Religious

Transformation Conference: Dr. Godfred Andoh Sends Strong Message To Church Leaders

 

 

WELCOME ADDRESS/PURPOSE OF GATHERING

By Mrs. Justina Darko Andoh ( Human Resource Manager of St Georgina Health Care & Consultancy on behalf of Dr. Godfred Andoh – the CEO)

The honourable MP for Asokwa, the honourable MCE for Asokwa, distinguished Archbishops and bishops, honourable ministers of the Lord, members of the Press, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

It’s a privilege to welcome all of you to the first day of this all important conference which is aimed at enlightening leaders of the gospel to understand the church’s role in the transformation of our dear nation.

I am honoured and humbled by your presence. I appreciate as well the presence of our honoured special guests who have taken time out of their busy schedules to join us today.

 

Throughout the ages, in spite of other ecclesiologies the church has been involved in the life of humankind, in making of nationhood, building of culture, structuring of society with its functions and institutions and in shaping the form and quality of political systems.

The Church of Jesus Christ has normally understood the transformation of society to be an essential part of its mission task. While the focal point of missions has been to communicate the Good News of Christ, to call men and women to repentance and faith, and to baptise them into the church, it has also involved a process of teaching them to ‘observe all things’ that Jesus commanded.

The Christian church right from its inception was involved in the transformation of society. The church has always had a concept of transformation and change in its mission and ministry.

There is a deeper resurgence of this quest for the role of the church in bringing about transformation and change in Ghana. This should be through development of people in terms of changing the way the people of God think about God and the world, about what God is up to in the world and what part the people of God play in it.

Today, more than ever, given the increasing poverty, violence, immorality and injustices in the world, the Christian church is called upon to embrace, engage and continue with its task of being an agent for transformation and change.

It has to fulfil the gospel imperative of making the world a better place for all to live with justice, prosperity for all, peace and harmony.

A cursory look at Ghana depicts the peoples as intensely religious and demonstrating uncommon passion and commitment to our chosen faith but divided along political, religious and socio-economic lines.

Since religions are intended to infuse divinity into humanity, making humans less barbaric and more humane in their relationships with one another, it is expected that there would be some cultural overflow of religious legacies into the psychosocial and political atmosphere of the country.

This was certainly the case in the early years of Ghana’s independence.
Given the present scenario of underdevelopment of Ghana coupled with the depreciation of moral values, insolence and prevailing religious bigotry, it becomes expedient to review the place of Christianity (which incidentally is the foremost in terms of spread and influence) in sustainable national development in Ghana. Globally, Christian nations seem to fair better socioeconomically and politically than others.

It is also taken in Ghana that Christians are the more educated, perhaps more exposed than other religious adherents. The Bible also list Christians as the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

The premise here is that the Church has became engrossed in materialistic cares of the world system, thus she has lost her light. Darkness naturally takes centre stage whenever light recedes, so is the case of Ghana in contemporary times.

Moral conscience for which we were known for has become strange to the succeeding generations. Thus, it is commonplace today for ocult groups and witchcraft societies to flaunt their paraphernalia publicly, acts which were not socially acceptable in the yesteryears.

To whom much is given, much is expected. If Christianity gave United Kingdom, United States of America and other western nations of the world a head start in sustainable socio-economic and political development, over other nations of the world, Ghana may also leverage the Christian faith for her development, which has been more of a mirage for succeeding governments.

All depends on the moral courage and readiness of the Church to carve a niche for herself in the sands of time. Repentance is the key to revival/transformation and revamping Ghana.

A lot has been said concerning the place of Ghana in God’s end time programme. It will take only a revived, transformed, purposeful and united church to make the Word of God a reality for Ghana. Christian youths must begin to showcase Christ for others to see and come to the light of Christ.

The glorious light of the gospel must begin to shine all over for the present darkness to be wiped out.
As we face the 21st century challenge of building a Ghanaian nation, this is not the time to rest on our oars or to give in to despair.

It is not the time to drift in blind optimism disguised as spirituality or to sink into escapist pessimism masquerading as heaven consciousness. It is also not the time to whip up misguided activist sentiments or to engage in aimless revolts.

Rather, now is the time to draw inspiration from the past, to be positioned strategically in the present, in order to take a leap of faith into the future.
Before I bring my message to an end may I pause and ask *when is Jesus coming or when is the world coming to an end*? If we don’t have an exact answer to that, then I dare to say that while we wait for His coming, we cannot sit idle in poverty, ignorance, destruction of our environment and in a society of increased moral decadence.

It is time to align with God’s purpose and timing for the nation, to build capacity as nation-builders, and to create strategic structures and alliances, aimed at deploying key leaders in every sector, public and private, in every city. Moreover, it is time for the body of Christ to come together, to reconcile our differences, to heal as a body, to become united in purpose, with every joint supplying its unique strengths, as we rise up as one body, to take orders from our Lord and Master, to build a great nation on the foundations of righteousness and justice, faithfulness and truth; a great nation where peace, prosperity and unity prevail, where no one will be oppressed, and where every man, woman, boy and girl can go to bed giving thanks to God and saying, “thank God I am a Ghanaian!”
With our carefully selected speakers, I believe you will receive great illumination during these five days.
Once again thank you for coming and please enjoy the program!

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