Posts in category: Moving With Chairman

The Israeli Embassy in Ghana, in collaboration with The Church of Pentecost, is poised to change the face of irrigation farming in Ghana with the introduction of a new technology called N-Drip.

The ground-breaking gravity micro-irrigation system was developed by Professor Uri Shani, Israel’s former Water Commissioner and one of the world’s top water experts in water and irrigation.

A team of officials from the Israeli Embassy in Ghana was at the Headquarters of The Church of Pentecost on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, to interact with the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, as part of plans to introduce the technology to the church and begin a pilot project in Ghana since the church has already commenced a 10-acre solar-powered irrigation farm project at Ankpaliga, near Bawku in the Upper East Region.  

The team from the Israeli Embassy include Ayelet Levin Karp (Head of Trade and Economic Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Ghana), Kirk Amoah (Business Development Manager: Agriculture, WaterTech and Infrastructure of Israeli Embassy in Ghana), Jacques Blinbaum (CEO of ViPit Africa Ltd), Richard Nunekpeku (Managing, Sustineri Attorneys) and Elder Emmanuel Nyarko-Tetteh of UNICEF.

The church was represented by the Chairman, Apostle Eric Nyamekye; Director of Pentecost Men’s Ministry (PEMEM), Apostle Vincent Anane Denteh, his deputy Elder Dr. Ebenezer Asamoah Nyarkoh; National Secretary, Elder Stephen Djaba, and Pastor Clement Achim Gyimah, National Executive Committee Member of PEMEM.

Others were Pastor Prof. William Otoo Ellis (Children’s Director), and Elder Richard Amaning (Director of Pentecost Social Services  (PENTSOS).  

Introducing the N-Drip system to the church, Jacques Blinbaum, the lead proponent of the technology, said the new technology is the most efficient alternative to flood irrigation that will vastly influence farming globally.

He indicated that N-Drip uses existing infrastructure and gravitational force for energy, making irrigation efficient at no additional cost, saying, “this technology is the breakthrough that can significantly change the global water shortage.”

According to him, the system provides an easy-to-install economic solution that uses the field’s existing infrastructure and is powered by gravity. As a result, he said, water flows efficiently using sustainable energy while lowering labour costs and money spent on fertilizers.

Expressing his delight about the visit, Apostle Eric Nyamekye thanked God for bringing the team and the technology to Ghana and Africa in general. According to him, the Church started a discussion with the former Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, H. E. Shani Cooper, to tap from the Israeli expertise in irrigation and agriculture to support the church’s irrigation projects.

“We are a church with over three million people in Ghana, majority of whom are rural dwellers, poor and farmers. We are looking at how we can improve their livelihoods so that they don’t rush to the urban centres in search of jobs which are not available,” he stated.

He continued: “As a church, we are determined to do what we can to help these people and even for the development of the whole nation. So, we have gone out of our way to building prisons for the Ghana Prisons Service to address the deplorable conditions of our prisons and provide other social interventions. Our concentration now is on agriculture,” he stated.

Apostle Nyamekye said that besides the various social interventions the church has provided, it wants to educate its members in the agriculture sector to adopt modern farming practices to increase their yields since most of them depend on rainfed agriculture.

He said that the church, through its social services wing, Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), is leading an irrigation project in Afram Plains and Bawku Areas, where it has acquired large tracks of land and built irrigation facilities to help members engage in all-year-round farming. He was of the view that, N-Drip will help accelerate the church’s agriculture agenda by way of enhancing the outputs of farmers.

“We want to partner with you [Israeli Embassy] to help the poor in the country. We cannot always tell the poor about heaven; we have to be concerned about their well-being as well,” he said.

The Head of Trade and Economic Mission at the Israeli Embassy, Ayelet Levin Karp, said the meeting formed part of the continuous relationship that the Embassy has established with The Church of Pentecost. She noted that the technology could be a game-changer for small-holder farmers in Ghana.

Richard Nunekpeku, a member of the team, said over the years, farmers have to invest not only in irrigation technology but also in other sources of energy to be able to power the technology to irrigate their farms.

