The official opening ceremony of the 31st biennial general council meeting of the Assemblies of God, Ghana in Navrongo in the Kassena Nankana Municipality in the Upper East Region last Wednesday. The five-day programme was on the theme: “Send the light (For growth and expansion) Acts 13:47. The Special Guest of honour was H.E John Mahama, former President of the Republic of Ghana and a member of the church. The Guest Speaker was Rev Dominic Yeo, Global Chairman of World Assemblies of God Fellowship and General Superintendent of Singapore Assemblies of God.
In his address, former President John Dramani Mahama underscored the need for churches to scale up skills training for the youth to enable them to set up small businesses to improve their living standards. “It is time for the church to scale up skills training for the youth as part of giving back to the society because not all children are endowed to continue formal education to the tertiary level” he stressed,” he said. He stated that the youth who had completed either basic school or secondary education but had no intention of furthering their education must be provided with entrepreneurial skills to do something for themselves to reduce youth unemployment in the country.
Mr. Mahama said many churches had invested in the construction of schools, hospitals, and other social amenities but a few churches such as the Assemblies of God had shown commitment and invested in the provision of employable skills for the youth. He added that it took a partnership between the church and the government for the growth and development of the country, saying undoubtedly, the government alone could not do it, and needed the support of churches to address the challenges facing the nation.
Mr. Mahama, who is also the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), stated that in a bid to address unemployment among the youth, the next NDC administration would introduce the national apprenticeship programme to provide skills to the youth. However, he assured the congregation that he was a peaceful person, and as such he would do everything possible to ensure that the country remained peaceful, adding “ if we resort to violence, it is the same people we are seeking to govern who will suffer”.
The General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Ghana, Rev. Stephen Y. Wengam, said the end-time Church was expected to be relevant, prominent, and more importantly influential to make an impact globally. “With a current membership of 715,000 in Ghana, 20 million across Africa, and 85 million globally, the Assemblies of God is poised to significantly impact communities across the nation,” Rev. Wengam said. He indicated that the vision of the church was to reposition itself to be able to make a positive impact in Ghana and other countries. He explained that the church intended to spread to reach every nook and cranny to preach God’s word as well as contribute to societal growth. He mentioned that the church would in the next seven years be 100 years old and that one of their major needs was an international convention center to take care of their camp meetings and other social activities.
Rev. Wengam said already the land had been acquired for the 6,000-capacity project which would commence as soon as practicable. “The church has been very impactful since its establishment many years ago, as it was the first Pentecostal church to set up hospitals in Saboba and Nankpanduri to render healthcare services to the people”. Touching on the upcoming elections, he said it was a crucial one and that all parties and stakeholders should work hard to make it peaceful.
