Sunyani (B/A) Jan. 18, GNA - The Mid-West Ghana Conference (MGC) of Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church has expelled 13 branches of the Church in Brong Ahafo.

The branches are in Kato, Berekum, Estate, Kutre, Biadan, Continental, Nyamebekyere, Namasuano, Benkasa, Senase, Jinijini, all in Berekum district, Kyeremasu in Dormaa district and Techiman Zongo. Pastor Peter O. Mensah, President of Ghana Union Conference (GUC) of the Church announced this in a statement signed by Pastor F. Agyei-Baah, Executive Secretary of MGC, at the end of a six-day Third Triennial Session of at the weekend.

Delegates from all sectors of the church in the country attended the Session.

Pastor Mensah said the decision by the Conference was taken through voting at the end of the conference.

Separate letters signed by Pastor Agyei-Baah confirming the expulsion have been sent to the affected churches with explanations for the decision.

The statement said the branches were accused of declaring their "unilateral and open support for Pastor Paul Osei Agyemang's dissident and divisive movement" in the church.

Pastor Mensah said besides, the branches failed to allow the entry, teachings and preaching of accredited officials and ministers sent to their churches by MGC, GUC and the West Central Africa Division. They also refused to attend officially organized camp meetings of the GUC and the MGC and instead chose to regularly attend the dissident camp meetings and other programmes. The statement added that the branches also refused to remit to the Conference tithes and offerings collected from members as required of every SDA Church in accordance with the Church Manual. The Kato branch's expulsion stemmed from their refusal to comply with a recommendation of the MGC and GUC Executive Committee for the removal of Pastor Osei-Agyeman as a member of the Church. It also refused to accept Church officials and Ministers sent by the MGC, GUC and West-Central Africa Division (WAD) to enter the Church for official duties and also to remit to the Conference tithes and offerings collected from members.

The statement said the branch church at Techiman Zongo also refused to discipline Mr. D. A. Munufie, who was litigating against the Church, contrary to Page 182 of Church Manual (CM).

The Church also snubbed sub-committee members sent to mediate the issue and openly supported Pastor Osei Agyemang's dissident and divisive group, among others.

In each of the expulsion letters, members of the affected branches were asked to re-apply for membership.

"As stated in the Church Manual page 204 under, 'Care of Members', the names of members shall be provisionally held up to 90 days in the Conference Church to allow opportunity for those who desire to remain in the SDA Church to indicate their intention by writing through the District Pastor to the Conference", the statement added. The expulsion letters were copied to Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Commander, Regional BNI Commander, Techiman District Police Commander, Techiman District Coordinating Council, Techiman Traditional Council, Officers of GUC and MGC, Presidents of Ghana Fields of SDA Church, District Pastor of SDA Church at Techiman South, among others. In a sermon at the ordination of Pastor Maxwell Yaw Ntim-Antwi, 35, of Begoro in the Eastern Region, Pastor D. Opoku-Boateng, a Lecturer at Valley View University in Accra, took his theme, "Peace be Still", from the Book of St. Mark.

Pastor Opoku-Boateng said there were occasions when the authority had to hold "the bull by the horn" and come out with the truth no matter how bitter it might be only if that truth could save mankind.

"If something happened in the church and you know the fault generated from any of you, please be bold to own up for the sake of peace", he added.