The Walewale Astroturf was filled with hundreds of mourners from all walks of life on Saturday, June 25, 2022, as they paid their last respect to the late Prophet Evans Annaba Mensah, the deceased Walewale Area Head of The Church of Pentecost.
Loved ones, especially his wife and children, could not hold back their tears as they filed past his body.
Prophet Annaba, 54, who was called to glory on May 28, 2022, was quoted to have said this before breathing his last: “It is not the sick who die, rather those whose time is up; those God wants to call home.”
The Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, who officiated the funeral service, said he was shaken to the marrow when he was informed about the death of Prophet Annaba.
“I was really devastated when I heard of his death. I felt weak at the moment because he was a dependable person. He carried out instructions and policies of the church to the letter,” the Chairman said, adding, “If we all have the spirit of Prophet Annaba, we will go places.”
Biography
Prophet Evans Annaba Mensah was born on April 14, 1968, at Songe near Garu in the Upper East Region.
He had his basic education at Adiembra L/A Schools and obtained the Middle School Leaving Certificate (MSLC) in 1987. He proceeded to Ampabame Islamic Secondary School in 1988 to further his education but ended at Form 3 due to financial constraints. However, while in ministry, he pursued a degree in Theology from the Pentecost University in 2010.
He was called into the full-time ministry of The Church of Pentecost in the year 2000. He served in the following stations: Suma Ahenkro District, from 2000 to 2005; Berekum West District, from 2005 to 2008; Lamashegu District, from 2008 to 2014; Ayebronum District, Suhum, from 2014 to 2019, North Kaneshie District, from 2019 to 2021, and as an Area Head for Walewale, from 2021 to 2022.
Tributes
Various tributes were read to eulogize him. The General Council of The Church of Pentecost described him as very gentle, humble, respectful and dependable, saying, “He was a selfless and God-fearing minister who had a special reverence for the things of God and the policies of the church. He was such a dedicated minister to work with due to his zeal for ministry and team spirit.”
It added: “His devotion to prayer was exemplary. As a result, his ministry was blessed with notable miracles and other supernatural manifestations. His prophetic gifting was sharp, having been blessed particularly with the word of knowledge and word of wisdom.”
According to the General Council, Prophet Annaba was affable and benevolent towards the poor and needy and personally invested in the lives of members to enable them achieve their dreams.
The widow, Mrs Gladys Annaba, had this to say about her late husband: “My dear husband was my prophet, pastor, teacher and mentor. He modelled and shaped my Christian life. He was the priest of the home as he led our morning devotions.”
She added: “I cannot be exhaustive about Daddy, without touching on his prayer life. He was a man of prayer and a great intercessor. Even during his moments of ill-health, he never ceased praying for others, especially those in difficult conditions.”
His children, in their tribute, stated: “Daddy was a man of integrity. He was always content with the little he had. He taught us to be content with what the Lord gives to us. He always advised us to look up to God in any situation we found ourselves in, for our ultimate price is in heaven.
The Walewale Area of the church also described their departed Area Head as a man with great faith who had passion for evangelism, saying, “Nothing could shatter his pursuance of what he was convinced the Lord was leading him to. No wonder, the Area was able to achieve great feats within the short period he was at the helm of affairs. He owned his transformational leadership to the gift of faith he operated in.”
Sermon
In a short sermon, Apostle Eric Nyamekye quoted from Romans 14:8, and said that so far as God is concerned, there is no difference between the dead and the living.
“For God, there is no difference between the dead and the living, because whether we live or die, we are His. The pain that death causes is on this side of the universe [earth], where we have limited understanding of death,” he said.
According to Apostle Nyamekye, the afflictions believers face in life is nowhere close to what they will receive in Christ when they die.
Present at the funeral service were the International Missions Director (IMD) of the church, Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, and his wife Deborah; the wife of the Chairman, Mrs Mary Nyamekye, among other dignitaries.
PENTECOST NEWS.