By Francis Kwabena Cofie
Accra, Jan. 7, GNA –The Faith Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Madina Estate, has held its 30th anniversary, urging politicians to refrain from using religion as a campaign tool to divide the nation.
It called on the clergy to educate the congregants to be vigilant and discerning to avoid being used by politicians to achieve their parochial interests as the country goes to the polls in December.
The Reverend Dr Godwin Nii Noi Odonkor, Clerk of the General Assembly, PCG, and the guest speaker, made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.
He admonished Christians not to exchange their electoral power for tokens from “power-hungry politicians,” which would defeat their judgements in making the right decisions.
Rev Dr Odonkor said Ghanaians must ensure they play their civic, political and social responsibility roles very well to achieve the desired outcomes as a people.
“We should all refrain from utterances or acts that will throw the country into violence or chaos and destroy the relative peace we’re enjoying in Ghana,” he said.
The Clerk of the General Assembly encouraged the Church to continue to pray for peace and a successful conduct of the 2024 polls.
He urged the Church to make the youth the centre of church life to give them hope in the religion where they would constantly go to fellowship.
Rev. Dr Odonkor commended the pioneers of the Faith Congregation, who envisioned its establishment in the community and those who nurtured it to grow in the past 30 years for its tremendous achievements.
“The church is a model of a community, practising Christianity in actual life, serving the community with a school, a street, and other social amenities,” he stated.
“The church, having achieved this milestone must look beyond the next decades of anniversary knowing that Christ, who brought them this far will take them thus far.”
The leadership must add more value to the congregation and engage in social and political advocacy to empower members and the immediate public to improve their livelihoods, he added.
Rev Solomon Nii-Mensah, the Acting Ga Presbytery Chairperson, who delivered goodwill messages from the Jubilee House and the Ga Presbytery, congratulated the leadership of the Church for sustaining it through COVID-19 to date.
He encouraged members to continue educating the youth to avoid behaviours that would jeopardize their safety before the elections, saying all congregations should establish peace clubs to help achieve that objective.
He urged Christians to ask God for the spirit of discernment to choose the right political candidate.
As part of the event, Mr Samuel Ofori-Offei, the Chairman of the Board of Local Credit Union and a former Senior Presbyter, cut a tape to inaugurate an infirmary to provide first-aid medical services to the congregants.
He said the facility was funded by collections from members of the then-local credit union, which was later merged with the District Credit Union and asked for God’s blessing over everyone.
GNA