altop2

ALTOP Wins Maiden National Youth Music Contest

by with No Comment Church NewsTop StoriesYouth Ministry

Altar of Praise (ALTOP), the resident choir of the Pentecost International Worship Centre in the Downtown Ofaakor Area (PIWC-Downtown Ofaakor), were crowned overall winners of the recently-held national youth music contest.

The 16-member group earned great plaudits after treating patrons to some moving song ministrations during the grand finale held at the PIWC-Atomic church auditorium last Sunday.

The music contest, a first of its kind, was organised by the Youth Ministry directorate in line with the five-year strategic vision of the church, dubbed “Vision 2023.”

According to the Youth Director, Pastor Ebenezer Hagan, the objective of the competition was to “encourage the music ministries of young people and to create space for it in the local assemblies and by so doing improve the quality of music in the local church.”

With “Unleashing Gifts, Serving the Local Church, Possessing Nations” as the theme for the contest, the contesting groups were evaluated on four focal areas – gospel songwriting, cost-effective musical presentation, teamwork in music, and packaging local church music for a wider audience.

The contest kickstarted at the district level on February 21, 2021, with great promise and overwhelming public interest. At the end of this stage, 460 districts presented choirs to compete at the area level on April 11. However, after a close competition, 60 choirs qualified for the regional or zonal levels. 

On May 9, festive contests were held at eight centres throughout the country, after which 12 choirs emerged as semi-finalists. After a rigorous voting process by the judges and the public (via social media), seven choirs were selected to compete at the final stage of the competition. These choirs were: Sanctuary Singers of Ashaiman Estate Central Assembly, Revelation Ministers of PIWC-Tamale and Valley of Blessing of PIWC-Sunyani.

The rest were: Tabernacle of Praise of PIWC-Akim Oda, Triumphant Levites of PIWC-Winneba, PIWC-Kotei Youth Choir and the eventual winners, Altar of Praise (ALTOP), representing the northern, middle, and southern belts.

Opening their ministration with a song titled “Sunsum Kronkron Mehia Wo” (Translated: Holy Spirit I Need You), ALTOP made a lasting impression on the panel of judges with their song composition and vocal ability. They dazzled the audience in the second round of the contest with another outstanding ministration leading to their historic win.

The judges for this year’s contest were: Mrs. Grace Gakpetor (Member of the National Music Committee, a prolific songwriter, and a singer), Pastor Joshua Kwabena Donkor (Head of the Youth Ministry Music Committee and a recording artist) and Pastor Fred Amoakohene Sarpong (Lecturer in Church Music & Worship at Pentecost University and member of the National Music Committee).

Elder Isaac Dwamena (Music Coordinator, PIWC-Atomic) and Mr. Wisdom Taylor (a Music Tutor at Gbewaa College of Education, Pusiga and the Music Director at Mountain View Worship Centre, Kasoa) also served as adjunct judges.

As winners, ALTOP took home a certificate, plaque, and a cash prize of GH¢3,000.00. The Tabernacle of Praise choir and Sanctuary Singers, who emerged second and third respectively, received a certificate, plaque, and cash amounts of GH¢2,000.00 and GH¢1,500.00.

Other group finalists received certificates and an amount of GH¢500.00 each.

Present to grace the event and assist with the presentation of prizes were Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi (General Secretary), Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang-Bekoe (IMD-elect), Apostle Samuel Osei Asante (National Youth Patron and Executive Council Member), and Prophet David Kankam (Ashaiman Area Head and Executive Council Member)

Other dignitaries present were Pastor Emmanuel Oppong Donkor (Member, National Music Committee), Pastor Seth Asare Ofei Badu (National Youth Music Contest Coordinator and member of National Music Committee) and Pastor Isaac Annor (Resident Minister, PIWC-Downtown Ofaakor and Publications Manager at the CoP Headquarters). Also in attendance was the immediate-past chairman of the National Music Committee, Apostle A. L. Angoh (Rtd.) and renowned gospel musician, Elder Dr. Kwasi Mireku.

