The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has challenged Ghanaians to be willing to endure discomfort by prioritising the interest of the nation ahead of their personal interests in order to hand over a better country to future generations.
According to him, the nation will not experience steady progressive growth if its citizens, particularly those in leadership positions, continue to promote their individual interests at the nation’s expense.
“We have people in leadership who only think about their interests, and this is not good. Live for the next generation and not just for the next four years,” Apostle Nyamekye charged, adding that “you cannot improve the future without addressing the present, so let us think about tomorrow’s Ghana. Whatever you do should benefit the nation.”
He made these remarks at the opening of a two-day National Development Conference, organised by The Church of Pentecost, at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. The theme of the conference is “Moral Vision and National Development.”
Drawing lessons from Isaiah 59:14-15 and Proverbs 14:34, he opined that every leader’s success or failure lies in the people’s nature, character, and confidence. He stressed the need to uphold moral principles since no nation can realise its potential with people who live by conflicting values.
Apostle Nyamekye cited the case of Moses, Israel’s greatest leader, who could not enter the Promised Land, and Aaron made a golden calf for the people, resulting in his inability to enter the promised land due to the character and pressure of the people, which they failed to nip in the bud promptly and strategically.
“We need to have a set of moral principles that will guide the life of Ghana. A socially approved and acceptable pattern and norms of proper conduct shared by all” advocated Apostle Nyamekye.
Apostle Nyamekye lamented the decline in moral values in Ghanaian society and highlighted the church’s transformative mandate and historical antecedents to be involved in the conversation of national development.
He encouraged the mindset to build a better world based on the teachings of our forebears about equality, the dignity of labour, and integrity in one’s words.
The conference, attended by a cross-section of Ghanaians from all parts of the country, including members of parliament, MMDCEs, political party representatives, assembly members, and others, is expected to issue a communique at its conclusion.
During the event, Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia delivered the keynote address, while former presidents H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor and H.E. John Dramani Mahama addressed the gathering.
Speeches and fraternal greetings were also delivered at the event by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban S. K. Bagbin, the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Gertrude, Justice A. E. Torkonoo, and the President of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour.
The conference includes various topics, such as “Moral Vision and Development” by Prof. Delanyo Adadevoh of the International Leadership Foundation, “Leadership and Human Flourishing: Making a Case for Social Justice and Nation Building in Ghana Today” by Very Rev. Prof. J. Asamoah-Gyadu, President of Trinity Theological Seminary, and “Raising Effective Politicians for Africa” by Dr. Olivia N. Muchena, Former Minister of Women Affairs, Zimbabwe.
Other topics include “Religion and Morality Development” by Sheik Aremeyaw Shaibu, Spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, “Integrity in Nation Building” by Apostle A. N. Y. Kumi-Larbi, and “Patriotism and National Development” by Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong, Executive Director of Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa.
PENTECOST NEWS.
