A bride's dad must buy the wedding gown not groom - Pentecost Elder

The Counselor of Pentecost University College (PUC), Elder Amos Kevin-Annan, has said: “It is not fair for a man to buy the wedding gown of his would-be wife, because, it is the responsibility of the woman’s father”.

“Again, it is unfair for the groom to buy the ring the bride will put on his hand as the token of her love for him”, he added, explaining: “The woman must prove her love by buying her would-be husband the ring as well”.

The Deputy Director of the Youth Ministry of The Church of Pentecost also urged Christian youth, particularly would-be couples, to put more effort in preparing for a “life-time marriage” rather than a “day’s wedding.”

He gave the advice at the maiden Singles Summit organised by the Achimota Central English Assembly on Saturday, 13 July 2019 at the Achimota Central Assembly auditorium.

Speaking on the theme: “Marriage Foundations,” Mr Kevin-Annan stated that: “Every marriage goes through a series of crisis, whether its foundation was meticulously or haphazardly laid.”

Reading from Matthew 7: 24 – 27, he expounded that the foundations laid by both the wise man and the foolish man were all confronted with the same crisis yet the foundation of the wise man stood the test of time while that of the foolish man perished.

Touching on marriage foundations, Mr Kevin-Annan explained that as Christians, the foundations for marriage must be uncompromisingly grounded in the infallible word of God.

“Marriage is a school where one starts with his or her certificate in hand; whether you succeed or fail depends on the foundation you lay,” he added.

The Deputy Youth Director posited that: “Singleness is a moment that people must use to discover themselves, however, the youth of this generation want to avoid this stage as most of them are in frantic haste to be in a relationship.”

“Many people have centred their lives on relationships at the expense of discovering their purpose. Life is bigger than relationships, so, strive to discover your purpose in life before considering relationships,” he reiterated.

Mr Kevin-Annan further indicated that: “Any foundation that lacks spiritual discipline, healthy engagements and good conflict resolution skills is bound to fail.”

He added: “A woman is not obligated to cook for a man with whom she is in a relationship. If she does, it should be done as an act of charity and not of compulsion.”

He advised single ladies to help the men spend within their means to avoid unnecessary debt after the wedding ceremony.

Mr Kevin-Annan advised singles to take time to build themselves for marriage because love requires hard work and diligence. “Marriage doesn’t necessarily provide happiness; neither is it the cure for infidelity. It is only the fear of God that produces faithful husbands and virtuous wives,” he stressed.

The Summit was organised to equip singles in the Church with godly principles and teachings on marriage and family life, to help them build strong foundations for their marriage and family to transform and possess the nations to the glory of God.