Thanksgiving service crown funeral of Major Mahama
A solemn thanksgiving service was held yesterday at The Qodesh, the North Industrial Area branch of the Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI), to crown activities for the funeral of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama.
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It was attended by the young military officer’s widow, Mrs Barbara Mahama; his mother, Mrs Veronica Bamford-Addy; his father, Captain Dennis Mahama (retd); the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Obed Akwa, and a government delegation led by the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo.
The service was dominated by songs of worship, during which the widow broke down in tears several times in contrast to her show of strength last Friday at the memorial service in honour of the late Major Mahama who was lynched at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region.
Flanked by her mother-in-law, Mrs Bamford-Addy, and other family members, Mrs Mahama in between sobs sang the many songs of comfort that filled the service.
On the last day of the funeral rituals in Accra, the two most important women in the late Major Mahama’s life found comfort in songs and the sermon preached at the church and occasionally smiled at some comical anecdotes used by Bishop Eddie Fabin, the General Superintendent of the Qodesh Council.
Song
In a sermon titled “Don’t lose your song in the night,” Bishop Fabin told the late Major’s family that only God could comfort them at this moment of pain.
He urged them to find comfort in songs that inspired as the best time to sing was in tough times “when the heart is filled with pain.”
“Even though things may be tough, the joy of our salvation should keep us going. As we go through challenges and tough times, we learn that God has plans for us,” he said.
Bishop Fabin led prayers for the family and asked for strength from God for them in their moment of pain and loss.
Church tribute
Reading a tribute in memory of late Major Mahama, the Resident Pastor of the Cantonments branch of the LCI, Pastor Daniel Sekpe, described Major Mahama’s death as “a life cut short by circumstance we cannot comprehend but have come to accept as God’s permissive will.”
He said Major Mahama joined the church in September 2012 and from the very outset his loyalty, discipline and toughness as a soldier was also evident in his service to God.
“Despite his busy military schedule, he always made time to fellowship with us in church. It was always beautiful to see Major strutting majestically into our service with his gracious and humble wife by his side. When the children came, the sight was that of a perfect family. Such beautiful family scenes lighted up our church,” he added.
He observed that Major Mahama loved the work of God and was always championing the need to win the lost at any cost.
“He valued his soul and that of others. This he demonstrated even in death such that although he was trained, armed and capable of killing under extreme provocation, he still decided not to take the soul of another. He upheld his personal integrity in that singular act by choosing rather to die than take the life of another,” Pastor Sekpe added.
Background
Major Mahama was the Commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District in the Central Region to check illegal mining activities.
According to police investigations, at 8 a.m. on May 29, 2017, he left his detachment base for a 20-kilometre jogging while wearing civilian clothes but with his sidearm.
At 9:25 a.m., the military officer got to the outskirts of Denkyira Obuasi, where a number of women were selling foodstuffs by the roadside.
He stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails, which he left in their custody to be taken upon his return from jogging.
While he was taking out money from his pocket to pay for the snails, the woman from whom he had bought the snails and a few others saw Major Mahama’s sidearm tucked to his waist.
Soon after he left, one of the women telephoned the assembly member for Denkyira Obuasi to report what they had seen and without verifying the information, the assembly man is alleged to have mobilised others who attacked and killed him, the police investigations revealed.