Clergyman calls for unity and love

Reverend Dr. Yaw Frimpong–Manso, the Moderator of Presbyterian Church of Ghana, on Monday said politics, ethnicity, religion and class distinction should give way to unity and love for the good of Ghana.

He said Ghanaians should remain focused as one people with a common destiny and champion issues that would edify the nation and make it a safe haven.

Rev. Dr. Frimpong-Manso said this when he launched the first National Week of Prayer and Fasting, scheduled for September 29 to October 4, to seek the intervention of God for a free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections in December, in Accra on Monday.

The prayer week, which was at the instance of President John Agyekum Kufuor, was expected to encourage and awaken Christians of the biblical injunction to pray without ceasing, particularly in the face of conflicts that took place in some African countries such as Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Rev. Frimpong-Manso said the Prayer and Fasting was a wake up call to Ghanaians to guard against anything that would derail the development of the country.

He called on all people of God to work towards unity, peace, love and to honour God in order to receive blessings on 7 December, when the electorate would go to the polls.

Rev. Dr. Frimpong-Manso appealed to political parties and their members to exercise restraint in the event of any provocations before, during and after the elections.

“Let us be proud of our identity as Ghanaians and make Ghana a better place than we came to meet it”, he stressed.

Dr. Frimpong-Manso said the rate of crimes in the country today matched up to the number of growing churches and bemoaned indiscipline, criminality, immorality and decadence that were eating the moral fabric of our society.

Rev. Emmanuel Martey, acting chairman for the Steering committee of the National Prayer and Fasting Week, called on Christians to pray for peaceful elections.

Rev. Fred Deegbe, General Secretary of the Christian Council, called on Christians to wait on the Lord for His will, purpose and intentions of the land to be fulfilled as the country goes to the polls to elect new leaders to govern the nation.

Prayers of confession and repentance, success of the week's programme, peace and progress of the nation and peaceful elections were said.

The week-long programme on the theme; “Seek the Peace and Progress of our Nation”, would set aside specific days for thanksgiving, intercession for leaders and all citizens, peaceful elections and manifestation of God's glory among others.