Formed in 2009, the Altar of Praise (ALTOP) choir currently has Elder James Afful as its leader, while Godwin M. Dentu and Kofi Peprah serve as Music Directors. Other members of the group are Elder Samuel Adu Gyamfi, Deacon Godlove K. Dentu, Nana Kojo Sika Adu, Samuel Qwodjo Mensah, Ato Lutterodt, Emmanuel Osafo Addo, Charles Osei, Marian Dentu, Abigail Omari, Gloria Essel, Joana Naa Suelley Tetteh, Abigail Blankson and Stephenia Amponsah.

PENTECOST NEWS

pensa

Chairman Fellowships With PENSA-KNUST To Climax Youth Week Celebration

by with No Comment Church NewsTop StoriesYouth Ministry

The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, fellowshipped with members of the Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to climax the recently-held national youth week celebration on Sunday, June 13, 2021.

According to the Chairman, the visit, which formed part of his working-visit to the Ashanti Region, was to fellowship with the students and take the opportunity to throw more light on the five-year strategic vision of the church dubbed Vision 2023. An understanding of Vision 2023, he said, would enable the youth, who are the strength of the church, to commit more to the realisation of the vision.

Highlighting on five-year strategic vision, Apostle Nyamekye said that Vision 2023 seeks to equip the church to transform every sphere of society (including the family, government and politics, chieftaincy and culture, business and economy, education and science, sports, media, and the world of entertainment) with values and principles of the kingdom of God.

Making references from Deuteronomy 7:1-2; 8:1, 4:5-7 and Ephesians 3:10, the Chairman explained that in the past, the people of Israel were strategically and purposefully chosen by God to reveal His wisdom and character to the world so that in so doing the other nations of the world would return to Him. However, in the New Testament era, God has given this mandate to the Church (Christians). It is, therefore, the obligation of every Christian to demonstrate the wisdom and character of God wherever they find themselves, saying, “Everywhere you are, you must be the Hope of Glory.”

He said that what Vision 2023 aims to achieve is to empower members to “possess the nations” by transforming every worldview, thought and behavior with values, principles, and lifestyles of the kingdom of God, thereby turning many to Christ.

To ensure the effective execution of the vision, the church has put in place three strategic approaches. The first approach is “Equipping members with the required resources,” where members of the local church, who are the main drivers of the Vision, would be empowered and built up holistically through intentional discipleship.

The second approach to the implementation process is “Strengthening and realigning existing structures in the church to propel the transformation agenda.” With this approach, the key areas of consideration is the re-organisation of the ministries, the introduction of Gospel Sunday, and effective Bible Study sessions during services.

Also, the introduction of new ministry interventions such as the Home and Urban Missions (HUM) and the Ministry to Persons with Disabilities (MPWDs) has led to the establishment of more local assemblies in seemingly ‘forbidden’ places.

He further noted that the Chaplaincy ministry as well as the two recently-introduced ministries – Schools Outreach Ministry (SOM) for basic schools and the Chieftaincy Ministry – among others, are in full force and transforming lives.

The third approach, “Transforming Society,” has two legs. The first leg focuses on the deployment of members, who have been equipped, as agents of transformation, while the second leg focuses on community transformation initiatives.

Some of the projects being undertaken as part of the community transformation efforts are the construction of correctional facilities, the first of which has been commissioned and handed over to the Prisons Service, the construction of community health posts (CHPs) compounds, which have been adopted by the Government as fully-fledged clinics, construction of bus stop shelters, construction of boreholes and the Environmental Care campaign, among others.

The Chairman ended his presentation with a short documentary on the impact of the various interventions undertaken under Vision 2023 and the main successes chalked just half-way into the vision period.

Apostle Nyamekye urged the youth not to sit on the fence, but to join in “possessing the nations” for Christ. He further charged them to individually petition God to reveal to them the part they could play to contribute their quota to the successful realization of Vision 2023.

