A farewell service was held on Sunday, August 19, 2018 in honour of the Chairman-Elect of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Kwabena Nyamekye and his family at Koforidua as he prepares to officially assume the high office of the Church, come Saturday, August 25.
The well-patronised event, which was officiated by the outgoing Chairman, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah, brought together a host of dignitaries from all walks of life including ministers of the Church, state officials, traditional authorities, relatives, friends, well-wishers and members of the Church within and outside the Koforidua Area.
Speaking on the topic: “God Works With People” with Genesis 1:26-28 as his main scripture reference, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah said that it has always been God’s plan to partner with people to fulfill His purposes on earth. He said this was why God created mankind in His own image and charged them to rule over everything He had created.
“God can do anything and everything by Himself, but He has chosen to partner with mankind to fulfil His purposes on earth. In order not to keep recreating human beings, God, in His wisdom, passed on the responsibility of procreation to mankind. This is His purpose for putting in place the institution of marriage,” he said.
He said that it is very important for a leader to be hard working and committed so as to ensure that the will of God is accomplished. He entreated leaders to put to work all the skills and capabilities that God grant them in order to achieve the desired results.
The Chairman further explained that God chooses leaders in every dispensation with whom He partners to accomplish His will on earth. He said that in the past, He called Noah to preserve some living things when He wanted to destroy mankind. He also called Abraham when He wanted to reconnect with the human race; Moses when He wanted to deliver the Israelites from Egypt; and Paul when He wanted to extend His saving knowledge to the Gentiles.
According to him, “every dispensation comes with its own challenges. So, when God calls leaders, He endows them with special abilities and wisdom to be able to deal with the challenges of their dispensation. This is why we should not expect our leaders to adopt old strategies in solving current challenges.”
Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah also stressed the need for the leader to have the support of his followers in order to succeed. “Leaders can only succeed when they are surrounded by good advisers and have the unflinching support of their followers. At this present time in The Church of Pentecost, God has decided, by Himself, to partner with Apostle Eric Nyamekye and his family to lead His church in the coming years. It is my humble request that we will all give them the needed support to enable them stay focused and succeed in this great mandate entrusted to them,” he said.
During the event, the Koforidua Area Presbytery and the Area Women’s Ministry, on behalf of the entire membership, paid glowing tribute to Apostle Eric Nyamekye and his wife, Mary for their immense contributions to the growth of the Church in the Area for the last three years.
Some dignitaries present also took turns to offer words of encouragement to the Nyamekye family as they take up the huge task of leading The Church of Pentecost for the next 5 years.
In response, an emotional Apostle Eric Nyamekye and his family thanked God for the great honour done them. “I still find it difficult to understand why God would choose me, a person with an idolatry background and the youngest member of the Executive Council, to lead His church. I can only give Him all the glory for the great feat He has achieved for His church,” he said.
Notable among the dignitaries present at the event were: Hon. Eric Kwakye Darfour (Eastern Regional Minister), Hon. Adjei Boateng (Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development and Member of Parliament for New Juaben North), Madame Comfort Asante (Municipal Chief Executive for New Juaben North), Hon. Isaac Ampaw-Gyasi (Municipal Chief Executive for New Juaben South) and the Gyaasehene of the New Juaben Traditional Council.
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