The Koforidua Effiduase Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Daniel Yeboah Nsaful, has admonished Christians to accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ, saying, “The Lordship of Jesus is connected to our salvation.”
Apostle Nsaful gave the advice in a sermon he preached at Nsukwao Central Assembly on the evening of Friday, April 2, 2021, during the Easter convention of Nsukwao District. The convention was on the theme, “Jesus is Lord, yet He died for the sins of the world.”
Quoting from Luke 24:33-34; Philippians 2:6-8, John 1:27; 3:16 and Romans 4:10, Apostle Yeboah Nsaful said that even though Jesus is Lord, he humbled himself to the point of dying like a criminal to save the world from sin. He stated: “To be a Christian, one must accept Jesus as Lord.”
Expatiating on the death on the cross, Apostle Nsaful said it was the worst form of punishment and was meant for hardened criminals condemned to death. “So to say Jesus is a Messiah was nonsense to the philosophers of the time,” he said, adding, “The Jews who believed in miracles could not accept the fact that Jesus is a Messiah because he could not save himself from the cross, but Jesus is Lord even in the grave.”
On why Jesus, who is Lord, should die for sinners, Apostle Daniel Yeboah Nsaful said that Jesus as a servant leader died to save the world from sin, to demonstrate the love of God, to be a ransom for the world, to reconcile man to God, for justification and to prove that he is the lord of both the dead and the living.
Concluding his sermon, Apostle Nsaful advised Christians to accept the lordship of Jesus Christ in every aspect of their lives, commit to him, and expect his second coming.
The leadership of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) led by the Chairperson, Ms. Josephine Nkrumah, was on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at the General Headquarters of The Church of Pentecost at La, Accra, to convey their utmost appreciation to the church for the unprecedented support they received from the church during the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus pandemic last year.
It would be recalled that The Church of Pentecost on March 24, 2020, released 12 cinema vans to the NCCE to augment the Government’s efforts towards intensifying public awareness creation when the pandemic broke out. The vehicles were fueled by the church throughout the period.
The high-profile delegation included Mr. Samuel Asare Akuamoah (Deputy Chairman, Operations), Mrs. Hajara Rufai Mohammed (Commission Member), and Mr. Kojo Tito Voegborlo (Commission Secretary).
Others were Mr. Rockson Gbande (Acting Director, Programmes), and Mrs. Joyce Benedicta Afutu (Director of Communications & Corporate Affairs), and her Deputy, Mrs. Rita Amparbin Tetteh, among others.
They were received by the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, together with the General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi; the International Missions Director, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, and the Finance and Administration Director (FAD), Apostle Lawrence Otu Nyarko.
Interacting with the leadership of the church, Ms. Josephine Nkrumah was full of gratitude to the church for the support. “A year ago, we had unprecedented support from The Church of Pentecost. It did not come at our request but out of the church’s own benevolence. It came at the time that the Commission was in dire need of logistics and being lambasted in the media.
According to her, the vehicles enabled the NCCE to carry out intensive public education in all 16 regions to drum home the need for the citizenry to observe all the COVID-19 protocols which went a long way to stem the spread of the disease in the country.
The NCCE Chairperson further thanked the church for opening its doors to the staff of the Commission across the nation.
“That is really the true calling of the church. For The Church of Pentecost to stand out at that time to support the work of the Commission, it has proven to be a church that is compassionate to humanity and that is what Jesus Christ represents.
She also commended the church for playing a vital role in the success of the 2020 general elections through the “Agent of Peace” campaign it embarked upon.
A citation the Chairperson of the NCCE presented to the Chairman of the church in appreciation of the gesture read: “For God and country, The Church of Pentecost lived these Christian values and supported the NCCE to reach out to the many citizens who were uninformed about the realities of COVID-19.
“The church’s timely and enviable support to the NCCE propelled the Commission’s public awareness campaign on COVID-19 to sensitise the Ghanaian citizen on the pandemic.
“The NCCE appreciates this patriotic gesture by The Church of Pentecost and thanks the church for fulfilling the values that define Christianity.”
The Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, on his part, commended the leadership of the Commission for appreciating the gesture by the church.
He stated that the relevance of the church is the development it brings to the nation. He indicated that the major interventions that the church is embarking on in the country as part of its vision of “Possessing the Nations” are to ensure that its members who constitute about one-tenth of the Ghanaian population become agents of transformation in Ghanaian society.
Apostle Nyamekye advised the NCCE to collaborate with churches and other corporate organisations to help them effectively carry out their mandate. He noted that The Church of Pentecost has opened its doors to establish a deeper collaboration with the Commission so that civic education can go down to the grassroots.
Pastor Joshua Baffoe Ennin, 36-year-old young, vibrant, and enterprising minister of The Church of Pentecost who lost his life a few weeks ago was laid to rest last Saturday, March 27, 2021, at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
The late pastor until his untimely death which occurred on February 27, 2021, after a short illness, was the resident minister of the Obuasi branch of the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC, Obuasi). He left behind a wife, Mrs. Sarah Ennin, and three young adoring daughters.
At the burial and memorial service held at the Anglogold Ashanti School Park at Obuasi, mourners, mostly ministers and members of the church, friends and loved ones, and family members could not hold back their tears as they wept in bidding him farewell.
The solemn service was officiated by the International Missions Director (IMD) of the church, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, aptly assisted by Prophet James Osei Amaniampong (Chairman of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Committee & Asokwa Area Head), Apostle William Boakye Agyarko (Obuasi Area Head) as well as other Area Heads in the region and from other parts of the country.
The IMD on behalf of the Chairman, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, and the Executive Council, expressed his condolences to the bereaved family for their painful loss, which, he said, has created a vacuum in the family that would be difficult to fill.
Apostle Gyesi-Addo, however, thanked God for giving Pastor Joshua Ennin as a gift to the family using him to do great work in the church within the relatively short period that he spent on earth.
According to him, it is not the number of years that one spends on earth that matters, but the impact that they make in the lives of others.
In a sermon, the Madina Area Head of the church, Apostle Martin Seth Appiah, spoke on the topic: “When the flesh appears, the voice must disappear” – Matthew 3:1-3; 11:10.
He explained that God has placed something special in the hands of every born-again believer and He expects them to work with it. He mentioned that God has also marked a specific time for every believer within which they are supposed to work and end their earthly assignment. As soon as they finish their work, he said, God whisks them away. “The death of such vibrant believers becomes very difficult for humans to understand it,” he indicated.
Apostle Appiah disclosed that Prophet Isaiah who prophesied about the birth of Christ in Isaiah 9:6 also prophesied about John the Baptist, who was also called a “Voice” in Isaiah 40:3.
“Comparing Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:3; 11:10 and other scriptures, the common name used to refer to John was the ‘Voice.’ The main task for the ‘Voice’ was to be a forerunner of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
According to Apostle Appiah, when John was born and attained age 30, he began his work by telling the people of Israel about the coming Messiah. So John by destiny and in God’s plan was to give way when the Word becomes ‘Flesh’ as in John 1:1, he revealed.
“Like John the Baptist, Pastor Joshua Baffoe Ennin knew that he was to end his ministry here at Obuasi after three years just as he told his wife. His zeal for God was like John the Baptist, because he would call spade a spade, white, white and black, black. He never joked with the word of God and he preached it with all his strength at all times.
“Those who have a shorter time on earth execute their task in haste because there is a greater prize waiting for them in heaven.
“There is a mystery behind the death of Pastor Joshua Ennin. No devil or witchcraft can kill us. His work on earth has just come to an end and he must go quickly. There is another church in heaven (the triumphant church) and Joshua is needed there.
“Joshua came as a voice. The flesh has come and the voice must go and that is why he is no more,” he disclosed.
Profile of Pastor Joshua Ennin
Pastor Joshua Kofi Baffoe Ennin was born on May 11, 1984, in Accra to Mr. Peter Kofi Ennin and Millicent Sey, both of blessed memory. He completed basic school in the year 2000 at Christ Mission School, Kwashieman. He then proceeded to Swedru Senior High School and studied Business and successfully completed in 2003. He became the Student Representative Council (SRC) President in his final year. He had a diploma in Special Education from the University of Education, Winneba, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Human Resource Option) from the University of Ghana, Legon.
