The leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been forced to construct artificial water facilities for baptism due to illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, which has destroyed water bodies in the country.

Executive Secretary of the Northern Ghana Union of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pastor Edward Nyarkoh, says the church can no longer baptize new converts in streams in areas affected by illegal mining because of increasing turbidity levels in water bodies across the country.

Speaking in an interview on Joy News on October 8, 2024, during the 40th-anniversary climax of the Bohyen Kropo branch of the SDA Church, he explained that galamsey is affecting their baptisms.

According to him, to avoid the risk of pastors and people who are supposed to be baptized coming into contact with contaminated water, they have built their baptisteries.

“Galamsey has come to destroy all the water bodies, so it is also affecting our baptisms. Previously, we were baptizing in rivers, but nowadays all the water bodies are contaminated.

“Therefore, this has resulted in the church building this baptistery so that all those who will be baptized and the pastors who will be officiating will not be contaminated,” he said.

He added that churches are now forced to construct baptisteries for new converts because the church can no longer conduct baptismal services in rivers.

Fight Against Galamsey: SDA Church unable to perform baptism in rivers due to galamsey.#NoToGalamsey pic.twitter.com/4rRQP7Q4Fe

— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) October 8, 2024