But with N-Drip, he said, “you do not have to invest into any other energy source, adding that, “all you need to do is to ensure that water gets to your tank and flows through the tubes by gravity.”

“It saves the farmer cost of pumping water and irrigating the farm. It also ensures efficient use of water and increases the yield farmers get on their farms,” he disclosed.

He added: “The beautiful thing about this technology is that it has been customized to one-acre size self-help installation. So, the ideal farmer in mind is the small-holder farmer in the village.”

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Church of Pentecost, a leading global Pentecostal church, present in over 109 nations, has revealed its worldwide theme for the year 2022 in line with its overarching theme of ‘Possessing the Nations.’

The 2022 theme as unveiled by the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, during the official opening of the November Heads Meetings, is “Equipping The Church As An Army To Possess The Nations” (Hebrews 13:20-21 & Ephesians 4:11-2; 6:10-11.

According to the Chairman, “Possessing or taking nations” is an ancient military phrase, which means replacing the rule or reign of a nation with that of another through conquest.

Relating this term to the Great Commission, he said, “inspires the church to raise an army of Christians who, being filled with the Holy Spirit and fully equipped with the knowledge of God’s word, will engage and transform their societies with godly values and principles, wherever they are and in whatever they do, in order to win many for Christ and transform them into salt and light of the world.”

Apostle Eric Nyamekye indicated that the 2022 theme calls for a vigorous and intentional equipping of the church to get every single member to assume the posture of an army of the Lord to take the nations.

In doing this, he stated, “We intend to use the metaphor of the armour of God to get our members to understand from the lenses  of scripture, the social, political and spiritual forces at work in the various spheres of society and to build their defences against their onslaught.”

He added: “As an army, Christians need to be equipped with the full armour of God so that they can withstand the tricks and schemes of the enemy. Wobbly Christians who have no firm foothold in Christ are easy prey for Satan. This armour is forged and furnished by God Himself, and He invites us to put them on. It must be worn night and day; we must walk, work and sleep in them.”

He asserted that an army of God must never relax their vigilance or else they are not true soldiers of Christ, saying, “They must fight till the kingdoms of the world become the Kingdom of our God.”

The Chairman called for a generational awareness of the power of God in correcting the wrongs of society, stressing that, every generation of Christians should be concerned with what values and standards are going to rule their world or determine their culture.

“And our generation should not disappoint God,” he pointed out. 

To help delve into the theme well, the following topics have been selected to guide the teachings and activities of the church in the year 2022:  “The Church as the equipping centre in carrying out the Great Commission; the possessing the nations agenda, Equipping the church with the Word of God, Mobilising the squads (the army) for effective impact in the world and Equipping the church to put on the belt of truth.”

Other thematic topics are: “The new creation and the possessing the nations agenda, Righteousness; the authority of the Kingdom, The power of Faith in Possessing the nations, The Power of the Gospel of salvation and The ministry of intercessory prayer.”

The overarching theme for the Vision 2023 agenda of the church which was launched in 2018 has been, “Possessing the Nations: Equipping the Church to Transform every Sphere of Society with the values and principles of the Kingdom of God.”

Each year, the leadership of the church sets goals to guide the church towards the results it intends to achieve. These anticipated results or goals are in turn translated into annual themes. The purpose of these annual themes is to provide a sense of direction to the church towards the realisation of the overall goal of the Vision 2023 agenda.

So far, three of such annual themes namely, “I Will Build my Church, A Glorious Church to Possess the Nations and A Glorious Church Revived to Possess the Nations,” have been dealt with.

From these themes, the church has been made to appreciate her dual responsibility and the call to build a glorious church; a church which is radiant and without stain or wrinkle; a church which is revived, holy and blameless; a church whose testimony will be credible before the watching world.

“These themes without doubt have drawn us many steps forward towards our overall goal,” said the Chairman.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has made a passionate call on Christians all over the world to strive to be the light of the world.

