<<Print>>

Mr Bede Ziedeng, the Northern Regional Minister, has called on leadership of religious bodies to use their God given talents to exploit new avenues and opportunities for its followers to improve their living conditions. �What we can do for the church represents a lot and it brings material and spiritual transformation to our lives�, he said. Mr Ziedeng made the call at Nyankpala at the weekend during the 3rd Biennial Annual General Meeting and the 58th Conference of the Methodist Church of Ghana Lay Movement. He said the contribution of churches to society�s development was very important since it offered a total transformation to communities especially by supporting the most vulnerable people in their neighborhoods. The conference was on the theme: �Overcoming the challenges in mobilizing the church�s resources for witness to Christ today�, and brought together members of the church from all over the country. Mr Ziedeng said the church had contributed immensely to national development by building the Methodist Senior High/ Technical School at Sakoti in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region, Methodist School for the Blind at Wa, the Lawra Methodist Integrated Health Project at Lawra and the Methodist Agricultural Project at Wa. He lauded the Methodist Church for organizing the conference at an appropriate time especially as the governance reforms, which was proposed in the 2012 manifesto of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was one which focused on decentralized governance. Dr Ken Sagoe, Chief Executive of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), said the Methodist Church of Ghana was endowed with several resources and that mobilizing these resources effectively could help the church to work for the Lord and to witness Christ. Dr Sagoe who was the special guest of honour said Christianity had to be attractive and 'contagious' but that if Christians isolated themselves, no one would ever catch the Christian fever or be affected by what it possessed. Dr Sagoe urged Christians not to be selfish but should be ready to share what they had with other churches saying, �There are several churches that have more than two sets of musical instruments and sound systems, which they alternate whilst some churches need only a pair of drums to assist them in witnessing for Christ�. He commended all individuals who had made significant contributions to the development of the Methodist Church saying, �I pray that the deliberations during this conference will really make things happen to advance our mission as Methodists�.