Reverend Attu honoured

The President, John Dramani Mahama, has urged religious leaders to go beyond the pulpit into the communities to support the holistic development of people.

He has, therefore, urged Reverend Ministers not to entrench themselves only in developed and rich areas for their personal comfort but also to accept postings to rural communities where their services are needed.

The President said this in a message delivered on his behalf by the Presidential Envoy for Inter-Faith and Ecumenical Relations, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, during the 30th anniversary church service in honour of Reverend Emmanuel Elisha Attu of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church at Santrokofi-Gbodome last Sunday. 
Selfless service

The President congratulated Rev. Attu for his selfless service in ministry and for the development of the moral and spiritual well-being of the communities he served.

President Mahama noted that Rev. Attu’s character and active participation in community engagements led the people of Santrokofi-Gbodome to elect him as an Assembly member to lead them in community development.

“Indeed, his life embodies the very theme of this celebration. A journey of faith, selfless service and God’s unfailing grace”, he said.

 Highest calling

President Mahama expressed his satisfaction about the contributions of churches towards building a resilient society and reminded the people that service and sacrifice to the nation is the highest calling in life that must be aspired for by all.

“His work in community development, his support for education, his care for the vulnerable and his active participation in communal life reflect a ministry that goes beyond the pulpit”, he said.

Call of God

The Moderator of the General Assembly, Rt Rev. Bliss Divine Agbeko, commended Rev. Attu for his selfless service to the church and the people.

He said Rev. Attu's dedicated service was not a self-called mission but was a call from God. Rt Rev. Agbeko said Rev. Attu had done his duties diligently to the Lord and the people and thanked his wife for her support of the church and the people.

Rev. Attu, who entered the ministry in 1996, recalled his first posting to Adaklu- Waya in the Volta Region.

At his initial introductory service, a heavy rainstorm ripped off the entire roofing sheets of the church and deposited them on the basic school building, demolishing it in the process.

This, Rev. Attu said, did not deter him, adding that “I decided to stay and together with others within eight years, we were able to put up an ultra-modern church with various facilities, including a library.

He said he was grateful to the Lord and the people in the various communities that he had served for accepting him and also for their work.

In his welcome address, the Chief of Gbodome, Nana Tetteh Kalai III, used the occasion to appeal to the government for some basic amenities, including a mechanised borehole, to improve their access to potable water, a health facility, a proper teaching and learning facility for their children and a good road to the town.