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The newly-constructed church building of the Wawabile Assembly in the Bole District of The Church of Pentecost has been dedicated.

The building was dedicated on Friday, December 8, 2023, by the Sawla Area Head, Pastor Frederick Obboh.

The Wawabile Assembly, formerly known as Lamporga No. 1, was one of the assemblies which was opened at the time when the present Sawla Area had not yet been carved from the Wa Area.

The assembly, which started with few members, has now grown into a big church.

The members of the assembly, during its early years, worshipped under a tree and later moved into a temporal structure until 2021 when the then Area Head for Sawla, Apostle William Ohemeng-Kwakye, cut the sod for a permanent church building to be put up for the assembly. This was during the tenure of Pastor Kwaku Amponsah and Elder Emmanuel Yitah, as District Minister  and Presiding Elder, respectively.

Apostle William Ohemeng-Kwakye laid the foundation stone for the building on Friday, July 9, 2021, when the building reached a habitable stage.

This great foundation was built upon by the immediate-past Area Head, Apostle David Amankwaa, whose hard work saw the building project progress near completion.

Through the instrumentality of Pastor Frederick Obboh, the current Area Head, the building which is situated on a five-acre land, has been completed successfully to the glory of God.

Delivering the sermon at the dedication service on the topic: “Keep the Fire Burning,” the Sawla Area Secretary, Pastor Benjamin Addo-Boateng, with scripture references from Leviticus 6:13, touched on the need to have the presence of God among the people.

He noted that the church building serves as the symbol of the presence and a place of worship for the Almighty.

Pastor Addo-Boateng emphasised that the presence of God is influenced by the fire, who is the Holy Spirit.

He, therefore, charged members to make the church building a house of God where prayer and worship will be offered unto the Lord daily.

“The Lord admonished the Levites to keep the fire burning on the altar daily to ensure the continuous presence of the Lord which will take away sin and bring redemption to the lost and the captive,” he said.

In a brief remark, emphasised that leaders must ensure that the house of the Lord is made a safe haven where distress people can find solace in the Lord.

This, he noted, could be achieved, only when there is constant prayer in the church, proclamation of life-transforming unadulterated word of God, effective church services, and intentional discipling of converts to ground them in the faith, and unleashed to transform their sphere of influence with values, life-style, and principles of the kingdom of God.

 The Area Head admonished ministers to be filled with the Holy Spirit, for the priest in the New Testament is a carrier of God’s glory, adding that, glory must be edified to bring out spontaneous worship and sacrifices among the members who are the beholders of the glory of God which now resides in the priest.

Dedicating the church building, which has an attached children’s auditorium, Pastor Obboh expressed profound gratitude to the leadership of the Church for providing the funds for the project

He alao thanked his predecessors, Apostles; William Ohemeng-Kwakye, and David Amankwaa for their hard work and judicious use of resources.

On his part, the Bole-Customs District Minister, P/Overseer Samuel Obeng, thanked all past district ministers and all others who contributed in diverse ways towards the successful completion of the project

Present at the dedication service were Mrs. Joana Mina Obboh (Wife of the Area Head), ministers in the Area and the Area Deacon, Elder Pourimah.

Report by Overseer Jones Dwomoh Amankwah (Mandari District)

The Sawla Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Frederick Obboh, has dedicated the newly constructed church building of the Sakpa Central Assembly.

The colourful dedication service was held on Friday, December 8, 2023, and had in attendance Mrs. Joana Mina Obboh (Wife of the Area Head), as well as ministers and wives in the Area.

The Sakpa Assembly started in 1985, then under the Sawla District with a couple who were won during a rally held at Lamporga led by Elder Joseph Daare (retired).

Two couples joined the first couple later and they started worshipping under a tree.

The members continued to worship under a tree close to the Sakpa RC Basic School and later moved into one of the classrooms.

The assembly, under the leadership of Elder Emmanuel Yitah, raised funds, bought five plots of land, and started molding blocks to put up a permanent church building themselves.

The tenacity and zeal of the members caught the attention of the then Bole District Minister, Pastor Yakwah, who made an appeal to the then Area Head, Apostle Moses Ahiakor, on behalf of the local assembly, for support. The Area Head then gave the assembly a grant to support the project.

When the Sakpa District was created under the leadership of Apostle David Amankwaa and inaugurated on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, the assembly was designated as the central assembly of the new district.

The district then received a grant from the Church’s Headquarters during the time of Pastor Kwaku Amponsah to continue the building project to plastering level.

The foundation stone to the building was laid by Apostle David Amankwaa on July 21, 2023, with assistance from Pastor Kwaku Amponsah.

Pastor Frederick Obboh, on assuming office as the Area Head, pursued the vision and completed the church building, which has a children’s auditorium attached.

The Sakpa Central Assembly currently has a total membership of 338, comprising 207 adults and 131 children.

Three pioneering members; Mr. John Martin and Mrs. Esther John (now a deaconess), and Mrs. Martha Lenebey, are still alive and were present to witness the historic event.

Pastor Samuel Awuah, the Sawla District Minister and an Area Executive Committee Member, gave a short exhortation during the event on the topic: “Prayer Opens Doors.”

Using 1 Samuel 1:1-10 as scripture reference, Pastor Samuel Awuah noted that Hannah prayed at the temple, and the fervent prayer was answered by God.

He, therefore, urged members to make the house of God the house of prayer where their supplication will be laid bare before the Almighty.

Pastor Awuah noted that Hannah had been going to Shiloh yearly to be prayed for but that year she decided to pray for herself and seek the face of God.

