National Cathedral project wise decision — Rev. Stephen Wengam

The decision to build the National Cathedral is a wise one, the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Ghana, Rev. Stephen Yenusom Wengam, has said.

“For us Pentecostals, we know very well the value of a temple. Solomon has gone into history as a wise and great leader because he built a temple for God and it is a symbol that signifies the unity of our faith,” he added.

Rev. Wengam was speaking when he led the leadership of the church to pay a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra last Tuesday.

Rev. Wengam, 50, was last year elected to take over the mantle of leadership of the church from Rev. Prof. Yaw Frimpong-Manso, who had served as General Superintendent of the church for 12 years.

Commendation

He commended the role the government had played so far in the construction of the cathedral, including the suggestion that citizens contribute GH¢100 each month to support the cause of the project.

According to Rev. Wengam, the President had provided the country with “strong leadership” and steered affairs appreciably.

He, however, said it was not “exciting times to be President because of the difficulties we are confronted with”, especially in the face of the COVID-19 and the global economic crisis.

He said the decision by President Akufo-Addo to take a pay cut in the midst of the economic challenges had sent a signal that “leadership is about sacrifice”, adding that if that gesture was emulated across the board, it would go a long way to support national development.

He further said the free senior high school policy had helped to cushion parents and guardians, especially in the prevailing economic crisis, and wondered how some families would have coped with the payment of their children’s school fees.

Rev. Wengam said other interventions, such as Planting for Food and Jobs and One District, One Factory, had helped to alleviate poverty in the country.

He said the church would continue to pray for the President, the government and the nation.

Vision

The General Superintendent said the vision of the leadership of the church was to make it more relevant, impactful and influential to win more souls for Christ, as well as support national development while seeking the welfare of rural pastors.

He said the church would commence work on an Assemblies of God Village, where activities of the church would be held as part of the programme for the centenary anniversary of the church in the next eight years.

Role

President Akufo-Addo said the Assemblies of God had played important roles in the development of the country, adding that “it is because of churches like yours that the country continues to be the majoritarian Christian nation”.

He said the vibrancy and the dynamism of churches such as the Assemblies of God were making an impact in the lives of many people and assisting the government in its developmental agenda.

The President acknowledged the challenging times the country was going through and said with unity, commitment and hard work by all, the nation would come out of the difficulties.

He assured the General Superintendent that the doors of the Presidency were open to the leadership of the church at all times.

He thanked the church for the encouragement to continue work on the cathedral and said criticisms over the project should be perceived as part of life, rather than discouragement.