, who is also an Executive Council Member of the Church and Area Head for Koforidua, described the summit as timely. He entreated participants to take advantage of the huge experience of the facilitators.

In his welcome address, the Youth Director, Pastor Ebenezer Hagan, stated that the vision behind the Business and Entrepreneurship Chamber is to raise world-class business executives and entrepreneurs who will use godly principles and Christian paradigms in all their dealings.

Pastor Eric Asare, Chairman of the Business and Entrepreneurship Chamber, noted that the chamber is in pursuit of the five-year “Possessing the Nations” agenda of the Church.

“The chamber is mandated to identify businessmen and women with entrepreneurial prowess, whose conventions and Christian values of diligence, commitment, faithfulness, hard work and many others could introduce Christ to the wealth creation markets,” he said.

Pastor Hagan, who spoke on the topic, “Godly Principles for Young Entrepreneurs,” examined the biblical basis of entrepreneurship and added that wealth creation happens by God’s blessings and strategic hard work. He reiterated that God’s interest in wealth creation includes attitude towards money, how money is generated and spent, the need for entrepreneurs and business people to give God His place when they succeed, and the insight to understand that there are many things such as salvation, wisdom and anointing of the Holy Spirit which are more important than money.

Mr William Mensah, an Investment Consultant and Financial Planner, examined the topic, “Investment Options in Ghana.” He challenged the participants to cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit embedded in them. He encouraged business persons and entrepreneurs to develop a good business model and improve upon it as they progress. On the options available for investment, he made a strong case for fixed income, equities, collective investment schemes, real estate, currency and commodity trading.

Elder Paul Kofi Mante, Ecobank Managing Director for EDC Investments Limited, addressed the subject, “Strategic Thinking and Networking.” He explained strategic thinking as an intentional and rational thought process that focuses on the analysis of critical factors and variables to enhance the long-term success of a business, a team or an individual. He also described it as the ability to plan for the future.

He examined the biblical foundation of strategic thinking from Proverbs 24:6 and Luke 14:28-38.

In explaining what is meant by networking, Elder Mante said that it is the new dimension to business and leadership. He explained networking as the ability to influence people and become relevant.

He also discussed how to build and maintain business networks and recommended that ambitious people should go to where influential people meet, invest time in other people’s lives, be transparent in their communication, research and report facts not hearsays, empower people, give recommendations and praise when it is due, among others.

Elder Richard Amaning, Director of Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS) and Elder Joseph Kyei Ankrah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ridge of Hope, jointly spoke on the topic, “Opportunities COVID-19 Presents for Entrepreneurship.”

They provided the participants with a broad understanding of human needs as a result of the pandemic and progressed to mention some business prospects. Their presentations cited business opportunities in African food brands, Virtual Education, Fashion and Apparel, Healthcare, Digital Financial Services, Consulting Services, Agriculture, Transport and Delivery Services, among others.

Some young business executives and entrepreneurs in the Church also shared practical lessons from their humble beginnings with the participants. They are Mr Daniel Owusu Ansah, CEO of Owatech Innovations; Elder Abraham Bugyei, Entrepreneur and Private Consultant who is also the CEO of Faya Consults; and Deaconess Winifred Koranteng Dankwa, an entrepreneur.

Present at the summit were the National Executive Committee Members of both the Business and Entrepreneurship Chamber and the Youth Ministry.

Report by Pastor Gordon Ansah.

The Church of Pentecost on February 29^th, 2020, embarked on a massive clean-up exercise throughout the country. The exercise brought about 2.7million members of the church in Ghana to the streets of the various communities, towns, and cities in what was described as the biggest and all-round clean-up exercise in Ghana.

Dubbed ‘Nationwide Environmental Care Campaign,’ the initiative is an effort by the church to partner with the government and Zoomlion Ghana Limited to ensure a clean Ghana.

The clean-up exercise which took place in all the over 1,450 administrative districts of the church in Ghana saw some chiefs, Muslim clerics, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), Parliamentarians, Assembly Members, among others, participating in it.

At the various places, choked gutters were desilted, weeds were cleared, refuse dumps were evacuated, and filth swept at places like lorry parks, hospitals, market places, major streets, and other public places, thereby giving relief to residents of the affected communities.

The Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, joined the members in Madina Area to clean the Madina Market and its environs. He was joined by the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Elizabeth Sackey, the International Missions Director of the church, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, and the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group, Elder Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, among other personalities.

The General Secretary of the church, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, also joined the Roman Ridge District in the Ayawaso West Municipality to clean the Airport City area.

Speaking to the media after the exercise, the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, said the Lord has placed it on the heart of the leadership of the church to lead a national crusade against littering and abuse of the environment. This, he said, is to complement the government’s efforts in waging a way against insanitary conditions in Ghana.

The Chairman urged the citizenry to come on board to support the effort of the government and the waste management companies to clean Ghana, because government alone cannot do it.

He further advised government to collaborate with all stakeholders to put some preventive measures in place to avert the annual floodings in Accra and other places. He called for proper planning and sitting of shops and buildings in the city.

Pastor Ben Akuetteh Noye, the District Minister of Merry Villas of The Church of Pentecost, has been appointed as the Centre Manager for Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), a multi-purpose conference and events centre located at Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa in the Central Region.

He replaces Apostle Samuel Nana Yaw Agyei who managed the Centre for six years and has been transferred to Kade Area as Area Head.

The former Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) Travelling Secretary for the Koforidua Sector who is also a co-opted member of the National Executive Committee of the Youth Ministry, is now set to manage the ultra-modern convention centre situated on a 250-acre land.

The mammoth facility, which is considered Ghana’s largest convention/events centre, is currently being used as an isolation and treatment centre for COVID-19 patients.

The Centre was offered by The Church of Pentecost to the government to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Thursday, April 23, 2020, between the church and the Ministry of National Security on behalf of the Government of Ghana.

According to the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, another name for the Convention Centre is ‘Yesu Krom’ (The City of Jesus Christ), therefore, any COVID-19 patient who is brought to the facility should expect a miraculous touch of God.

The ultra-modern edifice with residential facilities, offers sufficient auditoriums, conference centres, accommodation and a floor area to accommodate several thousands of guests at a time. The venue is suitable for major camp meetings, church general meetings and trade exhibition. PCC has four auditoriums with 5000, 3000, 500 and 200 seating capacities respectively.

Pastor Ben Noye will now set his sights on the herculean task of seeing to the smooth administration of the magnificent facility.

The Church of Pentecost remains committed to playing a critical role in the national fight against the coronavirus disease. Since the outbreak of the viral disease, the Church has made numerous donations at the various levels (national, regional, area, district local) to augment the efforts of the Government of Ghana in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The following are a few of them:

1. The Headquarters donated medical supplies worth GH¢ 45,000.00 to the Ministry of Health to combat COVID-19.
2. The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) of the Church donated PPEs to the tune of GH¢ 150,000 to 13 health facilities to combat COVID-19.The beneficiary institutions are LEKMA Hospital, Amasaman Hospital, Kaneshie Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, St. John’s Hospital, Ga South Municipal Hospital, Tema Polyclinic, Mamprobi Polyclinic, GA East Hospital, Ashaiman Polyclinic, Amanfro Polyclinic, Kasoa New Market Clinic and Oduman Polyclinic.
3. Teshie-Nungua Area, in collaboration with the 26 districts in the area, donated assorted essential food items worth GH¢ 353,027.00 to the needy and the vulnerable in the church.
4. Obuasi Area donated personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other essential items worth GH¢ 27,174.00 to the Obuasi Government Hospital, New Edubiase Government Hospital, Obuasi Prisons, and the Obuasi Police.
5. The Suhum Area donated PPEs worth GH¢10,000.00 to the Nsawam and Kibi Government Hospitals to aid the country’s fight against COVID-19. The Area also distributed food items worth GH¢ 12,530.00 to needy members to help alleviate their plight following the partial lockdown.
6. Downtown-Ofaakor Area donated some PPEs and other essential items worth GH¢ 8,000.00 to the Kasoa New Market Health Centre.
7. The University of Cape Coast (UCC) Health Service and the Ankaful Maximum Prison received PPEs and sanitary items worth GH¢ 20,000.00 from the Cape Coast Area.
8. Kwadaso Area donated PPEs at the cost of GH¢12,200.00 to the South Suntreso Government Hospital in Kumasi.
9. The Essam-Debiso Area donated relief items worth GH¢12,000.00 to six (6) health facilities to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
10. Ashaiman Area donated medical supplies to the Ashaiman Polyclinic to augment the efforts made by the government.
11. Ashanti Bekwai Area donated assorted items worth GH¢ 9,000.00 to Bekwai Government Hospital, Jacobu Catholic Hospital, Kokofu Government Hospital, Nkwanta Polyclinic, and St. Martins Hospital at Manso Agroyesum, the Bekwai District Police Command and the Bekwai Traditional Council.
12. The Ho Area donated some PPEs GH¢ 4,000.00 to the Ho Teaching Hospital.
13. Bogoso Area presented PPEs worth GH¢20,000 to Wassa Akropong Hospital, Prestea Government Hospital and Bogoso Health Centre.
14. Akuse District in the Agormanya Area donated some PPEs worth GH¢2,500.00 to the Akuse Government Hospital.
15. Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC), Sunyani donated assorted items to the Sunyani Central Prisons.
16. Odorkor Area donated some food items to some students of the Pentecost University (PENTVARS), particularly the international students, who were left stranded on campus during the lockdown period. An amount of GH¢1,000.00 was also presented to the students as part of the donation.
17. Alajo District in the La Area donated assorted items worth GH¢19,930.00 to over 500 needy and vulnerable members of the church and some community members to sustain them during the lockdown period.
18. Potsin District in the Winneba Area donated assorted items worth GH¢ 1,121.00. to some needy members in the district following the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
19. Onyame Tsiase Worship Centre in the La Area donated assorted items worth over GHS 3,400.00 to seventy-five (75) needy and vulnerable members of the church to sustain them during the lockdown period.

It is also worth noting that, as The Church of Pentecost, through the Headquarters, Regions and Areas, mobilised the needed resources to provide PPEs for the various health institutions, the various Local Assemblies, Districts and Areas of the Church also prioritised the needs of members and even non-members within their jurisdictions who had genuine needs especially during the lockdown period. In the light of this, relief support was provided for the needy and vulnerable members at all levels of the Church.

The year 2020 will forever be etched in the memories of every person alive today as a year that took the world by storm. It was the year when the world grappled with what most people have referred to as the biggest public health pandemic of the 21st century – the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the thousands of lives lost to the imposition of human restrictions and bans, as well as other disturbing developments such as loss of jobs, public health crises and the closure of churches across the globe, COVID-19, also known as “the Coronavirus Disease,” will certainly be very hard to forget.

Indeed, the Church is, undoubtedly, one of the hardest-hit institutions in the wake of the pandemic. The ban on mass gathering, in particular, resulted in the indefinite suspension of most (if not all) activities and events scheduled by some churches in 2020. That notwithstanding, in this trying period, the church has had to go all out to support needy members during the lockdown period, while at the same time dealing with the expected decline in its revenue generation efforts and dwindling finances.

That said, all has not been doom and gloom this year. This is because the COVID19 pandemic has also taught the church very positive lessons particularly on the need to prioritise personal and family devotional life as much as congregational worship. However, one key legacy of this pandemic is, most probably, how the Church has been coerced to embrace technology.

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on March 12^th, 2020, church life as we have known has never been the same. The increased restrictions on human activities and the general panic that greeted this announcement was evidence of the uncomfortable times ahead.

As a result, church leaders looked for possible ways to reach out and maintain fellowship with their members. In all of the strategies pursued, technology proved to be the most effective means and the tool generally adopted for the work of the ministry in these disturbing times. This, therefore, sparked widespread use of digital tools by the churches to pursue their evangelism and discipleship mandate.

With The Church of Pentecost, a global pentecostal church with presence in 105 countries, the story was not different. The church, therefore, resorted to the use of various media outlets, particularly Pent TV and Social Media, as well as other measures like Family Fellowship and Home Cell Meetings to continue to minister to the spiritual needs of the over 3 million membership population worldwide.