He had his National Service at The Church of Pentecost Headquarters and served at the office of the then Chairman, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah, where he worked till his call into the full-time ministry in 2012. He started his ministerial service at Nsawora District in the Sefwi Wiawso Area, serving four years and later at PIWC-Obuasi, where he passed away after serving for four years.
Various tributes read in his honour eulogized him for being a minister, husband, father, and Christian with a difference – a man whose zeal and passion for the work of God was unparalleled.
The Sawla District Mission House of The Church of Pentecost has been given a facelift.
The total for the refurbishment amounted to GH¢133,606.00, funded by grants from the General Headquarters, International Missions Board, AIDF, and with support from some districts and individuals in the Teshie-Nungua Area, namely PIWC – Graceland, PIWC-Sakumono, Elder Seth Ocran of Baatsona District, and Deacon Eddie Grant Nartey & Family of PIWC-Sakumono. The District Minister, Pastor Maxwell Nti, and his wife, Cecilia also contributed greatly to the project.
The Sawla District was created in 1960. The first district minister resided in a rented apartment. In 1986, the then District Minister, Pastor Ayi Mantey (now retired) built a 2-room apartment to serve as a mission house. Successive ministers continued to expand it to form a compound-like square house. In 1995, the structure was completed and dedicated by Prophet Martinson Kwadwo Yeboah, the then Chairman, assisted by Apostle Joseph Albert Mensah, then Area Head for Upper West Region, and Pastor S. K. Amankonah, the then District Minister.
Gradually, the structural integrity of the building became worse – full of cracks and leakages – making it unsafe for habitation.
The Sawla Area Head, Apostle William Ohemeng-Kwakye, on his arrival in the Area in 2017, saw the need to redesign the building and received support from the Headquarters. Work on the project commenced in October 2019 and was completed and dedicated in March 2021.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony, Apostle Ohemeng-Kwakye exhorted the congregants on the topic, “Do what is honourable before God and men,” quoting from 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 and 9:1-3.
He stated that the world is full of critics, therefore believers ought to do what is honourable before God and men, and strive to have a good name as indicated in Proverbs 22:1 to glorify the name of the Lord.
In appreciation, Pastor Maxwell Nti, the Sawla District Minister, thanked God for the grace to refurbish the mission house. He also expressed his profound gratitude to the leadership of the church and all and sundry for the massive support for the project.
In attendance were all the ministers and their wives in the Area.
The mortal remains of the late Pastor Richard Kofi Agyapong of Prestea-Himan District in the Bogoso Area of The Church of Pentecost were laid to rest on Saturday, March 27, 2021 after a solemn memorial service held at Himan Methodist School Park.
The event was officiated by the Chairman of the Church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye. Present to assist him were Apostles Dr. Daniel Okyere Walker (Chairman of the Western Regional Coordinating Committee & Tarkwa Area Head), Mike Etrue (Kaneshie Area Head & Executive Council Member), Onyinah Gyamfi (Bogoso Area Head), and other Area Heads in the Western and Western North Regions and ministers from various parts of the country.
Also present was the Prestea-Himan Divisional Chief, Nana Nteboah Pra IV, and his elders and other sympathisers.
The late Pastor Agyapong, 65, whose sudden death occurred on February 5, 2021, at Prestea Government Hospital, survived by a wife, Mrs Christiana Agyapong and six adult children.
Consoling the bereaved family, the Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, noted that it is better to attend a funeral than to go for a feast since death is the end of all men. He said that one of Pastor Agyapong’s children has been called into the full-time minister of the church, testifying that, “if Pastor Agyapong leaves us a pastor, then he has left us a good pastor.”
