The Resident Pastor at Calvary Charismatic Center (CCC ), Pastor Joshua Obeng says Ghanaians have every cause to be hopeful of good things happening to them in 2024.
Adressing the media at the sidelines of the Church’s end of year service that ushers in the new one which is christened “31st Watch Night”, Pastor Josh as the servant of God is referred to noted that 2024 would be a good one for those whose trust remain in God.
Scenes at the 31st watch night
The Resident Minister said God does new things every year and that 2024 would not be an exception.
“I am sure 2023 was a difficult one for most of us but when our trust remained in God he pulled us through and for me i believe that 2024 would be impactful and great for those whose confidence remain in the Lord of Life, Christ Jesus”.
Political Arena:
Addresing Ghanaians, Pastor Josh reminded the populace that 2024 is an election year.
He noted that it would be filled with all manner of activities including campaigning from all credible political parties.
Pastor Joshua Obeng, Resident Pastor at Calvary Charismatic Center (CCC).
This, he mentioned, makes it imperative for all Ghanaians to be on the look out for the promises and ideas the parties would be promoting.
“2024 is an election year and the stakes would be high politically but as a people we should vote for persons and parties based on their competences and the programmes they would be touting or promoting for the benefit of the people and that should be our business”, the CCC Minister stated.
Sermon:
Preaching the message of Salvation earlier, Reverend Ransford Obeng, General Overseer of CCC rallied Ghanaians to commit their lives to Christ Jesus and make him their Lord and Saviour.
He urged Ghanaians to be hopeful that once their lives are hid in Christ Jesus he would work to make them function effectively for God’s glory.
Reading from Psalm 27 and dwelling on verse 13, the CCC leader entreated Ghanaians to know that God will make them see his goodness in their lives in 2024.
“No matter what the devil throws at you in 2024 get this firm assurance that God will make us see his goodness in the land of Ghana 🇬🇭”, Rev Obeng assured passionately.
The former chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Michael Kwabena Ntumy, has died on Wednesday (27 December), the church confirmed.
Apostle Ntumy began his full-time ministry at 26 with The Church of Pentecost. He was called to the office of an Apostle at age 33 and six years after, was elected the fourth chairman of The Church of Pentecost.
Apostle Michael Kwabena Ntumy
After serving for two terms (10 years), he handed over to Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah.
He is known to have survived many challenges which include being held hostage in rebel territory (Liberian Civil War-1990’s), attacks on his life ranging from physical assaults to poisoning and paralysis leading to his confinement to a wheelchair.
Apostle Ntumy was a great writer who authored several books. He was even the Director of Literary Works of The Church of Pentecost.
Apostle Ntumy retired from active service as an Apostle of the church late this year and official retirement service was held for him and his family on 24th September 2023 in Hamburg, Germany after 39 years in the ministry.
The Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has expressed optimism in the Speaker and the Members of Parliament, anticipating a swift passage of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, publicly known as the anti-gay bill.
Despite setbacks faced in laying the bill for consideration a few days ago, with proponents alleging deliberate frustration by the Majority side in Parliament, Apostle Nyamekye expressed confidence in the bill’s success.
Apostle Eric Nyamekye,Chairman,The Church of Pentecost
Speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of the commissioning of the Amigo Bread factory on the Accra-Tema Motorway, Apostle Nyamekye conveyed his belief in the legislative process for the bill to succeed.
“I even heard the Speaker say that we need to expedite action on the promulgation of the bill, and we are praying for him. As long as they keep pushing, I am sure they will be able to work on it, and it will succeed.”
TheNewTrust newspaper has gathered that all is set for the
2 Days Church Workers and Couples’ Conference 2023 by Great Eternal Harvest International Ministry.
The conference which will be hosted by Archbishop Prof. Dr. Asafo-Agyei Anane Frempong, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Asafo-Agyei Hospital, is slated for 5th and 6th December 2023 (time: 5pm – 8pm).
The conference will be held at Harvest Cathedral
inside the premises of Asafo-Agyei Hospital at Ahodwo-Daban, and it has the following as speakers:
Dr. Charles Thomas, USA; Rev. Dr. Alexander Obeng, Ghana; and Archbishop Prof. Dr. Asafo-Agyei Anane Frempong, CEO Asafo-Agyei Hospital.
. .
Details:
Great Eternal Harvest Int. Ministry presents:
2 days church workers and couples ‘ conference 2023
Dates – 5th and 6th December . Time 5pm – 8pm
Archbishop Prof. Dr. Asafo-Agyei Anane Frempong, CEO Asafo-Agyei Hospital
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ
Ephesians 1:3
The 21st Century church needs a turning point. A turning point to the God of fire, to the God who hates His children being cold or lukewarm.