PENTECOST NEWS

The church of pentecost, IGP plant tress (02)

The Church Of Pentecost, IGP Plant Trees At National Police Training School

by with No Comment Church NewsMoving With GsTop Stories

The Church of Pentecost has joined forces with the Ghana Police Service to plant trees at the National Police Training School, Tesano in Accra as part of efforts to green Ghana and preserve the environment.

The General Secretary of the Church, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, together with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. James Oppong-Boanuh, and members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), on Friday, June 11, 2021, planted commemorative trees at the Police Depot to mark the Green Ghana Day, which saw the planting of 5 million trees across the country.

In a speech to herald the exercise, the IGP said that the Police Service was planting 5,000 trees out of the 5 million trees at all police facilities across the country as part of their contribution to the Government’s Green Project.

The IGP indicated that the exercise was to be replicated at all police stations and facilities nationwide where all Regional, Divisional, and District Commanders, as well as Station Officers, were to plant a minimum of three seedlings each at their offices/stations. “Our officers commanding all the six police training schools will equally plant 50 seedlings each,” he added.

He disclosed that monitoring and reporting teams will go round to inspect the trees to ensure that they are nurtured and catered for so that they will grow to maturity.

“Our objectives are aligned to the objectives of the government in connection with the Greening Project, which is to embark on an aggressive afforestation programme to protect the forest and the environment, and to address the degradation of Ghana’s forest reserve and ecosystem, and also to achieve our goal of protecting our forest.

“For those of us in the Ghana Police Service, this will help us to beautify our police stations and offices, and especially our training schools which have large compounds,” he stated.

Speaking with PENTECOST NEWS, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi expressed his joy over the successful take-off of the project. “I am fulfilled and I feel relief because it’s a burden that our Chairman shared with us. Later when the Government came on board it gladdened our hearts, so we were waiting and praying that God will give us life to see it come to reality.

“This is our core duty given out by God to protect his creation. We are not just planting trees, we are encouraging ourselves to plant, water, and nurture and make sure that they grow. I have planted three trees today and I want to challenge every Ghanaian to endeavour to plant at least one tree either in your house, workplace, school and in the street. Wherever we find space let us plant it.

“So far we have not done well towards the environment looking at the way we are destroying our river bodies and littering around, with choke gutters all over. God gave us the environment to protect it, and it is about time Ghanaians sat down and realised that we cannot mess up our environment and still hope to live in it and enjoy good health. So as we have started today, let’s all come on board, brace this vision and rid our nation of filth.

“A real gentleman/lady is a person who does not liter. Please don’t put your rubbish on the ground; put it in your bag because it is your own waste. Let’s change our attitude and our environment will be clean and the air we breathe will be pure, and it will help us to live longer.

On his part, the National Coordinator of the church’s Tree Planting Project, Apostle Samuel Kojo Gakpetor, said that The Church of Pentecost started the tree planting exercise nationwide about two weeks ago. “Today being Green Ghana Day, we came on board the Government’s initiative to push the Green Ghana Day agenda. To God’s glory, we have seen massive involvement of our churches across Ghana.

“This is just the beginning. As we activate our consciences on the need to keep our environment clean, we pray that this is not just going to be a nine-day wonder. All of us should look out for opportunities to plant trees any day any time,” he said.

PENTECOST NEWS.

VC KNUST

Chairman Calls On KNUST Vice-Chancellor

by with No Comment Church NewsTop Stories

A delegation of The Church of Pentecost led by the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, today, Friday, June 11, 2021, paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson at her office.

According to the Chairman, who is on a two-week working tour of the Ashanti Region, the visit was to congratulate Prof. Dickson on her appointment as the first female VC of the university and to pray with her for a successful tenure in office.

The church delegation, comprising Apostle Yaw Adjei Kwarteng (Bompata Area Head and Executive Council Member), Prophet James Osei Amaniampong (Asokwa Area Head), Apostle John Budu Tawiah (Kwadaso Area Head), Apostle Dr. Joseph I. J. Buertey (Resident Minister, PIWC-Asokwa) and Pastor Prof William Otoo Ellis, (Children’s Ministry Director), was given a warm reception by the VC, who expressed her joy at the august visit.