Delivering the sermon, Apostle Emmanuel Kwasi Osei Ofosu, Sefwi Bekwai Area Head, read from 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 and spoke on the topic, “The Dead in Christ shall live.” He illustrated that death came into the world because of sin (Romans 5:12). He remarked that because Jesus Christ died for our sins and resurrected, those who die in Christ are asleep and that they will rise at the appearance of Christ. On the other hand, he stated that those who die without Christ will experience resurrection to condemnation (John 5:28-29).
Pastor Agyapong was born at Akim Oda on February 24, 1956. He began his primary education at Akim Oda Presbyterian Primary School in 1961, and continued at the Akim Oda Attafuah Continuation School, completing in 1971. He later attended City Secondary and Business, Kpehe in Accra and obtained the GCE ‘O’ Level Certificate in 1974. He studied Secretarial courses and had Typist Grades I, II, and Stenographer Secretary Certificates.
He worked with the Ministry of Agriculture, Cocoa Division, from 1971 to 1976, and was later transferred to Ghana Cocoa Marketing Board, Office of the Chief Executive. He worked in that office as a Stenographer Secretary from 1976 to 1981, when he retired voluntarily. He entered into business from 1981 till 1997, when he was called into the full-time ministry of The Church of Pentecost.
Pastor Agyapong served for 24 years in ministry in the following duty stations: Sefwi Asemnyinakrom, Techiman South (now Dwomor), Ashaiman North (Moneomanye), Bremang-Extension (Nkontwima) and finally, Prestea-Himan District, where he was preparing to retire in July 2021.
In her tribute, the widow, Mrs Christiana Agyapong, said that her late husband was a responsible, generous, democratic, time-conscious, welcoming, disciplined, and decent man.
The children, on their part, described their late father as responsible, loving, God-fearing, hardworking and a disciplinarian. “We wished he would have continued to motivate, guide and strengthen us a little longer but only God knows why He called him in such a time as this,” they noted.
The Bogoso Area of the church indicated that the departed pastor was full of wisdom, humble, a disciplinarian who corrected with love, hardworking, teachable, punctual, selfless and faithful.
The General Council of the Church, in a tribute, noted that Pastor Agyapong distinguished himself very well as a fine and disciplined minister throughout the stations he served. “The late Pastor Richard Kofi Agyapong and his adoring wife, Mama Christiana, built a good home and through that one of their children, Overseer Samuel Amoako Agyapong is a full-time minister of the church,” the tribute said.
The remains of the late Pastor Michael Ofori, Resident Minister of Mount Olives Worship Centre at Gbawe in the Odorkor Area of The Church of Pentecost, have been interned today [Saturday, March 27, 2021] after a pre-burial service held at the Gbawe Cluster of Schools in Accra.
Pastor Ofori, 54, was called home by his Maker on Saturday, February 13, 2021. He is survived by a wife, Mrs. Gifty Ofori and three young children.
The solemn service, officiated by the General Secretary of the Church, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, was assisted by Prophet David Kankam Beditor (Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Committee and Ashaiman Area Head), Apostle Isaac Nii Kotei Djani (Executive Council Member and Techiman Area Head), and Apostle Patrick Aseyoro (Odorkor Area Head). Also present was the wife of the Chairman of the church, Mrs. Mary Nyamekye, ministers and members of the church, and loved ones.
Consoling the dejected widow and the bereaved family, Apostle Kumi-Larbi entreated them to be strong in the Lord since the late pastor who died in the Lord has been welcomed home by his Maker.
Conveying the sympathies of the Chairman of the Church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, and the Executive Council to the bereaved family, the General Secretary indicated that Pastor Michael Ofori served the purpose of God on earth and is done with his earthly journey.
The Resident Minister of Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC)-Atomic, Apostle Samuel Obuobi, preaching the sermon at the service on the topic, “When Death Becomes A Blessing” taken from Revelation 14:13; 1 Corinthians 15:58, said that though death leaves some devastating effects such as pain, sorrow, and disappointment on surviving families, it comes with some blessings.
The first blessing that comes with death, he said, is that those who die in Christ shall rest from their labours. According to him, the earth is full of trouble, pain, rejection, sickness, and the like. However, those who serve God faithfully to the end will have rest for their souls in the next world. This, he noted, is a great blessing.