Unfortunately, we have accepted the deceit that “no man can be perfect” due to the limitations in understanding of Isaiah 64:6 which says “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Pst James Appiakorang
And this acceptance or limitation has gradually pulled down the righteousness pillars of members of the church to the extent that the church has become an extension of the world.
Indeed the church is the extension of the world but to what end? It is because there is usually a point of transition between the world we find ourselves and the church which is the symbol of the Kingdom of God. That is why Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:2 showed a community of people who would most likely be within that transit point, prescribing what can enhance their quick transformation from the world to the Kingdom.
Hence in every church that is mindful of the Great Commission, there shall be found this community of “new born babes”, who are being nurtured, being brestfed with the sincere milk of the Gospel. This shows that the church cannot be 100 percent clean because of these people in transit.
But the question which has been on my mind for sometime now is, how many weeks, months, or years should these persons be in that position of babes. It is sad to note that there are people in the church today who have been serving the church for years and have been “untagged” as new born babes, who behave even worse than the babes.
They are the very persons who fight each other, even with their pastor, and does not forgive them for weeks, months or even years. They are the very persons who pledge huge amounts during harvest or fundraising just to receive applause and be known as the financiers of the church without a love for Christ, they are the very people who commit adultery, fornication with other members and abort pregnancies. The list cannot be completed here, so shameful.
I remember many years ago, I served as a communion steward in a church but would go out after serving and drink alcohol with friends. How holy some members would consider me at the time while they watched my outward deeds. My heart was filled with worldly music and drunkenness, lusting after everyone called woman. And there I was, every Thursday sharing the body and the blood of Jesus Christ to people.
How many of my former type are in the church today? Thousands, or even millions, comfortably ‘working’ in the church without pastors either knowing or knowing but not drawing their attention to dangers associated with such deceitfulness.
Fake Revival services in the church
On several occasions we see and hear churches promote their upcoming revival services and invite the world to such. Tens, hundreds and thousands of people throng such services, enjoy themselves and go back home same way they came or even worse. We attend revival services but do not get revived. Is it because the gospel was not preached or we ourselves are stiff-necked people? The answer, in my opinion, is BOTH.
Truthfully, we can find a handful of revival services which achieve its purposes to turning the hearts of the people back to God, just a handful of them today.
But the main challenge of the church today is the numerous ones that organize such programs to make more money, or to show off how they can give ‘deep prophesies’ which adds nothing to members’ spiritual lives.
What Revival is NOT
•Revival is not a prophetic service.
•Revival is not a Praise or dancing service.
•Revival is not a time for fundraising or harvest
•Revival is not …
What then is Revival?
I came across a short video clip of the late Rev. Manley Beasley which gave a short, precise rendition of what Revival actually is, using the story of the Prodigal son.
“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! [18] I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father,
I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, [19] And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. [20] And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
[Luke 15:17-20 KJV]
Revival comes when people see themselves as they are. Then there is brokenness. This brokenness comes with deep sorrow. That could be considered as the measure of brokenness.
Then there is a change of mind about God and for themselves which leads to unbelievable decisions.
Out of that comes holiness and righteousness for each other and God. Then out of this comes reproduction; lost people getting saved and saved people that are not right getting right with God. This is what REVIVAL means my friend.
The church in the 21st Century has, whether deliberately or ignorantly abused this very important point of turning to God. We have become more committed to Church Growth Startegies instead of Spiritual Growth of our members.
So we claim to go out on Evangelism and we only go to invite people to ‘come to our church’, or ‘please come and visit us’. Inasmuch as some people who attend the church upon invitation like myself end up confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior, I dare say that the real intentions of many of these invitations are mainly for the church to be filled. I remember many years ago when a young lady was inviting me to a popular Nigerian pastor’s church, she said ‘come and visit our church on Sunday, there are a lot of beautiful girls. You’ll be so happy.’
She knew I was a lustful young man and decided to hook me with the sin I enjoyed into visiting their church. How miserable! Few years later, she was still active member of that same church yet got pregnant without being married…I guess she was still hooking people up with beautiful girls till she herself was hooked up.
CONCLUSION
The church needs to return to the days of fire, and let me at this juncture commend the Church of Pentecost which has intensified its evangelism and crusades this year, 2023. The people out there need to hear the word, they’re dying of thirst and here we are, with rivers of living water flowing out of our belly…but to where? Into the gutters? The church needs to let the world feel our presence again as of old and reconcile the world to God, but we ourselves need to be awake, we need to be revived.
