More churches afraid to resume praise & worship

Some churches in the country continue to entertain fear over President Akufo-Addo’s Sunday, May 31, 2020 announcement that religious bodies, can now restart church services and activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It takes effect Friday, June 5, 2020.

The churches insist, they want to put the life and interest of their members above every other thing until such a time the situation normalizes so that, they can all meet together and worship in one peace.

But the Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church, the Anglican Church, the Pentecost Church, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Global Evangelical Church, Christ Apostolic Church, the Seventh Day Adventists Church, the Lighthouse Chapel, Royal House Chapel, Action Chapel, Assemblies of God, are yet to direct their congregants on what do on Sunday.

The International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), one of the popular churches in Ghana with a large congregation headed by Pastor Mensa Otabil, has announced that it would remain closed, despite the lifting of the restrictions.

The Maker’s House (TMH) led by Dr. Michael Boadi Nyamekye, the Destiny Empowerment Chapel International (DECI) led by Dr. Bernard Taylor, as well as the Spirit Life Revival, founded by Prophet Bernard EL Barnard Nelson-Eshun, have all separately issued statements, informing their members why they cannot meet as families until the churches decide otherwise.

On Monday, Head Pastor of the Makers House Chapel, Dr. Michael Boadi Nyamekye, released a statement saying they will remain closed until the restrictions are eased further due to their numbers.

“Looking at Our Congregation size, Number of services required, health of the active players in a service, Overhead cost, Pressure on equipment and facility, the logistics to put in place, i.e, writing of names per service and submitting it to the authorities, all the COVID-19 protocols.

“I deem it fit to announce to you that TMH (Destiny Arena) will remain closed for some time until we have clarity and the sanctions relaxed some more. I will entreat all of you to bear the church and its membership in prayer,” he said in a statement.

Presiding Bishop of the Perez Chapel International Charles Agyinasare, said it headquarters at Dzorwulu in Accra remains shut and asked that members follow the church’s religious activities virtually. A statement issued by the church yesterday said other branches of the church which have rather smaller members, will be opened for church activities but will adhere to safety protocols outlined by government.

Also, Evangelist Dr. Lawrence Tetteh of the World Outreach Church, called on government to review its guidelines to churches and mosques, saying many of the guidelines are ambiguous and thus require further dialogue and consensus with relevant stakeholders, adding some of the persons that may have drafted the guidelines are not spiritual enough to ensure a balanced document.

Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr programme, Evangelist Dr Lawrence Tetteh charged “Most people who end up in advising on some of these things are not as religious as some of us are and that is why everybody is needed.”

He called on government to open up for people who are not in government to get their voices heard on the matter to get a balance advice.

He said, “most of the things there are not workable and I’ve heard this morning and yesterday that a lot of churches have even decided not to go back to church because they cannot adhere to the conditions and certainly when the president speaks, it’s very important nobody speaks against the president’s order because Christianity is orderly and of course, we must respect our leaders.”

He consented “so going back to the drawing board again is very important so some of these conditions would not just be relaxed but we will get a sense of convergence that will be beneficial to all and sundry.”

“After all, we all know that when it comes to Covid-19 it does not pick and choose.” As at yesterday June 2, a total number of 2986 recoveries have been reported from 8, 297 confirmed cases with 38 deaths. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the latest COVID-19 casualties are two women with underlying issues.

On his 10th address last Sunday, the President announced that religious activities can commence effective June 5, 2020 but outlined elaborate safety protocols to be followed thoroughly by these bodies or risk being closed down and prosecuted.

The churches were instructed to admit a total of 100 members for service within a period of one hour and also ensure that, attendees compulsorily wear facemasks, wash hands with soap under running water or apply sanitizer, write names of all 100 attendees, regularly disinfect the church premises, sit at a distance, necessarily provide a holding room for possible COVID-19 case.

They are also barred from shaking hands, hug, sing in groups, expected to sanitize the microphone after each use and so on. Communion and offertories, are to be held at the entrance of the church to avoid overcrowding.

As if that was not enough, the Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister Kofi Jamesi also followed suit on Monday dishing out more measures at the regular Meet-the-Press, to ensure safety at these churches and mosques, to help curtail the spread of the virus.

However, members of ICGC would have to wait a little longer to return to church because the Presbytery – the church’s highest decision-making body – has advised its local assemblies to remain closed until further notice.