Interacting with Prof. Dickson, Apostle Nyamekye stated the need for the new VC to strive to leave behind a better legacy as the first female to occupy this high office in the university. To leave behind a better institution than she has inherited, the Chairman urged her to invest in people and build the capacities of the human resources around her.

“When you invest in people, you see the true meaning of life. You will also end up building a lot of people in your image, and when your tenure is over you be happy with the impact you have made in the lives of people,” he said.

Apostle Nyamekye also informed her of the church’s decision to assign a campus minister (a full-time minister) to the university to provide spiritual care and guidance for staff and students.

He noted that the campus network of the church in the university, PENSA-KNUST, currently boasts a membership of over 2,000 students, the church, therefore, deems it necessary to station a minister to see to the spiritual growth and development of the teeming numbers. He urged the university to welcome the campus minister with open arms and embrace him as a part of the university’s chaplaincy team.

Touching on the relations between the university and the church’s tertiary institution, Pentecost University (PU), the Chairman thanked KNUST for the effective mentoring they provided for PU which saw the institution receiving its presidential charter last year. He, however, called for continued partnership between both institutions to enable PU to achieve higher heights as has been attained by KNUST.

He was hopeful that the appointment of a former VC of the KNUST, in the person of Prof. William Otoo Ellis, as the current Chairman of the university’s council, would help strengthen relations between both institutions.

In response, Prof. Dickson expressed gratitude to Apostle Nyamekye for his visit. She lauded the church’s decision to assign a full-time minister to the university, noting that KNUST prioritises providing employable skills for students as well as the formation of moral and godly character.

She congratulated the PU on attaining the status of a fully-fledged university and assured the Chairman of her outfit’s commitment to forging stronger ties with the PU, especially with a former VC of KNUST, Prof. Otoo Ellis, in charge. 

Professor Dickson also touted the various projects undertaken by the church on campus, such as constructing bus stop shelters and encouraged the church to keep up the good work of impacting society.

She reiterated her commitment to hand over a better university than she has inherited and called on the church to continue to bear the university up in prayer and to support KNUST in whichever way possible. 

The visit ended after a word of prayer was said for the VC and the university.

Other members of the church delegation were Elder Dr. Stephen Nyarko (Deputy PEMEM Director and a lecturer at KNUST), Elder Dr. Appau Asante (Deputy Youth Director and a lecturer at KNUST), Elder Dr. Ennumh Baah (PIWC-Asokwa) and Elder Dr. Daniel Duah (Presiding Elder, English Assembly, Kwamo District), both lecturers at KNUST.

PENTECOST NEWS

The church of pentecost Greens Mantse Agbonaa (new 01)

The Church Of Pentecost ‘Greens’ Mantse Agbonaa

by with No Comment Church NewsMoving With GsTop Stories

The Church of Pentecost, as part of the Green Ghana Project, on Friday, June 11, 2021, planted trees at the Mantse Agbonaa, located in James Town, Accra.

Led by its General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, and the International Missions Director (IMD), Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, the church was joined by officials of Bible Society of Ghana and representatives of the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council to plant a number of trees at the courtyard which is a popular spot for political and social events in the capital.

The General Secretary called on members of the church and Ghanaians in general to get involved in the national exercise by planting at least a tree. He urged them to ensure that their trees were watered and nurtured to maturity to protect the environment.

The Church of Pentecost, in collaboration with the Ghana Forestry Commission, is planting one million trees out of the 5 million trees targeted by the Government.

Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi planted the first tree, followed by the International Missions Director. Others who planted trees included the wife of the Chairman of the church, Mrs. Mary Nyamekye; the La Area Head of the church, Apostle John Osei Amaniampong and his wife; Madam Catherine Odjidja, Communication and Resource Mobilization Manager of the Bible Society of Ghana; Apostle Lawrence Otu-Nyarko, Finance and Administration Director of the church, and Apostle Samuel Kojo Gakpetor, National Coordinator of the church’s Tree Planting Project.

