There are still too many tricksters and fraudsters in the contemporary Ghanaian society, posing as men of God to enrich themselves through the sale of olive oil and holy water to their unsuspecting followers, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the E. P. Church, Ghana, Rt Rev Dr Seth Senyo Agidi has stated.

He said that the trend was projecting chaos not only for Christendom but also for the entire nation, with the unhealthy and ungodly competition for money, and even hatred among some pastors of the latter day churches.

Rev Dr Agidi was preaching the sermon at the ordination service for 14 new reverend ministers of the church, at the Dela Cathedral at Ho-Kpodzi yesterday.

He said that it was indeed sad, how some of those ‘Ananse pastors’ had held their congregations captive with false claims of powers to perform miracles to solve every problem facing mankind and continued to exploit them for money with no compassion whatsoever on them.

The event was under the theme: ‘Search for the hidden treasure’.

The Moderator reiterated that the call to priesthood was never a duty to amass wealth but rather to sacrifice and put one’s own life on the line to bring peace and comfort to others.

He, therefore, urged the new ministers to work hard to lead the people to the hidden treasure of God by readily demonstrating their selflessness and preaching the truth to them always.

Some wayward people, Rev Dr Agidi noted, drifted into priesthood in the expectation of “well battered bread with fried eggs and milky tea” to fill their stomachs, rather than serve the people with dedication and honesty.

“Do not become ‘kwashiorkor pastors’ with huge bellies from ill-acquired wealth but rather be good examples of simplicity, hard work and diligent service to all and sundry,” he told the ministers.

The reverend ministers, including one woman were commissioned by the church two years ago, and had completed their probation.