CONDUCT BRIEF SERVICES ON ELECTION DAY — ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH (PAGE 17)

ALL branches of the Assemblies of God Church have been directed to conduct brief services on election day, to enable its members to exercise their franchise.
The directive, according to the church, was being given in the interest of the nation.
The Parliamentary and Presidential elections fall on December 7, Sunday.
The General Superintendent of the church, the Rev W.W. Dontoh, gave this directive at the 24th Biennial General Council meeting of the church in Koforidua.
The event, which was on the theme “I Will Pour Out My Spirit Upon All Flesh”, was attended by delegates throughout the country to take stock of the church’s activities and plan for the future.
According to Rev Dontoh, although the church would have wished that the voting date which falls on a Sunday be changed, it was also prepared to adjust its activities for that day to enable its members to vote in the national interest.
“This is an important exercise, so the church’s activities should be conducted in such a way that they will not conflict with this all-important day,” Rev Dontoh stated.
He asked all members of the church to fast and pray for peaceful elections and appealed to them to take the opportunity to cast their votes.
He further called on political parties, the government and all stakeholders to observe the rules of the elections, especially political campaigns, which, according to him, must be devoid of insults, acrimony and violence.
With regard to the activities of the church, he said it had taken a number of initiatives to improve both the spiritual and physical well-being of not only its members but also the well-being of society as a whole.
Some of the initiatives include a pension fund for its ministers, an insurance company, and the establishment of a university college, for which work should start soon.
Rev Dontoh stated that the church had also taken steps to enhance human resource development and congratulated Her Ladyship, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, a member of the church, on her appointment as the first female Chief Justice of Ghana.
In an address, Mrs Georgina Wood asked all those seeking leadership positions through the December elections to exert a strong influence on their followers to abstain from divisive and inflammatory speeches.





With regard to the elections on Sunday, a sacred day for Christians, she said participation on that day could not be regarded as sinful and explained that the elections were important national exercises. She called on all, especially Christians, to go out in their numbers to vote on that day.
The Chief Justice quoted a number of Biblical texts and asked members of the church to take up the role of teaching priests to teach society, especially political parties that must participate and manage the electioneering process in a peaceful manner before, during and after the elections.
Mrs Georgina Wood expressed her appreciation to members of the church, especially the women, for their support that enabled her to attain her current high position.
Earlier in a welcoming address, the Eastern Regional Superintendent of the church, Rev Alex Ofori Amankwa, expressed the hope that the meeting would impact positively not only on the region but also on the country as a whole.