Use pulpit to preach peace - Rev. Dr Wengam urges Clergy
The General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God (AG), Ghana, Rev. Dr Stephen Yenusom Wengam, has urged the clergy to use their pulpits to preach peace, unity and love as the country heads to the 2024 general election.
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He said if pastors preached sermons that were centred on peace and tolerance, it would help to diffuse the tension and acrimony that came with campaigns of political parties.
He further underscored the need for the leaders of political parties to engage in issue-based campaigns rather than hate speeches that could derail the peace of the country.
Rev. Wengam said this in an interview with journalists during the 25th anniversary of Sureway Assemblies of God Church held at Kasoa last Sunday.
The silver jubilee was held on the theme: "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).
In attendance were the Municipal Chief Executive for the Awutu Senya East Municipal Assembly, Ms Anita Love Obo Amissah, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary candidate for the constituency, Ms Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunor, the former General Superintendent of the AG, Prof. Paul Frimpong Manso and veteran gospel musicians, Tagoe Sisters.
Responsibility
Rev. Wengam said Christians in various political parties had the onerous responsibility to speak out when their respective political parties were planning something that would hinder the development of the country.
“Election is not a do-or-die affair and Christians who are into politics must let their light shine there.
The country would be in a better position if all Christians worked diligently towards its growth,” he said.
He said it was unacceptable that although Christians had the numbers in the country, those numbers were not translating into development and eradicating corruption.
Rev. Wengam also challenged Christians to preach and live Christ in order to influence others positively to reduce the level of corruption and scale up productivity in the country.
“The quality of Christianity leaves much to be desired,” he added.
The Head Pastor of the Sureway Assemblies of God, Rev. Dr Daniel Boateng, said Christians were not living lives expected of them because they were satisfied with what they got, while others behaved "as if there is no heaven, hell and judgement day”.
He advised Ghanaians to pray and ask God to give the country "a man after His own heart" and also make God a key factor in whatever they do.
“It will be a blessing if you make God a factor in your life, while you can reject him at your own cost,” he said.
Accomplishment
He said the Sureway Assemblies of God had been blessed with success and accomplishment to the glory of God.
He said the church had witnessed transformations in lives, restoration of families and positive impacts on communities through the power of the gospel, as well as nurtured 14 ministers of the gospel, establishing a school among others.
Rev. Boateng said the church’s vision for the future was "to be a beacon of hope and redemption, not just as physical structures but as vessels for spreading God's love and nurturing faith in communities and beyond."
Commitment
Rev. Boateng urged church members to be steadfast in prayer, fervent in their devotion and unwavering in their commitment to fulfil the Great Commission, knowing that their labour in the Lord would not be in vain.
“With God as our guide and His word as our lamp, the best is truly yet to come.
We give God thanks for the remarkable journey we have undertaken together as a family and look forward to another remarkable 25 years,” he said.