So dear Pastor, Presiding Elder, church leader and members, next time we’re marking the success of our revival program, please let’s not count the monies and pledges quickly, let’s count the souls that were saved first, take note of those members who were broken and rededicated themselves to Christ, then we shall proudly say this revival was a great success.
The writer, Pst James Appiakorang is President of Mercy Train Missions Ministry, an international Missionary organization. He is pastor in charge of Outreach and follow up at House of Faith Ministries (Jesus Haus branch) and is now in the Missions field somewhere in the Gulf regions.
The Church of Pentecost on Monday, October 23, 2023, presented huge relief items worth several thousands of Ghana cedis to support flood victims at Mepe and Battor and adjoining communities in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region affected by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam.
Led by the church’s Chairman, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, the General Secretary, Apostle Samuel Gyau Obuobi, and other senior ministers and officials, a truckload of relief items was presented to the displaced people.
The items included several bags of rice, gari, sachet water, sugar, mattresses, blankets, cooking oil, soaps, toilet rolls, mosquito nets, beverages, sanitary pads, and many more.
Addressing some victims at the Battor Central Assembly of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Nyamekye assured them of the church’s support in these difficult moments.
Describing the whole incident as a national disaster, Apostle Nyamekye thanked God for securing the lives of the people, as no casualty has been recorded so far.
Quoting from Ecclesiastics 9:12 (Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them), the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) National President encouraged the people to remain strong and rely on God, since He can turn their unfortunate situation into something good.
“Sometimes we don’t really know what will happen to us tomorrow. Let us strengthen ourselves and look into the future, which is very bright. The flood has come, and we can do nothing about it. Our houses and livelihoods have all been submerged. We can only cry to God to bring relief and a better future,” he said.
He added: “The world and its entirety is temporal. Life and its entirety is short, so situations and events that happen on Earth are temporary. Yesterday, it was COVID, but today it’s no more. Today, it’s flooding, but tomorrow, floods will be no more.
“So we have come today to manage this temporary situation. We cannot close our eyes on you because it affects the entire church when something happens to the people. Together, we can manage this flood situation and get out of it stronger,” he indicated.
Apostle Eric Nyamekye thanked the Volta Regional Coordinating Committee (Volta RCC) of the church, led by the Ho Area Head, Apostle Dr Dela Quampah, and the Sogakope Area Head, Pastor Godwin Coffie Adzahlie, and other Area Heads and pastors in the region for effectively managing the situation.
Upon further assessing the impact of the disaster, the Chairman promised to bring the victims an additional 100 bags of rice and other relief items.
At the same time, the Women’s Ministry Director, Mrs Philomina Mireku, who was part of the delegation, hinted that her ministry was mobilising relief items across the country to alleviate the victims’ plights.
The General Secretary, Apostle Samuel Gyau Obuobi, said the coming of the church’s leadership to the affected communities showed the church has love for the people and was concerned about their plights.
According to the Sogakope Area Head, Pastor Godwin Coffie Adzahlie, many church buildings, mission houses, residences of church members, farmlands, and livelihoods have been affected by the floods. At the same time, thousands have been displaced and sheltered in temporal structures.
Later, the Volta RCC Coordinator, Apostle Dr Dela Quampah, and the Sogakope Area Head, Pastor Adzahlie, led the General Secretary, Apostle Obuobi, and his team, riding on a boat, to visit some of the affected places, including the Mepe District Mission House and Central Assembly church buildings which were all submerged in water.
Apostle Gyau Obuobi called on the chief of Mepe and his traditional council to commiserate with them. He also interacted with the North Tongu District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. Osborn K. Divine Fenu, at the District Assembly.Source: Pentecost news
Founder and leader of Prophetic Hill Chapel International, Prophet Nigel Gaisie has stated that he once turned down a juicy request to spiritually harm Ghana’s current Chief of Staff, Frema Akosua Osei-Opare.
According to Nigel, the request came from a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party who said he had earlier been promised Frema’s position by president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo but was overlooked.
Prophet Nigel Gaisie
“One of their people came to me that I should pray for him that the current President, Nana Akufo-Addo had promised him the position…,” he told Abeiku Aggrey Santana when he appeared as a guest on the recent episode of Atuu on UTV.
He noted that a brand-new Range Rover and an amount of GH¢1.6 million was added to the request as form of inducement.
“He brought a white Range Rover in addition to an amount of GH¢1.6 million which is 1.6 billion in old Ghanaian currency equivalent. He came with his bodyguard who is a soldier,” he stated.
