Former President John Dramani Mahama, has called on Christians not to shy away from venturing into politics.
He said they should contest for elective offices, go to Parliament, advocate and participate to create a sense of direction to progress and prosperity for the country.
He cited himself as one who vied for the highest office of the land and that “there is nothing in the Bible that stops us from doing that.”
“If you have the ability to participate in leadership, please don’t hesitate to do so,” he emphasised.
Induction
The former president said this at the induction service for the Lead Pastor of the Cedar Mountain Chapel, Rev. Stephen Wengam, as the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana last Saturday.
It was also to outdoor the New Executive Presbytery Officers of the church.
They are Rev. Dr Godwin Tito Agyei, Assistant General Superintendent; Rev. Dr Ernest Birikorang, General Secretary and Rev. Dr Simon Abu Baba, General Treasurer.
The three personalities, together with Rev. Wengam, were elected on August 5 last year to steer the affairs of the church.
The event was attended by a host of personalities including the former Chief Justice, Georgina Wood, who is also a member of the church.
Church existence
Mr Mahama said the church did not only exist to pray for leaders and that it existed to offer suggestions and guidance to leaders.
According to him, the church did not hang in the sky and that it existed in society and whatever happened in society affected it.
Mr Mahama noted, for instance that, the current economic crisis that Ghanaians were going through affected church congregations across the country.
He said it was necessary for the church to continue speaking out anytime it thought that things were not going on properly and commended the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) for its recent letter to government to give some suggestions on what it (government) should do in the mid of the country’s economic crisis.
He urged members of the clergy to be balanced in their utterances irrespective of the government in power.
He said they should not be quiet when one government was in power and then be loud when another government was in power.
“We must be seen to be balanced and non-partisan. We must not shout nyansa fuo wo hen ooo and then go quiet in another one,” he said, adding that “we must always speak the truth to whoever is in office because it affects the lives of our congregation”.
Change
Regarding change, Mr Mahama said it was a permanent phenomenon that God created.
Change, he said, was what made the world progressed “because when it happens, then it means that you move things to another level and I think it is what has been happening in the Assemblies of God Church.”
Among other things, he said Rev. Wengam was taking over from Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong-Manso, who had done a fantastic work and pledged to support the construction of a Centenary Village for the Assemblies of God Church, one of the initiatives outlined by Rev. Wengam.
Source: graphic.com.gh
