CoP-Uganda Gets 2000-Seater National Auditorium Head Office 1

CoP-Uganda Gets 2000-Seater National Auditorium, Head Office

A 2000-seater National Auditorium of The Church of Pentecost in Uganda has been dedicated to the glory of God. The edifice, which also houses the National Office of the church, was dedicated by the International Missions Director (IMD) of the church, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, on December 13, 2020.

The construction of the edifice began in 2015 during the time of Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang-Bekoe, then National Head, and completed in 2020 under the current National Head, Pastor James Oko-Barnor. It was funded by the General Headquarters of the church in Ghana through the Missions Board.

The dedication ceremony was ably assisted by Pastor James Oko-Barnor (National Head). It attracted many dignitaries such as Apostle Seth Fianko-Larbi (National Head of Kenya, who also doubles as the Chairman of the East African Regional Coordinating Committee), Apostle Simon Mutete Olomayiani (Kenya), Pastor Gabriel Arianda (Kenya), Pastor Moses Onyango (Head Pastor, Rivers of Life Ministries, Kampala), Godfrey Ojok (CEO of Gotino Construction), and Mr. Kawoya Abdul (LC1 of the area).

Also in attendance were representatives from Mbarara and Kampala Areas.

Preaching the sermon, Apostle Gyesi-Addo, who officiated the service, took his scripture reading from Matthew 7:24-27 and spoke about the wise and the foolish builders.

Apostle Gyesi-Addo said that the outward beauty of the building is what is usually seen and appreciated. “What makes the building solid, strong, and able to withstand all the adverse conditions are not seen and that is the foundation,” he stated.

He indicated that the Lord used a house to represent the life of an individual. He brought out the moral lessons that the outward beauty of the Christian is good and can be splendid and be seen by all but that is not the most important thing in the believer. The most important thing in the believer, the IMD stated, is their foundation.

“What is your foundation? Is your foundation sand or solid rock? The sand can be anything in our lives which we have built our faith on but that is not Christ,” he said, adding, “We might be relying on our strength, intellect, skill, money, properties, children, health, etc. If these are our foundations, then there is a lot to be desired. We must note that there are bad days and those bad days will test the strength of our foundations.”

Reading Matthew 7: 25 & 27 “And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the wind blew and beat on that house,” Apostle Gyesi-Addo noted that Jesus used a similar statement of what would happen to both the good building and the bad building.

“The end results of your building is what matters most when those adverse conditions occur,” he stated, stressing that the Christian is not insulated from the harsh conditions of life just as the unbeliever also go through equal harsh conditions of life.

“Christ requires us to allow ourselves to develop traits of His character in us so that we can still stand in the days of adversity.

“Christ stood even unto the cross so that we can receive salvation, mercy, and grace. There may be a heavy rain in your life right now causing floods and perhaps torrential wind or a typhoon but if you trust in God and believe in what He has promised you, then the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against the floods in your life and victory shall be yours.

“The Spirit of the Lord will not eat up the floods, but He will lift you up above the destructive floods against you for you to be above it and not being consumed by it.”

Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo challenged believers to check their foundations properly and ensure that it is solid and strong in Christ because Christ is the only foundation and the roofing of the church.

PENTECOST NEWS.

APOSTLE EKUBAN (01)

Suhum Area Assists 65 Students With Scholarships

The Suhum Area of The Church of Pentecost in 2020 provided educational scholarships to 65 tertiary students worth GH¢ 118,361.30.

The package which mostly involved the payment of academic fees, facility user fees, and SRC dues was spread among both fresh and continuing students.

In an interview, the Area Head, Apostle Anthony Eghan Kwesi Ekuban, accentuated the need to attach much attention to human resource development by ensuring that children are provided with quality education that would make them productive to society.

He further indicated that the church is committed to playing its role in nation-building and one of the strategies is to support brilliant but needy students to realize their aspirations of pursuing higher education. “Poverty should not be a barrier to acquiring the right education and skills development for sustainable livelihood,” he stressed.

Since the launch of the scholarship scheme in 2016, the Suhum Area of the church has assisted students and apprentices with financial support worth GH¢ 307,129.34 to attain academic laurels and vocational skills.

Report by Samuel Danso.


Goaso Area Launches Professional Guilds 1

Goaso Area Launches Professional Guilds

The Goaso Area of The Church of Pentecost has launched the Pentecost Professional Guilds in the Area. The inauguration of the Professional Guilds which took place on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, was part of the church’s Vision 2023 overarching theme, “Possessing the Nations: Equipping the Church to Transform Every Sphere of Society with Values and Principles of the Kingdom of God.”