Earlier, the General Secretary led a team from the church and the Bible Society of Ghana to the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council to seek the blessing of the chiefs for the exercise.

Report by Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako (PENTECOST NEWS).

Pastor Daughter Saved From Gory Accident 012

Pastor, Daughter Saved From Gory Accident

by with No Comment Church NewsTestimoniesTop Stories

Overseer Samuel Odoom of Kwabeng District of The Church of Pentecost in the Suhum Area on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, narrowly escaped death after the vehicle he was driving involved in a gory accident.

The grisly accident occurred at Osino when he was travelling from his base at Kwabeng to Suhum for an official assignment.

In an interview with PENTECOST NEWS, Overseer Odoom indicated that the accident occurred as a result of a burst tyre, and in the process, it ran through a bridge, smashed into two trees, and ended up somersaulting four times.

Earlier on Sunday, June 6, 2021, his daughter also had a  gruesome accident at the same spot when she was travelling to Accra after visiting them, leaving many passengers on the bus severely injured.

But to the glory of God, both the pastor and his daughter escaped unhurt. “This is definitely a miracle and I’m so grateful to God,” he said.

Report by Samuel Danso.

Berekum Area Women's Ministry Donates Items 01

Berekum Area Women’s Ministry Donates Items Worth GH¢ 30,040.00 To 7 Institutions

by with No Comment Church NewsTop StoriesWomen's Ministry

The Berekum Area Women’s Ministry of The Church of Pentecost has donated items worth GH¢ 30,040.00 to six orphanages and the prisons.

The beneficiary institutions are Hanukkah Special Needs Centre – Sunyani, Cosmos Special Needs Centre – Dormaa Ahenkro, Dormaa Children’s Home, and Remar Ghana, Sunyani Abesim.

The rest are King Jesus Orphanage – Tepa, World of Friends Orphanage – Berekum Nsapor, and the Sunyani Central Prisons.

Items donated were 305 tubers of yam, 25 bags of 25kg rice, 30 crates of eggs, 20 cartons of Milo, 15 cartons of milk, 7 bags of 50kg maize, 7 bags of 25 kg sugar and gari, assorted canned fish, toiletries, beddings including bed sheets, blankets, pillowcases, children footwear, and clothing.

The ministry also presented an undisclosed amount of money to the beneficiary institutions.

Explaining the rationale behind the gesture, Deaconess Josphine Serwaa (Area Women’s Leader), stated that the move was part of the Church’s Vision 2023 agenda of “Possessing the Nations.”

Mrs. Berlinda Effah Kuntor (Ministers Wives’ Representative on the Area Women’s Ministry Executive Committee) who was part of the team, mentioned that there is no better time for the church to become relevant to the watching world than now.

Leading the team was the wife of the Area Head, Mrs. Joyce Berko. She encouraged the children at the orphanages to know Christ by taking their devotional life seriously and praying always, saying, “Let no one hinder you from knowing Jesus, the Saviour of the world.”

Giving an exhortation at the prisons, Mrs. Joyce Berko established that Jesus loves sinners and died for that singular reason.

Reiterating a popular saying by the Chairman of the church that “sinners are the client of the church,” she said that God welcomes whosoever comes to Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

The children and their caregivers could not hide their joy as they joined members of the ministry to sing praises in adoration to God.

The team that embarked on the visit included Area Executive Committee Members and some district leaders of the ministry.

Report by Pastor Daniel Fosu, Berekum.

Untitled-1 (002)

PENTSOS Bakery Project Commissioned At Busunya

by with No Comment Church NewsPENTSOSTop Stories

A bakery jointly funded by the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS) and the General Headquarters of The Church of Pentecost has been commissioned at Busunya, near Nkoranza in the Techiman Area. 

The PENTSOS Bakery Project is expected to provide direct employment to 150 young people in the Church, function as a skills training centre to train the youth in bread making and pastries, and indirectly create jobs for over 500 people in the Nkoranza North District.

