Thanksgiving service for peaceful elections held at Apam

Apam (C/R), Dec 15, GNA - The Church of the Lord, Lighthouse, has held a thanksgiving service at Apam for the peaceful general elections conducted last week Tuesday.

In a sermon, the Right Reverend Albert Kwesi Hackman, Bishop of the Church, called on Ghanaians to rekindle their faith in God for the "special love" he had shown for the country.

He pointed out that God's love for the country had been manifested in the peaceful elections conducted in the country especially during the 2000 and 2004 polls even though utterances pointed towards violence, confusion and civil strife.

He said this should encourage the people to "entrust all our problems into his care," adding that, "surely he will solve them for us".

Bishop Hackman commended the Electoral Commission, the leaders of the political parties and the security agencies for their roles in ensuring violence-free elections.

He said the success of the polls must be regarded as victory for democracy for which Ghanaians had to feel proud. The Bishop advised members and supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to be circumspect in the celebration of their victory and to avoid casting insinuations and the use of language, which could "spark" violence and civil strife.

He called on the NPP to re-examine its policies and programmes to make them more attractive to the people in view of the competitive nature of the elections.

Prayers were said for President J. A. Kufuor, the MPs-elect and all those who contested the elections.