He made the call when delivering a sermon titled: “Let your light shine” during the climax of the 60th Anniversary celebrations of The Lord’s Pentecostal Church at Kwashieman in Accra.

He revealed that the life of Jesus Christ is the light of the world and that anyone who believes in Him automatically has the life that gives light.

Quoting Scriptures from Matthew 5:14-16, Apostle Nyamekye said: “Throughout the New Testament, the followers of Jesus are called to be lights with the responsibility to dispel darkness. When Christians hide their lights, they are harming the world with darkness. What benefits are you bringing to the world as a born-again Christian?”

According to him, no one puts a lamp under a bowl because a lamp is designed to help people see in dark places, adding that, followers of Jesus Christ must be determined to give lights to those around them through their deeds.

“By growing in relationship with Jesus every day, following Him step by step, we partner with Him in spreading His light for the world,” he explained.

He added: “We live in a dark world, full of lies, hate and confusion. However, God’s Word tells us to “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

Pentecost News.

The winner of the 2021 edition of Ghana’s Most Beautiful (GMB) pageant, Benedicta Sarfoa Asamoah, today, paid a courtesy call on the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, at the Church’s General Headquarters in Accra.

According to the newly crowned queen, the visit was to thank God for the great victory chalked and express her heartfelt gratitude to the leadership and the entire church membership for the tremendous support she received before and during the 14-week period of the competition.

Sarfoa, as she is widely known, was in the company of her parents, Apostle Victor Asamoah, the Afram Plains Area Head of the church, and his wife, Rebecca. 

Addressing the Chairman, Sarfoa said, among other things, she owed her victory to the training, teachings and doctrines that were imbibed in her as a member of the Church. This, she said, helped her to hold on to her Christian values throughout the competition. 

She explained that, as a church member, she desired to contribute her quota to the ‘Possessing the Nations’ agenda of the Church (Vision 2023) and, for this reason, she always prayed to God for the opportunity to do so. She later identified the beauty pageant as an area of interest and consulted her parents and church leaders to counsel her on its propriety for Christians. 

“After making the needed background checks, we realised that GMB was different because, unlike the others, it aimed at promoting Ghanaian cultures and values,” she said.

Sarfoa further stated that her decision to embark on the prisons project, which she describes as scripturally based (Hebrews 13:3), was also fueled by her desire to contribute to the five-year vision of the church (Vision 2023). She is, therefore, looking to collaborate with the Church in the quest to promote the welfare of prisoners and the less marginalised in society.

In response, the Chairman congratulated the GMB queen on her great win and for making The Church of Pentecost proud. He revealed that he was keenly interested in the competition because of Sarfoa and was rooting for her to emerge victorious. He was, therefore, grateful to God for her victory.

Apostle Nyamekye advised her to use her capacity to effect the needed changes in her sphere to change the face of pageantry in the country by promoting the cultural values and beauty of the Ghanaian people, and not for advertising nudity and other unchristian virtues like other beauty contests.

“The purpose of the ‘Possessing the Nations’ agenda is to change spheres. So, we want to enter every sphere and effect change. We pray that you become an inspiration to many people, especially those in The Church of Pentecost; as young people who are poised to possess the nations,” he said.

Apostle Nyamekye also commended Sarfoa for nursing the desire to be part of the church’s agenda, which, according to him, has led to the Lord granting her this space (capacity) to contribute to the vision. 

“It is my prayer that this spirit would catch up with every youth of the Church so that everyone would understand that the ‘Possessing the Nations’ agenda is what happens outside the Church, so we need to get involved in every sphere of society and change the place,” he added.

The Chairman lauded her management team and all the people who contributed in diverse ways towards the victory. He also commended TV3 for organising the programme and encouraged the media station to champion more of such educative programmes.

Touching on the prisons project of the Church, Apostle Nyamekye said that he was happy that she has decided to come on board and for throwing more light on the project to the audiences of the show.

“Through your education, a lot of people who did not understand why the Church should undertake the prisons project have now come to understand it. Because of you, more young people now appreciate the project, and we want to thank you for that. You are a great ambassador of The Church of Pentecost,” he said.

