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The Axim Area of The Church of Pentecost, in collaboration with the Local Council of Churches, has launched its “Agent of Peace” campaign in three different constituencies in the Area.

The launch took place on October 11, 14, and 17, 2020, at Jomoro, Ellembelle, and Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira constituencies respectively.

In an opening address, the Axim Area Head, Apostle Philip Osei-Korsah, explained that the peace campaign is an initiative by The Church of Pentecost to educate and challenge her members and the Ghanaian populace to seek and pursue peace before, during, and after the 2020 general elections.

Apostle Osei-Korsah, therefore, called on all political parties, civil society organisations, and the entire public to refrain from acts that would jeopardize the peace of the nation. “No one is above the laws of Ghana and the law will deal with anyone who violates the electoral processes,” he stressed.

The directors of the Electoral Commission (EC) in the aforementioned districts, on their part, educated the participants on the electoral processes and advised them to comply with the processes to foster a peaceful election.

The Police Commanders in the three districts also pledged to be agents of peace in the coming elections and gave the assurance to guard the peace of the nation by monitoring all the polling stations in the area and bring perpetrators to book.

The Parliamentary Aspirants and the political parties present at the programme also pledged their support to sustain the peace of the nation as well as the peace of Nzema land.

The launch of the ‘Agent of Peace’ campaign in the three constituencies was preceded by a peace walk through the principal streets of Half Assini, Aiyenase, and Axim with placards bearing peace inscriptions to educate passers-by. 

Among the dignitaries who graced the occasion the Member of Parliament for Jomoro who is also the Deputy Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Honourable Paul Essien; the Independent Parliamentary Candidate for Jomoro, Honourable Samia Yaaba Nkrumah; Chiefs and District Police Commanders of Nzema East, Ellembelle and Jomoro, District Directors of the Electoral Commission, NCCE Directors, the clergy, and the Pastorate and in the Axim Area of The Church of Pentecost. 

Report by Overseer Daniel Atuah. 

The Dunkwa Area of The Church of Pentecost has launched its “Agent of Peace” campaign aimed at educating the public on the importance of peace before, during, and after the 2020 general polls.

The launch, which took place on October 21, 2020, at the Dunkwa Central Assembly Auditorium, dubbed “Seek peace and pursue it,” was chaired by the Dunkwa Area Head, Apostle Jones Awuah Afrifa. It was preceded by a float through the principal streets of Dunkwa-On-Offin.

In his address, Apostle Afrifa said: “The agent of peace campaign is an initiative by The Church of Pentecost to educate and challenge all Ghanaians to be agents of peace before, during, and after this year’s election.” 

He defined peace as “freedom from disturbances,” and he charged all Ghanaians to pursue peace and guard it jealously.

“As Christians and citizens of a peaceful nation, we must all work hard to maintain the peace we are enjoying, not only for ourselves but for posterity as well,” he reiterated.

Apostle Afrifa called on all stakeholders and parties involved to pursue peace and set good examples that will be worthy of emulation and ultimately bring about a peaceful election come December 7.

The well-attended occasion was graced by major stakeholders including political party leaders, traditional rulers, security agencies, civil society organisations, and the Muslim community, among others. 

The occasion ended with an intercession prayer for the nation and the general elections.

Report by Pastor Justice Adane Twene, Dunkwa Atechem District.

It was a dream come true, a moment of joy and a day of celebration when Apostle Michael Collins Asiedu of Suame Area was retired from the active ministry of The Church of Pentecost after 31 years of meritorious service to God and the church.

The retirement service, which took place on Sunday, November 15, 2020, at the Tetelestai Temple in the Suame Area, was officiated by the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye.

Delivering the sermon on the topic, “The True Value of Our Work Is With The Lord,” Apostle Nyamekye explained that the reward of the believer’s work on earth is not necessarily in the material gains they acquire, rather, the true reward of every believer’s work is in the impact they make in the world and the lives of others.

“When we believe in Jesus, what matters is not the money we have, or the cars we buy, or the titles we carry, what flows through us to become a blessing to others; that is what really matters,” he opined.

