Posts in category: Moving With Chairman

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, challenged Christian men to rise above mediocrity and strive to leave a lasting impact on their generation.

The Chairman issued this clarion call when he delivered a powerful sermon at the closing session of the 5th Bezalel Conference of the Pentecost Men’s Ministry (PEMEM) held at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC).

Speaking on the topic: “The Making of Fathers – Living for Others,” while referring to a quote from Pastor Sunday Adelaja, Apostle Nyamekye stressed that: “A person is remembered for the number of lives he had touched or his contributions to the world that he lived in, not what he made in life.”

He urged Christians, particularly Christian men, to consider how they wanted to be remembered after this generation passed and emphasised the significance of going the extra mile and living for others.

Apostle Nyamekye further noted that individuals who go above and beyond are the ones who leave a lasting legacy and are forever remembered by future generations.

The Chairman referenced historical figures who had selflessly impacted the world to exemplify the power of living for others. One notable example he mentioned was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist preacher and civil rights advocate who sacrificed his life to pursue racial justice.

According to him, despite his tragic assassination, Dr King’s heroism continues to inspire people around the globe.

Apostle Nyamekye further noted that true living is living for others, as demonstrated by Mother Teresa’s work among the destitute.

“Mother Theresa said that: At the end of life, they would not be judged by their diplomas, wealth, or personal achievements but by the number of lives they touched,” he said.

Apostle Nyamekye, therefore, challenged Christian men to live in such a way that others would be blessed in their name, akin to the blessings associated with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Chairman also urged them to strive for nobility so that future generations would call them noble and mourn their departure, just as the community mourned the loss of Moses.

Quoting Hebrews 11:23-26, Apostle Nyamekye highlighted Moses’ sacrifices for the liberation of the Israelites, underscoring the significance of rising to authority or promising to build up others rather than seek self-aggrandisement.

He said that to be remembered as noble fathers, husbands, pastors, teachers, chiefs, leaders, and more, they need to critically examine the causes they live for, whether they are self-centred or geared towards benefiting others.

Apostle Nyamekye stressed the importance of being channels through whom God’s grace flows, making sacrifices, and going the extra mile for others.

He drew examples from the lives of Mordecai, Nehemiah, and Job, who loved others, demonstrated humility, cared for the vulnerable, and were influencers in their communities.

Referencing Daniel 5:11ff, the Chairman encouraged attendees to move away from mediocrity and strive for spiritual and intellectual excellence.

He urged them to be men and women of intellectual power, capable of solving difficult (complex) problems.

“To possess the nations, we need men and women who are strong in spirit and are great influencers in society,” he said.

The sermon concluded with a reminder that Christian men should store treasures in heaven, live to serve others and always strive to improve what is entrusted to them.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has called on church leaders to deliberately return to the biblical foundation Christ laid to build his church.

Speaking at the Supernatural Empowerment Summit (SES) hosted by Archbishop Charles Agyin Asare, the General Overseer of Perez Chapel, on Thursday, May 25, 2023, at the Perez Dome at Dzorwulu in Accra, on the topic: “What Must We Do To Do The Works God Requires” (John 6:27), Apostle Nyamekye explained that the profound gift Jesus bestowed upon his followers was not the physical bread but rather the promise of eternal life that God offered.

He highlighted the contrast between the Jews, who lacked the patience to believe and seek revelational knowledge from God, and the Apostles, who embraced the teachings of Christ.

According to Apostle Nyamekye, who doubles as the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, the crucial mission of the Great Commission is to make disciples, proclaim the Word of God, convert souls, baptise them, and instruct them to spread the gospel to others.

“Unfortunately, many people today are drawn to Jesus solely for worldly benefits such as marriages, wealth, and material provisions, disregarding the significance of eternal life,”

Apostle Nyamekye stated, emphasising the need to shift focus from temporary benefits to the ultimate reward of eternal life that Jesus offers.

Citing Ephesians 4:17-21, he noted that the world has become desensitised to spirituality, indulging in impurity and greed. He underscored that believers in Jesus Christ are called to perform good works and works of God, while the work assigned to unbelievers is to believe in Jesus and experience his power for salvation.

He admonished against prioritising the benefits of the gospel over the essence of the gospel itself, urging church leaders to build strong churches rooted in faith rather than fear.

He reemphasised that the greatest manifestation of God’s work in believers is transforming individuals into saints, freed from the bondage of unrighteousness.

