By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, July 23, GNA – The Most Reverend Daniel Okoh, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, says it is time to empower and equip Ghanaian Christians, especially those in leadership roles to take up local and national political leadership positions.
“We need to empower and equip our people to be able to engage politically and bring strong moral leadership in politics, the economy and other areas,” he added.
Rev. Okoh made the remark in an interview with the media ahead of this year’s17th “Ekklesia Roundtable Series” conference slated for Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Accra which will host him as the keynote speaker on the theme: “Deepening and Strengthening Church Ecumenism in Ghana”.
The conference, expected to bring together Christian leaders from across the country would enable them to formalise their relationship as Christians and speak with one voice, mostly on pertinent national issues to bring about a positive change or result.
Rev. Okoh said it was time for Christian leaders to understand the need not to leave the seat of power for only people who might not have anything meaningful in mind for the ordinary people, adding: “…Because the Bible says when the righteous are in power, the people rejoice”.
As Christians were the majority in Ghana, he said it was time for them to occupy their rightful space, adding that they could however do so if they dropped their ego and uplifted a sense of humility to accommodate one another.
“For the Christian Church in Ghana, this is not the time to sleep or slumber, but the time to work.
“We don’t have to wait until we have religious conflict before we start coming together. Now that we enjoy peace in the country, is the time that the church must stand together to present the country as one that loves Christ,” he added.
The modern-day Ghana, Rev. Okoh said was the time Christians had to be highly alert to challenge issues as a movement for Christ.
“A whole lot of negative teachings are coming up and a whole lot are being turned upside down such as LGBTQI. There are so many things we need to combat, putting aside our doctrinal differences and coming together as one people of God in Christ to make sure that we remain the light of the world,” he noted.
Speaking about the formalisation of the relationship among the denominations, the bishop said light would be thrown on how to deepen and strengthen ecumenism (the principle or aim of promoting unity among the world’s Christian Churches), understanding that the Nigerian Church had something useful and meaningful to contribute.
“This has become salient because, in Nigeria, we have the Christian Association of Ghana which will be 50 years in two years to come.
“It is one single platform or organisation for all Christians in Nigeria ranging from the Catholics to the newest denominations with over one hundred million Nigerian Christians,” he said.
Rev. Okoh gave an assurance that the Nigerian experiences would be shared on how they had gone far with one voice, claiming what was rightfully theirs at points in time.
Apostle Samuel Gyau Obuobi, General Secretary of the Church of Pentecost, reiterated that it was time to formalise the relationship that existed among Christian Churches in the country.
“We believe we need to come together to have one strong voice to speak to national issues. So, the meeting will provide a platform for us to deliberate on pertinent national issues,” he noted.
Apostle Obuobi said after the conference, they would join forces to raise awareness among the citizenry especially Christians to be law-abiding and peace lovers to make a positive impact on the upcoming general elections.
“We believe that when we come together and advise our members, they would listen even more,” he added.
The Ekklesia Roundtable Series is one of the core activities of the Kingdom Equip Network, a Christian non-profit network dedicated to fostering effective governance within churches, para-church institutions, and broader society.
Among other objectives, the conference will enable participants to jointly develop strategies and resources for defending the faith against theological distortions, secularism, and religious extremism.
GNA