After three decades of estimable service to God and humanity, Pastor Solomon Abunyan and Mrs Mercy Odame, the Tarkwa District Minister in the Suame Area of The Church of Pentecost, have retired from active ministry.
A very colourful and well-attended retirement service was held in honour of the indefatigable servant and his wife on Sunday, July 27, 2025, at the Mercy Temple, the Tarkwa Central Assembly church auditorium, in Kumasi.
The service, which was officiated by Apostle John Obeng Kesse, the Suame Area Head, drew people from almost all the districts Pastor Odame has pastored, as well as ministers of the church and their wives, family, and beneficiaries of his enviable service, among other loved ones.
Having gladly responded to the call to service in the full-time ministry of The Church of Pentecost in 1995, Pastor Solomon Odame and his wife, Mrs Mercy Odame were first posted to Banso District, Konongo Area of the Ashanti Region, where they served for six years, between 1995 and 2001. They then proceeded to Manso Atwere District under Obuasi Area, from 2001 to 2007. Transfer then took them to Ejisu Newtown District in 2007 as their third station.
After a successful six years of service at Ejisu, Pastor Odame was posted to Chapel Square District in the Agona Swedru Area from 2013 to 2018, before being brought back to Obuasi Area, this time as District Minister for Estate District, from 2018 to 2022. He was then transferred to Tarkwa District in the Suame Area in 2022, which happened to be his sixth and final station, completing three decades of glorious service to God and humanity.
In a heartfelt tribute eulogising his character and legacy as a minister of God, the Tarkwa District Presbytery described Pastor Odame as a minister with ‘a very calm and composed posture,’ who was ‘never in haste to act or react to any issue, respected both the old and young, loved everyone, and maintained cordial relations with all his officers and members.’
Reflecting on his distinctive leadership style, the Presbytery further described him as ‘a teacher of the Word and an ardent exegete of the Scriptures.’
The General Council admitted that Pastor Odame’s 30-year ministry has been a beacon of hope, comfort, and guidance to all who have been blessed to know him.
Delivering the sermon at the retirement service, under the theme, ‘Unleashed to Finish Well for Greater Reward,’ Pastor Justice Appiah Afful, the District Minister for Bremang, encouraged all believers and attendees to seek God in every aspect of their lives, during challenging moments in their Christian journey, assuring them that they would find peace in Him.
Drawing from the Scriptures in 2 Chronicles 15:1–7 (with emphasis on verse 7), 2 Chronicles 8:10–11, 2 Chronicles 14:11–12 and verse 6, as well as Colossians 4:17, he urged believers to emulate the example of King Asa, who, in the difficult times of his reign, sought the Lord, cried out to Him, and commanded the people of Judah to do likewise, an act that brought divine intervention and peace. Just as King Asa did what was right in the sight of God, Pastor Afful further exhorted believers to shun ungodly lifestyles in their marriages, ministries, and other areas of life, and to establish an unbreakable covenant with God for holistic peace.
The soon-to-be Offinso Area Head emphasised that unwavering dependence on God enables believers to perfectly fulfil their divine assignments both in the Lord and on earth, guiding them through even the most impenetrable paths in life’s journey.
He concluded his sermon with an affectionate plea to Pastor Solomon Abunyan Odame and his wife, Mrs Mercy Odame, urging them not to waver in their total reliance on the Lord, as that remains the only way to finish the journey completely and faithfully.
Report by Stephen Tetteh, Pent Radio Kumasi
