Religion of Saturday, 23 December 2006

Source: GNA

Harvest Chapel inducts pastors and elders

Accra, Dec. 23, GNA - Nine pastors and five elders of the Harvest Chapel International were on Saturday inducted into office at the first ever induction service of the Church with a call on them to exercise self-control and impartiality in their dealings with the congregation. Instead, they must show the fruit of the spirit by being honest, sincere, truthful and consistent in their actions.

Rev. Fitzgerald Odonkor, Head Pastor of the Church, who made the call, said the priestly ministry was a service to God and urged the new pastors and elders to be loyal and committed to the ministry. He asked them to put their trust and faith fully in the words and the grace of God as they assumed their new roles.

Preaching the sermon on the theme: 'Flames of Fire', Bishop Eddy Addy of the Lighthouse Chapel, asked the new pastors to make the message of salvation and the holy-ghost baptism the cornerstone of the ministry. He said the church was gradually losing focus of their role in bringing people to salvation and repentance by paying too much attention to social activities in the church.

He said the sole purpose of Jesus Christ's Ministry was salvation and this must take central place in the activities of the church. Drawing example of Jesus' cleansing of the temple, Bishop Addy said it was time to rekindle the revival flames in the church through the preaching of the unadulterated word of God and bringing the people back to the truth.

He asked the pastors to preach the word and not ideas that would earn them applause from the congregation