According to Prophet Nigel who claimed to have witnesses to the incident, the said man who is now deceased asked of one of three things which included a prayer to paralyze the Chief of Staff.
He emphasised that as a man of God, he has been bestowed with the power to bless or destroy and that he chose not to fulfil the man’s request.
“I didn’t do it, I rather encouraged him… he requested for one of three things either to cause the woman to be paralyzed so as not to be able to take up the job,” he stated.
Frema Akosua Osei-Opare, served as Member of Parliament for the People of Ayawaso West Wuogon between 2005 and 2009.
In 2017 upon assuming office, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed her as his Chief of Staff making her Ghana’s first female occupant of the position.
She was maintained by the president when he won a second term in 2020.Source: ghanaweb.com
The National Cathedral Secretariat, has debunked claims by Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev Eastwood Anaba that there is a lack of transparency and information regarding the ongoing National Cathedral project.
The clergymen resigned from the Cathedral Board of Trustees on Tuesday citing lack of information and a failure to conduct an audit into the project’s expenditure.
However, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Executive Director of the National Cathedral Project, has clarified that the allegations of halting the audit process are false and reaffirmed the project’s commitment to integrity and transparency.
In a statement issued on Wednesday October 18, 2023 in respond to the allegations, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, pointed out that the claims on the audit process are false.
According to him, the Board had rejected a January 23, 2023 resolution by Archbishop Duncan-Williams and Rev Anaba on the grounds of redundancy and undue politicization of the project.
“The allegations of lack of information and halting the audit process are unfounded. We have diligently kept all Board members, including Archbishop Duncan-Williams and Rev Anaba, updated on the audit progress through regular meetings and documented reports. The audit, conducted by Deloitte, is well underway, and we are cooperating fully to ensure its completion,” Dr. Opoku-Mensah stated.
“Their resolution, calling for a complete cessation of work until after the 2024 elections, was deemed unnecessary as the audit was already on the agenda. Moreover, linking the project to political motives was not in the best interest of the National Cathedral and its objectives,” he added.
“We are aware of efforts to politicize and spread misinformation about the National Cathedral. However, we remain steadfast in our commitment to integrity and transparency. The audit findings, which are being carried out by Deloitte, will be shared with the public, demonstrating the project’s genuine intentions.”
Dr. Opoku-Mensah clarified that the engagement letter with Deloitte was signed in March, and the audit process has been progressing as planned.
Meanwhile, the Secretariat also highlighted the politicization attempts surrounding the project and assured the public that the audit findings would be shared with the public, demonstrating the project’s genuine intentions.
North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has commended the Founder and General Overseer of United Denominations of Action Chapel Churches Worldwide, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, and President of Eastwood Anaba Ministries, Rev. Eastwood Anaba for resigning from the National Cathedral’s Board of Trustees.
According to him, the two respected clergymen have “covered themselves in glory with this resignation.”
The former Deputy Education Minister and Ranking member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee in an interview with Citi FM on Tuesday, October 17, insisted that the resignation of the two men of God confirms illegalities surrounding the project.
“I want to commend highly the two revered clergymen. Some may say it is delayed, but I will say better later than never because they have covered themselves in glory with this resignation, and it is a clear confirmation of the things I have been talking about.”
“Look at how they say they have been frustrated within the board about getting the board to carry out an independent audit. If these folks have nothing to hide, why did they really prevent efforts by these respected clergymen to have an independent audit? We will have time in the coming days, for an independent parliamentary inquiry on this matter.”
Duncan-Williams and Eastwood Anaba
“Our motion has gone through, the Speaker approved it and the House has voted on it, and we are just waiting for the NPP side to send their membership, and we will have a full-blown inquiry and delve into the matters.”
In a joint statement released by Archbishop Duncan-Williams and Rev. Anaba, they clarified that their decision to step down stems from government’s failure to appoint an independent accounting firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of all public funds contributed to the National Cathedral.
This follows a request made on January 23 this year.
In their earlier statement, the two clergymen called for the project’s immediate suspension and a financial audit to be undertaken.
They clarified, at the time that their call was based on the controversies surrounding the project.
According to them, the suspension would pave the way for transparency and accountability to be provided to the Ghanaian people.
But in the latest joint statement, the preachers say not much has been heard in terms of their request on the back of which they have resolved to step down from the project board.
“We, therefore, regret that as a matter of conscience and faith, we hereby submit to you our resignation from the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral.”
“We honourably assure you, as we assured the Board of Trustees in January 2023 with the submission of our Resolution, that our action in no way impugns the vision or intent of The National Cathedral, but rather ensures that it is advanced and built on a foundation of integrity, efficiency and quality while garnering and maintaining public trust and support.”
