Presbyterian professionals urged to assist Church

Kumasi, June 27, GNA - The Right Reverend Dr Sam Prempeh, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has appealed to professionals in the Church to place their expertise at the disposal of the Church, to facilitate its growth and develop.

The Moderator who made the appeal at the dedication of the renovated Basel Mission House in Kumasi on Saturday, therefore, urged the experts to form networks to assist in the execution of projects and the carrying out of social activities of the Church. Rev Dr Prempeh commended the Asante Presbytery for rehabilitating the House and urged members to continue supporting the Church financially to enable the Church to execute its developmental projects. Rev Dr Prempeh said the Church would renovate all mission houses in the country bequeathed to it by the Mission for income generating activities.

The Mission House, which was bequeathed to the Church by the early Basel missionaries and served as offices for the Asante Presbytery, was renovated at a cost of one billion cedis with funds internally generated by members. The rehabilitated House would now serve as a hotel with restaurant and operate on commercial basis to generate income to support the Church. The occasion coincided with a sod-cutting ceremony for commencement of the construction of a 3.6 million-dollar five storey office complex for the Asante Presbytery.

The building when completed would house the offices of the various departments of the Church, a banking hall, bookshop, recording studio, commercial offices, residential accommodation and shopping hall. Rev Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, Chairman of the Asante Presbytery, deplored the lack of maintenance culture among Ghanaian society adding that the Church renovated the old building encourage other Churches to do same. He thanked members of the Church for contributing to the rehabilitation of the Mission House and said the Church would continue to generate funds locally to improve and expand its infrastructure.

Churches urged to properly train pastors

Accra, June 26, GNA - The Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, on Saturday urged Churches to to properly train their pastors to enable them provide sound pastoral and spiritual leadership to their members. He said the appropriate education of ministers had become so important because of the emergence of dubious leaders on the Christian scene as churches continue to spring up. Rev Prof Obeng was speaking at the first commencement and graduation ceremony of 21 pastors from the Global Theological Seminary of the Global Evangelical Church in Accra. The Church established the Seminary after the modular course to train pastors to augment the number of pastors was suspended in 1998/99. It was transformed into a full time course spanning two years to prepare all 'ministerial candidates' of the Church. Rev Prof Obeng said it was necessary that pastors and other church agents were well trained to lead members in a manner that would bring glory to God as well as help to improve their productive lives. "As leaders you should help to empower members effectively and productively to enable them to use their skills and resources, which are God-given for enhance their well-being and improve the Church and the nation." Rev Prof Obeng, therefore, urged the Academic Board of Seminary to include management studies in the courses being offered at the Seminary. "This will no doubt assist members to realise their aspirations," he said, adding that such need fulfilment should not be limited to prosperity alone.