Collaborate with govt, stakeholders to keep country clean
The Diocesan Bishop of the Sekondi Methodist Church of Ghana, Rt Rev. Daniel De-Graft Brace, has asked churches to collaborate with the government and other stakeholders to come up with a more comprehensive and sustainable programme to rid the country of filth.
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That, he noted, would be in fulfilment of the claim by the Founder of Methodism, John Wesley, that: "Cleanliness is next to godliness."
"On the issue of filth, littering and other sanitation challenges, let the people called Methodists stand up and wage a relentless crusade on attitudinal change as we are supported by other Christian bodies," the Bishop added.
56th Synod
Rt Rev. Brace was speaking at the 56th annual synod of the diocese at Kwesimintsim in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis in the Western region.
The theme for the four-day meeting was: "Rekindling the Methodist evangelical heritage for church growth: Our response".
Among those who graced the occasion were a member of the Council of State, Mrs Alberta Cudjoe; the Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mrs Eugenia Gifty Kusi; Members of Parliament, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr K. K. Sam, traditional leaders, as well as the clergy from sister churches in the metropolis.
‘Galamsey’ activities
Rt Rev. Brace also expressed concern over the activities of illegal miners (galamsey) in the area.
"As I embarked on my visits to the various circuits of the church in the diocese, I kept asking myself whether those were the rivers Pra, Whin, Ankobra, Tano and the rest that we used to have in the good old days.
"Let us have a second look at the destruction of our rivers, our forests and the land degradation going on in our diocese and our country. All these are as a result of indiscipline and self-centredness on the part of some people in society," he said.
He commended the government and other stakeholders for the campaign against galamsey.
Congratulatory message
The Bishop used the occasion to congratulate the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on his election as the fifth President of the Fourth Republic.
"On behalf of Synod, I congratulate the President, the newly appointed ministers, including our regional minister, the elected Members of Parliament, particularly those from the region," he stated.
He gave an assurance that the church would support the government in its efforts to develop the nation to improve the well-being of the people.
Methodist Church
The Western Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, noted that the Methodist Church had over the years distinguished itself as a beacon of hope and had also become a strong pillar for the country's moral fibre.
He observed that the church was a major partner of the government in the fields of education, agriculture, health care, the provision of water and sanitation, among other sectors of the economy.