The leadership of the Christian Community in Ghana has declared Friday, April 24 to Sunday, April 26, 2020, as a period of national fasting and prayer for all Christians in the country to seek the face of the Lord in eliminating the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The 3-day event, which is being spearheaded by Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) and the National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches (NACCC), aims at mobilising the entire Christian community in the country to fast and pray for the entire world using Ghana as a point of contact.
The fasting and prayer exercise is under the theme “O Lord, Heal Our Land” with 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 as its theme text.
At a press conference held at Accra today [Thursday, April 23, 2020], the CCG President and Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Most Reverend Paul K. Boafo said the exercise is in line with the biblical admonition to Christians to pray without ceasing.
He explained that following the National Day of Fasting and Prayer observed by Ghanaians on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, the Christian Body in Ghana has also decided to rally all Christians in the country together to fast and intercede on behalf of the nation Ghana, in particular, and the world at large, in prayer.
“This is a national affair and all Christians are coming together to pray against the novel Coronavirus pandemic. Ghana is standing in the gap for the whole world. So, we will not only pray for Ghana but the whole world, because we are in it together,” he said.
According to the Reverend, the prayer exercise would be in three segments – morning , afternoon and evening. He indicated that a prayer bulletin with specific prayer topics has been generated and would be made available to all participants to guide them through the three-day exercise.
“The first part of the day, which is early in the morning, is for thanksgiving. The prayer bulletin will spell out prayer topics. This will be a time to adore God, to make Him sovereign and to make him Lord and acknowledge that He is still in control.
“The second part will look at repentance. In this segment, we will be offering a prayer of forgiveness and pardon for corporate and individual sins to satisfy the condition of ‘turning away from our wicked ways’ in the theme text.
“The third part is when we all come together again in the evening to virtually pray for God’s deliverance. In this segment, we will ask God to deliver us, to heal us; to take us from this calamity and make us whole again in our societies and our world,” he said.
Most Rev. Boafo, however, cautioned that Christians should participate in the exercise while complying with the social distancing and other precautionary measures put in place to prevent the spread of the viral disease, stressing that “this is a virtual exercise.”
“We have, therefore, organised this press briefing to send out information to all our members that this is not an opportunity to gather under any excuse, just as churches are reaching out to their members through the various media outlets and Social Media platforms, this is the same way we are organising this exercise of prayer and fasting. This is, therefore, a virtual exercise; so under no circumstance should any of us be found congregating in church buildings or on football k that we are participating in this exercise,” he cautioned.
He added that: “We are all in this together, so wherever you find yourself, in your room, at your workplace, on the market on the farm by the road, wherever, you are encouraged to join in the exercise. We believe we serve a prayer-answering God and He will heal our land.”
Present at the press briefing were: Deputy Greater-Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Elizabeth Sackey, Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong Manso (GPCC President and General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana), Rev. Emmanuel Barrigah (General Secretary, GPCC), Mrs Joyce Aryee (Executive Director, Salt and Light Ministries), Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi (General Secretary, The Church of Pentecost), among several others.
There were also representatives of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International-Ghana (FGBMFI-Ghana), Aglow International, Ghana Congress on Evangelisation (GHACOE) and Trustees of the National Cathedral.
As part of the event, the Women’s Ministry of GHACOE presented 400 pieces of facemasks to the leadership of the Christian Community for onward distribution to all those who may need them.
PENTECOST NEWS