The second blessing that comes along with death is that the deeds of those who die in Christ will follow them. He stated that every good service rendered to God and humanity will not be in vain.
Apostle Samuel Obuobi however noted that those who die without knowing Christ will suffer everlasting pain and suffering.
Various tributes read in honour of the departed minister eulogized him for standing out in his service to God and humanity.
His wife described him as not only “a wonderful husband but a best friend, confidante, counselor and pastor … his ability to remain calm in the face of challenges was to be admired,” adding, “He had such a great presence in our lives and my heart aches for my loss and for the children, who at such tender ages have lost a fantastic and devoted father.”
The General Council of The Church of Pentecost also said that Pastor Michael Ofori was known for his love for the things of God and did the work of his Master with alacrity and ensured that tasks assigned to him were done and done well, saying, “He undertook his pastoral duties with diligence which produced impactful results.”
Biography of Pastor Michael Ofori
Born on 4th February 1967 at Koforidua in the Eastern Region to the late Mr. Tawiah Ofori and Madam Paulina Kwao, both natives of Osuwem, in the Shai-Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region, he began elementary education at Koforidua Presbyterian School and successfully obtained the Middle School Leaving Certificate at Aboma L/A Middle School in 1982. Due to lack of funds, Michael could not continue his education immediately and decided to embark on farming in order to mobilise funds to augment his parents’ efforts to enable him further his education.
He later gained admission to Koforidua Technical Institute to pursue Automobile Mechanical Engineering and completed in 1987. He then continued to St. Paul’s Technical School, Kukurantumi from 1988 to 1990. From there, he went to Kumasi Polytechnic (now Kumasi Technical University), from 1992 to 1993 and then to Accra Polytechnic (now Accra Technical University), from 1997-2000 with the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mechanical Engineering (Plant Maintenance and Works Service Option). He also had a B.A. in Theology degree from the Pentecost University. He held several leadership positions in school, including PENSA President and the Students Representative Council (S.R.C.) Representative on the Accra Polytechnic Governing Council from 1998-2000.
Prior to his call into the full-time ministry of The Church of Pentecost in 2004, he worked with the Ghana Education Service as a teacher.
In ministry, he was stationed in the following districts: Badu District (2004-2009), Sowutuom District (2009-2011), P.U.C District (2011-2014), Atonsu-Bokro District (2014-2017), Ayeduase-Boadi District (2019-2020), and Mount Olives Worship Centre, Gbawe (2020-2021).
The Amantin District of The Church of Pentecost in the Atebubu Area has donated items worth GH¢ 3,000.00 to the inmates of the Ejura Prisons. The District Minister, Pastor Daniel Teye Narh, accompanied by his wife and some officers of the church, presented the items to the facility on March 7, 2021.
The items included bags of maize, beans, groundnut, gari, tubers of yam, provisions, packs of toilet roll, sachet water, bathroom slippers, packs of toothpaste, and toothbrushes as well as cash of GH¢ 100.00.
Receiving the items, the officer-in-charge of the facility, Superintendent Dickson Owusu Ameyaw, expressed their profound gratitude to The Church of Pentecost for the kind gesture shown them. He assured the Church that the donations would be used for its intended purpose and would go a long way to alleviate the plight of the inmates.
Delivering a short message on the topic, “Believe in Jesus and be reconciled to God” based on Romans 3:23, Pastor Daniel Teye Narh said that sin has separated humankind from God and the only way humankind can be reconciled to God is by believing and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ and He will forgive their sin.
“Do not think that we don’t think about you; we do and pray for you and that is why we have come to visit you. Don’t also think that your sins are many that you cannot be forgiven. Even if the State does not forgive your sins, if you believe in Jesus He will forgive you of all your sins,” he stated.
The inmates joyfully and gladly accepted the message and all 53 inmates accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
A prayer was said for the officers and the inmates.
Report by Pastor Daniel Teye Narh (Atebubu Area Reporter).
The Chairman of the Governance Council of National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah, has described the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) movement in Ghana as a threat to national security.
Speaking at a National Prayer Rally on LGBTQI+ organised by the various ecumenical bodies in Ghana in collaboration with the Coalition at the Burma Camp Worship Centre auditorium of The Church of Pentecost on March 21, 2021, Apostle Prof Opoku Onyinah stated: “The National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Right and Family Values is very resolute in our stance against the practices of the LGBTQI+ movement.
“The Coalition, which includes Christians, Muslims, Parent-Teachers Association, Scripture Union, and Traditional leaders, feel that Ghana cannot and must not allow this movement to gain roots in our socio-cultural life to destroy our children, our youth, the future of our nation, and as such our very existence.
We, therefore, call on all meaningful Ghanaians especially our policymakers, security agencies, and our parliamentarians to see the activities of the LGBTQI+ movement in Ghana as a national security threat. We call for non-ambiguous legislation on the movement to prevent anyone or a group with such ambitions from hoping to operate in our country in the near future.”
The immediate past Chairman of The Church of Pentecost urged parents and guardians to rise to stand against the activities of the movement. “Our traditional leaders, chiefs, and queens, who are the custodians of our culture and traditions must not take this issue lightly,” he said, adding, “We call on all concerned Ghanaians to rise to defend and protect our cultural values which have come under attack by the activities of this movement.”
Apostle Prof Opoku Onyinah revealed that there is enough evidence to show that the activities of the LGBTQI+ movement have impacted negatively on many youths in countries where they operate, saying that the lives of the youths who are future leaders of those countries are being destroyed.
“The Gay Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) website describes some detrimental effects associated with same-sex sexual practices, such as higher rate of HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, depression/anxiety, hepatitis, other sexually transmitted illnesses such as anal papilloma/HPV, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and chlamydia, certain cancers, alcohol abuse, tobacco use, and eating disorders. We learn from people and countries’ success stories, but not destructive stories,” he stated.
He however expressed appreciation to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for declaring that his administration will not allow the legalisation of same-sex marriages in our country. “His declaration consequently led to the closing down of their offices. We are grateful to him. We wish, however, to put this forward. We advocate that Ghana’s stand on the LGBTQI+ will be legislated clearly without any ambiguity,” he stressed.
The International Missions Director (IMD) of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, has expressed grave concern that some preachers of the gospel are shifting their attention from preaching about salvation of Christ to acquiring worldly things.
According to him, instead of them to propagate the gospel of salvation and embark on evangelistic drive, many of them were unduly concerned with wealth acquisition and motivational messages at the expense of the unadulterated word of God. He wondered why some preachers have sought to replace evangelistic songs like ‘Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,’ ‘Hark the Voice of Jesus calling,’ among others with “Tomorrow by this time God will make a way” when they mount the pulpit to preach.
The IMD was of the view that the message of the gospel preacher should centre on eternal life for all who come to Jesus Christ and the wrath of God awaiting those who do not believe in Christ. “Pentecostals and evangelicals believe in the death of Christ that has atoned for the sins of mankind and so there is life after death; heaven and hell is real and this should be our message,” he said, adding that “we need to focus on reaching out to the ends of the world as missionaries of Christ.”
Speaking at the Adenta Estate Worship Centre (AEWC) in the Madina Area on Sunday March 14, 2021, to climax the 2021 McKeown Missions Week celebration, Apostle Gyesi-Addo intimated that to be sent as a messenger of God is to preach and proclaim Christ unto salvation and that is the mandate and responsibility of all believers (John 3:36; Luke 16:8, and Romans 10:13-17). He cited the story of Pastor James and Mrs. Sophia McKeown to drum home his point, stressing that they responded to the call to leave Europe for the Gold Coast, present day Ghana, in 1937 despite the challenges and frustrations for the sake of the gospel.
The IMD advised Christians to avoid undue rationalisation when it comes to giving to support the work of missions. “The gospel must be preached with its attendant social services. We need money to send missionaries, provide potable drinking water, build chapels, health centres among other interventions, and so your financial support is needed,” he emphasised.