He urged the members to learn from Hannah and believe that when they pray in the church, their prayers will be answered.

Pastor Awuah  advised to desist from seeking spiritual help from ungodly sources but rather engage the Lord in prayer.

Dedicating the building, Pastor Frederick Obboh read from 1 Chronicles 7 and advised members to ensure that the church, which is the house of the Lord, is kept holy and neat for the Lord is Holy.

He emphasised that Solomon understood this concept and therefore took pains to furnish the temple he built with gold artifacts to the glory of God.

“In our days, the members, which is the body of Christ, is the temple, our lives, therefore, must reflect His glory in our daily endeavors,” he said.

Pastor Obboh noted this can be achieved when leaders and members alike make the house of God their dwelling and ensure the constant presence of God in the house through prayer and life-transforming church services.

The Area Head charged ministers and members to keep the house of God clean through effective maintenance and proper care and also by greening the environment to preserve nature and beautify the environment.

He thanked the leadership of the Church for the financial support towards the project, his predecessors for their commitment, and the entire membership for their hard work and dedication towards the project.

On his part, P/Overseer Solomon Dzitse, the District Minister for Sakpa, thanked his predecessor, Pastor Kwaku Amponsah, the Area Estate Committee, and leaders and members of the district for their support.

Report by Overseer Jones Dwomoh Amankwah (Mandari District)

The Tema Greenwich Meridian District of The Church of Pentecost has organised a retirement service to honour three distinguished officers who have served the church for many years. 

The event took place at the Safo Memorial Temple in Tema on November 26, 2023.

The three retired officers were Elders Richard Oppong, Akwasi Boaten-Sekyerehene, and John Kwame Ansah, who had served for 31, 31, and 26 years, respectively. They all served as district executive committee members and were reviewed this year.

Apostle Emmanuel Offei Ankra-Badu, the Area Head for Tema, presided over the retirement service and delivered a sermon on the theme, “Responding to Divine Call.” 

He explained the divine call of a leader, the criteria necessary to align oneself with God’s call, and the five-stage approach to responding to it – having a revelation of God, realising the value of Christ’s holiness, recognition of one’s sinfulness, renewal of one’s mind on Christ’s perspective and the response of their lifestyle.

Apostle Ankrah-Badu commended the retired officers for their sacrifices and prayed to God to grant them a long life.

The District Minister, Pastor Dr Suleman De-Graft Issaka, congratulated Safo Memorial Temple and Community 2 assemblies for organising the retirement service. He also congratulated the retirees and thanked them for their service to God and humanity.

The retired officers expressed their profound appreciation to God, the church leadership, and their families for the privilege of serving in various capacities in the Lord’s vineyard.

The service featured a performance of the district cadet corps and the children’s cultural troupe in action.

Present at the event were Apostle Matthew Larbi Wettey (Rtd) and his wife, Mrs Elizabeth Larbi Wettey; Mrs Esther Issaka (wife of Tema Greenwich Meridian District Minister); Pastor Abraham Bonsu (Oyarifa District) and wife, Mrs Esther Bonsu, and Pastor Samuel Oduro Appiah (Obo-Kwahu District).

Others were Elder Paul Kuwornu (Tema Area Deacon), Elder Dr Henry Hackman (Area Executive Committee Member), and Deaconess Charity Kuwornu (Area Women’s Leader), among others.

Report by Benjamin Quarshie.

Apostle Samuel Kojo Gakpetor, the Coordinator for the National Discipleship and Leadership Development Committee (NDLDC) of The Church of Pentecost, has challenged, Church leaders, particularly ministers and their wives, to ensure the success of the Home Cell concept in their respective stations in line with the new directive of leadership.

The new strategic vision of the Church, dubbed Vision 2028, directs that Home Cell meetings are now to be held on the Mondays of the Communion (Lord’s Supper) Week in the ensuing years.

Apostle Samuel Gakpetor, who is also the Agormanya Area Head, said this on the first day of the two-day 2023 Pre-Christmas Convention Residential Retreat held for the Agormanya Area pastorate and wives from Thursday, December 7, to Friday, December 8, 2023.

In his presentation, Apostle Gakpetor revealed that the new directives on the change of Home cell meeting days to Mondays of the Communion Week have taken into consideration various concerns from grassroots regarding factors relevant for the effectiveness of the Cell concept.

He observed that challenges raised over the years bordered on the lack of involvement of officers and challenges related to the time of the meeting.

Concerning the current arrangement under Vision 2028, the NDLDC Coordinator commented that the use of Lord’s Supper Monday is very good because “the day is uncontested.”

To ensure the workability of the new arrangement, he hinted officers are to be assigned to various Cells to mobilise the members for effective Communion Week prayers.

He hinted that, when well organised, it will enhance the participation of members and officers in the Communion week as well as close the “back door” of the local church.

To roll out the new arrangement, he suggested that: “Ministers should review the current state of the Home Cell in their local assemblies with the presiding elders to ascertain the challenges and what needs to be done; train and reorient officers on the Home Cell concept; assign officers to the Home cells to man them; zone Home Cell and appoint zonal coordinators to ensure supervision and monitoring and to become a model themselves.”

He added that the zonal coordinators for the zoned cells will also provide mentoring and pastoral responsibilities for the Home Cell leaders under them.

The Pre-Christmas Residential Retreat was scheduled to prepare and equip the ministers and wives in the Area for the coming Christmas Convention.

Apostle Samuel Gakpetor used the opportunity to share with the ministers the new trajectories through Vision 2028.

The meeting was attended by almost all the pastors and wives across the 24 districts in the Agormanya Area.

Report by Agormanya Area Media