‘Chase Salvation, Not Riches’

The Bishop of the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana, Rt Rev. Sam Kofi Osabutey, has advised Christians to be more concerned a...

The Bishop of the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana, Rt Rev. Sam Kofi Osabutey, has advised Christians to be more concerned about their salvation rather than chasing the riches of the world which do not guarantee eternal life. Rt Rev. Osabutey said it was important for leaders to continue to preach the principles of salvation, which was the pillar of the Christian faith, instead of trying to go with the trend where prosperity messages dominated. The bishop gave the advice when he delivered the sermon at a church service to climax the 65th anniversary celebration of the Galilee Society Methodist Church in the Accra Diocese. “It is important that we mark 65 years of existence, but we must be reminded that the emphasis on the celebration must be on salvation since it remains the basic principle on which the church was established. “As leaders and members of the church, we should not be carried away, but reflect on the theme for the celebration and the vision for which the church was established. We should all be concerned about our salvation as Christians,” he said. The celebration on the church's premises at Chorkor in Accra was christened: "65 years of God's faithfulness, making disciples of all nations, intensifying our teaching ministry towards disciple making". Relevance Rt Rev. Osabutey emphasised the importance of the 65th anniversary celebration, explaining that it would help future generations know and appreciate the effort of their founding fathers in spreading the gospel. He, thus, paid homage to the founding fathers of the Galilee Methodist Church for their vision and determination to spread the word of God. He added that the current generation would be motivated to build on the legacy bequeathed to them in the effort to enhance the mission of the church. Celebration With profound joy and most of them clad in the specially designed 65th anniversary cloth, the congregation sang and danced in praise of God for how far the church had come since its humble beginning in 1954. They were also led to pray for God's guidance and continuous blessing as they carried on with their mandate as a Christian organisation. As part of the celebration, an anniversary cake was cut and shared among members of the church. Dignitaries who attended the celebration included a member of the Council of State, Mr Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson; past Lay President of the Methodist Church Ghana, Mrs Araba Atta Sam; and the Director of the Institute of Education and Entrepreneurship (IEE) at the Methodist University College of Ghana (MUCG), Professor Ato Essuman. History and achievement The Galilee Society Methodist Church was officially established in 1954 at the Chorkor Middle School after being granted permission by the Accra Town Council, now the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). The church, in 1970, acquired a land at its present location where it began worshipping and gradually built the church until it was finally completed in 1999. The church later established a nursery school to provide quality early childhood education to children in the community. In 2011, the Galilee Methodist Church birthed a new church at Chemu-Naa, which is a suburb of Chorkor.

Source: Daily Graphic