General Secretary set to streamline Christian Council
The Christian Council of Ghana would be relevant in challenges of changing times if it resolves to engage in activities contributing to holistic national development, Reverend Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, General Secretary of the Council has said.
In that direction, Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong, said he would help to make activities of the Council more visible, pursue self financial sustainability and advocate African Christianity in line with African values and cultures.
Rev Opuni-Frimpong said he would also vigorously pursue public religious studies and human dignity, Christ-centred nation, united ministerial integrity and sound spirituality to impel national development agenda.
He was speaking on Sunday at a ceremony at the Kaneshie Presby Church where he was inducted as the 16th General Secretary of the Council since its inception in 1929.
He said the world today was faced with challenges such as homosexuality and gay rights, child abuse, abortion, morality, peace and security, leadership, religion and politics, abortion, church and state relations, affirmative action, domestic violence, religious extremism and tolerance.
In addition, he said, there was also dwindling and collapsing churches in parts of the world particularly in Europe which left the African church with lots of responsibility.
He said making activities of the Council noticeable was relevant to wipe out erroneous impression about it (CCG) as a “giant sitting in Accra with little or no impact on ordinary people” at the local levels.
“There would be the urgent need to set up and revive regional, district and local council of member churches to oversee the activities of mother council,” Rev Opuni-Frimpong said.
He said conscious efforts would be made to woo individually-owned churches and to make them aware of the benefits and opportunities for them to contribute towards the propagation of the gospel through the Council.
On financial sustainability, the General Secretary said with the new world of budget cuts and donor fatigue accounting, there was the need to explore alternative sources of funding.
“There is the urgent need to pursue income generating activities, streamline numerous activities to match internally available resources, but this calls for willingness of the leaders to own the process of fund raising,” said Rev Opuni-Frimpong.
He said as the 16th General Secretary one of the issues that would engage his attention on “making African Christianity, African or ennoblement of the African cultural heritage…or domesticating Christianity in Africa.”
He expressed regret that “neo-colonialist ideologies and deliberate attempt to demonize everything African had succeeded in significantly contributing to the phenomenon of the African Church clothed in foreign cultural garments.
“Certain practices and celebrations have been carbon copy of western culture which is not geared towards the proclamation of the kingdom of God but towards the perpetuation of theological jargons relegating to the background the indigenous cultural heritage of Africans.”
Rev Opuni-Frimpong said the Church must avoid being alien on African soil, saying “we must build bridges to provide means of allowing all Christians to fellowship and flow together, instead of walls of doctrinal and theological differences that divide ranks.”
He also advocated inter-faith dialogue to help minimize religious tension and conflicts, bolster healing of political tensions between and within churches and promote a healthy co-existence and common strength.
The social system has disregarded spiritual, cultural and moral values, and Christians must exert a positive influence to arrest social injustice, disorder, economic hardship, carefree lifestyle, deprivation and indignity in society.
Source: GNA