The initiative is a social enterprise project of PENTSOS, the social services wing of The Church of Pentecost, with an overarching purpose to build the productive capacity of the youth and create job opportunities through skills training.

The facility was commissioned by Apostle Isaac Nii Kotei Djani, Techiman Area Head, on June 9, 2021, assisted by the PENTSOS Director, Elder Richard Amaning, and the Busunya District Minister, Pastor Peter Afful Blood.

In a short exhortation from Psalm 90:17 and 1 Thessalonians 4:11, Apostle Kotei Djani admonished members to work with their hands so that they will not be dependent on anybody and receive God’s blessings.

At the commissioning ceremony were the Nkoranza North District Coordinating Director, Representative of the Traditional Authority, Representative of the District Police Commander, and the clergy.

PENTECOST NEWS.

Bogoso Area Launches Tree Planting Campaign Exercise 012

Bogoso Area Launches Tree Planting Campaign Exercise

by with No Comment Church NewsTop Stories

As part of the vision of The Church of Pentecost to plant 1,000,000 trees nationwide, the Bogoso Area of the church, under Apostle Onyinah Gyamfi, has launched a tree-planting campaign exercise in the Area.

Launching the campaign on Sunday, May 30, 2021, Apostle Onyinah Gyamfi underscored the need for the citizenry to plant trees since trees have enormous benefits to the environment. He said trees provide food, protect the environment, beautify the environment, serve as medicine, provide oxygen, among others.

For these reasons, Apostle Onyinah Gyamfi encouraged all the ministries, namely Youth, Women, Evangelism, PEMEM and Children to get involved in the Green Ghana campaign.

He concluded by saying that planting trees should be intentional and that every effort should be made to protect the trees and nurture them till maturity.

Report by Peter Tabiri, Bogoso.

Atomic PIWC Gets New Mission House 012

PIWC-Atomic Gets New Mission House

by with No Comment Church NewsTop Stories

The Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC)-Atomic has dedicated its newly constructed mission house at Ashongman Estate in the Haatso Area of The Church of Pentecost. The manse has a master bedroom ensuite, four other guest rooms (all ensuite), a furnished kitchen, a study room, and a garage.

The dedication of the one-storey building which took place on Sunday, May 30, 2021, was officiated by the Haatso Area Head, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, assisted by the Resident Minister, Apostle Samuel Oboubi Gyau.

Speaking at the event, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe thanked the past resident ministers, the building committee, and the entire membership of the church for their enormous contribution towards the successful completion of the building.

The District Estate Committee Chairman, Elder Augustine Sarpong, indicated that the building was 95% complete with outstanding works being largely external and landscaping works.

“The building is a ‘green’ building because of its facilities because it is going to be powered by solar energy,” he said, adding, “The lighting and water systems are also going to rely mainly on power from the sun to function.”

Background

The project dates back to the creation of the district in October 2008. The district initially inherited the rented mission house of the erstwhile PIWC-Accra located in the Dansoman SSNIT Flats area. It became apparent that the distance did not enhance the effectiveness of the resident minister. Therefore, a private residence was rented at Kwabenya for the resident minister in 2009.

Efforts were made by some presbyters at the time such as the late Elder Arc. Kofi Amponsah, Elder Matthew Nkansah, Elder Dr. Francis Afflu, Deacon Kofi Owusu-Sekyere, and the late Arc. J. G. K. Abankwa to purchase a parcel of land close to the church auditorium complex to construct a permanent residence for the resident minister.

The construction of the five-bedroom mission house began in February 2018 following the sod-cutting ceremony on March 23, 2018, by the then acting Resident Minister, Apostle Dr. Emmanuel Kwesi Anim, on behalf of the Area Head.

In his brief remarks, the Resident Minister, Apostle Obuobi Gyau, was full of appreciation to a member who paid for the construction of the entire roof structure and covering, and another one who also took up the payment for the kitchen cabinets and all the wardrobes. He was also grateful to all the members of the church for their immense support for the project.

Report by PIWC-Atomic Media Team.