The Methodist Church Ghana has resolved to educate its members and communities to engage in godly campaigns and avoid politics of insults and attacks on personalities in this year’s general elections.
The Church bemoans the indecorous atmosphere created every election year where public office hopefuls trade insults at each other just to get power to rule and manage the State’s resources.
The Bishop of the Northern Accra Diocese of the Church, Rt. Rev. Joseph M.Y Edusa-Eyison, said: “Given that love and truth are the basis of all democracy, should help us to live godly lives and not power-drunk/thirsty to turn democracy to demon-crazy where people thirsty for power will employ ungodly acts to attain it.”
He said the future of the nation is the collective responsibility of all – Electoral Commission, political parties, agents, security Agencies, civil society, rich and poor, Christians and non-Christians, Mfantsi and Ashanti, Ewe and Ga etcetera, sophisticated and the unsophisticated, men and women, old with young, the educated and the less educated – all must unite our efforts to make this possible.
Bishop Edusa-Eysion reiterated the call by the Presiding Bishop of the Church to all synods and members to remember the Church’s resolve at the annual S.H. Amissah Memorial Lectures in Sekondi to speak against monetization in Ghana politics. He asked members to stand by this. The Presiding Bishop called on every Methodist playing a role as a candidate, voter and electoral officer to bring his or her Christian principles to bear as witness and testimony of Christ living in him or her.
Rt. Rev. Joseph M.Y Edusa-Eyison was addressing the Second Annual Synod of the Northern Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana, under the theme: “Discipleship: Teaching Everyone to Live Like Jesus Christ”, at the St. John Chapel, Tantra Hill, Achimota Circuit.
The Bishop expressed his gratitude to the leadership and members of the Church for their commitment to the service of the Lord in the past year. He reported on strides made in the spiritual growth of the church as well as certain administrative strides in the preceding year. He reported that the Northern Accra Diocese has made strong gains in increasing the membership of the Church, as part of the diocese’s contribution to the Connexional agenda for Operation 10% Growth. The total Christian Community increased from 38,776 (in 2018) to 43,647 (in 2019) representing a 12.56% increase. This significant increase was as a result of the surge in membership of the Ga Sub-Urban Circuit from 1,535 (in 2018) to 6,150 (in 2019), the number of societies in the circuit also increasing from 51 (in 2018) to 71 (2019). Prof. Edusa-Eyison emphasized that the preference is the qualitative growth of the Church, instead, with the experiential knowledge of salvation by grace.
The Bishop further mentioned that the NAD has carved a niche for itself in the connexion. It’s presence in the media and among other stakeholders has also been very strong.
As means of addressing the high unemployment rate in the Northern Accra Diocese (NAD), the diocese is considering establishing business ventures to employ its teeming youth. Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph M. Edusa-Eyison mentioned that he resolved to undertake this initiative after a meeting with the youth. He has therefore requested the managers of Club 1000, an initiative of the Church through which funds will be mobilized from Methodists in the NAD and corporate bodies to support infrastructural developmental projects, to consider the business investment- the managers of the fund have the mandate to invest for profit and security.
Two businesses will be considered in the meantime – A Security Company and Fumigation and Disinfection Company. The Fumigation Company is anticipated to offer job opportunities to the youth to disinfect and fumigate the chapels.
A five-year strategic plan of the NAD was also inaugurated during the synod. Some members who developed the concept and design of the diocesan logo were also honoured.
The two-day synod recorded 113 Clergymen/women and 148 Laymen/women as delegates. Observers were not admitted at this year’s synod as a measure in keeping with the ceiling on the COVID-19 safety protocols.
A synod is a council of a Church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application.
