Category: General

Bolgatanga: Most Reverend Alfred Agyenta, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to accept and assent to the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, to make it a law.

He said the Bill, popularly known as Anti Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and more (Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill) has been overwhelmingly endorsed by majority of Ghanaians and there was no need for further delay.

‘The whole Parliament of Ghana has unanimously passed this Bill, so more than 95 per cent of Ghanaians are saying that we don’t want to promote this kind of life (LGBTQ+), what more clarity do we need?’ he questioned.

Speaking on the passion of Jesus Christ as part of the celebration of Easter at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish, Bolgatanga, Most Rev. Agyenta said Pontius Pilate handed Jesus Christ over to be crucified even though he knew he was innocent.

He said it was fear that compelled Pilate to succumb to the demands of the
high priests and those who wanted Jesus Christ to be crucified and urged the President not to succumb to ‘those voices probably convincing him against assenting to the Bill’.

‘I have been wondering whether our President is not in the shoes of Pilate because he knows that the decision of Parliament is the mind of all Ghanaians and yet some people are telling him not to sign this bill because there will be consequences.’

He urged the President to assent to the Bill because the whole of Ghana was behind him.

On spirituality, the bishop explained that although the pursuit for money was good as it would help to undertake certain projects necessary for development, one should not prioritise material needs over spiritual growth.

He, therefore, warned Christians, particularly Catholics, to desist from placing monetary values on sacred items such as holy water and anointing oil.

‘We all need money but you cannot put value on sacred things because the rule of the church is that the salvation of all is more importa
nt than anything we are able to do with money…’

He explained that the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was a reminder for Christians to reflect and accept that they were sinners and ask for strength to desist from evil acts.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: The Reverend Stephen Wengam, the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana, has challenged Christians to make the death of Christ worthwhile and meaningful by prioritising the Great Commission.

He said: ‘The purpose of the death of Christ is to save humanity from sin and usher them into a holy relationship with God.

‘Christ’s death would, therefore, be meaningless if Christians disobey the sending mission of God by failing to disciple their nations and immediate environment.’

Rev Wengam, who doubles as the Vice President of Africa Assemblies of God Alliance, was preaching at the National Easter Convention of Botswana Assemblies of God in Gaborone.

About 12 people gave their lives to Christ during the Good Friday morning service.

Rev Wengam will be speaking at a special seminar for pastors and their spouses alongside the convention.

Bishop John Tsukudu, the General Superintendent of Botswana Assemblies of God, in his welcome remarks, said the Church was poised to achieve the MM33 Agenda o
f the World Assemblies of God Fellowship by trippling the number of churches in Botswana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Tamale: Bishop Professor Albert Luguterah, the General Overseer of the Kings Christian Ministry, Tamale, has advised Christians to renew their commitment and service to God as they observe the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He said Easter was the most significant season on the Christian calendar, because it marked the beginning of man’s redemption and salvation from sin.

Bishop Prof Luguterah, in his Easter message to Christians through the Ghana News Agency, said: ‘The best way we can observe this season is to rededicate our lives to God, reflect on how we can become better believers and strive to represent God positively in all spheres of our lives’.

The season is also meant to eschew evil and wickedness in society by enhancing love for one another and demonstrating the spirit of forgiveness even as Christ forgave humanity.

The Bishop said believers should not only be content with their salvation but must endeavour to use the season to reach out to the lost with the message of hope and eternal
life.

‘The death and resurrection of Christ had already atoned for the iniquities of mankind,’ he noted, adding that one should not allow the past or current condition to deny one the gift of salvation for mankind.

‘Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are new,’ Bishop Luguterah quoted the scriptures as saying.

He prayed for the peace and unity of the country and urged all Christians to always be good ambassadors of Christ.

Source: Ghana News Agency

_: Pastor Robert Lugushie, the Bono Regional Youth Coordinator, Deeper Life Bible Church, has advised the youth to be cautions of being lured into lesbianism/gayism by wealthy people for riches and power.

He said the lesbian and gay community was an occultic society, and anybody who joined such society had damaged the soul forever.

He described those sexual perversions as devilish with demonic influences and advised the Christian youth to build their trust and confidence in God.

Pastor Lugushie emphasised that with God, the future of the youth was well secured amid the global economic challenges, rising youth unemployment and moral decadence.

‘There is blessings in Jesus Christ. When you serve the Lord faithfully, you are securely protected and preserved from evil,’ he said.

Pastor Lugushie stated this when he delivered a sermon on the topic: ‘Christ still sufficient Today’ during an Easter Retreat of the Church on Good Friday.

Hundreds of young men and women drawn from the various districts are attendi
ng the four-day retreat of the church at Ayakomaso in the Sunyani West Municipality, on the theme: ‘The all-sufficient Jesus’.

The Easter Retreat created the opportunity for the young people to listen to sermons via satellite from Dr William Kumuyi, the General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry.

‘The devil is there to destroy you. So don’t allow those cohorts of the devil to influence you and join them. They don’t have peace and they would never have until they repent from such practices,’ he advised.

‘Sin will just destroy you so please don’t postpon your salvation now. Just make yourself available and Christ will use you’.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: Monsignor Bobby Benson, a Catholic Priest and Founder/Director of the Mathew 25 House, an HIV care centre, has appealed for public support to complete a palliative care centre under construction in Koforidua.

The 40-bed palliative care centre is the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa to support the terminally ill and vulnerable with Godly care.

The facility, also known as a Hospice, is an initiative of Monsignor Benson, whose Matthew 25 house has provided care, shelter, medication, food, and educational support to thousands of People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA).

Orphans and vulnerable children whose parents had died from AIDS over the years have also benefited.

The Hospice is a home where sick and dying persons are cared for in the comfort of caregivers and their relatives creating an environment for solidarity in the end of life so that people, irrespective of their backgrounds, would die in dignity and peace without the usual emotional pain, which both patients and families go through d
uring those moments.

Making the appeal upon a visit by participants of Palliative care training programme to the site, Monsignor Benson noted that the facility, which was about 80 percent complete, required Gh1.8 million cedis to fully make it operational.

The two-day palliative care training for chaplains and nurses, covered topics such as palliative care and medicine, nutrition at end-of-life stage, communication and breaking bad news and spiritual care.

Monsignor Benson was grateful to those who had supported the project, notably Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, widow of Ghana’s former Vice President, Bishop Afrifa Agyekum and all past Bishops of the Koforidua Diocese and Father Andrew Campbell.

Mrs Amissah-Arthur broke the grounds for the construction of the facility in 2014 as an extension of the Charity work of Mathew 25 House.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

Reacting to the recent warning issued by the Nso Traditional Regulatory Authority, artist Shey Lontum Yov has publicly acknowledged and accepted the directives regarding the usage of royal cultural attire and articles in his artistic endeavors.

In a communique, released on March 30, Yov began by addressing his beloved fans, friends, and family, expressing gratitude for their unwavering support.

He then proceeded to acknowledge the warning issued by the Ngwerong, the traditional regulatory authority of Nso, emphasizing his respect for their authority and responsibility in safeguarding the cultural heritage and protocol of the Nso people.

‘After verifying that truly Ngwerong authored this warning, I come in all humility to submit to the Ngwerong declaration pertaining to my use of royal cultural habit and articles in the practice of my art. I accept this call to order and recognize the authority and responsibility of Ngwerong to ensure the strict respect of our cultural heritage and protoc
ol regarding the use of insignia and moreover, items attributed to royalty,’ the communique partly read.

Yov openly admitted to using royal cultural items in his art, citing his dedication to promoting Nso culture through his music. However, he clarified that any such usage was never intended to undermine traditions or stand in opposition to the esteemed Fon, the highest authority in Nso. ‘…it was in no way an expression of me standing parallel to my father or undermining the traditions,’ he continued.

The artist humbly accepted the call to order from the Ngwerong and pledged to rectify the situation moving forward.

He announced immediate measures taken by his management team to prevent similar occurrences, including implementing stricter guidelines and adopting a permitted cultural wardrobe for his art.

The Nso traditional authorities, on March 22, 2024, issued a comprehensive warning on artist Shey Lontum Yov, effectively prohibiting him from wearing attires, meant solely for the royalty of the Nso cult
ure.

Source: Cameroon News Agency