The impact of the pandemic, was, however, well felt in April, when the church had to organise its first-ever virtual Easter Convention. This was, in fact, a foreshadow of what would soon be known as “the new normal.”

After conducting a successful virtual Easter Convention, the leadership of The Church of Pentecost set their sights on arguably the most significant and biggest meeting on the church’s calendar – the General Council Meetings.

During Council meetings, participants (ministers) come from all over the world to converge at a venue – the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC) – to fraternise, pray together, discuss emerging issues in the church and take key decisions. The meetings were also very crucial, because it would witness the election of new members to serve on the Executive Council of the church.

In navigating through this, the first step the leadership took was to reschedule the event from May to June, due to the anticipation of eased restrictions and a general decline in active COVID-19 cases.

However, after it became apparent that the pandemic would persist for a while longer, the Church once again resorted to technology and explored how the meetings and elections could be conducted virtually.

In view of this, several consultative meetings were held at various levels, and eventually AO Holdings Limited, a Digital Solutions company owned by a member of the Church, was contracted to come up with an online election software to make it possible for the all-important Executive Council elections to be conducted virtually across the continents.

After several weeks of hard work, an online election software dubbed “Synergy eVote” was presented to the Church leadership by AO Holdings Limited, which was subsequently accepted. A unique identification number was thus generated for each of the 1,237 registered voters, with which they would be able to access the voting platform to cast their vote.

To test the veracity of the platform and ensure that elections would not be compromised in any way, 5 mock elections were organised for Councilors before the scheduled date (Wednesday, June 3, 2020) for the actual election to take place.

In the early hours of the actual voting day (6:00 GMT), the Councilors in Ghana converged at the various Area Offices to cast their votes, whilst those in the external nations convened at their respective National Offices to partake in the exercise. Some external Councilors living in lockdown areas were also allowed to vote from home.

In all, out of the 1,237 registered voters, a total of 1,194 votes were cast – 967 votes cast by Councilors in Ghana and 227 by External Councilors. The entire election process lasted for just an hour. In fact, more than 1,000 votes were cast in less than 15 minutes!

Following this historic election, Apostles Yaw Adjei Kwarteng (Hohoe Area Head), Samuel Osei Asante (Koforidua Area Head) and Isaac Kotei Djani (Tamale Area Head) were re-elected to serve for a second term on the council.

In addition, Apostles Sylvester Arhin (Assin Foso Area Head), Dr Dela Quampah (Head of the Department of Theology, School of Theology Leadership and Missions) and Mike Etrue (Kaneshie Area Head) were elected to replace members of the council who had completed their terms. Apostle James Raj (India National Head) was also elected onto the Council as the Member Representative for Nations Outside Africa. The year 2020 may be widely touted as the year of COVID-19, but for The Church of Pentecost, it will go down in history as the year in which the church organised its first-ever virtual election. To God be the glory!

The Kasoa Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Ekow Badu Wood, has encouraged Christians to continue to seek the face of God in the wake of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, because God has the power to drive it away from the face of the earth.

In a televised sermon on Friday afternoon [April 24, 2020] as part of the 3-day All Christians Prayer and Fasting, the former General Secretary of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) said that there is power in prayer and that whenever believers resort to it the seemingly impossible things become possible.

Reading from 2 Chronicles 7:13-15, Apostle Wood noted that fasting is one way of submitting to the divine authority of God. He called on all Christians to humble themselves through prayer and fasting for God to forgive the sins of the land and heal it from any pestilence.

He however said that fasting without prayer is like embarking on a hunger strike which is without any positive effect.

He added that as Christians humble themselves, repent of their sins pray and seek the face of God, God will answer them and heal the land of any plague.

Advising the people of the world to turn from their wicked ways, Apostle Wood charged Ghanaians to be compassionate towards the poor, aged, weak and the vulnerable so that God will have mercy on the nation and restore the land.

The Children’s Ministry Director of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Fred Tiakor, has called on parents and adults to allow children to explore and participate in the things of God in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic because God can use children to bring a solution to the world’s problems.

“In times like this, we need people to stand in for the people and lift their voices unto the heavens, and God will hear their prayer. God will intervene and cause all these storms to be calm,” he said, adding, “I want to assure you that it is not only adults who can do this work; God can also raise children to pray and He will listen to their cry.”