Apostle Nyamekye reminded church leaders of their responsibility to be witnesses of Jesus, defending his name as the Saviour of the world.

He encouraged the church to demonstrate through transformed lives that Jesus is indeed the Lord and Saviour, as it aligns with God’s eternal purpose for the church.

The President of GPCC urged church leaders and believers to consciously realign themselves with the biblical principles laid by Christ in order to build strong churches that truly reflect his teachings.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Church of Pentecost has re-elected Apostle Eric Nyamekye to serve as its Chairman for the next five years. This historic event took place during the Church’s 46th General Council Meetings on Thursday, May 4, 2023, where Apostle Nyamekye secured an overwhelming majority of the votes, winning1,255 ‘YES’ votes out of the 1,262 total votes cast, representing 99.45%.

Apostle Nyamekye assumed office as the 6th Chairman of the Church in 2018, securing 98% of the total votes cast and immediately set in motion a five-year strategic vision, titled “Vision 2023,” with the overarching theme of “Possessing the Nations.” The Vision 2023 has led to the expansion of the Church’s ministry scope, with the introduction of new ministry interventions such as the Home and Urban Missions (HUM), Ministry to Persons with Disabilities (MPWDs), Chieftaincy Ministry, Chaplaincy Ministry, School Outreach Ministry (SOM), PENSA International, and Pentecost Workers Guild (PeWG), among others.

Through these ministry interventions, many unreached persons and marginalized groups such as commercial sex workers, street dwellers, drug addicts, African migrants, expatriates, Fulanis, and Kotokolis among others, have been brought to the saving knowledge of Christ and reformed.

Under the sterling leadership of Apostle Nyamekye, The Church of Pentecost has made giant strides in ministry as well as on the national and global fronts. The Church’s membership has grown by 29.1%, from 3,257,699 to 4,203,077 worldwide, and it has won 1,151,723 souls for Christ, out of which 782,578 have been baptized in water from 2019 to 2022.

Within the same period of his administration, The Church of Pentecost has constructed 57 water facilities and spent GHS 23,313,518.93 on educational support and GHS 8,132,040.65 on health support to members.

Apostle Nyamekye’s administration has also initiated various social development projects in deprived communities and institutions across the country, including the construction of reformation centers for the Ghana Prisons Service, where the Church has completed and handed over two out of the five facilities to the Service, while the three others are at various stages of construction.

Overall, Apostle Nyamekye’s first term has been remarkable, and his re-election as Chairman of The Church of Pentecost inspires optimism for what the Lord has in store for His church in the next five years.

The Church was also presented with a national award by the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for its instrumental role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the Church played a crucial role in evacuating some stranded citizens in Ukraine to Ghana following the Ukraine-Russian war.

Profile of Apostle Eric Nyamekye

Apostle Eric Nyamekye was called into ministry in 1991 and has since served in many stations, including South Africa, where he was a missionary. Before his election to the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, he served as a member of the church’s Executive Council for five (5) years. He also worked with the church’s Youth Ministry, where he served as a member of the National Executive Committee and later as a Patron.

He holds a Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Institute of Commercial Management – UK, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Applied Theology from the University of Manchester, UK, and a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies from the University of Ghana, Legon. Apostle Nyamekye is married to Mary and is blessed with six children.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has emphasised the importance of the church’s ministries in spreading the gospel.

He encouraged the ministries to maximise their efforts in promoting church growth, planting, and the development of church resources, particularly its members.

Apostle Nyamekye said this on May 3, 2023, during his State-of-the-Church address at the opening ceremony of the 46th Session of the General Council Meetings held at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC) in Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa.

The traditional ministries he mentioned are Pentecost Men’s Ministry (PEMEM), Women’s Ministry, Evangelism Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Children’s Ministry.

Additional ministries and units that contributed to the impact of the “Possessing the Nations” agenda were the Counselling Ministry, Home and Urban Ministry (HUM), Ministry to Persons with Disabilities (MPWDs), Chaplaincy Ministry, Chieftaincy Ministry, and Prisons Ministry.

Regarding the Children’s Ministry, Apostle Nyamekye noted that 46,743 children were baptised in the Holy Spirit, and 101,449 were dedicated during the period.

On the Youth Ministry, Apostle Nyamekye pointed out that it continued to work hard to ground young people in Christ and encourage them to spread the gospel. He mentioned that the Youth Ministry won 76,401 souls for the Lord through their 85,431 evangelism outreaches, baptised 67,372 converts, and recorded Holy Ghost baptisms of 62,296.