Addressing the participants on the topic, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it well,” Pastor Isaac Anane Yeboah of Sankore District urged them to demonstrate Christlike character in their workplaces without giving chance to any evil deeds from the kingdom of darkness.

Reading from Ecclesiastes 9:10 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, Pastor Yeboah admonished the participants to work with all their might; not to pretend to be working, do proper planning, acquire knowledge and apply wisdom in order to possess their fields of work.

According to him, the values and principles of the Kingdom of God enjoin Christians to be the light and salt of the world, imbued godly attributes such as integrity, love, patience, humility, hard work, and faithfulness. “We cannot transform the nations around us if we are not prepared to change the norms and face challenges,” he said, adding, “Transformation is targeting all weaknesses in the structures of the various institutions.”     

The Area Head, Apostle William Kojo Edzorhoho, who chaired the programme, asked professionals in the church to be light and salt in their respective professions, saying, “Christians, particularly The Church of Pentecost members should not continue to disappoint God at their workplaces.”

He implored the workers including ministers of the gospel to showcase godly attributes in their areas of specialization. He reminded the participants of the diverse challenges they are going to encounter in their effort to demonstrate Christlike attitudes in their workplaces. “Can we not get believers who can stand for Christ and mitigate the canker in our society?” he questioned.

The various guilds launched by the Area Head include Dressmakers, Drivers, Artisans, Health Workers, Education, Finance, Banking, Judiciary and Media.

Report by Overseer Benedict Ahiabu.

La Area Gives Scholarship To 6 Students 2

La Area Gives Scholarship To Six (6) Students

The La Area of The Church of Pentecost has granted scholarships totaling GH¢30,000.00 to six brilliant but needy students from various districts in the Area in Accra to pursue various courses at the Pentecost University (PU). 

The scholarship is for this academic year and renewable based on the performance of the students.                          

The six students made up of three young men and three ladies qualified for the scholarship based on their outstanding performance and meeting the requirements for the educational scholarship scheme of the church. The package covers their tuition, facility user fees, and accommodation, as well as SRC dues for their four years’ stay at the University.

The six will be pursuing courses in Nursing, Information Technology, Business Administration, and Physician Assistantship.

Presenting the letters of funding to the students, the La Area Head of the church, Apostle John Osei Amaniampong, cautioned them to eschew falling into bad companies, but rather associate with equally brilliant colleagues to improve upon their lives to ensure the continuous support by the church.

A parent of a beneficiary, Beatrice Toe, thanked the church for coming to the rescue of the students in their most difficult times.

Report by Peggy Ama Donkor.

Be Revived To Accomplish Greater Heights Pastor Ohemeng Ohemeng To Christians (2)

“Be Revived To Accomplish Greater Works” – Pastor Ohemeng Asiamah To Christians

The Anyaa District Minister of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Seth Ohemeng Asiamah, has urged Christians to remember their first love and be revived to accomplish greater works.

Speaking on the theme, “The Officer As A Catalyst Of Revival” at the second session of the Ablekuma Agape District Officers and Leaders Retreat, Pastor Asiamah noted that God can equally use the current generation of Christians to do greater things if they avail themselves just as He used their forefathers since God is an unchangeable God.

“We don’t avail ourselves for God’s work because we have forgotten our first love. Therefore, we need a revival to go back to our roots.

“God is capable of reviving churches and individuals, so we must long for it. A leader must be revived to revive the church,” he disclosed.

Defining revival as ‘a divine intervention of God through His Spirit; restoring, renewing, and reanimating His children,’ Pastor Ohemeng Asiamah said that revival is not meant for unbelievers but children of God.

Touching on some symptoms of those who need revival, he revealed that when one becomes careless in devotion, when the love for God and desires for His work begins to fall, and when one’s love for the world and the beautiful things in it supersedes the love for God.

“Dogmatic and arrogant attitudes also need revival. When one’s oil dries out, there should be a revival for that person,” he pointed out.

Pastor Asiamah disclosed that one surest way to revival is obedience to God’s word, saying, “If you want great revival and good counsel, read the Bible and obey every single word.”

He added that unity and fellowship of the brethren is a great cause of revival. He, therefore, encouraged the officers to be united and allow the Spirit of God to move them in the direction of the Lord. He further advised them to eschew acts of disunity, hatred, backbiting, ‘pull him down,’ selfishness, and other negative behaviours that hinder revival and church growth.

Pastor Asiamah also recommended worship as a great source of revival. “We must constantly and genuinely go to the throne of God with worship, and by so doing God Himself will revive us greatly since revival comes from Him,” he indicated.

