Religion of Tuesday, 29 April 2014

Source: GNA

EP Church to elect Moderator in August

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church- Ghana will elect a new Moderator at its sixth General Assembly meeting in Ho in August this year, for a six-year term.

Right Reverend Francis Amenu, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church gave the hint when he addressed the fifth synod of the Ho-East Presbytery of the Church in Ho on Friday.

The fourth synod was on the theme ‘God of Life, Lead Us to Peace, Justice and Dignity for Wholeness.”

Pastors, including delegates of groups within the church from the 19 pastoral districts within the presbytery attended the synod.

“I wish to inform you that this is my last official address to the Ho-East Presbytery Synod as your Moderator, since my duty as head of the church ends at the close of the year,” Rt. Rev. Amenu stated.

He called on members of the church to “seek the face of God through prayers to enable commissioners to the General Assembly in August, and elect the right person to lead the flock of God without any acrimony.”

Rt. Rev. Amenu, who is also the current chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, was elected as Moderator of the E.P church in August 2008 for a one-six-year term to succeed the Very Rev. Dr. Livingstone Buama.

He advised the clergy to be in the forefront of the fight against social vices such as indiscipline, teenage pregnancy, armed robbery and ‘sakawa,’ which had become an “albatross on the neck of society.”

Rev. Samuel Amoako, Moderator of the Presbytery observed that whilst innocent people were killed in mob actions for crimes that they probably did not commit, “big time looters of the national cake and sophisticated robbers go unpunished because they are untouchables"

“This is not Justice. Let us work towards peace, justice and dignity of every individual in spite of race, tribe, religion and creed,” he stated.

Rev. Amoako appealed to Ministers of Religion to use the pulpit to launch a crusade against dehumanizing widowhood rites, including forcing young girls with mental disabilities to confess to being witches at prayer camps.

He also criticized the practice of betrothing young girls to men old enough to be their grandfathers.

Mr. Kofi Attor, Executive Director of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) appealed to the churches to partner government in its development agenda.

“The Church cannot go in the opposite direction of what government is doing,” he stated.