Reading from John 7:38, the Chairman revealed that God has placed in each believer streams of living water for the purpose of blessing their world and their generation, stressing that “the true measure of a believer’s worth is based on the extent to which the living water deposited in them is flowing through them to impact others.”

Drawing lessons from the story of the Samaritan woman, Apostle Nyamekye noted that “when Jesus said that He possesses water that could forever quench the thirst of the Samaritan woman, she immediately desired for that water. This, according to him, implied that “there are people in this world who also desire and thirst for the living water that we (believers) possess, so if we fail to let it flow, the world will be in a drought and the people therein would thirst. However, if we let the streams of living water flow into our world, we will indeed make the world a better place.”

He posited that although Apostle M. C. Asiedu may be retiring, the streams of living waters that have flowed through him will still keep flowing to bless others that he may not even have come into contact with.

Apostle Nyamekye, therefore, advised ministers to focus less on material gains and rather devote themselves to making their inner rivers flow to bless humanity.

Michael Collins Asiedu was born on November 29, 1955, at Aboabo Sonkor near Suhum in the Eastern Region, to Opanyin Richard Kwabena Atta of Aseseaso, and Madam Grace Akua Anibea Asiedu of Larteh – Akuapem.

He holds a GCE ‘O’ Level from the Royal Society of Arts (UK). He also holds the Intermediate Certificate from the London Chamber of Commerce, a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Pentecost University (2012), and a Master’s Degree in Conflict, Peace and Security Management from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre, Accra (2016).

Apostle M. C. Asiedu was called into full-time ministry as a Probationary Overseer in 1989 and has since served the church meritoriously and selflessly. His passion, desire, and superb work ethic have led him to serve in various capacities in the church. He also served as the Director of the Evangelism Ministry of the church for eight years (2008 to 2016).

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Tema Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Matthew Larbi Wettey, on Sunday, November 15, 2020, retired from the full-time ministry of the church after serving meritoriously for 32 years.

The special service which took place at the F. S. Safo Memorial Temple in Community 5, Tema, was officiated by the International Missions Director (IMD), Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo. It was attended by people from all walks of life.

Speaking at the service on the theme, “Because you have done this,” Apostle Gyesi-Addo said that, “the call of Abram to leave his father’s land was in itself a test from God. His response to the call, followed by the subsequent events and the ultimate quest to sacrifice caused God to swear by Himself to bless him and his generations.”

Reading from Genesis 22:15-18, he said that although God has given Christians the essentials needed for survival in life with varied promises in scriptures, He requires them to make a personal commitment to love, belief, obey and make committed sacrifices for Him to activate His blessings for the believer.

According to Apostle Gyesi-Addo, all the sacrifices made by Abraham was as a result of God testing him and that the test of the believer is a call to glorify God and understand His purpose for their lives in their Christian journey.

“God tests us to find out if we can unreservedly offer our everything to Him and also to find out if the believer can love Him and sacrifice so supremely as He did with His Son (Jesus) for mankind,” he stated.

Recounting some of the tests and sacrifices Apostle Larbi Wettey and his wife Elizabeth had to make prior to their call into the full-time ministry, the IMD was full of praise to God and Apostle Wettey for passing the test by heeding God’s call, sacrificing and losing some things which God eventually has replaced according to His covenant with him.

Called into the full-time ministry of the church in 1988 as Probationary Overseer, Apostle Larbi Wettey was confirmed an Overseer in 1990, called into the pastorate in 1993, the office of Area Head in 2011 and Apostle in 2013.

Apostle Wettey, considered as one of the revered historiographers of the church, served in Asamankese Mepom (1988-1993), Sepe Buokrom (1993-1999), Prestea (1999- 2005), Darkuman (2005- 2011), Axim Area (2011- 2016) and Tema Area (2016- 2020).

In the course of the ministry, he also served on several committees, notable among them was the National Discipleship & Literature Development Committee (NDLDC).

He was also a fluent interpreter on Pentecost Hour – a sponsored religious broadcast of the church which was aired on GTV between 2003 and 2011. Together with his wife, Maa Elizabeth, they have authored 10 books.