The Afram Plains Area Head, in turn, revealed that when his daughter first told him about her desire to participate in the competition, he was a bit disturbed because he did not know whether it would be appropriate for a Christian to participate in such a contest. But after consulting, the Chairman, Apostle Nyamekye, consented, saying that, “it was in line with the Church’s vision.”

Apostle Asamoah was, therefore, grateful to the Chairman for giving his daughter the blessing to participate in the competition and supporting her to win the ultimate, adding: ‘A glorious church knows no defeat.’

The proud father was also grateful to the Youth Director, Pastor Ebenezer Hagan, Apostle Prof. Peter Ohene Kyei (Rtd.) and his wife, Dr. Abigail Kyei, as well as Mrs. Christiana Asiedu and her husband, Elder Victor Asiedu, for the timely support, counsel, and encouragement.

The brief meeting had in attendance the General Secretary (GS), Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, the International Missions Director (IMD), Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, and the Evangelism Ministry Director, Apostle Dr. Amos Jimmy Markins.

Others present were some members of Headquarters Management, including Pastors Benedict Eghan (Personal Assistant to the Chairman), Felix Okyere Anti (Admin. Secretary to the GS), Frank Amoah (Admin. Secretary to the GS), Dr. Felix Dela Klutse (Media Ministry Pastor) and Pastor Kwasi Asante Annor (General Manager, Pent TV).

Benedicta Sarfoa Asamoah fellowships with the Pentecost International Worship Centre, Atomic (PIWC-Atomic) in the Haatso Area of the Church. 

Sarfoa, who represented the Ashanti Region in this year’s GMB, beat competition from 15 others to win the ultimate prize package comprising the queen’s crown, GH¢10,000 cash and a brand new 4X4 car from MG Auto Ghana Limited.

PENTECOST NEWS

Newly appointed Acting Director-General of Ghana Prisons Service, Mr. Isaac Kofi Egyir, on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, paid a courtesy call on the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, at the church’s General Headquarters, at La in Accra.

The Director-General was accompanied by some top management members of the Prisons Administration such as the Director of Prisons (DOP), Mr. Francis Omane-Addo (Director-General, Welfare and Human Resource), DOP Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (Director-General Services and Technical) and Chaplain-General, Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP), Apostle James Teye Tetteh.  

According to the Director-General, he and his team embarked on the visit to express their appreciation to The Church of Pentecost, which, he said, has been a major stakeholder in terms of developmental projects in the Ghana Prisons Service.

“Upon my appointment as the acting Director-General about a month ago, I thought it wise to pay a courtesy call on the Chairman of the church to show our appreciation to the church because The Church of Pentecost has been a major stakeholder as far as prison facilities are concerned,” he said.

He added: “The Chairman of the church has also been a spiritual father to the Service. So, I am here to present myself to him and to ask for his counselling and blessing as I take over the administration of the Prison Service. I wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to The Church of Pentecost for all the support the church has given to the Ghana Prison Service, especially with the construction of camp prisons.”

The camp prisons, he noted, have come at a very opportune time, adding that, it has helped us fight the budgetary constraints facing the Service and decongest the main wards in the prisons.

“We are looking for a situation where we can have the re-integration of ex-convicts back into society,” he disclosed, adding that, the camp prions will help inmates to come out from the prisons.

He also stated that the re-integration exercise will also add more value to the inmates and also affect their thinking as they join their families back home to contribute meaningfully to society.

The Director-General appealed to the church to consider building a fifth prison facility at Enchi in the Western North Region due to its strategic location since there is no prison facility in the new region.

In his response, Apostle Eric Nyamekye was full of joy to receive the team. He congratulated Mr. Egyir on his appointment as the Acting Director-General of the Prisons Service.

“Your appointment comes with a heavy responsibility because you need to turn situations around. In leadership, you look at the gaps and fix them. With this opportunity, you must be able to see what your predecessors couldn’t see and fix them,” he said.

