Introduction
Mr.
Chairman, Distinguished Elders, Colleague Ministers and Workers, Ladies and
Gentlemen. I am privileged to present to you a brief report on the above
ministries as a departmental director. Mr. Chairman, as a Church in this worldwide
ministry, we are enjoined of making known the liberty, healing and hope taken
hold of in Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Communication ministry of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church in its role, interlaces with the other departments
or ministries for the best accomplishment of the mission Christ bids us.
In this regard, our focus is to
ensure that programs that are carried out by other departments are well
communicated, fully covered and reported. In sum this report covers the
abridgement of activities carried out within the period of January – December,
2019 but Mr., Chairman, due to the handing over of administration as well as
departmental directors within the period of transition, the report covers
events from March to the end of the year.
MICG 2nd Quadrennial Session
-2019
This
great program took place at the Barekese SDA Nursing and Midwifery Training College
Campus from Wednesday 23rd to Sunday 27th January, 2019 with the theme, “Faithfulness to His Prophets”. This
spiritual convocation was meant for revival, accountability of the previous
administration and election of new leaders for the Conference, for the next five
years tenure of office.
After two days of report
presentations by the former Conference President, Executive Secretary and the
Treasurer of the previous administration, the Northern Ghana Union President,
Pastor Kwame Kwanin, assisted by the Executive Secretary, Pastor Kwame Annor
Boahen and the Treasurer, Pastor Osafo Marfo led to form the nomination
committee for the election of Officers or leaders. This was done for the
election process to commence. After a protracted period of deliberations, the
under listed names were submitted or recommended by the Nominating Committee
for approval. This was voted on and was finally accepted as the next leaders of
the Mid – Central Ghana Conference as their appointments stated against their
names below:
Pastor
Osei Kofi – President
Pastor
Alexander Marfo – Executive Secretary
Elder
Samuel Kutten – Treasurer
Pastor
Agyemang Badu -Ministerial Secretary
Pastor
Eric Frimpong – Director, Stewardship
Pastor
Kyei Baffour Jnr – Director, Personal Ministries, Sabbath School and Adventist
Men Ministries
Pastor
Robert Nyarko – Director, Youth, Heath and Chaplaincy Ministries
Pastor
Stephen Kwadwo Adusei – Director, Communication, Publishing, Public Relation
Affairs and Religious Liberty and Global Missions
Eder
Charles Ankra – Director Education
Elder
Osei Boaten – Associate Treasurer
Mrs
Veronica Sarpong – Director, Women and Children Ministries
Additional Executive Members
All the
earlier stated appointments form part of the executive Committee.
Mrs.
Martha Owusua Antwi – Head of Institution
Elder Raphael
Ziga – Akomadan/ Nkenkasu Rep
Elder
Fredrick Forkuo – Bohyen Rep
Elder
Kofi Brenya – Bantama Rep
Elder
Osei Bempa – Member
Elder
Martin Kyeremateng – member
Pastor
Thompson Okofo Takyi – Rep for ordained ministers
Elder
Maxwell Asamoah – member
Miss
Adom Fremah – Lawyer
Prof EB
Amponsah – Finance Comm. Chair
Elder Gabriel Amoako – Finance Comm. Vice-Chair
Elder
Francis Acheampong – Lawyer
Elder
Evans Oteng – Member
Trustees
Pastor
Osei Kofi
Pastor
Samuel Essien
Elder
Samuel Kutten
MICG ADMINISTRATION MEETS WITH
ELDERS ON TEN PERCENT MONTHLY OFFERING
On Sunday 17th March 2019 the Mid-Central Ghana Conference new Administration met in the Church of Bantama to decide on whether to continue or discontinue districts’ ten percent monthly offering proceed to the Conference with the elders.
In a devotion which Pastor
Alexander Marfo, the executive secretary of the new administration led in his
sermon captioned, “follow me with all your heart”, he threw light on how
true discipleship is attained from the foundations of commitment. Thus as
leaders and elders of God’s Church the Master urges them to follow Him with all
their hearts and souls, in other words carry out the biddings of the Lord
without any reservation, since the only property Christ has on earth is His
Church.
In bringing the devotion to a
close, a minister and two elders or lay persons were invited to pray to invoke
the Holy Spirit unction upon our elders and leaders as they embarked on the
work of God.
Meeting Proceedings for the Day
After a
short prayer of commencement, a vote was taken to begin the day’s business. After
a short statement of welcome and commendation from Pastor Osei Kofi, the
President of the new administration to the elders, he outlined the items of the
meeting.
Evangelism Goal for the
quinquennium
On this
item, the President made the house to understand that the administration had
schemed to increase the membership of the Conference by planting thirty-five
(35) new Churches, and to achieve that goal, the idea of one district, one
church per year was submitted for discussion and adoption. The vote was carried
for accepting that idea.
Building Of Parsonages
This
was the second item proposed by the new administration through the President.
Since this proposal was part of the previous administration’s plan, and was
underway, time was not wasted for its acceptance and adoption.