The pastorate in the Area in their testimony described Apostle Wettey Larbi’s love for the ministry of the Holy Spirit as profound. “He teaches extensively on the gifts, baptism, and fruit of the Spirit and looks forwards to their manifestation,” the testimony read. “He is a great leader and team player who combined delegation of duty with effective coaching and patient supervision to ensure that assigned tasks are effectively executed.”

The Area Presbytery, on the other hand, described him as a versatile and growth-oriented minister. “He has an all-inclusive approach to church administration, which fostered unity and cordial work relationship between pastors and officers and one with passion for ecumenism as he served as the Tema Zonal Vice-Chairman for GPCC,” the testimony said.

The Tema Area Women’s Ministry in their testimony to Mrs. Elizabeth Wettey Larbi eulogized her as one who made a great impact on the ministry which will always be remembered.

“She has the knack for being neat, cheerful and with a strong positive disposition enthusiasm and brimming energy as she welcomed all manner of persons, including street children, the vulnerable and the downtrodden to her home to feed them,” it said.

Delivering the General Council’s testimony, the Kasoa Area Head, Apostle Ekow Badu Wood, said the Council saw Apostle Larbi-Wettey as “a man of prayer, affable, very humble and loyal who distinguished himself as a hardworking soldier of the cross and could be trusted for integrity, faithfulness, and dignity.”

The Council also acknowledged his book, ‘The legacy of Pastor James McKown’, which documents the life and ministry of the Founder and the history of the church in its formative years, as a great resource for Pentecostal and theological training.

The General Council also described Mrs. Larbi-Wettey as exceptionally affable, God-fearing, and a principled woman. “Her cheerful smile and enthusiastic dance during praise sessions at General Council Meetings will be greatly missed,” the testimony stated.

Report by Samuel Owusu Amofah.

Six ministers of The Church of Pentecost (CoP) are set to proceed on retirement tomorrow, Sunday, November 15, 2020, having served God and the church meritoriously for several years.

They are Apostle Abraham Lincoln Angoh, the Bompata Area Head, who served for 38 years, Apostle Matthew Larbi Wettey, the Tema Area Head, who served for 32 years, as well as Apostle Nicholas Appiah-Missah, the Ashanti Bekwai Area Head and Evangelist Moses Agratey Kenney, the Ejisu Area head, who have both served for 31 years in active ministry.

Former Directors of the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the Evangelism Ministry of the church, Apostle Julius Franklin Asante-Ayeh (now Techiman Area Head) and Apostle Michael Collins Asiedu (now Suame Area Head) would also be retiring from active service on Sunday having served for 28 years and 31 years in the full-time ministry of the church, respectively.

In view of this, special services are scheduled to be held in their honour to mark the occasion of their retirement from active ministry in their respective areas.

AYEKOO!

PENTECOST NEWS

Former President Of Ghana Jerry John Rawlings Is Dead.

He died Thursday morning at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Accra Graphic Online has gathered.

Mr Rawlings had been on admission at Korle Bu for about a week for an undisclosed ailment.

Graphic Online gathers he felt sick after his mother’s burial about three weeks ago.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

The La Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle John Osei Amaniampong, has advised young people not to be swayed by political factions into indulging in violence in the run-up to the December 7 general polls.

Apostle Amaniampong said this when he joined the Maamobi Zone of the La Area to launch the “Agent of Peace” campaign, which was held on Sunday, November 1, 2020, at the Kotobabi SWAG Park.

The Area Head advised the youth to be mindful of the consequences of their actions during the election period. “Don’t be easily swayed when ill-meaning politicians call on you with some small financial reward to perpetrate violence, confusion, and mayhem in the 2020 electoral process.

“You have the right and responsibility to choose people into government; the decisions you take now have consequences that will last through the next four years. Therefore, do not sell your birthright just for few cedis,” he stressed.

On his part, a representative of the Kotobabi District Police Command advised Ghanaians not to feel intimidated but come out in their numbers to vote peacefully for their preferred Presidential and Parliamentary candidates.

He advised the youth not to engage in any act of violence before, during, and after the polls, saying, “Don’t attempt to indulge in violent acts because culprits will be dealt with per the law.”

In attendance were representatives from other churches, the Muslim community, among other stakeholders.

Report by Daniel Tetteh, La Area Reporter.

