Methodist Church to introduce sign language
All societies in the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana will by December this year have sign language interpreters as part of their worship and major programmes.
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The move is to enable the hearing-impaired in the church to understand what goes on during church service and programmes.
The Methodist Bishop of Accra, Rt Rev Titus K. Awotwi-Pratt, said this in a sermon at the launch of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Good Shepherd Methodist Church at North Kaneshie.
The theme for the anniversary celebration, which comes off next year is, “50 years under the Shepherd’s watch”.
Rt Rev Awotwi-Pratt indicated that the church would start using sign language at the Accra Diocese and later extend it to other dioceses.
Sermon
Earlier, in his sermon on the theme, “Search for the hidden treasure,” the Bishop of Accra said God had given us treasures, adding that if we were not finding them, was because we had destroyed our relationship with God.
Christians, he said, could only find their God-given treasure by holding on steadfastly to the word of God. “If you follow the Good Shepherd, He will give you the right training,” he emphasised.
He thanked God for the 50 years of existence of the church and paid glowing tribute to the founding fathers, as well as the ministers and their spouses who had brought the church thus far.
The Chairman of the 50th anniversary planning committee, Dr Wordsworth Odame-Larbi, said the anniversary would climax in June 2015, and added that a year-long programme activities had been planned for the celebration.
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The activities include a symposia on health and the doctrine of the Methodist Church, a musical explosion, a memorial and commendation service, anniversary games, inter-interorganisational quiz, donation to charity, photo exhibition, anniversary picnic and a luncheon.
He added that a reading competition would be organised for primary school pupils and an essay competition for junior high school pupils as a means of involving children in the activities.
The Supt Minister of the Kaneshie North Circuit, Very Rev Stephen Kwaku Owusu, thanked God for bringing the church that far and also for the lives of the founding fathers.
Church history
The church was started in a school building in 1965 by four women. As its membership increased, a land, which is its present site, was purchased for a permanent church building.
The church has achieved a lot over the years at the diocesan and connexional levels; it is now a circuit and has nursery societies it is taking care of.