Use conflict resolution tools to quell conflicts — Ghana Baptist Convention
The Ghana Baptist Convention has urged areas and communities experiencing conflicts in the country to use conflict resolution tools to resolve such conflicts to safeguard the nation’s peace and security.
The church said: “This should be preferred to the perennial violence and destruction that escalate conflicts and continue to hinder Ghana’s growth and development”.
This was among other critical issues the church commented on in a resolution at the end of the 62nd annual session of the Ghana Baptist Convention held at the Baptist Women’s Retreat and Resource Centre in Ejura in the Ejura Sekyedumase Municipality in the Ashanti Region.
Other issues the church touched on were illegal mining, disrespect on social media and the Akwatia by-election.
The four-day event was on the theme: “The Disciplined Church-Reflecting Christ to the world (Ephesians 5:27)”.
The session is the convention’s highest decision-making body and coincided with the re-election of the new leadership of the convention.
Rev. Thompson was re-elected President, while Rev. Charles Oppong-Poku was also elected Vice-President of the convention.
Also, as part of the session, 97 new ministers were ordained to head various branches of the church across the country.
Conflicts
The church’s call came in the wake of recent communal clashes over land ownership in Gbiniyiri in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savannah Region leading to the death of a number of people, with more than a dozen others injured.
Thousands of residents of the community have been displaced as well.
Illegal mining
Explaining further, the President of the Ghana Baptist Convention, Rev. Enoch Nii Narh Thompson, expressed concern about illegal mining and other activities which continue to have devastating consequences on the environment, saying “such acts constitute wrongdoing and sin against God.
True Christians, he said, were supposed to be custodians of the earth as well as be interested in the well-being and sustenance of the natural resources and therefore urged the government, Civil Society Organisations and other stakeholders to end the devastating effects of illegal mining on land, forest and waterbodies.
“As a church, we believe that illegal mining, water pollution and indiscriminate waste disposal should be addressed so that we can live healthy and happy lives to serve God”, he said and stressed that the church and the human race were expected to take good care of the creation under God’s control.
On social media use, he urged Ghanaians to cultivate respect and dignity in public broadcasting channels and other online channels, reflecting the cultural values of love and honour for one another.
Advice to ministers
Advising the newly ordained ministers, Rev. Thompson cautioned them against embarking upon personal self-expression or self-manifestation in their ministry.
“Your ministry from this point forward is not a personal self-manifestation but should be a corporate representation of the body of Jesus Christ through the Ghana Baptist Convention”, he stressed.
“I agree with you that God has called and you have equally prepared yourself and are ready to present Him.
You must have this understanding to prevent disassociation from the convention as we have seen in the lives of other people ordained by the church,” he said.
He admonished them to keep their heads up in all situations and endure hardship as the ministry they have been ordained into entails a lot of suffering.
You must be able to stand in the face of adversities and challenges to continue serving God”.
Shift
Delivering the sermon, a former Principal, Baptist Theological Seminary, Abuakwa, Rev. George Solomon Mallet, said there seems to be a paradigm shift from hearing and understanding God’s word.
He said: “the word of God contains so much that if learnt and fully understood, it will inure to the benefit of all mankind”.
In a brief remark, on behalf of the new ministers, Lady Rev. Mabel Koomson expressed delight that after going through a rigorous process for the past three years, they were able to sail through and said: “We give glory to God for his guidance and protection”.
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