Posts in category: Moving With Gs

The Wycliffe Associates, a Christian organization with the vision of making the Bible available in every language and to accelerate Bible translation around the world by empowering national translators and equipping the local church to translate God’s work into every language, has paid a courtesy call on the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, at the church’s General Headquarters in La, Accra, on Thursday, November 3, 2022.

The team was led by Apostle Samuel Kojo Gakpetor, Co-ordinator for the National Discipleship and Leadership Development Committee (NDLDC) who doubles as the Agormanya Area Head of the church, and some National Executive Committee (NEC) Members of the NDLDC.

The purpose of the visit was to familiarize themselves with the headquarters of the church and to show appreciation to the Chairman for the church’s collaboration with their institution for the just ended Oral Bible Translation Workshop which took place from October 31 to November 2, 2022 at Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa Ghana.

The leader of the Wycliffe Associates team, Rev. Melchizedek Eleazar Atienza (GCBT-STRIKE Manager), indicated that the partnership between his organization and The Church of Pentecost with respect to ministry to the oral peoples is the most recent of these strategies.

 “It is in view of this partnership that we organized the 3-day workshop that aims to provide methodology, strategy and technology for Oral Bible Translation, and in so doing, produce first Oral Scriptures in 10 languages,” he affirmed.

Speaking on what was accomplished in the 3-day training workshop, he revealed that a total of 60 Oral Bible Translations (OBTs) in 10 languages were completed and as a result, for the very first time, people can now hear God’s word in Andrendaa (Ahanta), Chakalli, Challa, Dagaare, Jelgoore (Fulfulde), Komba, Kotokoli, Nabt, Talen and Mampruli languages.

“We believe that what we have accomplished today is just the beginning; greater things are yet to come with more Scripture portions to be translated which will enable many language groups to hear God speak to them in their heart languages,” he stated.

Apostle Eric Nyamekye, on his part, revealed that the Vision 2023 of The Church of Pentecost stresses the need to possess the nations for Christ by equipping the Church to transform every sphere of society with kingdom values and principles. He added that as part of the interventions to achieve this, the NDLDC started to produce audio versions of all discipleship manuals in the local languages for oral people groups and members who expressed interest in them.

“What the Wycliffe Associates have brought on board, that is equipping our facilitators in training (FITs) and Heart Language Translators (HLTs) to produce oral Bibles to Bibleless groups through Oral Bible Translations is a great initiative which is in line with the Possessing the Nations Agenda,” Apostle Nyamekye said.

The Chairman expressed his appreciation to the Wycliffe Associates for the huge investment made in the project. He, on behalf of the church, presented traditional smock to the Wycliffe Associates team.

In attendance was the General Secretary of the Church, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, Pastor Benedict Eghan (Personal Assistant to the Chairman), Apostle J.B.K. Tawiah (NDLDC NEC Member and Kwadaso Area Head), Bishop Dr. Jose Abraham (Global Training Initiative Manager), Mr. Mark Foster (Global Training Initiative Director), Pastor Raymond Andaya (Translation Project Manager) and Mr. Alejandro Lactaw (IT Service Director).

Report by Pastor Ernest Perbi-Asare, Oral Bible Translation Project Coordinator.

The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), the largest ecumenical body in the country, has inducted into office, Rt. Reverend Dr. Gordon Kisseih, Founder and General Overseer of Life International Church (formerly Miracle Life Gospel Church), as its 1^st Vice President.

An induction service, which was officiated by the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, who doubles as the 2^nd Vice President of the GPCC, was held last Saturday at the Life International Church, City of Favour Auditorium, at Achimota.

Various heads of churches who are members of the Council, the National Executive Committee of GPCC, clergy, and members of Life International Church graced the occasion.

Profile

Rev. Dr. Gordon Kisseih responded to the call to enter full-time ministry in 1987. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) from the KNUST, Kumasi, and a Master of Education (MA) from Oral Roberts University, Tulsa Oklahoma (USA), where he is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. He has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity in Pastoral Theology from Benson Idahosa University, Nigeria. Prior to coming into ministry, he worked with the then Ghanaian Italian Petroleum Company (GHAIP), now Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).

