Bishop Dr Richard Owusu Akyeaw, General Overseer of Living Grace Ministry in Sunyani has urged Ghanaians not to take the peace in the nation for granted but rather appreciate it and continue praying for its sustenance.
He was speaking at a national programme of prayer, fasting and thanksgiving service to commemorate the 55th Independence anniversary celebration at Fiapre, near sunyani.
The programme was jointly organised by the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and the Sunyani Local Council of Churches.
Bishop Akyeaw said anything could happen in an election year, hence the need for Christians to join hands to pray for successful and peaceful elections in December.
Bishop Akyeaw is a member of a committee formed by the RCC and the local council of churches tasked to visit some selected churches in the municipality and pray with congregations for peace in the country, before, during and after the elections.
He advised Christians to propagate peace at their work places, homes and in their communities.
The committee will visit five churches in the municipality and as at Monday the members had been to three churches namely the Anglican Church, Living Grace Ministries and the Methodist Church.
“There was no country in Africa as peaceful as La Cote d’Ivoire, as everything was moving on smoothly but post-election crisis shattered this peace in the neighbouring country”, the Bishop said.
He noted that people talk of war “because they have never been to any war-torn country before, where you cannot even have the feeling for food on seeing gun-toting people all around you”.
Bishop Akyeaw said it was time for people to get a clear understanding about governance, which he explained was “a matter of sharing ideas, not creating confusion and killing each other”.
He called on Ghanaians not to allow partisan politics to destroy and tear the nation apart, noting that people from war-torn countries had left their homes, businesses and families and were living in refugee camps in unfavorable conditions.
The general overseer advised Ghanaians to accept each other and live together as one people, adding: “We need to thank God and appreciate the fact that we are a people with unique features”.
“Many Ghanaians in companies and institutions all over the world are excelling and are doing great because of our uniqueness as a people”, he said, and stressed the need for prayers for the sustainability of peace in the country.
The Reverend Edward Nana Adu of the Presbyterian Church noted with regret that people who want power try all means to attain it or remain in power, ignoring the negative consequences of their actions on the lives of the rest of the people.
Children, women and the old are the most affected in times of war since they do not have enough strength to travel for long distances on foot, he added.**
