Ho, Aug 7, GNA - The Evangelical Presbyterian Church is to sharpen its social responsiveness, broaden its revenue base and increase its role in the provision of education in the coming years. Rev Godwin Kwaku Osiakwa, Clerk of the Church's General Assembly, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency ahead of the maiden General Assembly in Ho between August 19 and August 23. He said the focus was shifting away from collections to business enterprises as the main source of funds for running activities of the Church.

Rev Osiakwa said going according to the last Synod's dictates, that "congregations are encouraged to set up viable ventures," headquarters had beefed up the Church's hospitality business, renovating the Kekeli Hotel and attached a restaurant and opened a pharmacy. He said the Church was considering building a state-of-the- art auditorium in Ho to cater for big indoor gatherings and revamping its fisheries projects.

Rev Osiakwa said feasibility studies were either going on or completed to start some sort of fuel distribution outlets. He said he was aware that many of the church's presbyteries had started businesses in the areas of animal husbandry, farms and road transport to support their activities. Rev Osiakwa said internally, the administrative machinery of the Church was being revitalized with new equipment, including computers to meet the challenges ahead.

He said the Church, which had expanded from a mainly Volta Region based church into a national one, was building schools in other regions which should be going under the management of the E.P Educational Unit soon. EP Church, founded 162 years by the North German Missionary Society (Bremen Mission), is a major agent of development in the Volta Region, where it started at Peki before spreading to the other regions. It changed its decision making structures last year from the yearly synods as the highest decision making body to General Assembly, the first of which is being held this year.