He is married to Rev. Mrs. Esther Kisseih, co-founder of Life International Church, and together they are blessed with two children. He is a man of integrity, true humility, prayerful, and dedicated to training the next generation of transformational leaders. As part of his impact on society, Rev. Dr. Kisseih is the President of Life International Schools, that is a Senior High School (Life International College), a Foundation School (from Creche to Junior High), and Life Bible College.

Sermon

Apostle Eric Nyamekye, delivering the sermon on the topic, “Understanding the Church,” stated that “the church’s foundation is one and the church is one. No one denomination has the truth. The truth is in Christ, who is the truth; what we hold are truths about the Truth.

He disclosed that the main thing that Apostle Paul had to contend with was the issue of circumcision, that is whether the Gentiles turning to Christ should be circumcised or not. He noted that the Pharisees found it a big issue because it gave them an identity in Christ.

He, however, said that the mystery of Christ was made known to him which changed his perception while quoting Ephesians 3:6.

He stated: “Denominations may be good but they should not be blocs that divide us. I believe that no one denomination is exclusive of a particular channel of God’s grace. The things are equally distributed among all denominations, and the degree to which God uses a fellow is determined not by the denomination in which he or she is located, but by the depth of his surrender to God, regardless of where he or she worships.”

He urged Christians to stay in unity and entreated them to make the church a strong organisation that focuses on eternal life.

Inductee Response

In his response, Rev. Dr. Kisseih expressed his utmost gratitude to God and the leadership of the Council for entrusting him with this higher calling. He thanked the various leaders of denominations who graced the occasion to support him.

He charged the clergy to be involved in national issues since the church is the solution for all the crises being faced by the world.

Present at the service was His Lordship Justice Eric Kyei Barffour, an Appeal Court Judge who represented the former Chief Justice of Ghana, Her Ladyship Justice Georgina Theodora Woode (Rtd).

Also present was Apostle Ekow Badu-Woode (retired), a former General Secretary of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council and former Kasoa Area Head of The Church of Pentecost.

PENTECOST NEWS

“The Church of Pentecost, by what it has done here [at Nsawam], has demonstrated exceptional leadership in its desire to maintain and grow a partnership with the state to address the problems of our nation.”

These were the words of the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo when commissioning the Nsawam Reformation Prison Centre, at Ahodwo in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality last Saturday.

According to the President, the gesture by the church was “a very important example of the collaboration that the state seeks in this country, between government and several stakeholders that is, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations and independent institutions in our nation.”

In his address, President Akufo-Addo recalled the collaboration between the church and the state during the COVID-19 era, where the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), a state-of-the-art facility of The Church of Pentecost, was made available to the government as a quarantine centre for Covid patients, coupled with the distribution of food items by the church to the needy in various parts of the country.

He commended The Church of Pentecost for this exceptional initiative that helped save and solved the situation during that period.

“It shows the commitment of this church towards contributing to resolving the socio-economic problems of our nation,” he stated.

The President further iterated that the church’s prisons interventions are initiatives that will help develop the skills and talents of inmates of the country’s prisons, and provide educational opportunities for them, saying, “We know that today, the prison is not just a place of correction and punishment but it is meant to be a place of rehabilitation and reformation.”

He also stressed that congestion in prisons is one of the major burdens of prison administrations all over the world. He, therefore, said that to have a church put this as its priority to decongest and ease the accommodation of the prison is a major service to the nation.

The President of Ghana, however, hinted that the expansion of the Nsawam Medium Security Remand Prison by his administration was about 70 percent complete, and would be operational by the end of the year.

He called on various stakeholders and private agencies that have interest in the industrialisation of agriculture in the country to support the Ghana Prisons Service’s agriculture project.

PENTECOST NEWS

As per the white paper of The Church of Pentecost during the 17thExtraordinary Council Meetings in May this year, 22 members of boards and committees in the church were reviewed after serving meritoriously over a period of years.

A short appreciation ceremony was held yesterday [Tuesday, October 18, 2022] at the Church’s General Headquarters, at La, in Accra to honour and appreciate their long service in the church.

In a brief address, the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye on behalf of the Executive Council expressed his profound appreciation to the past members of the various boards and committees and acknowledged their tremendous efforts and contributions made in the success of the church.

