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Elder Harrison Ankomah Sarpong and Esther Akomah Acheampong are joint winners of the coveted The Church of Pentecost Chairman’s Best Worker Award for 2022.

The duo was conferred with the prestigious award at the closing ceremony of The Church of Pentecost Headquarters 2022 Management & Staff Retreat on Friday, December 16, 2022, held at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa.

The event coincided with the retirement service of nine staff of the Headquarters. Other staff who have served the organisation for some years received long service awards.

Elder Harrison Ankomah Sarpong

Elder Harrison Ankomah Sarpong, currently the Audit Assurance Manager at the Audit, Monitoring and Evaluation (AME) Department at the Headquarters, joined the organisation 21 years ago (2001).

Speaking to Pentecost News after receiving the award, Elder Sarpong thanked God for the honour, saying, “I feel very great because this is the greatest award every staff will expect.”

According to him, though he has worked very had over the years, he least expected it now being in a managerial position, since the award usually goes to staff below the rank of manager. He, therefore, urged his colleague staff to work hard and God will honour them at the right time.

He believed his award is an encouragement to both staff in managerial positions and lower ranks.

Esther Akomah Acheampong

Esther Akomah Acheampong, an Accounts Officer at the Goaso Area Office in the Ahafo Region, was employed by the organisation six years ago. She described the award as a doing of the Lord since she did not expect it.

“This award is going to encourage me to continue to work diligently by putting up my best for the Church, society and country,” she said.

She had this advice for her colleagues: “They should be diligent in their duties and abide by the rules and policies of the church, and above all honour their leaders and God.”

PENTECOST NEWS

Pentecost University (PU) held its 14th graduation ceremony on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa in the Central Region of Ghana.

History was made at the event as the first batch of the Elders’ Training program of the university, sponsored by The Church of Pentecost, passed out with certificates in Theology and Pastoral Studies.

Offering fraternal greetings, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of Methodist University Ghana, Very Reverend Professor John David Ekem commended the university for its continued support and called for more collaborations between Christian institutions.

“I believe the time has come for Christian private universities to join resources together in a united front. When this is done, the fortunes of this nation will be turned over,” he said.

In his address, the Chancellor of Pentecost University and Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, congratulated the University Council, management, and staff of the university for the steady progress made over the last few years.

He stated: “Education forms the bedrock of nations development and gradually the world is reckoning that the value-based education is the way to go.

Despite the increase in access to education, and the resultant knowledge explosion in the 21st century, the living condition of the vast majority of our society, especially in Africa continues to deteriorate and the society continues to be a challenge.”

Apostle Nyamekye stressed that the emergence of Christian universities in our country brings hope as we continue to work positively in the training of ethical leaders for our society.

He, therefore, noted that it is gratifying that the Pentecost University is very much alive to its core mandate and values made to the recognition of a session of our society.

He iterated that the Church will continue to support the university to expand to be able to accommodate more students from the Free SHS program as an effort to produce graduates with ethical leadership qualities.

The Chancellor further stated that the Church would continue to support the university through The Church of Pentecost Chairman Educational Fund (COPCEF), established to provide scholarships to brilliant but needy students at PU as well as infrastructural development at the university.

He urged the graduates to be ambassadors of the institution, saying, “Let’s us go out to reflect on the institution’s motto of Transformation and service.”

Delivering the state-of-the-University address, the Vice-Chancellor of Pentecost University revealed that the university aligned itself with the Ministry of Education’s drive to increase in STEM Education, and invested in the establishment of the International Digital Centre to pioneer research and teaching in industrial applications of artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing and smart manufacturing concepts, which according to him are all components of the much-needed industry 4.0 initiative.

Reflecting on the numerous support the Church has given individuals for further studies, and the unwavering pivot it sells for Pentecost University, he expressed his gratitude to the Chairman, Executive Council, all Heads and individuals who are committed to the University, saying, “You are not only improving the spiritual lives of people, you are impacting and transforming a whole society, nation and the world at large.

To the graduates, Apostle Professor Kodua admonished: “This world will test you on your integrity and skills. Do not fail but make us proud and let all know that you were trained at the Pentecost University. Our country does not need more graduates, there are more out there. Don’t just go and add to the numbers. We need graduates with integrity and high skills in solving problems. This is the University A+ agenda, hold the torch high.”

Graduating with a grade point average of 3.95, the Valedictorian and Overall Best Graduating Student, Master Rigwell Addisson Asiedu from the Communications Studies department recalled his days of sleepless nights while studying buttressed with frequent sicknesses. Yet, with determination, he fought through the odds.

“We had no idea of what the future held for us, for we came with various potentials and the university shaped us. We succeeded over the oars; however, the actual success hides behind the walls of the university. Excel in your fields and never settle for mediocrity because this is the end of the journey and the beginning of another,” he said.

Students ranging from the various faculties of Business Administration, Health & Allied Sciences, Science & Computing and Pentecost School of Theology & Missions received ensuing degrees from Masters, Bachelors and Diplomas and Certificates.

