By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Sekondi, Oct. 10, GNA – The Most Reverend Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, says the church remains an agent of transformation turning many souls for the Lord Jesus.
He has therefore entreated believers to live transformed Lives after accepting Jesus adding, “and once you encounter Jesus Christ, you do away with the old life, the old things and then take on new things”.
This he noted was the “vision and mission of bringing people to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ…that is the transformation and I believe that the church, not just the Methodist church, must do exactly what God has charged us to do”.
The Presiding Bishop told the Ghana News Agency during the induction service for the Right Reverend Emmanuel K. Ansah as the new Bishop of the Sekondi Diocese.
He added that the transformation in the individual should translate into the society…”So the transformation issue affects the society in its totality, Whether you are in the marketplace or in the civil service, or in governance or as a traditional ruler, wherever you find yourself as a teacher, as miners, wherever you should also translate the new life that you have found in Jesus into that society so that society will be a better place”.
He urged the new Bishop to also be a faithful leader who would not discriminate against other Christian sects but demonstrate true love for all, adding that the new Bishop must trust in God and give good pastoral oversight for the people in the Western Region.
He said transformed Lives would give no room to fraudulent pastors who were around and taking advantage of people’s vulnerability to do all kinds of injustice to them, …God abhors that.
Rev. Dr Boafo said Christians and Ghanaians must open their eyes very wide and read the Bible themselves…For Methodists, we say that you do not need anybody to read the Bible for you, you do not need anybody to pray for you. You can pray to God directly. If we all begin to do these things, there will be no room for any pastor to abuse them.
The Presiding Bishop also called on the law makers of the land to crack the whip at these fraudulent individuals parading as apostles of God.
The Most Reverend Dr. Robert Aboagye-Mensah, past Presiding Bishop encouraged the new Bishop to keep the charge, and work in honesty to inherit God’s blessings.
He called on Christians to love righteous living and eschew wrong to avert the wrath of God.
The Right Reverend Emmanuel K. Ansah, the new Bishop of Sekondi was born on July 23, 1961, to a humble Christian family.
He had his early and secondary education at Methodist Primary and Middle schools at Dunkwa-on Offin.
He later joined the preaching band in Wesley College and had been in that kingdom business until his elevation to the position of Diocesan Bishop.
GNA