Continuation of the Ten Percent
Offering Towards Conference Office Complex
Finally,
this proposal was also presented to be adopted since it had been part of the plans
of the previous administration and is also ongoing. This proposal was
confronted with a lot of misgivings among participants since elders felt local
Churches had been financially
overburdened for long and it was about time they were left to rest. After a
lengthy deliberation on this issue, it was voted to continue since the office
complex had not received its complete glamor yet however, it was on condition
that a time span of two years be set for that exercise, hoping that the office
complex would have been completed, and the local Churches to discontinue paying
any more ten percent. In sum the meeting ended with all the proposals presented
by the Conference administration voted on and accepted for adoption.
Evangelistic Activities on Media
Stations and Information Centers
The
Communication Ministry in the Conference as a bridge builder as far as church
activity is concerned took on evangelism through the Radio, Television and
Information Centers. Currently, Bantama district has a regular airtime morning
devotion on Royal TV and sporadic schedules of radio evangelism on the Garden
City Station.
The following Churches and
Districts have same programs in the various Information Centers around their
communities.
Old
Tafo Mile 3
Pankrono
Estate
Abofuor
NOGH YOUTH LEADERS CONGRESS
About six hundred and twenty-two young adults drawn from the fields within the length and breadth of the Northern Ghana Union Mission assembled at the Barekese SDA Nurses and Midwifery Training College campus for leadership training and service program. This program was scheduled to start from Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th June 2019.
Within this period of
training, participants were purposed to go through physical training,
leadership lectures, drill and marching exercises for physical and spiritual
growth as well as intellectual leadership skills. This leadership training was
a very interesting one for not only did it call for the young adult leaders,
all district pastors and directors got involved.
At the day of closure,
the West Central African Division youth Ministry director called on this
program to crown it all to a successful end after he had been welcome with a smart
and delightful quarter guard at the portal of the Campus where the program was
organized. Shortly after the quarter guard inspection, he was flanked by the Northern Ghana Union Mission youth
director, Pastor Dan Kwaku Owusu Ansah and the other field directors to review
the guard of honor parade that marked the closure of the leadership congress. After
his short address, commending participants for having comporting themselves
throughout the span of the training program, he admonished them to keep the
faith after the button had been passed on to them.
Additionally, he urged
them to take on the world with the skills so acquired in order that the light
of Calvary’s story will be illuminated in all corners of the universe as the
second coming of the our Lord and King Jesus Christ is here.
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS
Mid
– Central Ghana Conference moved into its new permanent office complex
headquarters that situates at Atafoa during the early part of the first month, Sunday
13th January, 2019 to be precise. Since communication forms a very vital
ingredient in all facets of human existence, the department started to connect
the Conference to the global link.
Currently, the
Conference has established a modern technological communication systems raging
from website, postal address and telephone linkages through the communication
department within and external offices outside its domain.
Website Address: www.micg.adventist.org
Postal
Address: P. O. Box 9742. Kumasi.
Ashanti. Ghana – West Africa
Main
Telephone line: 020-026-8343.
NOGH COMMUNICATION
WORKSHOP
This
was a long awaited workshop which was initially scheduled for the month of May,
2019 but due some hitches that confronted the communication director from the
General Conference who was the main facilitator, coupled with other constraints,
it finally came on from Monday 11th – Wednesday 13th November, 2019 at the
Christian village.
This workshop was
meant to elapse for a week but for the already stated reasons it was abridged
for that three day’s period but the content remained unchanged; it was a very
busy program. Notwithstanding the uneasiness that participants went through, it
was a very interesting and rewarding workshop.
Unfortunately, due to
the new date scheduled for the program which some complained about not
favorable enough, participants had little or no time for adequate arrangements
and preparation towards the program; response was strained and finally failed
to meet the most optimal participation.
CAMP MEETING -2019
The
month of August was the Camp meeting season. All eighteen districts had their
turn in a weeklong camp activities ranging from devotions, departmental
activities, testimony segments, lectures on social subjects and economic activities
as well as worship.
The Sabbath of all
eighteen districts witnessed festival of baptisms which the outcome were later
submitted to the personal ministry departmental director and the Conference
Administration Secretary for generation of statistical reports.
YOUTH CAMP -2019
This
yearly spiritual convocation circle of the Adventist youth was observed this
year too, from Sunday 22nd – Tuesday 31st December, 2019. All the youth
department in the various districts took part in this program. Youth Camp –
2019 was directed to be observed in districts lot. However, at other places
within the Conference, some districts merged up with others. For instance,
Barekese, Ohwim and Suame districts camped at Osei Tutu II College campus in
Tetrem within Boamang district. Old Tafo Mile3 district held theirs at the Ghana
Christian International high school at Hweremoase in the Ashanti South Ghana
Conference territory, among others.
The ten days Youth
camp activity programs covered physical training or exercises, devotions,
worship services, lectures on leadership training, hiking, drill appraisal and entrepreneurship. Most sites commented
that they had very blissful and spiritual experience.
Challenges
1.
Lack of necessary materials to undertake or carry out the work.
2.
Lack of coordination between Local Churches, Districts and the Conference
director with regards to the necessary information of events that are carried
out within Churches and districts.
Gratitude
We
really appreciate how far the Lord has led us. It is our prayer that as we have
set pace in the new year, may He guide us through His will in order to
accomplish our set goals.
Submitted by,
Pastor Stephen Kwadwo Adusei
Director, Communication Ministry