Methodist Church not forcing members to pay MUC debt - Rev Asante

The Most Rev. Professor Emmanuel Asante, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana has dismissed claims that church members are being forced to pay monies to defray a debt owed by the Methodist University of Ghana (MUC).

The Methodist church has compulsorily levied all its societies to pay between GH¢2,000 and GH¢70,000 or more, depending on the size of the society, to help defray the huge debt sitting on the books of the MUC.

The university contracted a loan of GH¢10 million from a bank some two years ago to undertake what was described as an expansion project but has defaulted in paying the amount, which has accumulated some huge interest.

Some Church members on social media have questioned the Church’s decision to demand monies from them to pay the debt.

But Rev. Martey says no church member is under obligation to compulsorily pay monies to defray the debt.

“Nobody is compelling anybody, we have not forced any church member to pay and we haven’t said if you don’t pay you cease to be a member of the Church,” Prof Asante told host of Starr Midday News, Kweku Obeng Adjei Tuesday.

He explained that the loan was used for infrastructural development on all campuses of the university in Accra, Tema and Wenchi.

“We went for a loan of 10 million and that amount we have used to expand our infrastructure...every penny went into infrastructure development and now it is the Church’s responsibility to provide infrastructure so the church has taken it upon itself to pay and as I am talking to you, the Church has been able to pay 17 million”.