President commends SDA Church for contributions to national development

 
President John Dramani Mahama has commended the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church for its contribution to national development.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Julius Debrah, at a thanksgiving service held in Accra to climax the 125th anniversary of the church, the President lauded the church's role in education, health and social relief interventions through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

According to President Mahama, the SDA Church, through its activities, had brought relief to many afflicted people in various communities in the country. 

“Indeed, the church is always with the people whenever help is needed,” he said.  

He urged the church members to show brotherly love towards one another to ensure peaceful and harmonious co-existence in the country.

The President pledged the government's commitment to provide an enabling environment for the church to execute its mission in the interest of Ghanaians.

The church service was attended by people from other religious groups in the country.

Solidarity messages
In a solidarity message, the religious bodies praised the SDA Church for its contributions to the development of the country, especially in the area of health care and education.

They encouraged the church to not relent in its efforts at saving lives for Christ, particularly at a time when the country and the world were confronted with many socio-political and moral challenges.

Speaking on the theme: “Proclaiming living the Christian life”, the Vice-President of the General Conference of SDA, Pastor Delbert Baker, urged the church to give thanks to God for how far He had brought the church.

He encouraged the members to stand firm in the advent faith in times of hardship, saying, “God can take the problems and turn them into blessings.”

Development projects
Since its inception, the SDA Church has made numerous contributions to the development of the country in the areas of health care, education and social interventions.

According to the President of the Ghana Union Conference of the SDA Church, Pastor Dr Samuel Adama Larmie,  the church currently had 675 basic schools, 14 senior high schools, one college of education, three nursing training schools and one university.

He also stated that plans were far advanced to establish another college of education in the Agona area in the Central Region.

In the area of healthcare delivery, he said the church, under the Adventist Health Service, had established 25 hospitals and clinics across the country.

He said the church, for the past 30 years and through ADRA Ghana, had provided relief services for Ghanaians across the country.

It had also been very active in the area of food security, improving the skills of farmers to increase food production and many other activities for the benefit of Ghanaians.