The church building of the Nkawkaw Amanfrom Prayer Centre Assembly of the New Jejeti District in the Nkawkaw Area of The Church of Pentecost has been dedicated to the glory of God.
The building was dedicated by the Area Head, Apostle Foster Aniakwaa on Friday, February 19, 2021.
Speaking on the topic: “What Do We Do Here?” with Exodus 32:6 as Bible reference, the Akuajoo District Minister, Pastor Johnny Darko Blantynne explained that “Purpose is relevant for the success of every endeavour to the extent that the consciousness of purpose keeps an individual or group focused on the goal without being driven away from the goal.”
He reminded the church of the incident in the desert when Israel drifted away and corrupted their worship because of the absence of Moses, a leader focused on the goal.
Pastor Blantynne emphasised the fact that the church is a central place for true worship and asserted that, “in our bid to worship God, we may end up drawing away from God’s glory from the church through the practices of vices.”
He further noted that in the house of God, worshippers must bear in mind the holy presence of God to judge and account for every ill deed in thought and action.
He urged members of the church to enter the new temple with a renewed mind and character which presents to God holy and acceptable worship with reason.
He avowed that God saves people from all vices, however, this should not give believers the license to wallow in sin. Rather, they have been liberated from the domination of sin and Satan and ought to live the life of righteousness in Christ. “Therefore, the purpose of the church is to nurture the converted souls being made perfect,” he indicated.
According to the Akuajoo District Minister, “any church building where sin is tolerated and becomes the order of the day is not anything other than an entertainment ground lacking God’s presence, love, peace, glory, power and divine manifestation.”
He added that when the church exhibits the holy character of Christ, it becomes attractive to the world.
Pastor Blantynne concluded by urging the congregants to always have in mind that the purpose of the church is to live out Christ in the world.
On his part, Prophet Foster Aniakwaa noted that it was Aaron, the high priest, who led the people into idolatry after the people had requested for a god to lead them.
He advised all prayer centres within the Area to do well to conform to the church’s policies and guidelines so as not to lead people astray into spiritual excesses which tend to negatively affect one’s eternal salvation.
He advised that every prayer centre of the church must have a Presiding Elder in addition to the Center Leader in compliance with the church’s guidelines.
Prophet Aniakwaa urged the congregants to shun sin to preserve the glory of God in the church. He also stated that the priority of the prayer centre should be the holistic spiritual development of all who patronise the centre and not just the exercise of prayer to the neglect of the development of the individual’s godly character.
Reading the history of the church, Elder M. A. Donkor (Rtd.) revealed that the plot of land on which the church building is situated was single-handed purchased by Elder Emmanuel Owusu Agyei who willingly donated the land to the church out of his unwavering love for God and the church.
He explained that the old building which was dedicated on April 10, 2020, had caved in and had significant structural defects and hence a thorough or complete rebuilding of the church was necessitated and embarked on.
In her remarks, Nana Biama II, Queen-mother of Mpraeso Amanfrom added that all happenings within the world are a clear indication and warning signs of the second coming of Christ.
She, therefore, called on congregants to make their salvation and heavenly election sure by abiding by the teachings of Christ. She emphasised the need for them to live in peace and shun abusive and profane languages and curses as children of lights shinning in a perverse generation.
She also advised the church to continue to strictly observe all COVID protocols and guidelines and educate the children to do the same to help in the fight against the COVID-19 disease.
Present at the ceremony were Mrs Grace Aniakwah (Wife of the Area Head), Honourable Emmanuel Boansi Darkwa, a Presiding Member of the Kwahu West Municipal, the entire Nkawkaw Area pastorate and their wives as well as a cross-section of church members.
Report by Overseer Clement Kofi Amankwa