A statement released yesterday by the church said that “all ICGC local assemblies will continue to fellowship together on-air and on-line as we join the General Overseer on Sundays for services, as we do now.”

The statement signed by the General Secretary, Rev. Morris Appiah said, the “church will use the month of June to assess, monitor and evaluate all protocols in simulation exercises with selected local assemblies in various districts.”

ICGC said the Presbytery of the Church has considered the directives issued by the Government of Ghana for the commencement of church services on the 7th of June 2020.

In line with this, the Presbytery hereby directs Pastors and ICGC local assemblies that no ICGC local assembly shall be opened to run in-person church services until so advised by the Presbytery.

All ICGC local assemblies will continue to fellowship together on air and on-line as we join the General Overseer on Sundays for services, as we do now.

In Mid-week Services, the said that local Pastors will continue to minister to their congregations through on-line, on air, and social media channels during the week (Mondays – Saturdays), adding the Presbytery will soon issue directives on the conduct of weddings and funerals in our local assemblies.

The Church will use the month of June to assess, monitor and evaluate all protocols in simulation exercises with selected local assemblies in various districts. This will enable us to determine the appropriateness and effectiveness of the protocols throughout our churches nation-wide various districts. This will enable us to determine the appropriateness and effectiveness of the protocols throughout our churches nationwide.

The Presbytery will issue clear instructions on the next steps to be followed by the Church depending on the outcomes of (a) above.

At the appropriate time, the Presbytery will issue instructions on the phased re-opening of local assemblies which will be informed by the following key factors:

i. The trend of the virus infections country-wide

ii. The reports on the spread of the virus in the districts where ICGC local assemblies are located

iii. The preparedness of the local assemblies in various districts to run church services.

Compliance All pastors and local assemblies shall fully comply with these and other subsequent directives issued by Presbytery.

We are mindful of the need for our congregations to gather and worship freely and openly. However, the current situation demands that we also consider the health and safety of all congregants.

We pray that God will grant us the wisdom to offer the right guidance to the Church in these uncertain times.

I entreat you all to keep praying fervently for the Church, Ghana, and the nations. I am convinced we will come out of this better and stronger.

On March 16, 2020, President Akufo-Addo shut down all educational institutions – universities, second cycle schools and basic schools. All churches, mosques and public gatherings including funerals were banned due to the coronavirus disease.

Interestingly, Dr Frank Ankobea, the President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), on Monday described President Akufo-Addo’s easing of some restrictions as welcoming.

He said the final decision made by the government after an extensive consultations with stakeholders including the GMA, was a well thought through plan, to keep the country and its citizens, safe while still keeping a close eye on the virus.

“We were consulted and we gave our proposal, and we think that the government has blended well, all the inputs made by other stakeholders too,” Dr Ankobea said.

Dr Ankobea who made the observation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said what the Association was concerned about presently, was how to effectively ensure the enforcement of the adherence to the various preventive protocols.

“As I drove out from home to my office this morning for instance, I saw several people walking and going about their daily activities without wearing a facemask. A group of youth were also seen playing soccer as if nothing was at stake,” he said.

He said all the measures being put in place to keep the virus under control, would come to nothing if people behave irresponsibly and refuse to adhere to the preventive protocols.

He said the best bet for the country was for all to ensure that the virus was kept at bay.

The GMA President also stressed on the fact that as Churches, Mosques and other religious groups resume their activities, they must ensure the strict adherence to all the safety and preventive protocols.

He said the religious institutions must demonstrate their commitment to the efforts being made by providing facilities for effective hand washing as well as sanitizers, practice social distancing and insist on the wearing of nose masks at all times.

He said the effective recording of names, addresses, and other important data of all members of the congregation at every meeting was crucial, saying that, in an event where a member was to be traced it would be easier.

Dr Ankobea further advised the Ghana Health Service and its partners on the need to remain focused on slowing down the virus, saying “don’t keep your eyes off tracing, testing and treatment,” but to sustain the efforts to the letter.

He said it was unfortunate that the caseload continues to increase, with the recovery rate being a bit slow, however, compared with what pertains in other countries globally, Ghana could be categorized among the best countries in terms of the epidemic management.

He said currently the preventive measures, especially observing the social distancing rule, mandatory wearing of face masks and the hygiene protocols were the only way out to defeat the COVID-19, as the world awaits the announcement of an effective vaccine.