By Jibril Abdul MumuniÂ
Accra, July 15, GNA – Members of the Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church in Osu have undertaken a clean-up exercise to support national efforts to improve sanitation and prevent flooding.
The exercise involved sweeping streets, desilting drains and removing waste in parts of the Osu community.
It followed recent flooding incidents and the Government’s call for collective action to maintain clean communities.
Pastor Dr. William Kpakpo Brown, Pastor of the Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church, said that the church responded to the national appeal as part of its civic responsibility and commitment to community development.
“First and foremost, we have been challenged by the President. As citizens of the nation, we have to adhere to this call and do our part,” he said.
Pastor Dr. Brown explained that although the Government had proposed the clean-up exercise for Friday and Saturday, the church chose to undertake the activity on Friday to enable members to observe Sabbath worship on Saturday.
He said the sanitation exercise reflected the church’s belief that cleanliness was an important value that should be promoted within communities.
Pastor Dr. Brown said the church, through its Adventist Community Services Department, regularly organised community outreach programmes, including health screening exercises and support for vulnerable persons.
“As a church in a community, our impact must be felt. We organise some of these programmes from time to time and invite people around to benefit from them,” he said.
Pastor Dr. Brown said health, sanitation and environmental stewardship formed an integral part of the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and encouraged members to maintain clean homes and surroundings while avoiding practices that degrade the environment.
He said environmental sanitation was an important component of public health, adding that issues relating to water, hygiene and disease prevention were frequently discussed as part of the church’s health education programmes.
Pastor Dr. Brown urged citizens to take greater responsibility for protecting the environment, saying environmental degradation contributed to flooding and public health risks.
He said that the church’s stewardship teachings emphasised the responsible management of resources, including the environment, which members regarded as part of God’s creation entrusted to humanity.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Report: Jibril Abdul MumuniÂ
[email protected]Â Â