Reading from Luke 16:8, Apostle Gyesi-Addo posited that unbelievers are able to sponsor all kinds of agenda without any reservation, yet Christians would always want to be shrewd by rationalising how much they are parting with for the sake of the gospel.
On behalf of the Chairman of the Church and the Missions Board, the IMD commended the AEWC for their immense contributions to the work missions. “Your performance over the years contributed to the calling of the late Elder George Amponsah to serve as a member of the International Missions Board,” he stated.
“Also, while serving as a missionary in Gabon, we consistently received telephone calls from members of this church every year. That was of great encouragement to us, and we believe that other missionaries would attest to this,” he said, adding, “For my last official Missions Week celebration as the IMD, I decided to come and fellowship with you, to commend and express our appreciation for your good works and to further urge you to continue in the good works.”
The Resident Minister, Pastor Eric Asare, on his part, was grateful to the IMD for his visit and encouragement. He said the AEWC was blessed with missions-minded members and so would continue to pray for them and contribute financially to the work of missions.
The AEWC recently received a citation from the Madina Area for emerging as the highest contributor of the McKeown Missions Week for four continuous years, thus from 2016 to 2020.
The Assakae District Minister of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Ernest Perbi-Asare, on Saturday, March 20, 2021, launched his Akuapem Twi Poetry book, “Me Kristosom Abrabo Ho Anwensem Aduasa,” written from a Christian perspective.
The foreword to the 80-page book was written by the General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi.
“I love the book for two reasons; first because of the well-written poems that display the intelligent use of literary devices to address real-life issues through the Christian lens; and secondly, because it is written in my native dialect, Akuapem Twi, which I passionately love to express at any given opportunity,” Apostle Kumi-Larbi said in the foreword.
The General Secretary was however worried about how literacy is often associated with one’s ability to express themselves well in the English language and how people look down on those who are not fluent in the English language and yet seem unperturbed when they are unable to express themselves fluently in their mother tongue. He bemoaned that some church leaders in the country cannot read the Bible in any local language.
Apostle A. N. Y. Kumi-Larbi commended The Church of Pentecost for initiating the Pentecost Literacy Project in the year 2020 which is providing an opportunity for Ghanaians in general, and Christians, in particular, who are typically oral but have a desire to read, write and speak in a language of their choice.
Speaking at the launch which took place at the Assakae Central auditorium of the church in the Effia Kwesimintsim Municipality in the Western Region, Pastor Perbi-Asare indicated that the book is a resource in pursuance of the Vision 2023 agenda of The Church of Pentecost where adults will be taught how to read and write in their native languages and to help them to read the Bible as well.
He expressed his utmost gratitude to the General Secretary of the Church, Apostle A. N. Y. Kumi-Larbi for taking time off his busy schedules to read through the book, offering useful suggestions, and writing the foreword to the book.
“I also thank the Chairman, Apostle Eric Kwabena Nyamekye, and the Executive Council for the Pentecost Literacy School initiative, a timely intervention to help members of the church and Ghanaians, in general, to read and write in their local dialects.”
Speaking at the book launch, the Takoradi Area Head, Apostle Joseph Kwame Assabil, commended the author for the good work done. He used the opportunity to admonish parents to try as much as possible to introduce their children to their native languages in order to grasp concepts from their mother tongues which will subsequently help them speak and learn the English language faster and easier.
Pastor Perbi-Asare donated 50 copies of the books to the Assakae and New Site Pentecost Preparatory Schools in the Effia Kwesimintsim Municipality, and 20 copies to Anyaa-Ablekuma Area of the Church, where the Pentecost Literacy School has been piloted successfully for over a year now.
Three students from Pentecost Preparatory School, Assakae recited various poems from the book to the admiration of the patrons.
Pastor Perbi-Asare, a former Ghanaian Language (Akuapem Twi) tutor at Kibi Presbyterian College of Education and the Seventh Day Adventist Senior High School, Asokore-Koforidua, is one of the Akuapem Twi translators in the Church.
The event was attended by Mrs. Rebecca Assabil (wife of Takoradi Area Head), ministers of the church and their wives in the Takoradi Area, among others.
