Shift Church Service To Saturday — GPC

The Eastern Regional branch of the Ghana Pentecostal Council (GPC) has asked its member-churches in the region to shift their church services from Sunday, December 7, 2008 to Saturday, December 6, 2008 to enable members of the congregations to cast their votes on voting day.

The council, however, asked churches which for some reason cannot conduct service on Saturday, December 6, to do so on voting day but the services must be brief to enable their members to exercise their franchise.

The Regional Chairman of the GPC, Reverend Alex Ofori Amankwaa, who made this known at a press conference in Koforidua, said the measure was to enable members of the congregations to discharge their civil duty.

Rev Ofori Amankwaa, who was flanked by other executive officers of the council, said to make the elections peaceful, politicians must refrain from defamatory, provocative or inflammatory statements during the last days of their electioneering. He also urged them to  desist from employing negative TV and radio adverts to attack their opponents.

The media, the council stated, must also be circumspect in their reportage while the clergy must not use the pulpit to engage in partisan politics.

The council noted that since only one political party would win the elections, such a  party should consider its success as victory for Ghana, and portray only the national flag in its celebrations instead of the party's flag and paraphernalia.

In another development, the Koforidua branch of the Winners Chapel has added its voice to the call for peaceful elections.

A letter issued by Pastor Barnabas E.K. Addai of the church quoted chapters of the Bible associated with peace, and appealed to the political leaders to be mindful of their utterances to make the elections peaceful.

The letter called for God's wisdom for the country's political leaders.

 
Story by  A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua