Church leaders and members meet with Ghanaian officials and religious leaders – Church News

Local leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints met with Ghanaian leaders, religious leaders and youth, building connections within their communities and sharing their testimonies of Jesus Christ.

On May 5, the Kasoa Stake of the Church in Accra, Ghana, invited interfaith, community, and traditional leaders to the Kasoa Stake Conference at the Kasoa Walanta Stake Center for a family-focused conference.

On June 27, the Church sponsored an interfaith youth summit for 160 young people from eight local schools, focused on strengthening the next generation of young people.

On June 29, the Teshie Ghana Stake invited leaders from Teshie and Nungua, Ghana, to a special dinner at the Teshie Stake Center.

Making our homes heavenly

Stake President Daniel Allotey presided over the Kasoa Stake conference, accompanied by his counselors, President Derrick Ekow Sam and President Joseph Susu. President K. Erik Jacobsen and Sister Renee Jacobsen, leaders of the Ghana Accra West Mission, and President John Kuduo Buah and Sister Augustina Danso Buah, president and director of the Accra Ghana Temple, also participated in the conference.

“We must always improve ourselves, acknowledge our shortcomings, be an example to our children, and bring the Spirit of our Heavenly Father into our homes,” President Allotey said. He also spoke of the importance of repentance as the first step in creating a heavenly home.

Kasoa is located in the central region of Ghana. The Church in Africa Newsroom reports that the growing city, with a population of more than 400,000, is home to eight congregations of the Church.

Imam Alhaji Adam Abubakar, Deputy Chief Imam of Odupong Ofaakor, and Imam Abdul-Azia Ismail Otoo, Secretary of the Council of Imams, attended the conference, representing the local Muslim community.

Representatives of Nai Odupong Awushie Tetteh II, the overlord of Odupong (Kasoa Kurowura), including three local chiefs, also attended the conference. They were joined by representatives of the Odupong Ofaakor Zongo Chiefs Office, including Sarki Ibrahim Bukari Torma, the chief of Gada Zongo.

Sister Patience Adjei, a young woman from the Papaase group, spoke about the importance of being peacemakers in her home and community. Later, Bishop Komla Dzigbordi Amewuho of the 4th Parish of Kasoa said, “We can make our homes heavenly by balancing tolerance, truth and love.”

According to the Newsroom report, these community and religious leaders were impressed by the messages shared on the importance of family and the need for peace and cooperation in the community.

“We are Muslims and you are Christians, but our common enemy is Satan,” Imam Abdul-Aziz Otoo said. “We learned today that we are on the same page and that we must together drive Satan out of our midst.”

“You don’t plant maize to harvest cassava,” said Alimah Faustina Braimah, Awutu Senya East Municipal Education Director. “Whatever we want from our children, we must give them. What we have learned today is how to build strong family bonds.”

“We felt very respected from the moment we were welcomed until the end of the program,” said a representative of the Odupong Ofaakor Zongo community. “The solemn atmosphere of your meeting was very refreshing. We are glad we came.”

“Strengthening the rising generation”

The Abomosu Ghana Stake Center, located in Abomosu, Eastern Region of Ghana, hosted an interfaith summit for 160 youth from eight schools. The summit, hosted by local community and religious leaders, was themed “Strengthening the Rising Generation.”

According to the Church in Africa Newsroom, the Interfaith Youth Summit, organized by the Church’s Communications Department, is held annually in different communities in Ghana. The summit aims to teach interfaith harmony and cooperation from an early age.

The goals of this year’s summit included teaching young people ages 12 to 18 how to develop the determination to stand up for what is right and moral and how to avoid things that would prevent them from achieving their personal goals.

Students from AME Zion Aim Higher Basic School, Ompad STEM Senior High School, Abomosu Great Vision International School, Osunafo Islamic Primary, Presbyterian Junior High School, Abomosu Roman Catholic Junior High School, Adventist Reformed Institute and New Believers International School, as well as some of their teachers, attended the summit.

Dr. Richard Benedict III, Director of Health for the Atiwa West District Assembly, was the chairman of the summit. The District Assembly and the Ghana Education Service collaborated with the Church to make the summit possible.

Abomosu Ghana Stake President Frank Ofosu represented the Church at the summit. He was accompanied by Bishop Frank Ancquah and members of the stake’s communications committee, organizers of the event.

The Chief Imam of Abomosu, Iddrisu Yusif, Rev. Stephen Okine of the Assemblies of God, the District Director of Education, John Kwasi Osafo, the Chief Inspector of the Ghana Police, George Anining, and the Church’s Director of Communication, Osei Bonsu, addressed the youths. Seth Oppong, the Mayor of Abomosu, was also present.

Opening the summit, President Ofosu stressed the importance of developing interfaith relationships with neighbors in the community. “Regardless of our religion, we are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. He loves us all equally. We must do our best to show Him that we are all united in our love and devotion to Him.”

“The way you dress is a form of identification… and your character is represented by your attire and appearance,” Chief Imam Iddrisu said, encouraging them to dress and groom themselves appropriately. He also explained to the youth that having faith means always knowing what to do.

Anining taught the youth that having good friends is essential to making good decisions. “Good values ​​will guide you. Choose friends who share the same values ​​and values. Don’t make life difficult for yourself by having friends who don’t encourage you to do what is right.”

Rev. Okine spoke to the youth about honesty and integrity. “Where there is honesty, society thrives and God rejoices,” he said. “By demonstrating integrity, you will gain the trust of others and increase your ability to achieve your goals and impact the world.”

Osafo moderated an interactive portion of the summit, asking students to identify the problems they see in Ghana. He then urged them to learn how to create solutions to the problems they see by focusing on their education to become leaders with integrity.

“You will be the next generation of leaders where previous generations have failed. Ghana cannot afford to let you fail. Please use your education and ideals to bless your country,” he said.

Community dinner to introduce the Church of Jesus Christ

Civil, religious, and traditional leaders from Teshie and Nungua, Ghana, attended a dinner hosted by the Church at the Teshie Stake Center. Invitations were extended to these leaders to introduce the Church, share its mission, and strengthen relationships with the visiting dignitaries. These efforts will hopefully foster positive development between the Church and community members.

The Imam of Teshie, Sheik Tijani Ahmen, represented the local Muslim community at the dinner. He was accompanied by Alhaji Issah and Alhaji Torfi. The District Engineer of the Ledzokuku District Assembly, Evans Sackey, was present, as was the District Police Commander, Kofi Obiri. Obiri had just taken up his duties as the commander in the area. From the Teshie Traditional Council, the Akwashongtse of Teshie, Nii Sango Amarh I, came with some members of the council.

Benjamin Ayiku, deputy for Ledzokuku, who attended the last Teshie Ghana Stake conference, said he was happy to be back for the dinner. Ayiku was accompanied by Enam Alordzinu, the district women’s organizer for the National Democratic Congress, and two of her staff members.

Stake presidency President Jeffrey Odai Botchway and his two counselors, Presidents Leonard L.A. Abbey and Emmanuel Eyinda, attended the event, along with other stake leaders.

During the dinner, two presentations were made to attendees. The first, produced in part by BYU–Pathway and the Church Education Program, was delivered by the region’s online education program manager, Francis Adjei Akpor. The presentation highlighted opportunities for young people, whether they are members of the Church or investigators. The second presentation, developed by Julius Ahiaku, the region’s oral genealogy operations manager, focused on FamilySearch and family history work.

Ayiku, who spoke on behalf of the special guests, said he was amazed that the Church was offering such great opportunities with Pathway to its members and even non-members. He even joked about personally enrolling in the program.

At the conclusion of the evening and introductions, President Botchway thanked the guests for honoring the stake’s invitation to dinner. He also spoke about the purpose of the Church and Jesus Christ as its cornerstone.