 “Life is full of changing scenes and so far as the earth is concerned, generations will come for generational leaders to be changed. It is all in the interest of the work,” Apostle Nyamekye said.

According to the Chairman, after much prayer and deliberations are done, a section of leaders is considered to fill in various places in the church where they support the overall vision of the leadership.

However, he noted that since those chosen are lay ministers and a few ministers, much burden is laid on them. Therefore, reviews become necessary to allow others continue or end, granting the opportunity for others to help too.

Reading from 1 Chronicles 9:9-10, Apostle Nyamekye revealed that King David did not succeed in his reign over Israel not only because God was with him but the chiefs of his mighty warriors together with the whole of Israel gave his kingship strong support to extent it over the whole land as the Lord promised.

“We want to say that The Church of Pentecost is so much spread across the whole world today. We are being talked about positively because behind the leaders, you gave us strong support,” he said, stating, “A lot of people think we just pray but they do not know the number of meetings and the support systems that we have at each stage of administration.”

Apostle Nyamekye then indicated that members who hold positions in the church or serve in various capacities are not reviewed and changed because they do not perform well, but rather to allow others to come on board to help.

The General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi on behalf of the Chairman presented them with plaques and tokens to appreciate their servitude to the church.

Among those reviewed were the Pentecost Hospital Board (Apostle Lawrence Otu-Nyarko who served for 2 years); Music Committee (Elder Dr Emmanuel Kwasi Mireku who served 26 years and Mrs. Margaret Darko Ankomah who served for 8 years); Pentecost Convention Centre (Prophet James Osei Amoaniampong Rtd. who served for 9 years, Pastor Ben Akuetteh Noye who served for 2 years, Elder Joseph Kofi Amankwah, who served for 3 years, and Deaconess Angela Peasah, who served for 9 years); National Discipleship & Leadership Development Committee (Apostle Vincent Anane Denteh, who served for 4 years, and Apostle William Boakye Agyarko, who served for 4 years).

Others are Pension Board (Apostle David Tettey Tekper, who served for 8 years and Elder Samuel Antwi, who served for 8 years); Ministerial Committee (Prophet James Osei Amaniampong Rtd., who served for 5 years and Prophet Ebenezer Kofi Appiah, who served for 5 years); and Finance Board (Apostle Samuel Gyau Obuobi, who served for 8 years and Elder Elisha Asiedu Amponsah, who served for 18 years).

The rest, are PENSA International Coordinating Committee (Pastor Franklin Kumi Lartey, who served for 3 years, Pastor Daniel Nana Sei Mensah, who served for 3 years, Elder Stepheny Finjap Wanji, who served for 3 years, Dr Olugbenga Samson Onile, who served for 3 years, Elder Dr. Kloutse Kodjo Biava, who served for 3 years, and Elder Dr. Emmanuel Duah, who served for 3 years.), and Youth Ministry-NEC (Pastor Godwin Ako-Addo, who served for 4 years and Pastor Ebenezer Agyapong, who served for 2 years).

Giving a response on behalf of the awardees, Apostle David Tettey Tekper, the Achimota Area Head stated that, “We are grateful that it pleased the Lord to lay His hands on us to serve in various capacities in building the Kingdom. All that we did was to the service of the Lord and we are grateful to the Executive Council.”

The Executive Council Member lauded the leadership of the church led by the Chairman for their thoughtfulness in acknowledging their support to the structures, and assured of their readiness to respond to the call of service anytime.

Present was the International Missions Director (IMD), Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, and some Heads of Department at the General Headquarters.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost and 2^nd Vice Chairman of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Apostle Eric Nyamekye, yesterday joined a delegation of church leaders in Ghana on a fact-finding tour to some illegal mining (Galamsey) sites in the country.

The tour was meant to observe at firsthand the level of devastation perpetrated by the galamsey operators.

Among the church delegation was Bishop Dr Paul Boafo (Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana and immediate-past Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana), and Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong Manso (President, GPCC).

The others were Rev. Cyril Fayose (General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana), Apostle A.N.Y. Kumi-Larbi (General Secretary, The Church of Pentecost), Apostle Eric Kingsley Darko (Vice President, Council for Independent Churches) and Apostle Samuel Antwi (Executive Council Member of The Church of Pentecost and Former GPCC General Secretary).

The delegation also included ministers from The Church of Pentecost, Apostolic Church- Ghana and the Deeper Life Bible Church.

“The Beauty of Nature”

As part of the tour, the team made a quick stop at Boadua to pay a courtesy call on Osabarima Oware Asare Pronko III, the Chief of Apinamang, one of the towns in the Eastern Region of Ghana adversely affected by the activities of illegal mining.

Nana Asare Pronko, a passionate environmentalist, and his elders received the team at his eco-tourism resort and wildlife reserve, which he had deliberately (albeit ironical) named “The Beauty of Nature.”

The chief admitted that illegal mining is prevalent in his community and lamented about how the non-scientific approach of the miners is destroying vegetation and waterbodies.

“They do not even fill the mining pits after they are done, and this makes it difficult to reclaim the land for productive use. I have done everything but to no avail. I am now helpless!” he said.

The chief commended the religious leaders for undertaking a good initiative to help in the fight against galamsey and advised them not to allow anyone to discourage or intimidate them. He also pledged his support towards fighting the environmental menace.

“Why should we allow this (illegal mining) to go on? If other chiefs are part of it then not me – I refuse to be part of this!” he said.

Nana Pronko also gave the team a tour around his ecotourism park and touted his personal efforts in preserving the environment for posterity.

Apinamang Galamsey Site

At Apinamang, the delegation visited an active illegal mining site where they were met with abandoned pits, muddy water (polluted) and destroyed cocoa farm lands. The sorry state of the land and sheer level of devastation ignited deep emotions from the team who soon began to sing patriotic songs.

Addressing the press, Bishop Dr. Paul Boafo reminded Christians in Ghana about the duty they have to take care of God’s creation and ensure that people living on the earth prosper.

He called on all stakeholders (chiefs, government, church, institution etc.) to come on board in order to seek a non-partisan and lasting solution to the galamsey endemic.

“This is a collective fight, and all Ghanaians should come on board and let’s fight galamsey. We need to adopt a non-partisan approach in dealing with this problem, just as we did with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rev. Paul Frimpong, on his part, called on all responsible governmental agencies to rise and act in order to save the dire situation.

“My heart is burning. This is an absolute disaster and disgrace to the country. We must not entertain any political party that supports galamsey,” he said.

Father Dieudonne Davor, who represented the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, at the tour, said that the alarming rate of the destruction calls for an urgent action, and therefore, reiterated that government must not relent in its effort to clamp down on the activities of illegal miners.

Dr. George Manful, an environmentalist, retired diplomat and Environmental advisor to the Assemblies of God Church, expressed disbelief at the unimaginable proportions of destruction caused by the activities of illegal miners, describing it as “environmental rape.”

“I have followed the issue of galamsey for quite a long time. Formerly, the perpetuators used to mine with pickaxes, now they are using excavators! This tells how much the practice has escalated,” he said.

“A Complex Problem”

Apostle Eric Nyamekye bemoaned the lack of political will in the fight against the galamsey threat.

“We have all the environmental laws on paper, what we lack is the will to enforce them. Leaders must lead, they must enforce laws otherwise human beings, by their nature, will always go way ward,” he stated.

He said that the complex nature of the issue calls for a multifaceted approach in coming up with an effective intervention to address illegal mining in the country.

He, however, stated that “Galamsey is a human problem so human beings can solve it. We should not leave to the politicians; all stakeholders must come together to fix it.

Mother of five loses her land

The delegation ended their tour at the house of 45-year-old Joyce Worwonyo. Joyce, a member of the Miremire Assembly of the Apinamang District of The Church of Pentecost is a victim of galamsey operation.

The mother of five is being ejected from her house after the landowner sold it to galamseyers.

According to her, the miners, who have warned her severally to evacuate the land, have destroyed her cocoa farm in just four months after beginning their operations. The activities of the miners had left a huge pit close to her house, thus endangering the lives of her relatives.

Petitioning the President

In a letter issued last Monday by Dr. Cyril Fayose, the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), the Christian ecumenical bodies expressed their intent to petition the government to swiftly intervene to end the destruction of all the country’s forest reserves and water bodies by the activities of illegal mining.

