Posts in category: Youth 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 Teshie-Nungua Area Youth Ministry of The Church of Pentecost has held a day’s training seminar for 153 youth workers in the Area.

The training programme took place on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at the Agnes Boahemaa Gyimah Memorial Temple at Nungua C5, Accra.

Speaking at the event, the Area Youth Pastor, Ebenezer Korankye Agyapong, called on the youth to hear from God for themselves and not always listen to what others say concerning their lives.

“Find out what God is telling you; find out what God wants you to do for your district. Don’t simply follow what others are doing,” he said.

Using the story of the young prophet in 1 Kings 13:1-32, he said that the young prophet who was given clear instructions from God was deceived by an older and experienced prophet leading to the loss of his life.

Pastor Agyapong, who is also the Resident Minister of the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC), Graceland said that although old people have experience, personal instructions from God should be taken seriously,” he said, adding, “The young prophet could have saved his ministry if he had followed the original instructions from God.”

He urged young people to accept challenges and new opportunities such as doing their national services in remote areas where they could support the work of the kingdom and get the opportunity to do ministry work.

He added that it is important to pray and consider a lot of things before taking major decisions in life. According to him, the desire and appetites of people have brought sin into their lives. “If we have eaten wrong things, we pray that God almighty who is rich in mercy should forgive us our sins,” he prayed.

He also urged youth workers to be wholly dedicated to the things of God once they accept the responsibility of leading the youth.

Pastor Ebenezer Korankye Agyapong also used the Dilemma Bible Discussion method to discuss the issues in the Bible verse.

The Resident Minister of Bethel Worship Centre, Pastor Kwasi Asante Annor, also spoke on the topic, “Excelling as a Youth Leader in a Glorious Church.”

Pastor Annor, who is also the General Manager of Pent TV, quoted several Bible texts including 2 Timothy 2:2; Ephesians 5:27; Isaiah 40;31; Ecclesiastes 10:10 and 2 Timothy 20:21, and listed four types of leaders, namely passive, parasite, prodigal and productive leaders.

“Passive leaders are post-conscious and do not do the required work while parasite leaders make good use of the influence associated with the position, taking advantage of the post to manipulate the members,” he stated.

According to Pastor Annor, prodigal leaders are a waste in the system as they do not produce results as expected of them.

“Productive leaders serve whole-heartedly. They learn, help and develop with the work,” he explained, adding, “They are also faithful, available, and teachable. They make conscious effort to develop others.”

He stated that good leadership is a daily gradual discovery of self, stressing that “champions are made on the training ground, not on the field.”

Pastor Kwasi Annor urged young leaders to imbibe the qualities of the eagle; have great vision with fortitude, be self-disciplined, carry themselves well, be responsible, think clearly, be resourceful, and well-grounded in their faith.

Report by Isabella Gyau Orhin.

The Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) – Kwadaso Sector, in collaboration with the Manso Atwere, Akropong, Abore, and Antoakrom Districts, all in the Ashanti Bekwai Area of The Church of Pentecost, has won a total of 1,134 souls, 795 being adults, and 339 children through the maiden 2021 Sector Missions Outreach. Out of the 795 adult souls won, 409 were baptised in water, while 116 received Holy Spirit baptism.

The Sector, in line with the vision of the Youth Ministry, “Grounding young people in Christ and unleashing them to possess the nations,” mobilized 58 committed PENSA members from five tertiary institutions within the sector, namely Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skill Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AMMUSTED), Akrokerri College of Education, Fomena Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Obuasi Campus, and Kwadaso Agricultural College, to embark on an Aggressive Rural Evangelistic outreach in the Ashanti Bekwai Area.

The week-long programme commenced on Monday, 10^th May, and ended on Sunday, 16^th May, 2021, under the theme: “Repent! The Great Day of the Lord is Coming (Joel 2:11;31).

In an interview with PENTECOST NEWS, the PENSA Travelling Secretary for Kwadaso Sector, Pastor Isaac Donkoh, revealed that the 2021 Sector Missions team were stationed at Manso Atwere Central Assembly for the first three days for a retreat to equip them as they sought the face of God in fasting, prayer and teachings before embarking on the outreach.

“We decided to start Aggressive Evangelistic operations on Thursday, May 13, 2021, but the way our student missionaries were charged after the 3^rd day of the retreat, we had no option than to release them for the task of soul-winning, and to the glory of God souls began to surrender to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” he affirmed.

Pastor Donkoh further stated that the student missionaries stationed in villages and towns in the selected districts engaged in personal evangelism, dawn broadcasting, and cinema evangelism, among others during the period.

The Ashanti Bekwai Area Head, Apostle Fred Tiakor, highly commended the student missionaries for their relentless effort, passion, and commitment that led to this great harvest of souls into the Kingdom of God.

In attendance were Pastors Joseph Kyei of Manso Atwere District, Jerome N. Cudjoe of Manso Akropong District, Clement Ampaako of Antoakrom District, Maxwell Ntow of Manso Abore District, the Ashanti Bekwai Area Youth Leader, Overseer Silas Awusi, and Mrs. Doris Donkoh, wife of the Sector’s Traveling Secretary.

Report by Pastor Ernest Perbi-Asare.

The maiden edition of the ‘Campus Takeover’ evangelism of the Youth Ministry of The Church of Pentecost has won 1,572 to the glory of God. The ‘Campus Takeover’ evangelism is an initiative of the Youth Ministry Directorate of The Church of Pentecost with the primary goal of empowering Pentecost Students and Associates (PENSA) members to reach every person on every campus in Ghana with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The event which took place from 8^th to 14^th March 2021, was held both virtually and physically. It was preceded by intensive prayers and three phases of training sessions for all PENSA leaders and members at the tertiary level.

The first phase of the training was held virtually for all PENSA Presidents, Secretaries, Evangelism Secretaries, and School Coordinators on January 31, 2021. Facilitators met at Pentecost International Worship Center (PIWC) Graceland in the Teshie-Nungua Area. Some of the topics treated included: “How To Do Effective One-On-One Evangelism” by Evangelist Kuma Doe; “The Core Message of the Gospel” by Apostle. Dr. Amos Jimmy Markin (Director, Evangelism Ministry) and “The Uniqueness of the Campus Context” by Elder Dr. Eric Appau Asante (Deputy Director, Youth Ministry).

Phase two of the training session was held on February 7, 2021, primarily for all Local Central Committee (LCC) members, Assistant leaders, and Shepherds of the various PENSA groups.

The Great Commission Movement of Ghana assisted with phase three of the training session for PENSA members nationwide on February 19, 2021. These training periods were used to strengthen and master the art of using the “Four Spiritual Laws” and the “Godtools App” to evangelise.

To climax a one-week prayer and fasting exercise toward the programme, a 12-hour Prayer Marathon was held at the institutional level on 6^th March 2021 from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.

The main Campus Takeover Evangelism activities were held a week later across all PENSA groups nationwide. The period was utilised by the institutions according to their academic calendars and opportunities available.

The evangelistic campaigns employed included street evangelism (with/without placards), dawn broadcast, off-campus personal evangelism, lecture hall personal evangelism, room-to-room evangelism, social media evangelism, one-on-one evangelism, video evangelism, and sign language evangelism. The main emphasis, however, was on personal evangelism.

At the climax of the weeklong activities, 1,572 souls were won, 99 were baptised in water, and 118 rededicated their lives to Jesus Christ. Some of the spectacular events reported included a woman receiving instant healing from migraine; a woman receiving instant healing from chronic stomach ache; three Muslims surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ; and one healed of sickness. The rest of the spectacular events were; five students with hearing and speech impairment giving their lives to Christ out of which three were baptised in water, and a Rastafarian upon hearing the message without being led knelt to receive Jesus Christ.

The 2021 edition was a great success and the committee is grateful to all those who participated and contributed to the event.

The Youth Ministry intends to hold the programme annually to encourage personal evangelism among students on campus.

Report by Pastor Ebenezer Agyapong.

The Bawku Area Women’s Ministry of The Church of Pentecost has organised skill training for 150 women of the church in the Area.

The maiden training programme which took place from March 23 to 25, 2021, was facilitated by Mrs. Beatrice Ohene-Asa Otu (wife of the Deputy Director of the Evangelism Ministry), assisted by Mrs. Vivian Adoma Boateng (wife of the Bawku Area Head).

The training focused on four main categories: skincare products, hair care products, household cleaners, and pastries. The skincare products involved the preparation of liquid soap, shower gel, hand sanitizer, antiseptic, bar soap, and ‘Azuma’ soap.

The hair care products also involved the preparation of shampoo and conditioner. Household cleaners like floor cleaner and bleach were also not left out.

The last day was reserved for the packaging of products and pastries making such as meat-pie (baked and fried), chips, fried doughnuts, and ‘puff puff’ (Toogbei).

The participants were elated to have participated in the training programme. They were hopeful that the skills acquired would help them to begin their businesses.

The leadership of the ministry expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the Area Head, Pastor Eric Kwabena Gyambibi Boateng, for supporting the training.

Report by Mrs. Elizabeth Amartey.

The Youth Ministry of Michel Camp District in the Ashaiman Area of The Church of Pentecost has organised a preaching contest dubbed, “Make Use of The Pulpit.”

The programme aimed at bringing young people in the District together and training them in the presentation of the word of God to complement the knowledge they have acquired from the ‘Read through the Bible a year Challenge.” This was in line with the vision of the Youth Ministry to ground young people of the Church in Christ.

The competition, which began on October 24, 2020, was held in three levels: first, second and third levels and the junior and senior categories. The first level allowed for participants to compete at the various nine local assemblies within the District. First winners for the Junior and senior categories in this level represented their local assemblies in the second level held on December 5, 2020. First, second, third and fourth winners in this level competed in the third level which was the grand finale held on January 2, 2021.

Two elders of the church, Keith Eubulus Ackah and Benjamin Ameyaw, who are Youth Evangelism and Discipleship Coordinator, and Assistant Area Evangelism Ministry Leader in the Ashaiman Area, respectively were judges for the contest.

At the end of the competition, Millicent Ackwah of Goshen Assembly emerged first whereas Nancy Dokli (Great Commission Assembly), Sandra Kumeuor (Bethel Assembly) and Josephine Ayittah (Maranatha Assembly) placed second, third and fourth respectively in the Junior category.

Gabriel Boakye of Goshen Assembly also emerged first in the senior category as Michael Mensah (Bethel Assembly) and Joseph Commietey (Great Commission Assembly) came second and third, respectively. The contestants for both junior and senior categories in the grand finale were duly awarded.

They expressed their heartfelt congratulations to the contestants for availing themselves to partake in the contest, which will build their confidence and help them to develop their spiritual lives in Christ, growing to become useful adults for Christ and humanity.

The District Youth Leader, Elder David Akwei Annor, mentioned in his closing remarks that the competition was also in line with the five-year overarching vision of the church to possess the nations for Christ.

He urged the youth to continue in the study of the word of God so that this habit would be inculcated in them as they mature to lead others to Christ, which is their contribution towards building a glorious church to possess nations for Christ.

Report by Elder William Gyasi

The Resident Minister for the Graceland Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC) in the Teshie-Nungua Area, Pastor Ebenezer Agyapong, has urged the youth of the church to indulge immensely in personal devotions to be grounded in Christ.

Pastor Agyapong, who is also a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Youth Ministry, indicated that “although group fellowships and prayers are good, personal devotion is key to being and remaining grounded in Christ.”

Pastor Agyapong said this on Saturday, November 14, 2020, during a day’s seminar organised for 120 youth workers in the Teshie-Nungua Area. The event, which took place at the Agnes Boahemaa Gyimah Temple at C5 in Nungua, was on the theme, “Grounded in Christ.”

He noted that young people have the potential to become zealous for Christ, impact the church and the world if they are well-trained. “Therefore, fast on your own, read your Bible, pray and meditate on the Word frequently, and teach others to do the same, because you can only possess the nations for Christ if you are grounded in Him,” he stated.

Reading from Mathew 7:24-27, he explained that every believer will face challenges in their Christian journey. “The foundation of every structure or building has to be solid to withstand attacks such as rain, floods, and wind, just as the house described by Jesus. Let us, therefore, build our houses, in this case, our lives on Christ the solid Rock, so that when the storms of life hit hard against us, we will be unmoved because we are grounded in Him,” he stressed.

“For you to build your house or your life on the Rock which is Christ, you need to treasure personal devotion, tithe on your time, and give God at least two hours and twenty-four minutes of your time daily. This is 10 percent of the 24 hours you are blessed with every day.”

Pastor Korankye Agyapong also encouraged the youth to take notice of time-wasters such as spending too much time on social media and being in the wrong company.

He added: “Unleashing young people who are not grounded is very dangerous because they will end up supporting non-Christians values.”

The Greater Accra Youth Ministry Travelling Secretary, Pastor Kwadwo Obeng, and Mrs. Priscilla Yirebi (NEC Member of the Youth Ministry), also threw light on the vision of the Youth Ministry dubbed “Be Grounded in Christ.”

Report by Isabella Gyau Orhin.

The Berekum Area Youth Ministry of The Church of Pentecost, in collaboration with the Area Women’s Ministry, has organised a mammoth conference for singles in the Berekum Area.

The conference, dubbed ‘Precious Jewel,’ was held on Sunday, November 29, 2020, at the James McKeown Temple in Berekum.

The conference provided an avenue for participants to ask challenging questions and learn at the feet of experienced Christian leaders. Facilitators at the conference were Mrs. Faustina Oppong-Peprah, Mrs. Love Nketia, and Mrs. Grace Fosu.

The main speaker for the conference was the wife of the Berekum Area Head, Mrs. Joyce Berkoe, who spoke on the topic, “Knowing God’s Will in Your Response to Proposal.”

Other topics treated included, “How to Propose Marriage to a Beloved,” “How to Respond to Marriage Proposal,” and “Chastity before Marriage.” The conference was well-attended by over 350 single ladies and gentlemen. Also in attendance were the wives of some ministers in the Berekum Zone.

There was a short drama to teach participants on the need to look out for partners of godly character.

Report by Pastor Daniel Fosu, Berekum Area Reporter

The Kintampo Area Youth Ministry of The Church of Pentecost has organised a Prayer Retreat and Seminar for youth leaders and workers in the Area.

The event, which took place on Saturday, August 29, 2020, at the Kintampo Newtown Central assembly, was to ensure spiritual rejuvenation, sensitize the participants on the vision of the ministry and to re-strategise in order to remain relevant in these challenging times. Publications

The Area Youth Leader, Overseer Samuel Addae, in a sermon on the topic, “Be Grounded to Ground Others” taken from Colossians 2: 6-7; Timothy 2:1-2, stressed the need for the youth workers to work together to help achieve the vision of the ministry.

To ensure this, he asked the leaders to first assess themselves, saying, “Before we can ground others we need to be first grounded in Christ.”

“Leaders must truly and genuinely accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, die to self, continue to live in Christ, actively involve themselves in discipleship, and be determined to live as Christ did,” he added.

The District Minister of Jema Nkwanta, Overseer Prince Augustine Ababio, took the leaders through how to use the digital space (Social Media) to ground the youth in Christ.

He admonished them to understand the times in which they find themselves just like the sons of Issachar and make use of technology to reach out to the world in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Report by Overseer Prince Augustine Ababio, Area Reporter.