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The outgoing Children’s Ministry Director of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Professor William Otoo Ellis, has called on children workers and all Christians to exhibit the nature and characteristics of God. Prof. Ellis made the call on Friday, July 19, 2024, during the climax of the Foundation Builders’ Conference held at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh. Speaking on ‘The Nature and Characteristics of God,’ with scripture references from Exodus 34:6-7 and 1 Peter 2:9, the former Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), explained that the initial intent of God is to create man in His own image and likeness, and that man will take dominion over the earth, be fruitful and multiply. According to him, God breathing into man after moulding him, made man a partaker of God’s nature.Pastor Prof. Otoo Ellis revealed that the nature and characteristics of God can be characterised into two; communicable and incommunicable characters. He mentioned that the communicable characters of God are characters that God shares with humans while the incommunicable characters are only found in God and distinguish Him from man. The Children’s Director reiterated the need for children workers to exhibit God’s communicable characters, saying, ‘We are expected to reflect the nature and character of God to show all that God has deposited in us.’He reminded children workers that God has entrusted to them the task of leadership, authority, love and care of children. To properly execute this mandate, Prof. William Otoo Ellis tasked them to pray to seek help from God so they can receive the grace to be obedient and portray these attributes.

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A Technology Consultant and Educator, Mr Emmanuel Arthur, has admonished children workers to make conscious effort to use technology to enhance their work in the church.

Addressing participants at the 2024 Foundation Builders’ Conference held at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, on the topic: ‘Technology as a tool for the unleashing agenda,’ Mr Arthur said artificial intelligence (Ai) is now being programmed to mimic the natural intelligence of human beings.

‘Human beings used to predict the activities of machines but now, machines are predicting the activities of humans,’ he disclosed.

Explaining further, he stated: ‘The next best friend of your child in the next ten years will be a machine not a human being.’ This, he said, was because machines can entertain children better than humans.

Mr Arthur, who is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ramsys Infotech Solutions Limited, cautioned children workers to be mindful of the content they expose children to, saying, ‘The more information you put out there on the internet, the more vulnerable you become.’

According to him, machines are racing against humans and are fast overtaking human efforts. Predicting the future, Mr Arthur said: ‘In the next twenty years, most of the children being trained now will not get jobs because artificial intelligence (AI) will be doing most of the jobs.’

Mr Arthur indicated that Ai is becoming very powerful, and a lot of people are using it to do so many things – bad and good. He, therefore, called on children workers to have a balance between wisdom from God and basic knowledge in technology to be able to raise godly children in order to live in this technology world.

Bringing his message to a close, he noted that Ai has come to stay, so children workers need to abreast themselves in its application to meet the needs of the children they handle.

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A Commissioner at the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Elder Ismael Edjekumhene, has encouraged children workers to see the work of a Sunday school teacher as an ordained call from the Lord.  Speaking on the topic, ‘Child Evangelism’ at the 2024 Foundation Builders’ Conference held at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, on Thursday, Elder Edjekumhene, who is the Assistant Evangelism Leader for Haatso Area of The Church of Pentecost, indicated that ‘child evangelism is not something that you do when you can’t find anything to do for the Lord.’ He added that it is not everybody who can be a Sunday school teacher, and so it is a special calling from God.According to him, child evangelism is a spiritually based ministry to capture children for Christ, saying, ‘God commands us to evangelise to all creatures, so evangelism is a must, and we must win children for the Lord as young as they are.’ He encouraged teachers to preach the gospel message to children and bring up those who believe to understand what it means to be Christians and ensure that they are identified with the body of Christ – Matthew 19:14, ‘Let the children come to me.”Children too can perish,’ he said, citing the flood that destroyed the world, including both the old and the young, in the days of Noah. With scriptural reference from John 21:15-19, he explained that Jesus instructed his disciples not to concentrate only on adults but spend time with the children. ‘Don’t to leave everything to chance; we need to ensure that the children we are training are solid in the faith. We need to spend time, be intentional and make sure that the children are solid in their faith,’ he said, adding, ‘Build a perfect foundation for the children else, they will be fed with wrong messages because when there is a vacant land and you don’t plant on it, everything grows on it.’He added: ‘As a Sunday school teacher, you play a crucial role in the life of the children. Therefore, prepare yourself adequately before you minister to the children. Every teacher must have two cardinal goals which are: to teach the word of God in a way to bring the one who does not know the Lord to come to the Lord and be able to make decision for himself, and to teach the one who already knows the Lord how to live a victorious life to the glory of God.’PENTECOST NEWS

The Director of Pent Media Centre, Pastor Dr Felix Dela Klutse, has charged children workers to endeavour to maximize their potential to postively impact the lives of the children they teach.

Pastor Dr Klutse, in a presentation on the topic, ‘Maximizing Your Potentials For Exponential Growth,’ at the 2024 Foundation Builders’ Conference at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, on Thursday, explained potential as ‘a gap between who you are today and who you will become tomorrow.’

He revealed that potential requires deliberate effort to grow into reality because ‘it’s the seed of greatness planted within every individual, waiting for the right conditions of effort, perseverance, and opportunity to bloom into remarkable reality.’

