Takoradi, May 3, GNA- Evangelist Charles Mensah, National Chairman of the Association of Methodist Men's Fellowships said the culture of pulling down church buildings and re-building new ones, was not assisting in the evangelisation drive of the Methodist Church. He said, many Methodist Churches are now interested in re-designing their buildings, pews and the adornment of the sanctuary to the neglect of unsaved souls outside the church.

Evangelist Mensah said these at the opening of 5th biennial delegate's conference of the fellowship at Takoradi.

The four-day fellowship is under the theme: "serving with wholehearted devotion and willing mind" and is being attended by 500 delegates from the 15 diocese nationwide.

He said though the church hopes to double its membership only two percent of the churches annual budget are targeted at evangelism. "Not much has been achieved in terms of church growth because we propose to go one direction and channel our resources in another direction' he stressed.

He said the Methodist Church should be mission minded to enable it double its membership without any further delay.

Evangelists Mensah said the pending election of a new Presiding Bishop of the Church and a Lay President should not lead to divisions, acrimony and rivalry in the Church.

He said the December 2008 general elections was also paramount to the nation and all Methodists and Christians in general should set good examples by living and operating within the electoral laws of the country.

"We should pray against unhealthy politicking, mudslinging and avoid unnecessary acts that could lead to tension and the disruption of the elections" he added.

Evangelist Mensah said the nation needs transformational leaders who can connect and relate to the people and their needs and therefore appealed to all registered voters to critically examine the aspirants and allow the Holy Spirit to guide them in their choice for the nation. As part of the conference, the association would present items worth 1,500 Ghana cedis to the Takoradi Hospital. Mrs. Gladys Asmah, Member of Parliament for Takoradi, said the country needed moral regeneration to reverse the increasing rate of crime, drug abuse, rape, defilement of babies and children among a section of the society.

She said the church has a huge task to expand its evangelisation programme to attract some of these individuals into the church. "If they are part of you, your teachings could change such a person for the better" she stressed. Mrs. Asmah noted that it was sad that many men had abandoned their home and made their wives the sole head of the home and urged men to change that attitude.

She said while taking proper care of their families, men should also fight against land degradation, bush burning, pollution of water bodies and other harmful environmental practices. Mrs Asmah said Christian men must set good examples for their own children and society, avoid laziness, immorality, cheating and other social vices for the sake of generations yet unborn.