By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Kumasi, Nov. 8, GNA – The Ghana Baptist Convention (GBC) is poised to contribute to national efforts geared at more human resource development.
The Church believes that the creation and management of a well-motivated human resource base could safeguard the present and future needs of the Convention and Ghana as a whole.
The Reverend Enoch Nii Narh Thompson, Executive President of Ghana Baptist Convention, noted that increasing the knowledge, skills and capacities of the people had become necessary as society battled unresolved challenges.
Speaking at the Church’s 60th Anniversary climax service in Kumasi, he noted that the Convention would also commit to providing shelter for worship for its congregation, create financial solvency from internal and external resources as well and achieve focused evangelism.
The anniversary was held under the theme: “Fulfilling God’s Purpose, Growing God’s Church – 60 Years on.”
Rev. Thompson pointed out that the Church had in the past years provided educational facilities, health facilities and water projects for needy communities.
Again, it had worked actively to reduce the negative impact of the “trokosi” culture, negotiating and paying for freeing vestal virgins from shrines and giving them vocational education and a lease of life.
The Executive President, however, mentioned that the church had been confronted with challenges with the Baptist polity of the autonomy of the local church in the context of the social contract of associations and conventions.
“We have worked hard over the years to emphasize a proper understanding and application of the polity, which is the concept and practice of cooperative autonomy.
That local Baptist Churches are autonomous in their day-to-day administration and operations but have a binding social and divine responsibility to cooperate with sister churches in associations and the Convention for a more rapid and effective development.”
This struggle had negatively affected all aspects of local ownership and continued to weigh down funding of the Convention and its ministries that were carried out by the national secretariat on behalf of all churches, Rev. Thompson observed.
Nana Adu Mensah Asare, Chief of Amakom, who was a special guest at the event, commended the Ghana Baptist Convention for their contribution to national development.
He urged the leaders of the Church to continue inspiring members to serve and love God, adding that it was one of the surest ways to win more souls and increase membership.
GNA