Apostle Tiakor said this in a televised sermon during a Children’s Service on PENT TV on Sunday, April 26, 2020, to climax the 3-day National Fasting and Prayers.

Speaking on the topic, “God Can Use You Too,” he entreated parents and adults to create the opportunity for children, give them some respect and recognition because God can use them too, saying, “God can use them [children] to solve certain problems, even in this COVID-19 pandemic; when children also pray God will hear.”

The Potsin District in the Winneba Area of The Church of Pentecost has donated assorted items to some needy members in the district following the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donation which was made on 16^th and 17^th March 2020 was inspired by the act of the Early Church in Acts 4:34-35 who gave to support the needy amongst them.

In all, 52 members in all the 19 local assemblies of the district benefited from the gesture. The items included rice, cooking oil, tomato mix, and small-sized tinned fish, totalling GH¢ 1,121.00.

The beneficiaries expressed great joy and appreciation to the leadership of the church for the support.

Report by the District Media Team.

The Church of Pentecost has constructed borehole water facilities for Gbonkoyiri and Vondiel communities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.

The Sawla Area Head of the church, Apostle William Ohemeng-Kwakye, commissioned the two water facilities separately on April 2, 2020. He was assisted by the Gindabour District Minister of the church, Overseer William Asare, whose district the projects are located.

In an address, the Area Head said that the construction of the boreholes formed part of the church’s Vision 2023 agenda on ‘Community Transformation.’ He said funds for the project came from the Headquarters of the church through the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), the social services wing of the church.

Touching on the current global health crisis, Apostle Ohemeng-Kwakye advised the people to adhere to the directives given by the President of the Republic to help in the fight against the Coronavirus outbreak. This, he said, includes observing social distancing, regular handwashing with soap under running water, using hand sanitizer, and avoiding handshaking.

Speaking on the topic, “Jesus Christ; The Spiritual Rock” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4), Apostle Ohemeng-Kwakye emphasized that one needs the spiritual rock who is Jesus Christ to satisfy their spiritual thirst. He, therefore, entreated all to drink from the spiritual rock to quench their thirst.

He admonished the people of both communities to recognize and accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord to receive eternal life for their souls.

“One cannot drink from the spiritual rock unless he or she is in the Body of Christ,” he stressed.

In appreciation, the Roman Catholic Catchiest of the area thanked The Church of Pentecost for the kind gesture and requested other churches in the district to do same for the communities in the district which are in dire need of water and other social interventions.

In attendance were the Area Deacon, security personnel, representatives of sister churches, and community leaders, among others.

Report by Overseers Francis Kofi Gyimah & Ezekiel Amoako-Yeboah.

The Suhum Area of The Church of Pentecost has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) worth GH¢ 10,000.00 to the Nsawam and Kibi Government Hospitals to aid the country’s fight against COVID-19.

The items, which include nose masks, hand sanitizers, veronica buckets, and liquid soap, were presented to the facilities by the Area Head, Apostle Anthony Eghan Kwesi Ekuban, on Monday, April 27, 2020.

In an interview with PENTECOST NEWS, Apostle Ekuban expounded that the intervention by the church was aimed at augmenting the Government’s effort in combating the spread of the viral disease.

He urged Ghanaians to adhere to the preventive measures that have been announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) such as social distancing, handwashing with soap under running water, and the wearing of nose mask.

Receiving the items on behalf of the Nsawam Government Hospital, the Hospital Administrator, Mr. Konlan Kofi, was grateful to the church for the thoughtful gesture, saying, “The Church of Pentecost is the first organisation to donate PPEs to this hospital since the outbreak of COVID-19.”

The Medical Superintendent of the Kibi Government Hospital, Dr. Richard Nii Darko Dodoo, who received the PPEs on behalf of the facility, expressed his profound gratitude to the church for the benevolence. He was hopeful that the items will help the hospital in the fight against the deadly disease.

Present to witness the presentation of the items at the Kibi Government Hospital was the Abuakwa South Municipal Health Director, Mrs. Augustina Nartey