Churches welcome yuletide in style; revivals, crusades, all-night services herald period

Churches across the country have lined up various programmes and activities to climax the year and also usher in the new year, 2020.

The activities include revival programmes, crusades, prayer, all-night and watch-night services on New Year’s Eve, December 31.

The all-night services are slated for open and spacious places in communities, some stadia and parks, as well as church auditoriums.

Some of the large churches have secured popular and easily accessible places, such as the Black Star Square, which has become the traditional venue for the International Central Gospel Church, while members of the Action Chapel International converge on the premises of the Prayer Cathedral on New Year’s Eve.

Most of the churches organising these programmes belong to the Orthodox, Charismatic and Pentecostal faith.

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The watch-night services have been advertised through various media, including social media platforms, television, radio and giant and small billboards.

The billboards especially can be found along busy streets, at street corners, on church buildings, among other places.

Ahead of the watch-night or half-night services, churches have decorated their premises for both Christmas and New Year programmes, which are expected to be attended by millions of Ghanaians.

At midnight on December 31, churches are expected to end 2019 and open a new chapter for 2020. The watch-night services put together by the churches are to empower members to enter the New Year with a lot of expectations.

Dress code

The annual December 31 programmes are regular features on the calendar of churches. Individual churches have their unique programmes around this time to end the year. They include sketches, song ministrations, testimonies and prayer and anointing services.

By 9 p.m. on December 31, most of the programmes would have started, with all the churches filled to capacity. Non-regular churchgoers also take advantage of the end-of-year programmes to throng church premises to thank God for their lives and ask for His favour in the coming year.

The dress code for the December 31 watch-night services is usually white attire to signify victory following God’s protection in the past year and a triumphant entry into the New Year, which is expected to come with good tidings.

Adopted Names

As has been the case in recent years, the churches have given various names to their end-of-year programmes. The names adopted by the churches for the watch-night services displayed on the billboards across the country include: “Crossover”, “Kairos Night”, “Crossing Over”, “My Night of Freedom”, “It’s All About Jesus” and “31st, Night of Destiny”.

Crossover

The Executive Pastor of the Christ Temple of the ICGC, Rev. Albert Ocran, told the Daily Graphic that the General Overseer of the church, Dr Mensa Otabil, would lead the congregation in a communion and anointing service at “Crossover”.

The church will hold its “Crossover” service at the Independence Square to cater for the large number of people who usually attend the event.

“Apart from the members of ICGC Christ Temple, the reason tens of thousands of people gather is that many people who do not go to church find Crossover as the place where they can come to worship and receive direction to enter the New Year,” Rev. Ocran said.

The Crossover Service, which he said would be from 9 p.m. on 31st December to 1 a.m. on 1st January, 2020, would see members and visitors alike “crossing over into ‘The Year of Excellence’, the theme for the church next year.

‘Crossover’, he said, was chosen because “December 31 marks the crossing over from one year to another year. If you look at the Israelites, you realise that they had a promise that they would enter the Promised Land but they were in the wilderness for 40 years. When Joshua took over from Moses, he said in three days time they would cross over into the Promised Land and, in