�I Will Not Serve Any Political Party� - Rev. Doctor Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong

The newly-appointed General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rev. Doctor Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong has categorically stated that he is not going to sever any political party during his tenure as the 16th General S3ecretary of the CCG. He said, �I am not going to take bribe or work for any political party but will serve God in this position.� Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frimpong made this statement while out-lining his vision for CCG as the new General Secretary during his ordination ceremony at the Kaneshie Presbyterian church in Accra. Explaining further, Rev Dr. Opuni-Frimpong said political polarization of the church in Ghana had weakened the body of Christ. He said the gradual invasion of the church by politicians through the tagging of pastors had deepened the differences in the body of Christ. �In Luke 11:17 Christ stressed that a kingdom divided against itself will be brought into desolation, this is because the more the differences in the body of Christ the more vulnerable we are becoming and now politicians are gradually bringing the division even into the churches,� he said. He said there has not been any strong correlation between the proliferation of churches and unity. Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frimpong therefore suggested ways of uniting the church. �The Christian Council must encourage inter-faith dialogue to help minimize religious tension and conflicts. In addition the Council can help in the healing of political tension between and within member churches and bring a stop to sheep stealing, promote a healthy co-existence and thus promote our common strength,� he stated. Better Visibility Of The CCG The CCG has over the years been seen as a giant sitting only in Accra with little or no impact directly on the ordinary Ghanaian in the regions, district and local communities mainly due to the fact that many local council have had very little to do with the CCG, Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frimpong said. He said in order to address the situation, the CCG needs to revive regional, districts and local council of member churches to oversee the activities of members. �The CCG general secretary and other officers as deemed appropriate must have regular pastoral visits to the regions and districts as a means of gingering interest in the council�s activities,� he observed. Pursuit Of Financial Sustenance Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frimpong also called for the use of other alternatives to financially sustain the council. He said a cursory review of the council�s financial statement indicated the council�s budged was heavily dependent on donor support, adding that it was becoming difficult for donors to continue to support because of the shift in the interest. �We need to recognize that our benevolent donors will not give funds for life, hence we need to explore other alternative sources of funding the council�s activities if we want to continue to remain relevant,� he said. The General Secretary further indicated that the council should pursue some income generation activities and partner other local institutions. He however noted that the success of any of the initiatives would depend on the wiliness of the leadership of the council to own the process of fund raising. Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frimpong said certain practices and celebration in Christianity have been imitated from the Western culture, which is not geared towards proclamation of the kingdom of God but towards the maintenance of the church structures and the perpetuation of the theological jargons. In addition, he called on Christians to shine in their communities and enhance their role as evangelists commissioned by God to win souls for Christ. �Let us in our own capacities put in our maximum effort and with dedication, prayer and the grace of God, we shall succeed in our common enterprise of winning the world to Christ,� he indicated. Rt. Rev. Frances Amenu, Chairman of the CCG, speaking on the theme, �You Cannot Serve God and Money,� said God has given everyone a measure of possession to be a steward so it was prudent to serve God by bring transformation to our societies and communities. �If earthly minded people work for material things what then should not a Christian do for the greater eternal reward,� he said. Rt. Rev. Amenu also urged members of the body of Christ to support the new General Secretary of CCG in every way possible to make his call to duty harmonious. �Pray for him consistently and avoid placing before him impediments to destroy his work,� he said.