Let's all make the 2012 polls a success-SDA Pastor

Sunyani, Dec. 25, GNA – Pastor Paul Mensah of the Sunyani Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church, has appealed to all Ghanaians to collaborate to ensure a peaceful and fair December 2012 general elections.

Pastor Mensah was delivering a keynote address at the opening of a five-day Second Women and Young Ladies Convention of the Women's Ministries Department of the SDA Mid-West Ghana Conference at the Sunyani Senior High School (SHS) in Sunyani.

The Convention is under the theme, “Reviving Adventist Women and Young Ladies For Mission”, and being attended by 388 participants from all the three administrative districts of the Conference, with membership comprising part of the Western, Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo Regions.

Pastor Mensah said the current political landscape in the country punctuated with insults and unsavoury comments and retorts in both print and electronic media could be spell doom if nothing was done about it.

He called on the leadership of the various political parties and politicians to call such serial callers to order before their unguarded language or comments could spark trouble for the nation.

Pastor Mensah asked the people of Ghana to show “true love” for each other, a love without blemish stressing that was the only way the principle of forgiveness could thrive in one's day-to-day affair, thereby bringing peace in the country even in the face of extreme provocation.

He suggested that individual chiefs could change any bubbling explosive situation in their communities or areas by inviting unruly politicians for a pep-talk to change for the better.

He reiterated that the Electoral Commission have a major part to play to make the 2012 general elections peaceful and successful by not uncompromising on standards.

He said the Brong-Ahafo Region that constituted part of the Mid-West Conference of the SDA Church is leading in Basic School education in the country and therefore implored the Conference to help contribute to the development of those schools to enhance teaching and learning.

He disclosed that Valley View University, formerly located in Accra had been re-positioned at Techiman in the Brong-Ahafo Region for reasons best known to the authority of the church, and therefore asked the youth both male and female to seize the opportunity and patronize that institution of higher learning.

The authority of the institution had liberalized enrolment of candidates, he said, explaining that those over 25 years and above were not restricted by academic background information to qualify for admission.

Mrs. Cecilia Anane Otchere, Women's/Children's Ministries Director of the Conference, said the main objective of the department is to equip members for spiritual upliftment as well as educating the Youth and counselling them on their future career choices.

She stressed that the department focuses on literacy classes, charity services, visitation to the needy, aged, poor and the sick and many others to enhance women and young ladies in the church to come out as “Women of Value' and “Young Ladies as vessels of honour” to spread the gospel, earn a living, and also build the church, the nation and to prepare themselves for eternal life.

She announced the Conference's plan to construct a three-storey Women's Multi-purpose Centre to serve both the Church and the general public and appealed to invited guests to support either in cash or in kind to make the dream come true.

Nana Akosua Kumaah, Krontihemaa of the Sunyani, who represented the Queen-mother, Nana Yaa Nyamaa II, appealed to the leadership of the Conference to establish a “Virgin Club” to encourage sexual abstinence and piety among the young ladies.

She condemned the adoption of the evil aspects of foreign cultures by some of the Youth in the country which she said was at variance with the Ghanaian culture adding such a club could go a long way to give the youth a philosophy to behold.

Topics to be treated during the five-day Convention include; “Women in Evangelism”, “End-Time Parenting”, “Building Self-Esteem”, “A woman of Excellence”, “Health Talk”, and “Home Management/Receiving Visitors”.

Nana Akua Amoaa II, Queen mother of Tuobodom, and headmistress of Nkoranza Senior High School (SHS), presided.

GNA