Ahead of the petitioning, the Christian leaders would address a press conference at the Assemblies of God Church Head Office at Osu in Accra, to remind Ghanaians of their mandate to keep the environment and be responsible stewards of same (Genesis 2:15).

The Galamsey Menace

Galamsey has become a topical issue in Ghana in recent months following a resurgence in news reports on its continued negative impact on the environment, particularly the country’s water bodies.

The Ghana Water Company Limited has said that continuous destruction of water bodies through illegal mining is increasing the cost of water due to the rising cost of aluminum sulphate used for the treatment.

PENTECOST NEWS

A Trustee of The Church of Pentecost, Elder Emmanuel Anane Boate, has noted that fear serves the agenda of the devil, making believers doubt the Word of God.

He made this assumption on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, at the Pentecost Convention, Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa, during a devotion with participants of the 2022 Retirement Seminar being organised by The Church of Pentecost Pension Board.

The event, which is being attended by ministers and their wives who have up to 10 years (2023-2032) to retire from active service, is under the theme: “Possessing the Nations: Serving the Saints” (Heb. 6:10).

According to Elder Boate, many events in life have put men to fear. These include national issues, territorial issues, and personal issues.

Speaking on the topic, “Fear Not,” he explained that in the scriptures anytime God wanted to do something new in people’s lives, He begins with the phrase ‘Fear not’ (Isaiah 35:3-4).

Elder Emmanuel Boate defined fear as ‘an unpleasant feeling or emotion that is triggered by a perception of danger; whether it is real or perceived.

“The origin of fear is from the Garden of Eden. That was the first time the Bible mentioned fear, according to Genesis 3:9-10,” he revealed.

Elder Boate noted that before God can work on a person’s life, He has to first assure the person not to fear (Gen. 15:1; 26:23-24, Matt. 1:20-21, Luke 1:12-13). He stressed that fear can be natural or can be something that will not bring glory to God.

“God cannot work with us when we are bathed with fear. Before He works in our life, He has to first drive away fear,” he said, adding, “Fear serves the agenda of the devil. It makes us doubt the Word of God.”

He cited some forms of fear recorded in the Bible as the fear of man (Matt. 25:25), fear of failure (Num. 14), fear of death (Heb. 2:15), fear of Satan, demons, witchcraft, fetish (Mark 6:47-51), fear of illness, fear of the unknown and the fear of darkness.

Describing the dangers of fear, Elder Boate noted that faith compelled Peter to walk on water, but fear sank him, according to Matthew 14:31.

He, however, explained that the cure for fear is a closer walk with Jesus Christ (Acts 4:13), the Spirit of God (2 Tim. 1:7), and dwelling in the shelter of the Almighty God (Psalm 91).

“As we labour towards our retirement, challenges may come our way, perceived or real. But remember that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, fear not, let us with confidence say, ‘even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil’ for God will lift you out of the challenges of retirement,’” he concluded.

Speakers for the event include Apostle Eric Nyamekye (Chairman, CoP), Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi (General Secretary, CoP), Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe (IMD, CoP), Apostle John Appiah Aidoo (Chairman, Pension Board), Apostle Lawrence Otu-Nyarko (Finance & Administration Director, CoP HQ), Apostle Philip Osei Korsah (Director, Counselling Ministry, CoP), Apostle Dr. Ing. Joseph Teye I. Buertey (PIWC Asokwa), and Apostle Rigwell Ato Addison (retired) – former General Secretary of the church).

Others include Pastor Dr. Edward Arko Koranteng (Medical Director of the Pentecost Hospital, Madina), Elder Paul Kofi Mante (Managing Director, EDC – Ecobank Gh. Ltd.), Mrs Esther Mmabilla Tamakloe, Elder Lawyer Kwaku Agyei Gyamfi (Member, Pension Board/Legal Advisor, CoP), Elder Dr. Stephen Ankamah-Lomotey, Mr Ernest Amartey-Vondee (Director, Planning, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the NPRA), and Mrs. Beatrice Osarfo of SSNIT.

In attendance were some members of the Executive Council, namely Prophet David Kankam Beditor (Area Head, Ashaiman), Apostle Samuel Osei Asante (Area Head, Kaneshie), Apostle Dr. Daniel Okyere Walker (Area Head, Tarkwa), among others.

PENTECOST NEWS.