Methodist Guild condemns calls for the legalisation of prostitution

Koforidua, April 24, GNA - The Methodist Guild, an organization within the Methodist Church, Ghana, has added its voice to the condemnation of suggestions for the legalisation of prostitution in the country.

The Guild explained that, the legalisation of prostitution could lead to an increase in the HIV/AIDS infections and make the government to spend scarce resources for development on the care of HIV/AIDS patients.

This was contained in a resolution adopted by the Guild at the end of its 9th Biennial Delegates Conference at Koforidua on Sunday. The four-day conference was attended by 450 delegates from all the 15 Dioceses of the Methodist Church in the country and was organized under the theme: "Send me and I will go".

The conference urged government to expedite action on the payment of reparation to people who suffered during the period covered by the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC).

The Guild appealed to the elders of both the Abudu and Andani Gates of Dagbon to smoke the peace pipe and allow the burial of the late king of Dagbon, Ya Na Yakubu Andani, for peace to prevail in the area and the whole country.

The Guild expressed concern about the high cost of living and called on Christians to help reduce the high cost of funerals and weddings.

The conference appealed to the Methodist Church to slow down on the establishment of new Diocese because of the financial burdens it imposed on the members of the Church and rather encourage church planting as envisaged in the evangelism programme of the Church. In a sermon at a thanksgiving service to climax the conference, the Most Rev. Dr Robert Aboagye-Mensah, urged Christians to lead lives of optimism because "they are people whose religion is based on hope." He said Jesus Christ assured his disciples that "he was going to his father's house to prepare a place for them to come and take them there so that they would be with him at the same place."

Most Rev. Dr Aboagye-Mensah urged Christians to put their trust in God at the most difficult times because "it is at those times that God wants to glorify himself by supporting people who put their trust and hope in him to come out successful."