Ho, July 19, GNA - Presbyter Simon N.K. Tette, President of the Presbyters Union of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, has asked the leadership of the Church to reconsider the prohibition of members who are polygamists from taking the Holy Communion.

“Jesus Christ Himself who is the Head of the Church and instituted the Lord’s Supper decreed that a person should judge himself/herself before partaking in the Lord’s Supper but did not say any other person or Church must be the judge,” he stated.

Presbyter Tette made the call at the just-ended Annual National Delegates Conference of the E.P. Church in Ho, under the theme, “Integrity in Mission and Ministry.”

He, therefore, asked the leadership of the Church to implement the decision of the 56th Synod which recommended that, “The Principal of the E.P. Church Seminary, Peki liaised with the Theological Study Commission and write out a Study Document on the Admission of Polygamists to the Lord’s Supper for the study of the various congregations.”

“This essential Sacramental issue must not be swept under the carpet, he said. “It should be addressed now.”

Presbyter Tette asserted that “the responsibility of the Church is to baptize and teach, for instance, the Faith and not to judge, which amounts to the usurpation of the position of Christ as King and Judge over His Kingdom and Head of the Church, His Family”.

He questioned the “integrity and morality of the Church” in admitting polygamists as members and demanding dues and other obligations from them while denying them access to salvation by banning them from partaking in the Lord’s Supper.

“This is a very serious matter,” he stressed.

Presbyter Tette made reference to a proclamation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) that “the only qualification for admission to the Eucharist (The Lord’s Supper) is Baptism (Matthew 28: 19-20).

He also made reference to a declaration by Pope Benedict XIV that: “Whenever a Church enacts legislation binding the lives of its people and this legislation is either not within the Word Of God or is Additional To It, then the Church is usurping the position of Christ as King of His Kingdom and Head of His Family-and that is a serious matter.”

“The Church is there for gathering and perfecting of the souls in this life, to the end of the world,” he quoted Pope Benedict XIV as saying.