Amanokrom Presby marks 160th anniversary
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commended the Mount Olivet Congregation of the Presbyterian Church at Amanokrom, Akuapem for providing the needed spiritual, educational and health interventions for the people of the area for the past 160 years.
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He described the congregation’s performance as a shining example of the Biblical principle of loving one another and providing support for those in need.
Speaking at the 160th anniversary of the Church at Amanokrom in the Eastern Region, the President said the overall output of the church in the area had been a true manifestation of evangelism.
He said the work of the Presbyterian Church in many aspects of national life, especially in the areas of education and health, was appreciated by the generality of Ghanaians.
He noted that the roles that the church had played in the overall development of the country had resulted in the attainment of high educational standards, spirituality and health care.
Good example
That example, the President said, was worthy of commendation and emulation by all religious institutions in furtherance of national goals.
He expressed the hope that in the years ahead, the Mount Olivet Congregation would step up its activities towards pushing ahead the national agenda.
He said his ancestry were Presbyterians who had played defining roles in different capacities towards the growth and progress of the church.
President Akufo-Addo recounted that he was a Presbyterian by birth but his schooling in an Anglican environment had predisposed him more to Anglicanism.
He eulogised the late Chief of the area, Oyeeman Wereko Ampem, for the pioneering role he played in the establishment of the Mount Olivet Congregation.
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Stocktaking
The Gyasehene of Akuapem and Chief of Amanokrom, Nana Osim Kwatia II, who also addressed the gathering, said the occasion provided an opportunity for the church to take stock of its past and strategise for the future, saying: “Such celebration help us add on to history.”
That, he said, was because they helped to assess one’s current circumstances and look into the future.
History
Recounting the history of the Presbyterian Church in the area, he said Amanokrom received the Gospel of Jesus Christ very early through the efforts of the Basel missionaries who visited the area.
The preaching of the Gospel, he recounted, came with several other things that positively impacted on the community, just as it did elsewhere.
“Thus for me, the celebration of the 160th anniversary of Presbyterianism in Amanokrom is a positive celebration of the socio-economic and cultural transformation and development in all forms of human engagement,” he said.
Nana Kwatia said the Basel missionaries brought formal education to the area through the establishment of schools, from which the area had immensely benefitted.
He said it was remarkable that education in the Presbyterian system was not limited to only academics but stressed other important aspects, such as spiritual and moral development, etiquette, as well as the development of practical skills.
Traditional rulers
Nana Kwatia said the church also succeeded in influencing the traditional leaders in the area, most of whom became Christians and were still Christians.
He paid tribute to the Presbyterian Church for standing by the traditional authorities in difficult times and expressed the hope that the future would bring more enhanced benefits to the church, traditional authorities and the people.
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