Presbyterian Church commissions Ministers

Accra, June 6, GNA - The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) on Sunday commissioned 18 Ministers, whom it will deploy to some of its branches across the country to serve the church and help revive faith of members. The new ministers, comprising 17 males and a female, pursued diploma and degree programmes in Theology at the Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra, based on which the PCG Council expressed satisfaction at their work and generally approved their commissioning.

Right Reverend Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, Moderator of the PCG, who administered the Ministerial Vows to the newly commissioned ministers, urged them to adhere to the principles of Christendom to enable them to stand as true ambassadors of Christ. "As Ministers, you must learn to identify yourselves with the practice of the Church as enshrined in the Constitution and of the Holy Ministry which you bear".

Rev Frimpong-Manso told the new officers that challenges would arise but "within these challenges also arises the need to manage your congregations well and to be able to interact with people" because the "ordained Ministry is to be wholesomely oriented toward interacting with, listening to, valuing, and cherishing people to enable you to succeed in Ministry".

He said post-modern culture was fundamentally hostile to the gospel, because "it is hostile to any spiritual intervention in our lives," and this demanded that the church prepared pastors who knew how to think theologically and pastorally to face such "intellectual hostility". He urged members to pray to God to help the country, and particularly the church to overcome the challenges it was currently going through saying "we may not have had a dramatic change as Paul, but still our new life should honour God in every way".

Rev Frimpong-Manso urged members to surrender their lives to God because "in Him, you shall see solutions to all your problems". Mr Kwaku Gyasi Acheampong, one of the newly commissioned ministers, who spoke on behalf his colleagues, expressed gratitude to the Church for its effort and support for them throughout the training period. He said he and his colleagues were aware of the state of affairs of the Church and pledged to work to "rebuild the broken walls of our families, the church and country". He asked members to pray for them to ensure the success of their ministries. 6 June 10