Former Lighthouse pastor tells court he did not finance church building himself

In the ongoing defamation suit filed by Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI) against Manasseh Azure and three others, former LCI pastor Edward Laryea, who is testifying as a witness for the defendants, has admitted under rigorous cross-examination that he did not construct the Kade Lighthouse church building solely with his personal funds.

LCI sued Manasseh Azure, Edwin Appiah, Sulemana Braimah and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) for defamation over the publication of a series of articles titled “Darkness in a Lighthouse.”

Rev Edward Laryea, a witness for the defendants, entered the witness box on July 6, 2026, where he was cross-examined by Kweku Paintsil, counsel for LCI.

Rev Edward Laryea, alongside five other former LCI pastors, Larry Odonkor, Oko Mensah, Seth Duncan, Edem Amankwah and Faith Makafui Fiakojo, granted interviews to the defendants for the publication of the articles.

The articles alleged that Lighthouse Chapel International exploited former pastors and lured them under a new policy called “Become Who You Can Become,” encouraging them to use their personal funds to finance church building projects and schools, with the promise that they would not be transferred and would eventually own the churches they built.

According to the publications, after these pastors trusted the leadership of the church and used their personal funds to finance the construction of church and school buildings “without support from the mother church,” LCI transferred them and took over the buildings.

The articles further alleged that the policy changed from “Build and Own” to “Build and Leave,” claiming that the practice was “a strategy to weaken and keep the pastors subservient to the dictates of the mother church.”

The suit also complained about a publication concerning the LCI headquarters, stating that: “The Qodesh, the headquarters of the church, which is painted black and white, starkly contrasting colours like a depiction of right and wrong.”

“No one man can build a church with his money”

In the case involving Edward Laryea, Manasseh Azure published a picture of the Kade Lighthouse Church building with the caption: “The Church in Kade, Rev Edward Laryea says he built by the grace of God from ground zero.”

The publication added that Rev Laryea and his wife used their salaries to purchase building materials from Kantamanto and generated their own funds to construct the church.

During cross-examination, counsel for LCI referred Rev Laryea to the caption under the picture of the church building and asked, “Is it true that you built the church with your personal funds?”

Rev Laryea responded, “It is yes, but not absolutely, because no one man can build a church with his money. The mother church helped to send me to the mission as a missionary, which is all part of the cost of building the Church of Christ.”

He added that he started the church at a time when it had no members.

Counsel for LCI immediately interjected and asked the witness to provide a direct yes-or-no answer, arguing that a lengthy response could unnecessarily prolong the trial.

However, counsel for the defendants, Sampson Lardey Ayenini, objected to the line of questioning, saying the witness was being pressured and should be allowed to answer in the manner he considered appropriate.

Counsel for LCI responded that the picture of the church building and its caption suggested that Rev. Laryea personally financed the construction, adding that the focus of the question was on his financial contribution to the physical structure and not the church congregation.

The judge, Justice Comfort Kwasiwor Tasiame, intervened and directed the witness to answer either “yes” or “no,” or provide an answer with an explanation.

Rev Laryea continued that members of the Kade church contributed to the construction at different stages and, therefore, the question could not be answered with an absolute yes or no.

Counsel for LCI then asked the witness to limit his response to his financial contribution to the construction of the physical building rather than the congregation.

Rev Laryea answered that his personal contribution to the physical building “cannot be easily quantified.”

He further stated that the headquarters financed the construction up to a certain point, after which, under the new policy, the local church was asked to continue the building project.

An LCI witness, Marcel Aboagye, had earlier testified under cross-examination that the email introducing the “Become Who You Can Become” policy clearly stated that the headquarters would continue to purchase land and construct church buildings.

He maintained that it was therefore false to claim that pastors used their personal funds to construct church buildings. He further stated that the defendants had not provided evidence to support claims that pastors personally financed the projects.

“We could increase our salaries as much as we wanted”

Rev Laryea also admitted that LCI gifted him a vehicle while he was serving as a missionary in Kade.

He further acknowledged that under the new policy, pastors were allowed to determine their salaries, pay church rent, travel internationally as they wished using church funds, and increase their salaries according to their needs.

The articles also featured a picture of an LCI building in Wa and alleged that the structure was a school fully built by former pastor Larry Odonkor using his personal finances.

The publication claimed that after constructing the school, Pastor Odonkor was transferred and allegedly pressured to hand over the facility to another missionary.

An LCI witness had earlier denied the claim, stating that the building in the picture did not exist during Larry Odonkor’s tenure in Wa and was constructed several years after he had left.

The articles also alleged that Faith Makafui Fiakojo built a church building in Fumbisi in the Upper East Region with personal funds.

They further published a picture of the Bolgatanga church and claimed that Seth Duncan built it, together with two other churches, and laid the foundations for six church buildings and a school, all with personal funds.

LCI has denied these allegations, accusing Manasseh Azure of making sensational publications and failing to provide evidence to support the claims in court.

While their witness was undergoing cross-examination, Manasseh Azure and the other defendants were absent from court.

LCI, however, was represented by an officer of the church.

Larry Odonkor and Oko Mensah are expected to be cross-examined after Rev. Edward Laryea concludes his testimony.

The case has been adjourned to July 28, 2026, for the continuation and conclusion of the cross-examination of Rev Edward Laryea.

AM