By Jibril Abdul Mumuni, GNA
Accra, July 12, GNA – Members of the Bethel Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church at Osu have undertaken a clean-up exercise in support of the Government’s national sanitation campaign, helping to clear drains and streets to promote environmental cleanliness and reduce flooding risks.
The exercise formed part of the church’s contribution to the national call for collective action following recent flooding incidents and President John Dramani Mahama’s appeal to citizens and institutions to help keep communities clean.
Church members swept the streets, desilted drains and removed waste from sections of the Osu Community to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
Pastor Dr William Kpakpo Brown of the Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church, said the exercise demonstrated the church’s commitment to national development and civic responsibility.
“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.
He explained that although the Government proposed the exercise for Friday and Saturday, the church opted to participate on Friday to enable members to observe their Sabbath worship on Saturday.
Pastor Dr Brown said the clean-up exercise reflected the church’s long-held belief that cleanliness was an essential value that should be upheld in every community.
He 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.
Dr Brown said health, sanitation and environmental stewardship were integral to the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, with members encouraged to maintain clean homes and surroundings and avoid practices that harmed the environment.
He described environmental sanitation as a key component of public health, noting that water, hygiene and disease prevention featured prominently in the church’s health education programmes.
He urged Ghanaians to take greater responsibility for protecting the environment, saying poor environmental practices contributed to flooding and increased public health risks.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Jibril Abdul MumuniÂ
[email protected]Â