Stories by Bernice Bessey & Pix by Eric Owiredu
The Maranatha Power Ministry has received a pontoon for out-reach programmes in villages along the Volta lake.
According to the Overseer of the Maranatha Ministry, Bishop Francis Afotey Odai, the pontoon would be mainly used for charity, evangelism and medical purposes.
During the tape cutting to launch the pontoon on Wednesday in Nungua, Accra, the Bishop indicated that there were many poor villages around and along the Volta Lake which were in dire need of salvation, medical and transportation support.
He said many of the villagers lose their dear lives due to lack transportation to nearby clinics.
Sharing his experience with the gathering at the ceremony, he indicated that some of the villagers walk over 10 kilometres to access transport to cross the Volta Lake.
Bishop Francis Afotey Odai stated that this was the first time in the country that a church had received a pontoon donation to reach-out to dying souls, adding, “It is not for commercial purposes, but solely mission work. It will help people along the Volta Lake.”
He urged other churches to follow suit, by not only focusing on the cities alone, but also villages that are hard to locate and reach. “Churches should not only focus on Christians in the city, but to the villages and help them.”
The Guest Speaker of the ceremony, Rev. Samuel Ashidan, indicated in his sermon that faith can only be established by taking action to do what God expects or demands of an individual to do to help others in need.
He said the act to help the poor was a divine mandate expected of every Christian. “Let everyone hold his or her small portion, so together we can make a great impact.”
The Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly Chief Executive, Daniel Armatey Mensah, thanked the American donors, Rev. Dr. Julian and Deborah Thayer, for the gesture, and urged other churches, individuals and institutions to follow their example.
Rev. Dr. Julian and Deborah Thayer expressed their profound gratitude for the reception given to them in the country, and urged the church to put the boat to a good use, saying, “The boat is a nice thing, but it is the people whose lives we are going to touch that matters.”
Pix: Bishop Francis Afotey Odai, Overseer, Maranatha Power Ministry (r) cutting the tape with the help of Daniel A. Mensah (m), MCE LEKMA, and Mr. Julian Thayer (L), Donor