He also lauded the Youth Ministry for sponsoring seven (7) young people’s tertiary education at the cost of GH¢36,558.00.

Regarding the Women’s Ministry, the Chairman commended the ministry for their donations, including GH¢ 48,080.00 to the newly built Nsawam Prison Camp (Inmates Skills Acquisition and Reformation Centre) and the gift of 91 pieces of cloth to wives of retired ministers in five regions at the cost of GH¢ 15,470.00.

The Chairman also mentioned that the Pentecost Men’s Ministry (PEMEM) won 10,282 souls for the Lord and contributed to open three assemblies. These were Mallam Market in Dansoman Area, Chokosis and HUM Assemblies in Yendi Area, and Donya Assembly in Wa Area.

He commended the PEMEM Director, Apostle Vincent Anane Denteh, for introducing farm projects and agribusiness at the Area level.

He further revealed that the Evangelism Ministry recorded 300,154 souls, of which 160,686 were baptised in the Holy Spirit, and opened 590 assemblies.

He added: “The Evangelism Ministry vigorously embarked on various evangelism strategies nationwide, including monthly evangelism classes, crusades, rallies, Gospel Sundays, house-to-house, event outreaches, specialised ministries (Muslims, sports, Rastafarians, hospitals, persons with disabilities, commercial sex workers, and prisons), social interventions and other outreaches.”

He, therefore, charged all the ministries to push higher in reaching all unreached areas with the gospel of Christ while transforming societies and worldviews.

PENTECOST NEWS

Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of The Church of Pentecost and President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), has urged church leaders to prioritise the youth and children in church activities and leadership development.

He made the call during his State-of-the-Church address on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at the 46th Session of the General Council Meetings underway at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa in the Central Region of Ghana.

According to Apostle Nyamekye, as of December 2022, children and youth represented 75.3% of The Church of Pentecost’s total membership.

He emphasised the importance of involving young people in planning church activities and programmes at all levels and providing them with the necessary training and mentorship to take up leadership roles, as they are the Church’s future leaders.

Apostle Nyamekye charged the clergy to preach the unadulterated word of God, instilling sound principles and ethics in the hearts and minds of young people to prevent them from being deceived by the world’s deceptions.

“Our youth and children are the inheritance we leave behind for the next generation. Therefore, make every effort to teach them the right doctrines,” he said.

The Chairman emphasised the Church’s commitment to the youth and children and its desire to provide them with the necessary spiritual foundation to thrive.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has revealed that 4,277 churches were planted globally between 2018 and 2022, bringing the number of local churches of the Church to 25,694 worldwide.

Delivering the State-of-the-Church Address at the 46th General Council Meeting of The Church of Pentecost at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region, Apostle Nyamekye, who doubles as the President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, established that the five-year vision of the Church under the overarching theme: “Possessing the Nations with Kingdom Values and Principles” would expire this year.

He indicated that an ongoing end-of-term evaluation exercise of the vision had revealed some significant successes chalked over the period.

Sharing highlights of the evaluation, Apostle Nyamekye pointed out that the phenomenal growth in the number of churches was characterised by increased growth in church membership from 3,257,699 to 4,203,077. “In absolute terms, this represents an increase in overall membership of 945,378,” he stated.

The number of souls won, and churches planted have increased the presence of the Church worldwide and made the ‘possessing of the nations’ agenda or vision achievable.

He also touched on other success stories such as coverts baptised in water and the Holy Spirit. Stressing the need to enhance the work of church planting, the Chairman noted that other ministries, such as Home and Urban Ministry, Ministry to Persons with Disabilities, and Schools Outreach Ministry, had made significant inputs to bring the Church to this remarkable growth record and pleaded that all members should get committed to efforts at Church planting and evangelising the lost.

PENTECOST NEWS

In 2022, The Church of Pentecost, through its various Districts, Areas and Ministries in Ghana, together with the Headquarters, spent GHS 10,686,084.76 to sponsor the educational pursuits of members of the Church at various levels.

This figure included GHS 863,443.64 spent under the Headquarters’ sponsored’ Pentecost Education Scholarship Scheme’ (PESS) for other tertiary students,” Apostle Eric Nyamekye, the Chairman of the Church, has revealed.

