Ghana Is Challenged - Methodist Church

THE Methodist Church Ghana has charged policy makers to accept responsibility for fixing the several challenges facing the economy. Ghana, the church noted, �is challenged in several areas, including inadequate and inconsistent supply of energy, continuous fall in the value of our currency against the major ones and public loss of confidence in several institutions of State�. This was contained in a communiqu� issued at the end of the Eighth Biennial/46th Conference of the church held in Kumasi recently and made public at a press conference in Accra on Thursday. The conference had as its theme, �Witnessing to Christ: Teaching for effective Christian formation.� The church also used the occasion to formally launch activities planned to commemorate the 180th anniversary of its existence, which is slated for next year. Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel K. Asante, the Presiding Bishop of the church, who read out the communiqu�, further charged the citizenry to do their part in observing best practices in hygiene and sanitation, care for the environment and responsible use of energy. The communiqu� said �the deterioration of the environment through illegal small-scale mining and our public health systems, now evident in the outbreak of cholera and the spread of Ebola in parts of the West African sub-region, must be of concern to all. It further challenged the nation to deal decisively with the issues of child labour and trafficking that now sought to destroy the future of our young people. The communiqu� again asked the Church, and by extension Christians, to bridge the artificial gap between the message of salvation, moral transformation and qualitative change in the institutions and structures of society. �We have to reflect seriously on how the interface between evangelism and social action may be carried out in ways that do not treat our call to soul winning and the translation of the Gospel into practical everyday action in the world as mutually exclusive,� it stated. The communiqu� further challenged the Church, as the body of Christ, �to rethink false dichotomies often created between evangelism and mission on one hand, and practical social action on the other. Some of the activities planned to commemorate the anniversary are: Float/health walk, talks and symposia, revival/ open-air evangelism and memorial services. The rest are essay writing competitions, quizzes; community services, including clean-up exercises; donations/presentations, musical festivals, and award ceremonies to be crowned with a Connexional thanksgiving service at the Accra Sports Stadium on August 2, 2015. It will be recalled that the conference elected the current Bishop of the Accra Diocese, Rt. Rev. Titus K. A. Pratt, to replace Most Rev. Prof. Asante in September, next year, whilst Bro. Kwame Boafo was elected as Lay President of the conference to replace Bro. John E. K. Pratt, whose term ended last September.