The Anyaa District pastor did not leave fasting and prayers as a way of reviving the church and the individual, saying, “We must always pray and seek the face of the Lord to prepare us for greater works.

Quoting Psalm 85:1-6, Revelations 2:1-7, and Acts 2:42, he encouraged the officers to always be revived to be in tune with the Spirit. “A believer, especially a leader must be revived in such a way that they will always be on fire so that they can lead the church with a discerning spirit that will ensure sound doctrines and teachings, discipleship, and holistic church growth.” This, according to him, will help the church to possess the nations.

Report by Alex Nkrumah.

Watch Your Spending Habit For Better Future - Christians Advised2

“Watch Your Spending Habit For Better Future” – Christians Advised

Christians have been advised to manage their resources well and avoid being spendthrift to save their future from jeopardy.

“Watch your spending habit because you have a future to protect,” Pastor Charles Oduro of Yennyawoso District of The Church of Pentecost said this during the End-of-Year District Presbytery Meeting held on Saturday, January 9, 2021, at the Central Assembly auditorium.

Exhorting the presbyters on the topic: “You Are Responsible For Your Own Life” based on Proverbs 6:6-8, the District Minister charged them to continually go to the presence of God in prayer for Him to direct and guide them in all their endeavours (Psalm 32:8). He also urged them to trust and depend solely on God for He alone can turn their fortunes around, noting that, “Whatever you believe works for you.”

Pastor Oduro explained that an ant does not have any captain or ruler, yet they wisely manage their own affairs. Like an ant, he entreated Christians to be prudent in managing their resources.

“The wealthiest of the world are not the ones who earn most but those who learn to manage their wealth prudently,” he stressed.

According to him, Christianity commences from physical to spiritual and, therefore, urged believers not to toy with life, saying, “You have to seize life before life seizes you.”

Using his own life as a case study, the man of God further advised believers to avoid impulse buying and encouraged them to draw a budget on what to be spent.

“I know how much I spend every week and I don’t overspend,” he revealed.

Touching on what not to do in life, Pastor Charles Oduro stated: “Your upkeep should not constitute a major burden on your family, wife, husband, children, and members in order not to become an avoidable nuisance to the community.

“You must be a man/woman of substance and people should be happy to see you as you will be a blessing to them,” he concluded.

Report by Emmanuel Nana Nsiah.

Apostle Dr Alfred Koduah pix story

“Leadership Is Key To Church Growth” – Apostle Dr. Alfred Koduah

The Teshie-Nungua Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr. Alfred Koduah, has said that leadership plays a key role in the spiritual and physical growth of the church.

“Church leaders play vital roles in the spiritual awakening of its members and the growth of the church as well as their own spiritual lives,” he said, adding, “If we want to see revival, the leader must wake up and play his or her role for revival to take place.”

Apostle Dr. Koduah said this in a sermon during a day’s retreat organised for officers of the Pentecost International Worship Center (PIWC) – Sakumono on Saturday, January 2, 2021.

Speaking on the topic, “Reviving the Glorious Church; My Role as a Church Leader” taken from Ephesians 3:21; 5:27, Apostle Dr. Koduah explained that revival always breaks out when one is dissatisfied with his or her spiritual life as well as when the church is dying out, stressing that that is the time God wants leaders to revive members and themselves.

“Revival always breaks out when one is not satisfied with his or her spiritual state and yearns for a renewal of spiritual things of God,” he said.

Reading further from the book of Revelations 2:1-7, Apostle Dr. Koduah entreated Christian leaders to emulate the qualities or attributes of the church in Ephesus such as hard work, having an attitude of endurance, perseverance, and not tolerate evil people. He, however, cautioned church leaders from forsaking their first love. He encouraged them to remember their first love in the areas of observing their daily morning devotions, praying together with their families, and studying the word of God. He also encouraged them to repent of their ways and return to their first love.

Apostle Dr. Koduah commended the leadership of PIWC – Sakumono for organising the spiritual exercise for its officers at the beginning of the year.

The Resident Minister, Pastor Anthony Owusu Sekyere Kwarteng, was grateful to the Area Head for honouring the invitation to speak at the retreat and commended all the officers who made it for the programme.

The annual event seeks to rekindle the faith of the officers as well as prepare them for the new year. It is also a time to wait on God through fasting and prayers and to reflect on the goodness of the Lord for the ensuing year.

Report by Yaa Asantewaah Adu Boahene.

New Building

Kete Krachi Area Constructs House For Couple With Disability

It was certainly a day to remember for Mr Lanaang, a 73-year-old man with visual impairment (blind), and his wife, Mrs Lanaang, a 58-year-old woman with hearing impairment (deaf) when the Kete Krachi Area Head, Pastor Joseph Danzerl, handed over a newly constructed residential building to the couple.

The building, which was jointly constructed by the Kete Krachi Area and the Bladjai District, has a kitchen and washroom facilities.

The building was handed over to the couple during a special ceremony held on Thursday, December 17, 2020, at the Digangam No. 2 Assembly church auditorium.

Before the gesture, the couple were virtually homeless due to the deplorable state of their place of abode. The mud structure, in which they were previously living, had collapsed and its roof almost entirely ripped off due to a heavy downpour. The couple had since been left with no option than to sleep in the “death trap” exposed to harsh weather conditions. 

The couple was highly elated and could not help but shed tears of joy. Mr Lanaang thanked the Area Head and the entire membership of The Church of Pentecost for the extraordinary gesture. 

At the same event, 62-year-old Peter Nakokuah, who also has physical disability (crippled) from the waist down, was presented a wheelchair by the National Coordinator for the Ministry to Persons With Disabilities (MPWDs), Overseer Alexander Nyame, on behalf of the ministry.

Upon receiving the wheelchair, an awe struck Mr Nakokuah said “I thank The Church of Pentecost very much for what they have done for me. I have never seen such an act of kindness in my entire life. Today is the happiest day of my life.”

Exhorting the audience at the event, Pastor Danzerl admonished Christians to take a cue from what Jesus said in Matthew 25:35-40 and be mindful that any act of kindness we show to persons with disabilities, we do it to Jesus. 

Report by Pastor Emmanuel Kenin (Kete Krachi Area) 

Adeemmra District

Adeemmra District Evangelises To Donkorkrom Police Cell Inmates

The Adeemmra District in the Afram Plains Area of The Church of Pentecost on Thursday, December 31, 2020, shared the gospel message of Christ with inmates of the Donkorkrom Police cell.

The District Minister, Pastor Stephen Larbi, inspired the inmates with the message titled “Jesus Christ The Greatest Gift to Humanity.” He urged them not to give up on life but accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, saying that “He is the greatest gift for the festive season.”

“Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour is the most important decision you will have to make on earth to obtain hope regardless where they find themselves,” he added.

To the glory of God, a soul was won for Christ at the end of the outreach. The inmates and all the Police officers present were refreshed with drinks and biscuits as part of the exercise.

The District Police Commander, Superintendent Samuel Annan Entsua, expressed appreciation to the church for the kind gesture.

Among the church delegation were Elder Nicholas Osei (District Finance Chairman), Elder Edward Boateng (District Executive Member) and some members of the Adeemra District.

Report by Francis Lamptey, Afram Plains Area Reporter

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Sekesua District Constructs Footbridge For Akotokrom, Bukunor Communities

The Sekesua District in the Agormanya Area of The Church of Pentecost has constructed a wooden footbridge across the Brukumdor Stream connecting two communities – Akotokrom and Bukunor, in the Eastern Region.

The construction of the footbridge, which is about 85 meters long, has brought great joy and immense relief to residents of the two communities. The gesture has addressed the danger and the stress that the people used to go through when crossing the stream, especially during the rainy season when the stream overflows its banks.

At a brief ceremony on Sunday, January 10, 2021, to hand over the footbridge to the chiefs and people of the two communities, the Sekesua District Minister, Overseer Robert Kwadwo Asamoah, said that the decision to pursue the gesture to alleviate the plight of the people was inspired by the possessing the nations’ agenda of the church which seeks to position the church to seek the transformation of the communities it operates.

Overseer Asamoah was grateful to the Agormanya Area Head, Apostle James Gabriel Quardson, and the community folks for their diverse supports in the construction of the footbridge.

Dade Mantse Samuel Teye Anim, Chief of Akotokrom, commended the leadership of The Church of Pentecost for coming to the aid of his people.

The chief recounted the unspeakable challenges that the people in the area have gone through over the years in crossing over the stream. “But glory be to God that The Church of Pentecost has come to cut our stress short,” he stated. He admonished the surrounding communities to adopt sustainable plans to maintain the structure.

The footbridge has placards with Gospel inscriptions such as “Jesus Saves,” “Jesus is Coming Soon,” “Do Not Die Without Accepting Jesus,” and many others to draw the hearts of the people to their Saviour while using the bridge.

A soul was won for Christ at the ceremony.

Report by Agormanya Area Media Team.