Apostle Nyamekye disclosed this during the 2022 State-of-the-Church Address (SOCA22) he delivered at the 46th General Council Meetings opening ceremony on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

“It is interesting to note that for the past four years, since the inception of the Vision 2023 agenda, a total amount of GHS1,625,417.02 has so far been spent by the Headquarters on educational support under the Pentecost Education Scholarship Scheme,” he said.

Apostle Nyamekye further noted: “For the past four years, educational support from various Assemblies, Districts, Areas, and Ministries in Ghana amounted to GHS 23,313,518.93.”

The Chairman stated that through the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), the social services arm of the Church, in consultation with the various Areas of the Church, 107 educational institutions had been established in Ghana comprising 103 basic schools, two (2) senior high schools, and two (2) vocational training institutes.

He further stated that the total enrolment in these schools was 35,486 students (Boys: 16,924 and Girls:18,544), with 2,184 staff (both teaching and administrative) gainfully employed to assist in operating and managing the schools.

The Chairman’s State-of-the-Church address provides a report on the achievements under the various intervention areas of the Church’s Vision 2023 agenda of “Possessing the Nations,” as well as all significant developments that took place in a particular reporting year.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Church of Pentecost, one of the fastest-growing Pentecostal churches in the world, has announced that it now has more than 4.2 million members worldwide.

Membership in Ghana as of the end of December 2022 stood at 3,597,955, representing 85% of the Church’s membership, while the remaining 605,122 members, representing 15%, are in the external branches.

The Church’s membership in Ghana constituted 10.7% of Ghana’s estimated total population of 33,475,870 in 2022.

The Chairman of the Church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, who revealed this, stressed that as of December 2022, the Church had a presence in 151 nations, including Ghana, representing a 7.7% increase from the previous year.

Apostle Nyamekye announced this during the State-of-the-Church Address, delivered at the 46th Session of the General Council Meetings of the Church at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

The Chairman also reported growth in the Church’s youth and children demographics. The Church dedicated 120,047 children worldwide, and 290,548 members received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This number includes 152,348 new converts, representing 63.0% of baptized in water.

Apostle Nyamekye commended the entire members for their individual and collective roles in ensuring the strategic vision’s success (Vision 2023: Possessing the Nations).

He also praised God for His presence and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the affairs of the Church.

PENTECOST NEWS

“We need to strive for maturity to avoid repeating the ancient things that worried the early fathers and leaders of the Church,” Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, has stated.

Speaking at the Heads’ Session of the 46th General Council Meetings of The Church of Pentecost, on Monday, May 1, 2023, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, on the topic: “Striving For Maturity,” (Isaiah 63:9-14), Apostle Nyamekye said that God identified with His people’s suffering, redeemed them, and lifted them from all their miseries.

He stated: “God gave His people rest after He brought them from the Promised Land, and He led them through the moments of difficulties.”

On the forthcoming elections and Executive Council decisions in the Church, the Chairman disclosed that the election of key leaders everywhere has always been characterised by tension, uncertainty, anxiety, and fear, saying, “Don’t vote because of elections, do so because the candidate is a Man of God.”

He explained that tensions are often propelled by the quest for power, the want of family relatives to get into positions, and friends inciting against people chosen when it does not favour them.

“These reasons raise tensions that sometimes lead to undesirable outcomes. Elections always breed tensions which, when not handled well, would not end well,” he cautioned.

In the church, he pointed out that elections are the choice of God for individuals as for a particular work or favour or salvation, stressing, “When it comes to elections, God chooses for Himself.”

Apostle Nyamekye, who is also the President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, assured the clergy that God is bigger than the Church, and He will never disappoint it. Therefore, they must rest in the Spirit of God.

Reflecting on Luke 9:46 and Luke 22:17, he noted that the disciples showed signs of maturity in their works, however, when it came to the election of a replacement for Judas, there was tension among them.

Apostle Nyamekye urged the church leaders to seek the power of the Holy Spirit to control the flesh in every decision they made, which according to him, is the cause of the manifestations and tensions during seasons like this.

“When people are righteous, they handle difficult moments beautifully,” he said, adding that the secret of a servant of God’s life is that he stays in tune with God all the time.

Concluding, the Chairman urged councillors to be led by the Spirit of God and not the flesh when making decisions on the election of leaders.

The 46th Session of the General Council Meetings will involve the election of the Chairman, General Secretary, and four Executive Council Members and reviews, transfers, and appointments into various roles in The Church of Pentecost.

PENTECOST NEWS