Who would have thought that church adds fourteen years to your life, on average after all the negative comments we hear about the church in the media? Thousands of scientific studies confirm that people who regularly attend worship services are more likely to live longer.
I know this article will start a controversy. But as usual, I am only a messenger of the studies conducted by the researchers. The simple message is that just in case you are desiring a long life, then, going to church more than once a week is your sure bet.
The studies
The first was a nine-year chronological study of 21,204 American adults conducted by Hummer et al (1996). The study found that people who attended church every week lived seven more years than those who did not attend.
The added good news was that, in the African-American community, those who went to church more than once a week lived fourteen more years, twice the longevity of non-attendees.
Apart from this, another comprehensive study conducted by Stampfer et al.(2016), published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that women who went to any kind of religious service more than once a week had a 33% lower chance than their secular peers of dying during the 16-year study-follow-up period.
Another study by Bruce et al.(2017) published in PLOS One, found that regular service attendance was linked to reductions in the body’s stress responses and even in mortality–so much so that worshippers were 55% less likely to die during the up to 18-year follow-up period than people who didn’t frequent the temple, church or mosque.
A previous study by Strawbridge et al.(1997) published in the American Journal of Public Health also tracked the association between frequent attendance and mortality over 28 years for 5,286 Alameda Country and found that lower mortality rates for frequent religious attendees are partly explained by improved health practices, increased social contacts, and more stable marriages occurring in conjunction with attendance.
Some studies have found that prayer can improve disease outcomes and prolong survival, while others have been less conclusive.
One 2006 study published in the American Heart Journal even found that people who knew they were being prayed for before undergoing heart surgery were more likely to experience complications than people who didn’t know whether they were in others’ prayers.
Another by Koenig and Vaillant(2009) examined the effect of church attendance on four different indicators of later health in a sample of inner-city men followed throughout their life course. Measures of previous health status, mood, substance abuse, smoking, education, and social class were used to predict the health status at age 70 from church attendance at age 47.
Indirect effects of church attendance on health were observed, with alcohol use/dependence, smoking, and mood being possible mediators of the church attendance-health relationship. The effects of church attendance on more subjective ratings of health, however, may be more direct.
In explaining the progressive benefits of church attendance and longevity, VanderWeele TJ(2017) held the view that this may be the confluence of the religious values and practices, reinforced by social ties and norms, that give religious communities their powerful effects on so many aspects of human flourishing.
Another study by Manning et al.(2012) explores the Spiritual Lives of Centenarians and illustrates the importance spirituality has for older adults over the life course, particularly those in advanced age. The findings indicate that spirituality is a key factor of support, an important resource in late life, and maintains continuity over the life course for the centenarians. Additionally, spirituality serves as a critical component in the everyday lives of the participants and provides a framework for helping older adults make sense of having lived a very long life.
A recent study by Ebert et al.(2020) coded gravestone inscriptions and imagery to assess the religiosity and longevity of 6,400 deceased people from religious and nonreligious U.S. counties. The study shows that in religious cultural contexts, religious people lived 2.2 years longer than non-religious people. In nonreligious cultural contexts, however, religiosity conferred no such longevity benefits. A longer life is not an inherent feature of religiosity. Instead, religious people only live longer in religious and cultural contexts where religiosity is valued.
This longevity appears to benefit women more than men in church attendance. This was explained by Koenig et al.(1997) study that examines a six-year follow-up study of 3,968 older adults and found that particularly women, who attend religious services at least once a week appear to have a survival advantage over those attending services less frequently.
Key takeaways:
Churchgoers have a significantly lower risk of dying in the studies I reviewed
After adjusting for age, sex, race, and chronic medical conditions, 40- to 65-year-old churchgoers were 46 percent less likely to die as compared to non-churchgoers.
There is no statistically significant difference in mortality when measuring how frequently churchgoers attend.
Non-churchgoers had significantly higher rates of blood pressure, HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol), and the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol. Non-churchgoers also had a higher overall of these medical issues than churchgoers.
Lower stress levels are not the only possible explanation for churchgoers’ longer lifespans: Non-churchgoers had a higher mortality rate even after controlling their medical conditions, which suggests religiosity alone may play a factor in longevity.
Churchgoers are healthier, as they manage to quit smoking, drinking, etc.
This longevity appears to benefit women more than men in church attendance.
The writer is a Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, a Medical Journalist, an author, and a science writer. E-mail: professor40naturopathy@gmail.com.