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has averred that the only means by which one can be part of God’s family (the Church) is to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour.

“Anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord, no matter the background, is born into God’s family and has become a brother,” he said, adding, “Whoever believes in Christ becomes part of God’s family; they come with their nationalities; they come with their race; they come with their backgrounds; they come with their perspectives. Whether we like them or not we have become one family in Christ and then we form the temple of God in which God dwells by His Spirit.”

Apostle Nyamekye made this known in a live televised sermon on Pent TV on Sunday, November 8, 2020, as part of the Sunday Special Evening Service with Chairman series.

Speaking on the topic, “The Family of God,” the Chairman explained that the church is an extension of the family of God in heaven. He further said that the church is the house of God and it is a great house because there are all kinds of vessels.

Apostle Nyamekye noted that the church should be new humanity, God’s new community, a model of a human community, a family reconciled to God and to one another, who love their Father and love each other with whom God dwells by His Spirit and this Spirit cries in them “Abba Father!”

He added that as a new human race whose characteristics are no longer alienation but reconciliation, the church must avoid division and hostility but rather propagate peace and unity.

Reading from Galatians 3:28-29, the revered theologian established that the church is nothing short of the new creation. He stressed that if only a person belongs to Christ, then they are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise, without taking into consideration their nationality, sex, tribe, and educational level.

“Our identities have been dissolved in the blood; we have all put on Christ so Christ covers our identities,” he said.

Buttressing his assertion, Apostle Nyamekye quoted Ephesians 2:18 and Romans 8:11 to explain how Jews and Gentiles have access by one Spirit to the Father through Jesus Christ.

“Jesus’ Father is our Father; the Creator Holy Spirit lives in us. The same Spirit that was in Christ is the same in us, who are born again. By this Spirit, He cries Father and with the same Spirit we also cry Father,” he said.

Also, reading from Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:11-12, 17; Acts 9:13, the Chairman stated: “In this family, if God is our Father, then Jesus is our big brother because we know that He is the Son of God.

“Jesus rent the curtains that separated us from God and has allowed us access to God and reconciled us to one another. We have been born into the body of Christ and God’s family.”

According to the Chairman, the power of this great family of God lies in unity (Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 30:29-30).

“The greatness of this family or the power of this family is not because God is our Father, No. Not because Jesus is our big brother, No. But it is in our unity; our oneness. Our unity is our beauty, our testimony, our strength that we are children of God,” he pointed out.

He, however, stated: “Disunity renders our prayer non-effective and our fellowship unavailing. So without unity, we may have God, we may have Jesus; we may have the Holy Spirit but our prayer will not be effective. So when we gather together it will be a futile exercise, sometimes a waste of time.”

Apostle Nyamekye explained that it is against this backdrop that the devil always sows seeds of disunity among the people of God to divide them to see themselves as enemies.

The Chairman mentioned that the rule for the people in God’s family is the word of God and nothing else (Hebrews 1:5-7).

“In this family, our rule is the Word; it sets our boundaries. Our aim is His glory. Our rule is not what angels say; it doesn’t come from the dreams of people. Angels serve us; we don’t take instructions from them,” he said, whilst narrating the story of the old and the young prophets in which the latter was deceived to disobey God’s word as contained in 1 Kings 13.

Apostle Eric Nyamekye, therefore, admonished church leaders to be careful not to build what Jesus has demolished (Galatians 2:18), saying, “The Gospel has the power to equip the believer with the help of the Holy Spirit to live holy and God-honouring lives.”

Report by Emmanuel Nana Nsiah.

Pastor James W. K. Annan is a pastor of The Church of Pentecost in charge of the Ajah District in Lagos East Area in Nigeria. He narrates how he was abducted by unknown armed men who shot him in the eyes but was saved by the Lord Jesus Christ:

It all happened on Thursday, 30^th July, 2020, when I left the house for lkorodu to convey my daughter who was doing a nursing internship in a hospital at lkorodu.

I set out at about 5:30 AM Nigerian time (04:30 GMT). Whilst waiting for a bus, a Toyota Camry saloon car emerged at the bus stop and the driver called the transit point I was heading to, and so I boarded the vehicle. Inside the car were four passengers, including the driver. In less than ten minutes into the journey, the man sitting beside me at the back seat pounced on me and dislodged me to the middle seat (in between them at the back).

They asked me to cooperate with them as they searched my pocket and removed all the money on me. Then they demanded my ATM card. And I told them that the card was not with me at the moment. They then asked me to give them the ATM PIN, which I did. After that, they asked me to disclose the total amount in my account, which I did. But they said that looking at my age and personality, the money I mentioned wasn’t true. They told me that since I was not forthright with them they were going to dump me at their base and my people will rather beg them to request the amount they would need to release me.

At that point, they seized my Samsung tablet phone and subjected me to severe beatings. One of them pulled a gun and targeted my right eye and fired it straight at me. All that I could remember was that I shouted JESUS! And as he fired the gun, I heard a blast in my head and slumped dead in my seat.

I did not see anything again for about twenty minutes and while the vehicle was still in motion, surprisingly I regained consciousness. They became frightened, thinking that I have extraordinary charms, so one of them asked me in pidgin English, “Baba na so you be.”

They decided that since I could not die from a gunshot, they would rather send me to their base for me to die over there. However, the one who shot me exclaimed that it was enough and that since I have survived the gunshot, if they take me to their base something strange will happen to them. He continued that this man [referring to me] has shown to be a great spiritual person and it is not every time they can succeed in their expedition.

He then ordered the driver to stop and allow me to go. At his orders, the driver stopped and they opened the door for me to alight and they sped off. 

I had to trek for about 5 miles to a nearby town to see a deaconess of the church for transport support to my house. As soon as I reached home, my two eyes closed completely. I never thought that I could see with my eyes again. However, after three days, my eyes miraculously opened without any surgery of a sort. I have been certified fit by medical doctors.

Jesus Christ is truly a healer. His spiritual operation on me has been awesome. I thank Him for saving my life.

PENTECOST NEWS.

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has entreated Christians, especially leaders to guard their hearts against harbouring bitterness which tends to destroy their physical and spiritual lives.

“Do not nurse grudges which will end up in bitterness,” he said adding, “Bitterness can destroy a person, marriage, family, friends and the church. And such bitter persons think everyone is against them.”

Apostle Nyamekye said these when he interacted with officers in the Teshie-Nungua Area of the Church at the Fred Stephen Safo Memorial Temple at Nshorna, Nungua on Wednesday and Thursday, November 4 & 5, 2020.

According to the Chairman, “if you open your heart to anything, not of God, you invite evil to enter your heart and when you nurse it, it germinates into other vices such as bitterness, anger, rancour, among others.”

Reading from Hebrews 4:12; 3:12-13; 12:14-16, Matthew 12:35, among other scriptures, Apostle Nyamekye encouraged Christians not to harbour bitterness in their hearts against one another since offenses are inevitable.

“No one is born with bitterness but through what one hears and what people say to them, one is exposed and may harbour bitterness in their hearts which destroys the body,” he pointed out.  

According to him, bitter persons normally portray a level of shyness, keep records of grudges (Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 32:35), and nurse grudges (Genesis 27:41, Genesis 4:5-6, Mark 4:13), very unforgiving, and sometimes have sleepless nights. 

Apostle Nyamekye stated that when one is bitter, he or she is likely to express it (1 Samuel 25: 12-13), suppress it (2 Samuel 13:22-23), repress it (2 Samuel 3: 26-27) and confess it (1 Samuel 1: 15-16, Mathew 18:15). He advised Christians not to be bitter or angry about things of this world and not to let the sun go down upon their wrath as Apostle Paul admonished Christians in Ephesians 4:26.

He further urged officers of the church to always check their motives and be mindful of the heart with which they serve in the house of the Lord, saying, “Do not glorify yourself in the position as a church leader but be mindful of the heart with which you serve the Lord and others.”  

“If your heart is clean and that of mine is also clean, then God will come and reside in us and the church will be prosperous,” he concluded.

The meeting was also attended by some Executive Council Members of the Chruch, the Pastorate and their wives, among others.

The Area Head, Apostle Dr. Alfred Koduah, was grateful to the Chairman for the visit to the Area.

Report by Yaa Asantewaah Adu Boahene.