Akropong, Dec.19, GNA - The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Right Reverend Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, has described the formation of virgin clubs in some communities as a perfect realization of the need to have virgins in the society.

He said the clubs would not only help to control the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but would also ensure that "our young men and women stayed clear of sexual promiscuity and be pure in the sight of God." Rt-Rev. Frimpong-Manso was delivering the sermon at the 170th anniversary thanksgiving service of the Christ Presbyterian Church at Akropong-Akuapem on Sunday.

He expressed concern at the rate at which young women were involving themselves in irresponsible sexual acts and called on the church to lead the crusade against those social vices. Dr Frimpong-Manso pointed out that the call for the legalisation of prostitution in the country was not the solution to control HIV/AIDS "because by legalising prostitution, which is immoral in every society, we rather compound and condone immorality in the society, we need to find a better approach," He stressed.

He called on the church to pray for continual peace and tranquillity against ethnocentrism, divisions and rancour that were gradually finding their way in the politics and affairs of the nation. Touching on the theme "170 years of Presbyterianism in Akropong, the way forward," the Moderator commended the traditional authority of Akuapem for their support that had seen the growth of the church to that far.

He emphasized the need for strong inter-faith relationship between Christianity and traditional religion in the country to move the agenda of development of every community to the most appreciable level. Mrs Augusta Darko, Senior Presbyter of the Church, who gave a brief history of the church, recalled that the Church was the first congregation to be planted by the early missionaries in the country in 1835.

She said in the church's agenda to develop the people holistically, it set up many educational institutions including the Presbyterian Training College (PTC) "the mother of all Teacher Training Colleges" in the country and the Odumase Girls School that was also the first girls educational institution to be set up in the country. Mrs Darko said the wise counsel of the then Okuapehene, Nana Addo Dankwa I, to Reverend Andreas Riis, the only surviving missionary, to include people of black descent in the missionary work to prove that the Blackman could also become a Christian had been sustained and become fruitful.

A fundraising at the service yielded 83 million cedis. 19 Dec.05