International Pastors’ confab underway in Accra

Christian leaders and ministers of the Gospel attending an International Pastors and Ministers Conference (IPMC) in Accra have called on President John Mahama to declare his stance on homosexuality.

According to them, homosexuality was alien to the Ghanaian culture, hence the need for leaders of the country to say ‘no’ to the legalisation of what they described as an indecent act.

Speaking to journalists after the opening session of the conference yesterday, the Co-ordinator of the planning committee of the IPMC, Reverend George Abaidoo, said some African countries such as Kenya had taken their stance against homosexuality.

He added that Christianity, as well as other religions, frowned on the practice and, therefore, called on ministers of the Gospel to take up the task and preach the unadulterated Word of God to the youth.

The IPMC

The five-day annual conference brings Christian leaders together to discuss challenges facing the world and adopt Christ-like solutions to address them.

This year’s conference, which is on the theme: “Kingdom advancement: Accelerating the great commission”, brought together over 500 participants from over 20 countries to interact and advance the Kingdom of God.

Rev. Abaidoo said this year’s conference was focused on the challenges facing the youth and how the church could address them.

Orphans

Aside from the issue of homosexuality, he said, the conference would also discuss the challenges facing orphans and the role of the church in addressing them.

He stressed the need for churches to embrace and nurture orphans in the church and in the communities to make them feel that they were part of society.

He said according to the Department of Social Welfare of the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, there were 4,432 orphans in 133 orphanages across the country.

Rev. Abaidoo said orphanages should be temporary homes, rather than permanent places of abode, for orphans.

He was of the view that after three months’ stay in orphanages, inmates should be re-integrated into their larger families.

Need for support

The National Secretary of Ghana Without Orphans (GWO), a non-governmental organisation, Rev. Elijah Mahama Akpenyi, noted that poverty had forced some parents to reject their children, who ended up in orphanages, and indicated that the GWO would come up with a microfinance scheme to support such parents.