Church, government must partner to solve challenges - Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has called on the leadership of churches and religious bodies to partner the government to address current challenges confronting the nation.

He mentioned the cholera outbreak, the threat of Ebola and corruption, as major problems that needed the direct intervention of the church.

In a speech read on his behalf at the 2014 synod of the Global Evangelical Church (GEC), President Mahama said the government was committed to stopping the cholera outbreak and preventing the spread of Ebola into the country.

The three-day programme, which started last Friday and ended on Sunday at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region, was on the theme “Walking with God the Holy Spirit”.

Present at the conference was the Minister of State in-charge of Social and Allied Institutions and MP for Ada, Mrs Comfort Ghansah, who represented President Mahama.

Sanitation issues

President Mahama appealed to the leadership of the church and other religious bodies to make conscious efforts to educate their members on how to take precautionary measures against cholera and Ebola.

“Regular hand washing with soap is critical. Maintaining very clean and hygienic conditions is very important…. This may not be scriptural in the strictest sense, but it is absolutely crucial for our efforts to defeat malaria and also deny Ebola any entry into Ghana, “he said.

The President called on the nation to support countries affected by the Ebola virus, adding that leaving countries such as Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria to their fate could make things worse and make Ghana more vulnerable to the spread of the Ebola disease.

Preaching the sermon, the moderator of the GEC, Rt Rev. Edem K. Tettey, bemoaned the tendency for many Christians to want to obtain the promises of God without enduring any suffering.

He pointed out that Jesus Christ, the epitome of true faith and with all the authority at his disposal, did not bypass the cross to obtain the crown.

Communique

The leadership of GEC, in a communique issued after the conference, urged the Judgement Debt Commission to ensure thoroughness in its work to deal with corruption.

It said the economic challenges faced by the country currently could partly be attributed to the alarming rate of corruption.

The communique also called on the government to set aside a day for national prayers as well as for Africa.