He revealed that God has planted a seed of greatness in every human, waiting for it to generate through efforts.

Sensitising participants on how to maximize their potential, the Pent Media Centre Director mentioned a person’s ability to see or identify potential as the first step in achieving their goal. This, he said, involves their ability to spot problems and profess solutions to solve problems.

Another way he pointed out as a means of maximizing potential is dreaming big while believing in God, oneself and personal abilities even when others doubt them.

He admonished children workers to see frustration as opportunity. He also entreated them to commit themselves to never-ending improvement, develop their hobbies, have passion, take a calculated risk, and treat time like gold.

Pastor Dr Klutse highlighted the killers of potential as fear, doubt, complacency, and disobedience.

He cautioned children workers not to take for granted efforts that will help them maximize their impact, else they will regret it one day, saying, ‘If you make a mistake in your morning season, you will pay for it in your noon season.’

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The Patron of the Children’s Ministry of The Church of Pentecost, Prophet David Kankam Beditor, has encouraged children workers not to exchange the power invested in them for anything.

Prophet Beditor, who is the Obuasi Area Head of the church, said this during a sermon he preached on Thursday at the 2024 Foundation Builders’ Conference at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC).

He admonished children workers to hold on fast to the authority (Holy Spirit) they have received from God. He also advised them to hold on fast to their righteousness, not allowing anything to stain their righteousness.

‘As a child worker, people should find comfort in you. Don’t leave what has been entrusted to you ajar,’ Prophet Kankam Beditor uttered.

He entreated children workers to watch their actions, tongues, companions, hands and heads.

The patron cautioned children workers to take care of the children entrusted in their care else God will deal with them.

Prophet Kankam Beditor seized the opportunity to eulogise the outgoing Children’s Ministry Director, Pastor Professor William Otoo Ellis, for taking the ministry to a higher height in the past four years.

Prophet Beditor revealed that Professor Ellis has put in place lots of structures in the Children’s Ministry, saying, ‘The Church of Pentecost Children’s Ministry will miss you for the transformation you have brought to the ministry.’

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An Associate Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Reginald Adjetey Annan, is passionate about promoting child health and well-being.

Addressing children workers of The Church of Pentecost at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, on Wednesday, he urged teachers to play a pivotal role in advocating for children’s health.

Prof. Annan drew inspiration from Proverbs 11:1, which states, “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.” He interprets this biblical wisdom as a call to maintain balance in all aspects of life, including health. According to him, God desires the well-being of His people, both in spirit and body.

The esteemed lecturer acknowledged that unhealthy lifestyles can significantly affect individuals. He specifically highlighted the role of processed and ultra-processed foods in disrupting metabolism. These dietary choices contribute to lifestyle diseases, affecting both children and adults.

Prof. Annan emphasised the importance of limiting screen time for children. ‘Excessive hours spent watching television or using phones can have adverse effects on children’s health,’ he said.

Instead, he encouraged parents and teachers to engage children in physical activities for at least six hours a day.

Concerned about childhood obesity, Prof. Annan advised parents and teachers to be cautious about the sugary drinks they provide to children, saying, ‘Sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity.’ He recommended opting for water as a healthier alternative.

Prof. Annan pointed out that global causes of death have shifted dramatically as natural causes no longer dominate mortality statistics.

To make informed dietary choices, Prof. Annan encouraged Ghanaians to read food labels diligently, saying, ‘Awareness of ingredients and nutritional content empowers individuals to prioritize health.’

Prof. Annan underscored the importance of both prayer and knowledge. While faith is essential, he urged participants to also seek evidence-based information.

‘A holistic approach to health involves combining spiritual beliefs with practical understanding,’ he concluded.

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A former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has encouraged children workers to act as midwives in their line of work.

Speaking on the topic, ‘Unleashing the Transformative Power of the Child Worker’ at the 2024 Foundation Builders’ Conference at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh on Wednesday, Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong explained that just as midwives help in the delivery of babies, children workers must also endeavour to facilitate the delivery of the ideas, wisdom and gifts of children and nurture them into fruition.

According to him, the Children’s Ministry is not just a ministry but a divine one because God has children at heart.

Taking inspiration from Exodus 16:32-36 and Joshua 4, he indicated that God himself gave instructions on the preservation of manna and used stones in building a memorial for the purpose of teaching the next generation. This, he said, shows that God cares about children. He added that in 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul admonished Timothy to preserve the faith his grandmother Lois transferred to his mother Eunice, which he had received.

‘This process of faith transfer wouldn’t have happened if someone was not consciously making effort to preserve the faith,’ he said, adding, ‘All these show that God cares about the education and nurturing of children, and so to be a child worker, you must nurse, deliver and nurture faith making every child worker a midwife.’

Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong, who is the CEO of Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa, stated that children, just as adults, have needs such as emotional, health and academic needs. These needs, he said, must be well diagnosed by children workers so as to facilitate the necessary treatment to be given them.

He urged all children workers to be conscious of the children in their care so they can meet their individual needs.

He concluded his presentation by saying that every child worker must have sound spiritual and moral foundation. Citing Robert Raikes (father of Sunday school) as an example, he encouraged all children workers to do the ministry work voluntarily with the mindset of bringing forth transformation in children.

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