Other individuals who excelled in the various departments were also awarded with sponsorships from benevolent organisations and individuals respectively.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has said that blessing is fundamental to Christians, saying, “All of us have been blessed, what is needed is a change of mindset to appropriate it.”
Apostle Nyamekye made this statement on Friday, December 16, 2022, during the Closing Ceremony of the Head Office Management & Staff Retreat held at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh.
Delivering a sermon on the topic, “Priestly Blessings” based on Numbers 6:22, Apostle Nyamekye said that God blessed the Israelites because His name was upon them.
“Blessing is God’s idea for His people, right from creation. When man sinned against God, He cursed the serpent but did not curse man,” he added.
Quoting from Galatians 3:13, he stated: “Christ redeemed us so that the blessing given to Abraham might come upon us.”
According to Apostle Nyamekye, God is the source of blessing, and as Lord, He has authority, control, and power over all things, both seen and unseen, and every name, stressing that “God is the owner of the earth that is why He is Lord over all.”
Apostle Nyamekye noted that God’s blessings involve long life, good health, prosperity (fertility), peace, and His presence.
He disclosed that with the first priestly blessing, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you’ Christians receive the protection of God, and are guarded and delivered from the evils of life, wicked spirits, wicked people, and wicked places in life.
On the second priestly blessing which is ‘The Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you,’ he pointed out that Christians receive favour from above without working for it.
He further mentioned that the third priestly blessing which is “The Lord lifts His countenance upon you and give you peace,” makes a believer be noticed, and receive peace and protection of God.
“We need to respond to the priestly blessing by shouting ‘Amen.’ You need a blessing mentality to achieve this through shouting, ‘Amen.’ Live in full obedience to the Lord who has the power to bless,” he stressed.
The closing ceremony coincided with the retirement of nine staff who have served the organisation in various capacities for several years.
PENTECOST NEWS

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has advised Christian leaders to be loyal to God and the Church.

The Chairman said this in a homily he delivered when he met elders in the La and Teshie Nungua areas of the Church at the PIWC-Kokomlemle Dome, last Tuesday.

In his exhortation, Apostle Nyamekye commended the elders of The Church of Pentecost, who are unpaid officers, for their selfless and sacrificial service that has greatly contributed to the sustenance and growth of the Church.

With Acts 14:21-23; Titus 1:5 and Acts 20:17 as scriptural references, Apostle Nyamekye further highlighted the importance of elders in the New Testament Church.

The Chairman drew inspiration from David’s story in 1Chronicles 11:9-11 to stress the need for ministers and elders to work closely together for maximum impact.

According to the Chairman, King David’s greatness and success could be attributed to two things; God’s presence with him and the support from his (David’s) mighty men and the people of Israel gave him.

Apostle Nyamekye also indicated that David was a man who knew how to build and maintain strong supportive teams.

He opined that “great leaders do not succeed alone, rather they succeed because they have people who support them.”

“No leader is greater than his support team; for as the leader is, so is his support team,” he added.

Apostle Nyamekye also pointed out that every member of the church possesses some graces, gifts and talents (Romans 12:6-8), for this reason, no member of the body of Christ should be taken for granted.

These graces, gifts and talents, which are both natural and spiritual, he futher noted, must be harnessed for the common good of all (1Corinthians 12:7), and not for personal interests or self-aggrandisement.

“Since every individual in the Church has a certain level of grace, gifts and talents, Church leaders must learn to respect all and see every member as part of the support team,” he advised.

Apostle Nyamekye emphasised that all elders are coworkers in the house of God and have been called to a position of trust.

He, therefore, charged ministers and officers to discharge their duties with utmost loyalty because “loyalty is the hallmark of every supporting leader.”

Using Joab and Abishai as a case study to further butress his point, the Chairman explained that although Joab and Abishai were brothers and part of King David’s warriors, the former was disloyal to David while the latter was loyal to the king.

Joab’s disloyalty was seen in how he killed two army commanders of David without his knowledge. He (Joab) again proved disloyal when he killed the King’s son, Absalom, after the king had explicitly asked him not to.

Abishai, on the other hand, risked his life for King David, he saved the King when Ishbi-Benod wanted to kill him, and obeyed David’s orders even when they went against his personal wishes.

The Chairman advised Church leaders to cultivate Abishai’s exemplary loyalty trait while asserting that loyalty is one of the paramount virtues needed in Christian leadership.

He explained that being loyal to God and the Church requires faithfulness, sacrifice, commitment, going the extra mile, effective leadership, defending the church and interceding for the church  in prayer.

Apostle Nyamekye also admonished ministers and officers to refrain from maligning the Church and her leadership since it also an act of disloyalty.

In attendance were Apostle Alexander N.Y. Kumi-Larbi (General Secretary), Apostle Lawrence Otu Nyarko (Finance and Administration Director, CoP Headquarters), Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong Kodua (Vice Chancellor, Pentecost University), Apostle D.K. Nuekpe (La Area Head), Apostle Nkrumah Agyemang (Teshie Nungua Area Head) and Apostle Lt. Col. B.G. Kumi-Woode (Chaplain, Ghana Armed Forces) together with their spouses.

Report by Pastor Emmanuel Opoku Mensah