Posts in category: Youth Ministry

The year 2022 has begun on a good note for youth of The Church of Pentecost as they converge at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi and the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa to be equipped and empowered to be unleashed to possess their spheres of life for Christ Jesus.

This year’s PENSA Ghana Conference dubbed ‘Holistic Empowerment Conference’ under the theme: “Equipping the Church As An Army to Possess the Nations,” is taking place simultaneously at the two centres from January 3-6, 2022.

Opening the conference on Monday night, the Patron of the Youth Ministry, Apostle Samuel Osei Asante, on behalf of the Chairman of the Church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, welcomed the hundreds of young men and women mainly students, alumni, PENSA Travelling Secretaries, Resident PENSA Campus Pastors, among others, to the conference.

Giving a historical antecedent of how PENSA conferences began in the early 1980s, Apostle Asante, who also doubles as the Koforidua Area Head and Executive Council Member of the church, said the conferences have come with great blessings to the church and also impacted and built up all those who have taken part in it over the years.

He, therefore, asked participants not to take it for granted but psych and open themselves up so that the Lord would speak to them, saying, “We are not attending for attending sake; we want the glory of God to come upon us.”

Reading from Haggai 2:7-9, he said that God has something great to do in The Church of Pentecost, and it is the youth that God will use to do it.

In his welcome address, the Youth Director, Pastor Ebenezer Hagan, expressed his deepest appreciation to the leadership of the church for their continuous support for the activities of PENSA and the annual conferences.

Touching on the theme for the conference which happens to be the church’s main theme for the year, he said that emphasis is placed on how members can be built to be all-round, all-powerful, and fully equipped soldiers of God with all the machinery that is needed in their mandate of taking over nations for the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The Youth Ministry and PENSA Ghana is also emphasising on a holistic development and the simple case is that, as long as we have not gone to heaven, the Lord needs us here on earth, and so we must be holistically developed.

“We must be young people who do not only know how to pray and cast out demons, but young people who have their financial lives, social lives, intellectual lives and all other areas of their lives intact and well developed so that they can be attractive in all spheres of life.

“The mandate is for us to take over nations. As we prepare to take over nations, the Lord will build us into all-round young people who are truly qualified to fit into every sphere of society to demonstrate the Kingdom life and its principles.

“Another focus of this conference is to release a full militancy against the deception of the devil such as the LGBTQI+ agenda. This conference will help us to be equipped to go out there as an army to fight against this deception that the devil wants to bring into the nation,” the Youth Director stated.

Delivering the sermon from the KNUST centre, Apostle Yaw Adjei-Kwarteng (Bompata Area Head and Executive Council Member) quoted his main scriptures from Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Corinthians 9:7a, and said that as soldiers of God, Christians need to be hard and tough in order to win the battle against the deceptions of the devil.

According to him, the Christian’s fight is a fight of faith. “We seek to conquer minds and hearts for God to make men serve His purposes and walk in His way. Our fight is a good fight because we don’t take firearms and go on rampage on nations, but we take captive of imaginations, strongholds and any argument that attempt to exalt itself against God.”

He added: “We are fighting to eliminate sin. Sin and evil are the viruses that we are trying to remove by the gospel we preach. We are equipping the church as an army to raid our world of the virus of sin and evil.” 

Speakers for the conference include Apostle Eric Nyamekye (Chairman), Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi (General Secretary), Apostle Dr Dela Quampah (Ho Area Head), Apostle Martin Seth Appiah (Madina Area Head), Apostle Prof Agyapong Kodua (Vice Chancellor of Pentecost University), and Deaconess Eunice Johnson.

Others are Coach Kwasi Appiah, Bernard Avle (Broadcast Journalist), Elder Dr Patrick Adonoo (PENSA International Coordinator), among others.

PENTECOST NEWS.

Pastor Jonathan Ebo Quaye, the Resident Minister for the Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) branch of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has met members of The Church of Pentecost who form part of the university’s teaching and non-teaching staff.

The purpose of the meeting was to throw more light on the newly-introduced “Resident Campus Pastor” concept and discuss possible strategies to enable them “possess” the KNUST campus for Christ.

The event, dubbed the Maiden Consultative Meeting, was held at the Dean of Students’ Conference Room on Friday, November 23, 2021. In all, 48 teaching and non-teaching staff from various departments in KNUST took part in the event. Among them was the Senior Assistant Registrar (Students Affairs), Mrs. Theodora Oduro, who served as the moderator for the meeting.

The first session of the meeting commenced with a speech by the Children’s Ministry Director and a former KNUST Vice-Chancellor, Pastor Professor William Otoo Ellis. He gave an overview of the Resident Campus Pastor concept by explaining what it entailed the relationship that should exist between the Campus Pastor and the university community.  

Pastor Quaye, in turn, unveiled his five-year strategic vision for PENSA-KNUST (Vision 2026) to the participants. As part of extending pastoral care to the church fold, he identified counselling services and periodic visitations as key to effective pastoral care. This, he intimated, would not be limited to only members in PENSA, but also students on campus who may need diverse kinds of assistance or help in that regard. 

Pastor Quaye also urged the participants to become academic and spiritual mentors to the students to compliment the discipleship and mentoring efforts of the Campus Pastor. He further stated that, as part of his duties, he would offer ready assistance to the Chaplaincy office as far as chaplaincy duties in the university community are concerned.

As the next line of action, the participants explored ideas and suggested operational strategies that could be adopted in order to possess the entire campus for Christ. 

Pastor Ebo Quaye, in his concluding remarks, reiterated the need for all to support in ensuring that PENSA KNUST Vision 2026 is realised.

Having grasped the Resident Campus Pastor concept and the PENSA KNUST Vision 2026, the participants expressed their willingness to support the cause of possessing the KNUST campus for Christ.

PENTECOST NEWS

The University of Ghana (UG) branch of the Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) organised a colourful ceremony last Sunday at the Mensah Sarbah Hall to officially launch the 2022 edition of the PENSA Ghana Conference (PGC’22).

The launch ceremony for the much-anticipated annual youth-empowerment event was concurrently held by the various PENSA branches (physically and remotely) nationwide.

In his opening address, the PGC’22 Coordinator, Elder Isaac Brobbey Boadu, commended the leadership of The Church of Pentecost for creating a space on the Church’s annual calendar to mobilise and equip the youth of the Church for great exploits.

He said that the conference, which would run on the theme: “Equipping the Church as an Army to Possess the Nations,” would take place from January 3 to 6 next year, with Apostle Yaw Adjei-Kwarteng (Bompata Area Head and Executive Council Member) as the main speaker.

Other speakers for the event include Apostle Eric Nyamekye (Chairman of the Church), Apostle Alex Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi (General Secretary), Apostle Samuel Osei Asante (Youth Ministry Patron), Apostle Dr. Dela Quampah (Ho Area Head and Executive Council Member), Apostle Prof. Agyapong Koduah (Vice-Chancellor of Pentecost University), Pastor Ebenezer Hagan (Youth Ministry Director), Overseer Prof. Joseph Osafo (Head of National Counselling Team), and Mama Eunice Johnson (Musician). 

Elder Boadu further revealed that the conference would be held concurrently at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, and the KNUST to ensure a more effective organisation and control of the teeming participants considering the COVID-19 situation.

“This innovation would also help alleviate certain inconveniences such as travel expenses,” he added.

Elder Boadu encouraged young members of the Church and non-members to take advantage of this life-transforming opportunity by patronising the event.

Pastor Kwadwo Obeng, the Resident Campus Minister for UG-PENSA, who was also present at the event, led the congregants to pray into the PGC’22.

The event rate for the 2022 PENSA Ghana Conference is GHC 150.00 for tertiary students and GHC 200.00 for alumni. Interested persons should click on this link: bit.ly/3x5Nq7D to register.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Women and Youth Ministries of the Asutuare District of The Church of Pentecost have donated nose masks and bags of sachet water to the Basic Education Centre Examination (BECE) candidates at the Osutech Exams Centre.

The items were given to the students at a short presentation ceremony at the centre on Monday.

Presenting the items on behalf of the Church, the District Secretary, Elder Ezekiel Abban Teye, explained that donation to BECE candidates is an annual initiative of the Youth Ministry of the district; however, this year’s donation was organised in partnership with the Women’s Ministry and the Schools Outreach Ministry (SOM).

He encouraged the candidates not to entertain fear and panic, but to face the examination with confidence and to trust the Lord to see them through successfully.

“We wish you success in the exams and prosperity in life,” he added.

He took the opportunity to invite the candidates to a special event being organised by the district for all final year students, dubbed the “BECE Night.” The event, he said, is scheduled to take place on Friday at the church auditorium of the Asutsuare Central Assembly. 

According to him, the event is being organised to grant the candidates the opportunity to thank God for successfully seeing them through their basic education. As part of the event, the candidates would be oriented about leading godly and purpose-driven lives as they begin life after school, he further indicated.

The Shai Osudoku District Director of Education, Mrs. Harriet Lomotey, who received the items on behalf of the centre, thanked the church for the kind gesture and advised the candidates to be of good behaviour throughout the exam period in order not to bring their schools into disrepute.

The candidates also demonstrated their appreciation to the church with a rousing hand of applause. 

