Koforidua, Aug. 31, GNA - The 75th Annual National Convention of the Women's Fellowship of the Apostolic Church - Ghana has ended in Koforidua over the weekend. The convention, which brought together more than 10,000 women of the church drawn from the southern sector of the country, was the largest number ever recoded in the history of the women's fellowship gatherings. Addressing the convention at a thanksgiving service the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, commended the church for its contribution to the socio-economic development of the country. He appealed to the women to resist the temptation of focusing attention on purely outward ceremonial observance and merry-making but rather to improve upon their knowledge and skills in wherever they find themselves so as to become responsible future leaders of the church in particular and the nation in general.

He said in the past parents sent their children to church to be taught the knowledge and fear of the Lord and also collaborated with teachers in the training and disciplining their children. But of late that co-operation was lacking resulting in parents assaulting teachers who tried to discipline children thus leading to breakdown of morality and discipline. He urged the church to ensure that the ethical values of the country were promoted and should be fair in its criticisms of government. Mr Jamal said the church should be bold to point out the infractions of all governments and not to do selective criticism so as not to loose its respect and credibility.

He appealed to the church to pray ceaselessly for God to intervene in curbing all acts of immorality that was creping into the moral fabric of the society.

"We are all witnesses in recent times of the spate of lawlessness, drug trafficking, corruption, armed robbery, ritual murders, cyber fraud popularly known as "Sakawa" and occultism," he said. The National Secretary of the fellowship, Mrs Mary Nana Tagoe, told the She said it had set up vocational schools and other training centres to give skills training to girls and elderly women.