Apostle Nyamekye assured the Director-General of the church’s continuous prayers for the success of his administration.

He disclosed that the second camp prison project ongoing at Nsawam would be completed and commissioned in November this year after the Ejura prison which was commissioned earlier their year. He explained that the ones at Obuasi and Damongo are at various stages of completion.  

With regards to the request for the fifth camp prison, the Chairman assured the Director-General that it would be considered once the ongoing ones were completed.

“These correctional facilities were initiated by God and the hand of God will complete it,” he said.

Apostle Nyamekye revealed that the church is putting some funds together to pay for the fines of some inmates who were incarcerated due to their inability to pay their fines to release them to decongest the prison facilities. He explained that the church will organise counselling sessions for the beneficiary ex-convicts so that they come back not as burdens to society.

Present at the short meeting were the General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi; the International Missions Director (IMD), Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, and the Projects Development and Estate Manager, Pastor James Orhin Agyin.

PENTECOST NEWS.

Ministers and their wives of The Church of Pentecost in the Greater Accra Region have been admonished to pursue excellence in their ministerial endeavours and build a solid church that would become agent of transformation.

 Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, made the call when addressing The Church of Pentecost ministers and their wives from 13 administrative areas of the church in the Greater Accra Region at the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC), Atomic, Accra on Tuesday, September 14, 2021.

“Everything matters when you are leading a church in a cosmopolitan place – your church location, ushering and protocol system, sound system, among others. Let’s look for excellence as far as worship is concerned because we are in a serious competition here in Accra,” he charged the ministers and their wives.

He cited several scriptures including Colossians 1:27-29, 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, 1 Corinthians 9:17-22, and encouraged the ministers and their wives to work for God and the church from their hearts in line with the policies of the church.  

Apostle Nyamekye further charged them to pray and receive more grace and fresh anointing from God to grow the church in all facets such as membership growth, spiritual growth and financial growth.

“When you are in the city, you need fresh anointing because here the dynamics are different. You can’t make a difference if you are comfortable with the status quo. This calls for hard work since ministry is about hard work,” he said.

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost took the ministers and their wives through some dynamics in the city such as polarization, religious diversity, commercialization of almost everything, high population, among others, which come with their attendant challenges.

According to him, because Accra is the seat of the church, whatever ministers in the city do has rippling effects on the entire church.

“Let us, therefore, take the spiritual life of our churches in the city seriously. We want our churches in Accra to be on fire. If the fire is burning here, it will have a ripple effect on the rest of the churches outside the capital,” he noted.

Touching on some of the downsides of the ministry in Accra, the Chairman advised them to be cautious of the following since it can adversely affect their ministry: materialism, unbridled pursuit for educational laurels at the expense of the church, the quest for promotion and position which leads to backbiting in order to please leadership, fast life, and many others.

Treating the subject, “Pastor To Pastor” with readings from John chapter 15, Matthew 13:31-32, Philippians 2:25, 2 Samuel 10:9-12, Colossians 4:10, Apostle Nyamekye called on ministers of the church and their wives to do the work of ministry in unity by collaborating the effort of like-minded ministers to push the work of God forward.  

“There is no single church or denomination that can meet the challenges in the current generation. Value other churches because we are all working together in the Kingdom. See one another as a brother and co-partners in ministry,” he advised.

Apostle Eric Nyamekye disclosed the following as some of the things that leadership expects from ministers of the church: obedience and respect for one another, understanding the work that they are doing, showing courage in dealing with issues in the church, being people of high integrity, hardworking, truthful in all matters, disciplined, faithful, and being people of high moral uprightness.

As part of the two-day annual orientation which ends on September 15, 2021, the Chairman formally welcomed ministers who have been transferred into the region this year and further exposed them to the working environment in the region.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has called on ministers of the gospel and church leaders to be focused and always strive to organise an excellent and spirit-filled church services that will transform the lives of their members.

According to him, church is a serious business and that it is the church that has solutions to the world’s challenges.

