Most Reverend Paul Kwabena Boafo
The Most Reverend Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of The Methodist Church, Ghana, has admonished the youth to be security conscious and stay alert during the celebration of this year’s yuletide.
He said security remained a major concern during seasons like Christmas which required that everyone, especially the youth stayed alert and kept good company to avert any unforeseen circumstance.
“We should look at how we behave in society. It is not a partying session where people go in and forget about who they are and before they realise they are also abused, especially the young girls who will be following these young boys.
“They should be very, very careful, and I will even add that, they should find themselves in good company,” he added.
The Most Rev Boafo gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at a community durbar organised by the Scripture Union (SU), Ghana at Pepawani, near Aburi in the Akwapim South Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The durbar was to unveil a Children and Youth Development Campsite project at Pepawani.
The project, initiated by SU, is to end its reliance on public schools for accommodation during its missions and help impact positively the lives of more young people through teachings.
To be situated on a 14.2-acre land, construction work is expected to commence in June 2024 and completed within five years.
The project comprises the construction of a 1000-seater Main Auditorium; 1000-seater Multi-Purpose Hall, dormitories and 13 chalets.
Other facilities include Administration Block, Sports/Fields, Prayer Garden and reserves, and Gate House with parking.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $7.4m.
Cutting the sod to unveil the project over the weekend, the Most Rev Boafo said the campsite was an “intentional project in investing in the young and the youth.”
He said the project would transform lives of young people for society, the Church and the world.
He assured SU of the Methodist Church’s support to ensure that the project materialised.
Rev Morgan Asiedu, Council Chairman of SU, said the construction of the campsite was crucial for SU considering the difficulty its members went through to secure accommodation for their camp activities.
He explained that, over the years, the Union had relied on public schools for their camp activities, a situation, he said was no longer feasible.
He said the campsite when completed would help imbibe in the children and youth, far and near a sense of uprightness for the benefit of the community and the nation.
Rev Derrick Koomson, General Director of SU, said the project was a testimony of how God was using SU to reach the rest of the world.
He noted that, the project was an opportunity for the two parties – the SU and the Pepawani community to strike a bond of friendship for the benefit of the youth and the larger community.
“We are not just coming to construct a building, but also to train the young ones in the way of Christ so they will grow to become responsible leaders for society and the country,” he said.
Rev Koomson also disclosed that, the campsite would be available for the use by churches for their activities, adding that nine of similar projects were taking place across the country.
Nana Kwafo Kwasi Wiafe,Kyidomhene, Pepawani, thanked the leadership of the SU for the project, urging the children and youth to make good use of the facility when completed, to acquire knowledge.
He highlighted four major concerns of the community, including poor road network, non-functioning streetlights and lack of potable water, and appealed to the government to help address them to improve the lives of his people.
Present at the unveiling was Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong, Eastern Regional Minister.
