The General Council of the Assemblies of God of Church led by her newly elected General Superintendent, Reverend Dr Stephen Yenusom Wengam, has stated that the Church fully supports government’s decision to construct a National Cathedral.
The Church made her position known when the General Council paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House today Tuesday 10 January 2023, to formally introduce members of the newly constituted governing body of the Church to the President.
Unwavering support
Lead Pastor of Cedar Mountain International Church of the Assemblies of God in Accra, and the General Superintendent of the Church, Reverend Dr Stephen Yenusom Wengam, in his remarked noted that as a matter of policy, the Church will encourage its over 600,000 members in Ghana to contribute to the financing of the project.
“For us as Pentecostals, we know very well the value of a temple. Solomon has gone into history as a wise leader and a great leader because he built a temple for God. It is a symbol of faith, a symbol that signifies the unity of our faith”.
“The government has played it role and the recent innovative idea that every person probably contributes a hundred Ghana cedis is laudable and we will encourage our members to contribute their quota to support this project” Reverend Wengam said.
Exemplary leadership
The Assemblies of God leader observed in his statement that the recent decision of President Akufo-Addo and his administration to take a pay cut in the midst of the ongoing domestic and global economic challenges, was a demonstration of sacrificial leadership.
He added that the Church in Ghana will continue to pray for God to look favourably on Ghana and to help government and the entire citizenry to navigate their way out of the prevailing economic difficulties.
“In the midst of the economic challenges, the pay cut you took for yourselves and your team has sent a strong signal. On several platforms while preaching to our pastors, I made reference to it… that leadership is also about sacrifice” Reverend Wengam said.
Determined to do more
President Akufo-Addo, in his response, congratulated Reverend Dr Stephen Yenusom Wengam, on his election as the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church. He commended the Assemblies of God Church for its strong ministry and social output across the length and breath of the country.
“I want to thank you for your words of encouragement and the recognition of the work that this government is been doing in several areas. It is not always that we hear encouraging words. A lot of the time, we hear hash criticisms.
“I think to hear the encouraging words from very responsible members of the community and the society, is something heartwarming and it only reenforces our determination to do more” President Akufo-Addo said.
Prayer offered
Reverend Dr Stephen Yenusom Wengam at the end of the courtesy call, shared a word of prayer with the President and his team at the Jubilee House.
He asked God to abide with and strengthen the President, his family and his government, while giving them all the wisdom and understanding they need to spearhead the affairs of the nation.
History of AoG
The Assemblies of God, Ghana is a member of the worldwide fellowship of Assemblies of God spread in 212 countries of the world. Missionaries from Assemblies of God, U.S.A. in the persons of Rev. Lloyd and Margaret Shirer, who were then in Moshiland, Ouagadougou now Burkina Faso crossed over to the Northern Region of the then Gold Coast on horse backs in the early 1931.
With their first recruits, Miss Beulah Buchhwalter and Guy Hickok, they started the first Assemblies of God congregation in Yendi.
Some others who joined later were Florennce Blossom, Henry Garlock, Eric Johnson and Thelma Godwin.
The zeal of these early missionaries was so strong that they consistently worked and witnessed for the Lord under very harsh conditions and in hostile environments.
The likes of Bushwalker and Guy Hickock died in 1942 on the mission field. Branches of the church were established at Tamale and Walewale in 1935 and Bawku in 1937. Bro. Mba Mahama was the first Mamprusi Christian to be converted in 1939.
On December 13, 1948, the Assemblies of God aeroplane, ‘’Ambassador’’ landed in Accra bringing the Wheeler Andersons, Rody Johnson and Ozella Reid to join the missionary family in the Gold Coast.
Rev. Lloyd Shirer served as community Development Officer in Tamale during the early days of the establishment of the Church. During the inception of the Church, the Shirers and Garlocks were aware of the needs of the Kokomba tribe, about 40 miles northeast of Yendi.
The missionaries believed a medical work among the Kokombas would be a real asset to the whole mission as well as the needs of the people, many of whom had never heard the name of Jesus nor did they have any medical help closer than Yendi.
The first Assemblies of God Clinic was therefore built in 1948 in Saboba in the Northern Region by the Missionaries. The second was built in 1950 in Nakpanduri also in the Northern Region.
Later a third Clinic (Maternity Clinic) functioned in Walewale under Vivian Smith. The first Bible School of Assemblies of God Ghana was opened in 1950 at Kumbungu in the Northern Region under the leadership of Rev. Fur Thomas. The first graduates of the School, Rev. Bewini, Agbango, Elisha Akurugu, Alo Joshua Kabba and Alhassan completed Pastoral training in 1951.
All along the activities of the missionaries had been confined to the north. Southerners domiciled in the north on their return to the south shared the gospel with their kinsmen.
This led to the establishment of Assemblies of God Churches. As a result, the Accra and Kumasi stations were opened in 1944, followed by the Takoradi station in 1945.
Subsequently, the Southern Ghana District Council was inaugurated in 1950, a year after the official inauguration of the then Northern Ghana District Council.
The first indigenous person to receive the Holy Spirit baptism in the South was the late Rev. Edward Adutwum in 1942 who worked as a pharmacist in the North.
He later became a pastor and the Church’s General Secretary. Rev. Peter Osei, one of the ministers of the church was ordained at the age of 70 years. The first official General Council meeting was held in 1964.
Prior to that, the Northern and Southern District Councils held their meetings separately. From Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi the Church spread to the Eastern, Central, Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