In attendance were Elder James Tetteh Tawiah (Agormanya Area Youth Ministry Secretary/ District Youth Ministry Leader), Elder Richard Anim (District Youth Ministry Secretary), Elder Foster Blankson (Assistant Youth Ministry Leader), Deaconess Esther Amanor (Assistant Women’s Ministry Leader), Deaconess Beatrice Noi, Deaconess Joyce Martey and other members of the District Women’s Ministry Executive Committee.

Report by Agormanya Area Media Team

The Schools Outreach Ministry (SOM) of the Mepe District in the Sogakope Area of The Church of Pentecost has organised a mock examination for final-year students in the district preparing to sit for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) this year.

According to the District Minister, Overseer Frederick Dzamesi, academic performances recorded in the district in the past have not been the best, hence the initiative of the SOM to help the students prepare adequately for the upcoming examination. 

He said that the exercise would help the students assess themselves and also build their confidence ahead of the final exam.

The mock examination covered the four core subjects: English, Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Social Studies. 

A total of 54 students in the district took part in the examination.

The leadership of the Church is hopeful that the intervention would help students pass this year’s exam with flying colours.

PENTECOST NEWS

The Youth Ministry of The Church of Pentecost in Offinso Area has organised a day’s seminar for young people who sat for the 2021 West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASCE).

During this seminar, the Area Youth leadership unveiled plans to keep the Senior High School (SHS) leavers engaged as they wait for the outcome of the examination.

Delivering the keynote address, the Area Youth Leader, Pastor Joseph Owusu-Boateng, congratulated the SHS leavers on their successful completion of the academic programme.

Using Ecclesiastes 3: 1-9 as anchor text, he stated that change and transition are constant factors in life that present opportunities and challenges to everyone. He identified change in association, different spiritual environments, exposure to a wide range of lifestyle choices, and significant change in roles as possible challenges they would face while waiting for their results.

He added that if this transition is not managed well, one may experience identity crises, loss of drive for future academic pursuits, anxiety and pressure to conform to worldly influence.  To avert these pitfalls, he encouraged the SHS leavers to remain in Christ, partake in activities of the local church and set boundaries for themselves while they wait for their results.

The District Minister of Offinso Newtown District, Pastor Ernest Agyei, on his part, encouraged the school leavers to sink deep roots in their spiritual life by using this season to engage in spiritual disciplines such as Bible reading and meditation, fasting and prayer, and solitude.

A third-year student of the University of Cape Coast, Dennis Appiah Akenten, shared personal experience of how he managed this season. He advised the SHS leavers to avail themselves to carry out voluntary services such as teaching in basic schools, organising reading clinics, and taking leadership positions in the local church where necessary.

In his closing remarks, the Area Youth Secretary, Elder Gideon Appiagyei, unveiled the ministry’s programme for the school leavers. These include mentorship, learning basic computing skills, beading, bi-monthly prayer and counselling meetings, and excursions.

PENTECOST NEWS.

A sensitisation workshop on “Menstruation and Menstrual Hygiene and its impact on Girl-Child Empowerment” was organised on Monday, October 11, 2021, for students of St. Mary’s Junior High School (JHS) at the school premises to mark this year’s International Day of the Girl Child.

The event was organised by the Women’s Ministry of James McKeown Worship Centre (JMWC) in the Dansoman Area of The Church of Pentecost., together with the District’s Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS) and Schools Outreach Ministry (SOM) committees. Over 700 students (from Primary 4 to JHS 3) took part in the event.

Addressing the students, Dr. Naa Akushia Sepenu, an Otorhinolaryngologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) and wife of the JMWC Resident Minister, said one of the key natural occurrences in every girl’s life, which poses a cyclical challenge to them (especially those in Ghana), is menstruation and menstrual hygiene. 

She said that the lack of menstrual knowledge, poor access to sanitary products, and non-facilitating school environments, make it difficult for girls to attend school during the few days they are menstruating. As a result, most of these girls often absent themselves from school during the menstrual periods.

Dr. Sepenu said the event was, therefore, organised to empower the girl-student population of the school with the requisite knowledge on menstruation and menstrual hygiene, in line with the Church’s Vision 2023 Document of “Possessing the Nations.”

A team of health personnel from JMWC led by Elder Dr Stephen Kpatsi took participants through the proper use of sanitary pads. They advised the girls to wash their hands with soap and running water before putting on their sanitary pads and ensure their appropriate use to prevent leakages.

The Headmistress of the School, Mrs Patience Addy, commended the church for the kind gesture and indicated that the knowledge acquired from the workshop would go a long way to boost the confidence of the students to participate in school activities during the menstrual period. She also added that it would help reduce student absenteeism amongst female students during such periods. 

Present at the sensitisation workshop were Overseer Dr. Perez Sepenu (Resident Minister, JMWC), Deaconess (Mrs) Evelyn Basingnaa (District Women’s Ministry Leader), Elder Cephas Agbozo (District Secretary), some District Executive Committee members and church members. 

As part of the event, the church donated over 700 sanitary pads to female participants in Primary 4 to JHS 3, whilst the other students (from Primary 1 to 3) were refreshed with snacks.

International Day of the Girl Child is an international observance day (October 11, 2012) declared by the United Nations; it is also called the Day of Girls. The occasion marks the importance of adolescent girl children and attempts at empowering them and identifying their potential by providing opportunities for them.

Report by JMWC Media.

The Schools Outreach Ministry (SOM) of The Church of Pentecost has organised a two-day seminar for its Area coordinators. 

The maiden event took place at the Pentecost Convention Centre from Friday, July 30 to Saturday, July 31, 2021. It recorded about 100 participants, including representatives from all areas, the National Coordinating Committee (NCC), members of the Youth Ministry’s National Executive Committee and some Travelling Secretaries. 

The programme, which was organised as part of the recently-held Youth Ministry’s mid-year review meetings chaired by Apostle Samuel O. Asante (Youth Ministry Patron), was part of activities earmarked to kick-start the full implementation of the ministry in the church.

The seminar began with an exhortation by the Deputy Director of the Youth Ministry, Elder Dr Eric Apau Asante, on the topic: “Blockages to the progress of the Ministry.” In his sermon, he stressed the need for the various leaders of the SOM to identify obstacles that may hinder the smooth running of the SOM and to deal with them for maximum impact.

The National Coordinator of the Schools Outreach Ministry, Elder Desmond Addison, gave an overview of the ministry and touched on its focus and objectives. The key focus of the ministry, he said, was to ensure that the Gospel message is preached to every pupil/student in clear terms. 

To achieve this, he outlined practical steps that could be undertaken such as creating simple salvation messages in audio and video formats, creating simple Gospel games and workbooks, and organising evangelistic outreaches to schools, among others. He further touched on the leadership structure of the ministry across the various levels of the church. 

Addressing the gathering on the topic: “Possessing the Campus to Possess Society and the Future,” the Youth Ministry Director, Pastor Ebenezer Hagan, gave a breakdown of the population of students in the country. He mentioned that 5.9 million Ghanaian students, representing about 19% of the country’s population, are between the ages 15 and 24 years (thus, SHS and tertiary level), while about 11.3 million students fall within the basic school bracket. 

He noted that by “possessing the schools” the SOM team would contribute significantly to the “Possessing the Nations” agenda of the church since a huge number of the Ghanaian population could be found in the schools.

Elder Addison also gave the participants an update of the work done by the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) since assuming office. The spoke about ongoing works on the SOM handbook, quiet time manual, SOM reporting format, etc. He concluded his presentation by unveiling the social media handles of the ministry and the website (www.schoolsoutreachministry.org), which is currently under construction.

Elder Felix Amofa Frimpong, a member of the NCC of the ministry, on his part, shared with participants some strategies that could be adopted to take the gospel message of Jesus Christ into the various educational institutions. He also educated the participants on how sounds are used to preach the word of God to pupils in primary schools and how to form Bible clubs for the various age groups.

A workshop was also held as part of the exercise to enable participants to suggest more ideas on how to make the SOM more effective and impactful, after which they engaged in a time of fervent prayer.

At the end of the event, the Area Coordinators were tasked to do the following: 

• Submit a list of schools in their respective areas to the National Leadership of the SOM.
• Submit names of all members of the church who are professional/trained teachers in their respective areas.
• Organise training sessions for the district and local teams and the teachers in their jurisdiction.
• Create awareness about the School Outreach Ministry in their area to court the support of the entire church. 
• Develop operational strategies to help them reach out to all educational institutions in their jurisdiction.

The Schools Outreach Ministry of The Church of Pentecost was created during the 45^th General Council Meeting. It seeks to win pupils/students at all levels for Christ and “possess” the various school campuses for the Lord. The core mandate of SOM is to advise the Church on how to create more ministry opportunities for itself in educational institutions.

The ministry is led at the national level by an 11-member team appointed by the leadership of the Church. They are Elder Desmond Addison (Coordinator), Elder Dr Joseph Budu (Deputy Coordinator), Deacon Alex Anning (Secretary), Mrs Priscilla Yirebi (Youth Ministry NEC Representative) and Elder Edward Koomson (Evangelism Ministry Representative). The rest are Mrs Joyce Albina Assan, Deaconess Olivia Serwaa Opare, Elder Prince Gyan, Elder Felix Amofa Frimpong, Elder Reindorf Anaba and Elder Daniel Yaw Sarfo.

PENTECOST NEWS

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