Government has secured funds for Christians who want to go on pilgrimage to Israel during the Easter festivities in April, Bishop Prince Benny Wood, Spokesperson of Concerned Clergy Association of Ghana (CCAG) has said.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday, he said the pilot programme is being managed by the various Christian bodies tasked to screen and present names of the pilgrims.
Bishop Wood said there were many discussions for the take-off of the programme at the Office of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, to make pilgrimage to Israel an annual event in order to strengthen the faith and spirituality of those who had the opportunity to do so.
He said before government’s intervention some Individuals were already organising such trips but mainly for commercial purposes.
The Spokesperson of CCAG appealed to public-spirited individuals and organisations to sponsor future trips to facilitate Government’s spiritual initiative to get more pilgrims on board.
“In the run up to the 2012 elections some of the political parties that had the opportunity of meeting the clergy saw the importance of this pilgrimage and affirmed their commitment to its institution.
“That is why the CCAG welcomed the role of Government in getting people to help. We (CCAG) are aware of various individuals and Christian corporate bodies that are contributing towards the programme and this must be encouraged,” he added.
Bishop Benny Wood said even though pilgrimage to Israel has not been a doctrinal practice among Christians, teachers of Eschatology, (the study of the end times) knew that its prophetic impact and benefit for the church cannot be underestimated.
CCAG is a non-profit and non- governmental Christian organisation.