“If we claim to be the light and salt of the world, then we must take the church seriously and organise church services in such a way that the members will always feel the presence of God,” he stated.

Apostle Nyamekye was speaking at the maiden orientation for Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC) ministers and wives, executive committee members and presiding elders at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa in the Central Region, on Friday September 10, 2021.

Speaking on the topic, “PIWC As A Worship Centre,” the Chairman thanked the resident pastors and their executives for taking the church to higher heights. He, however, said that there is more room for improvement, saying, “the PIWCs should be able to lead the possessing the nations’ agenda. You should be able to go out there and possess every sphere of society with kingdom values and principles. Let us challenge ourselves until we make a greater impact and possess the whole land.”

Explaining the PIWC concept, he pointed out that it was established in the church’s quest to build a kind of a church where people will feel free to worship God.

“We need to put a premium on the fact that it is a worship centre. People should come to the PIWCs to have an encounter with God. It is in the church that we show the way to God,” he said, adding, “Let us not only place a premium on appearance but the spiritual life of the church. We need to go deep. If we don’t go deep then we cannot go high, because we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of darkness.”

Quoting from 2 Corinthians 10:7; John 7:24, Micah 4:1-4, Genesis 12:1-3, Exodus 19:4-6, among several other scriptures, the Chairman said that the church is both organisation and an organism.

“As an organisation, the church needs good leaders who will position us strategically into the world and conspicuously place us at places where the church will be effective. But as an organism, we need leaders who can preserve the spiritual life of the church at all times,” he stressed.

Using Abraham and Israel as case studies to signify the essence of the church, Apostle Nyamekye said God intentionally called out the people of Israel through Abraham so that through him all people on earth will be blessed.

“We must catch this that people will be blessed through us. If we are the children of Abraham, then all people on the earth should be blessed through us,” he stated.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has said that, next to God and His word, wisdom is the principal thing required to manage the affairs of life and the world.

Apostle Nyamekye said this last Sunday at a thanksgiving service to climax the recently-held Cocoa Managers’ Conference of Olam-Ghana at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh.

Speaking on the topic: “Give Me Wisdom,” inspired by the story of King Solomon in 2 Chronicles 1:7-12,15, the Chairman explained that God was pleased with Solomon’s request for wisdom to govern his subjects rather than personal benefits such as wealth, riches, honour, the death of his enemies or for long life.

He observed that “even now when some Christians go to church, these are what they usually pray about – wealth, riches, honour, death of their enemies or long life – yet Solomon sought wisdom and in the end all the [afore-mentioned] came to him. It means that when one obtains wisdom, they would also gain all their heart’s desires.”

“So, wisdom is the highest in the rank of all mankind’s desires. It is the most important thing. Its benefits are most desirable. Nothing you desire can compare to it,” he further noted.

Reading from Proverbs 3:19, Proverbs 24:3, Proverbs 8:22-29 and Psalm 104:24, among other Bible references, Apostle Nyamekye further established that wisdom is the foundation upon which the world was built and is, therefore a requirement in any form or act of building in the world. 

“Wisdom is required in building relationships, vocations, businesses, and institutions etc. Unfortunately, people build on foundations like beauty, money, power, fame, anointing, which do not survive the test of time,” he remarked.

He said that although some people are naturally born as leaders, at some point in life, every individual in one way or the other becomes a leader and therefore ought to seek wisdom at all cost. 

The Chairman explained that wisdom is a combination of seven qualities – prudence, knowledge, discretion, counsel, sound judgment, understanding and power (Proverbs 9:1, 8:12-14) – and urged all and sundry to seek it from the Lord daily. According to him, it is only with it that they would make the most of the life they have received. However, without it, they would not effectively utilise or maximise the talents, gifts and anointing the Lord has granted them.

SOURCE: PENTECOST NEWS

A total of 92 newly trained ministers of The Church of Pentecost have been commissioned to begin their ministerial practice, after successfully going through a full year ministerial formation at the School of Theology, Missions and Leadership (STML) of the Pentecost University. 87 of the students are from Ghana, one each from Cameroon, Nigeria, and Madagascar, and two from Sierra Leone.

