Kenyasi (Ash), Sept. 8, GNA - Pastor Annor Boafo, Health and Temperance Director of the Ghana Union Conference (GUC) of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church, has expressed serious concern over the rate at which the youth of the Church are leaving.

He has therefore called on the leadership of the church to devise proactive measures to sustain their waning interest and retain them.

Pastor Boafo was not happy with the current statistics, which showed that, about 50 per cent of the church's youth leave the Church before they turn age 22, and that, something very serious must be done to halt the trend, to safeguard the future of the church.

He was preaching a sermon at this year's Annual Camp Meeting, organized by the New-Tafo District of the South Central Ghana Conference (SCGC), held at Kenyasi near Kumasi.

"People of hope" was the theme of the occasion.

The pastor attributed the situation to the lack of interest in matters of the youth and supervision by the parents and the church's leadership and warned that majority of the youth would be lost to the Church, if nothing is done to reverse the trend.

"Instead of converting the world and its atrocities, the world is rather converting us from the light and we have made Satan the Prime Minister, who is governing our lives" he stressed.

He charged parents and the elders to keep a close eye on the youth, to shape their lives and guide them in the paths of life, rather than leaving them to their fate.

"Have time with your children, pray together, ask them about their needs and worries, because we will account for them" he said.

Pastor Boafo urged the youth to shun evil deeds and adhere to the principles in the Bible.