Speaking at the commissioning service at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, the Chairman of the Church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, who also doubles as the Chancellor of the University, congratulated the students for successfully going through the first phase of the training.

“You have been chosen at a time like this from among many of your contemporaries, to serve the Lord in full-time ministry. What a great privilege this is!

“I challenge you to work and live your life as true servants of the One who has called you and be diligent to serve His purpose both in the church and the world,” he stated.

He added: “You are being commissioned at a time when the world is looking for authentic Christianity. So, it is not many more ministers of the Gospel that the world desires; they are looking for authentic Christian leaders and ministers who will serve the purpose of God in the world; ministers who will be intentional in equipping their members and unleashing them to transform every sphere of society with the values and principles of the Kingdom of God.

“Brothers, the dynamics of the world is inducing many wrong ideas, atheistic agenda, and erroneous ministerial ethics, but a pure life centered on Christ Jesus is truly transformational and infectious. Let us, therefore, strive to become the catalyst that facilitates the agenda of God in our world as we possess the nations together.”

Commending the management and staff of Pentecost University for impacting the students for the field, the Chairman entreated Area Heads, whom the new ministers will work under, to continue with the training, especially their practical and spiritual development.

“I appeal to all Area Heads to show special interest in them while they are on the field. They should share with them their experiences; guide and nurture them to become good ministers of the Gospel. I will also appeal to them to be patient with these young men as they go about their ministry and be real spiritual fathers and mentors to them. If we all support them, they will escape the pitfalls of ministry and shine as co-workers in the common vineyard of our Lord,” he said.

According to the Chairman, Vision 2023 enjoins the church “to strive to become a church whose members go to possess or take the nations by influencing every worldview, thought and behaviour with the values and principles of the Kingdom of God, thereby turning many people to Christ.”

To effectively do this, he stressed the need for the church to thoroughly equip and strengthen its ministerial training, saying, “Since our pastors and elders are at the frontline of the ministry, the Vision 2023 agenda seeks to adequately prepare them to become ‘workers who do not need to be ashamed and who correctly handle the word of truth’ (2 Tim. 2:15).

“It is for this reason that the Vision has made provision to enroll all our current ministers-in-training to our BA Theology programme and to also run certificate and diploma courses in Christian Ministry for our elders. These trainings will enhance the work of our ministers and elders and equip them to do more for the Lord.

In his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Apostle Prof. Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, charged the new ministers to contribute their quota to possess the nations for Christ.

He indicated that the commissioning ceremony was not a completion of their training, thus not a graduation ceremony since they are all enrolled in the four-year BA Theology programme and they would be back to complete other sessions before their final graduation in 2025.

“You have worked hard in your preliminary training at our School of Theology, Mission and Leadership. Besides the core theological education we have provided you, as part of your ministerial formation, we have had moments of waiting on God together, praying and fasting to receive clarity in the purpose of God for your lives. We have also explored your contributions to the realisation of the Possessing the Nations agenda.

“We are confident that these spiritual exercises will not go waste, instead as you get revealed through today’s commissioning, you will indeed become heaven’s gift to humankind; ministers with high spiritual receptivity; those who impersonate the Gospel; throw themselves to the salvation of many; those broken by God in their closest and ministers who do not only teach or talk about prayer but their congregation is prayerful because the congregation has encountered a minister who prays,” he charged them.

The Kasoa Area Head of the church, Apostle Ekow Badu Wood, in a sermon on the topic, “The Selfless Minister” based on Genesis 3:6, Luke 9:23, among other scriptures, said that ministry is service to God, mankind, and denial of self, saying, “If you combine these three your story will be nice.”

The ceremony which was attended by the Chairman of the University Council, Pastor Prof. Williams Otoo Ellis, and the immediate past Chairman of the Church, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah, also attracted some members of the Executive Council, Ministry Directors, and senior members of the University community.

PENTECOST NEWS.