The Church of Pentecost has constructed borehole water facilities for Gbonkoyiri and Vondiel communities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.

The Sawla Area Head of the church, Apostle William Ohemeng-Kwakye, commissioned the two water facilities separately on April 2, 2020. He was assisted by the Gindabour District Minister of the church, Overseer William Asare, whose district the projects are located.

In an address, the Area Head said that the construction of the boreholes formed part of the church’s Vision 2023 agenda on ‘Community Transformation.’ He said funds for the project came from the Headquarters of the church through the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), the social services wing of the church.

Touching on the current global health crisis, Apostle Ohemeng-Kwakye advised the people to adhere to the directives given by the President of the Republic to help in the fight against the Coronavirus outbreak. This, he said, includes observing social distancing, regular handwashing with soap under running water, using hand sanitizer, and avoiding handshaking.

Speaking on the topic, “Jesus Christ; The Spiritual Rock” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4), Apostle Ohemeng-Kwakye emphasized that one needs the spiritual rock who is Jesus Christ to satisfy their spiritual thirst. He, therefore, entreated all to drink from the spiritual rock to quench their thirst.

He admonished the people of both communities to recognize and accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord to receive eternal life for their souls.

“One cannot drink from the spiritual rock unless he or she is in the Body of Christ,” he stressed.

In appreciation, the Roman Catholic Catchiest of the area thanked The Church of Pentecost for the kind gesture and requested other churches in the district to do same for the communities in the district which are in dire need of water and other social interventions.

In attendance were the Area Deacon, security personnel, representatives of sister churches, and community leaders, among others.

The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Shani Copper-Zubida, on March 10^th, 2020, paid a courtesy call on the Chairman, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, at the Headquarters at La in Accra.

The meeting was part of the Ambassador’s official visits to key Christian denominations in the country to establish relations with them and explore possible areas of collaboration.

Ambassador Copper-Zubida was received at the Head Office by the Chairman, the General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw-Kumi-Larbi and the International Missions Director (IMD), Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo. Also present were the Personal Assistant to the Chairman, Pastor Benedict Eghan, and the Director of Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), Elder Richard Amaning.

During the interactions, Apostle Eric Nyamekye briefed Ambassador Copper-Zubida on the church’s community transformation agenda; dubbed “Vision 2023”, which forms part of her strategic vision for the next five years.

Among other social interventions, the Chairman mentioned the construction of correctional facilities by the church to decongest overcrowded prisons in Ghana and provide formal education as well as skills training for prison inmates. “These correctional facilities would serve as a place where prison inmates are reformed and reintegrated into society as responsible citizens, and not a place to harden them. So, we will seek to work on their hearts (share the gospel message of Christ with them), minds (provide them with formal education) and hands (give them skills training),” he said.

On possible areas of collaboration between the Israeli Embassy and the CoP, Apostle Nyamekye shared with Ambassador Copper-Zubida the church’s plan to establish irrigational facilities in the northern part of the country. This, he said, would provide people living in the northern regions, who are predominantly farmers, favourable conditions for farming throughout the year.

“The church has over 290,000 members in the northern part of the country. We are confident that constructing these irrigational facilities will promote agriculture in the north and empower them to have sustainable livelihoods,” he said.

Although Israel has only 20% arable land; that is, the geography of the country is not naturally conducive for farming, the country has emerged as a major exporter of fresh farm produce and a world-leader in agricultural technologies such as irrigation farming.

The Chairman, therefore, appealed to the Israeli Ambassador to partner with the church to ensure that the irrigation project becomes a reality.

Ambassador Copper-Zubida, on her part, commended the church for the laudable initiative and pledged her country’s support to the project by making available rich expertise in irrigation farming to the church in order to ensure the success of the project.

Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), the social services wing of The Church of Pentecost, has constructed two boreholes for Kwesikrom in Ellobankata District and Essaman in Adum Banso District in the Takoradi Area of the church.

The facilities were constructed at a total cost of GH¢32,000.00, received from the Headquarters of the church through PENTSOS.

Commissioning the boreholes on behalf of the Area Head on March 26, 2020, at the two communities respectively, the Area Secretary, Pastor Charles Arthur indicated that, although the borehole will provide physical water to quench the thirst of people of the communities, he recommends Jesus Christ who is the living water that never runs out and that whoever receives Him will never thirst.

He emphasised that anyone who receives Jesus, receives hope, because without Jesus in the life of an individual no one has the hope of eternal life.

“The thirst of every person can be quenched by Jesus who is the living water,” he affirmed.

He used the opportunity to encourage both communities to accept and receive Jesus the Living Water who is far more valuable than the physical water which has been provided to them by The Church of Pentecost.

The Area Secretary informed the communities that the initiative forms part of the church’s community development efforts in line with Vision 2023.

The Chief of Essaman, Nana Kwesi Aboah II and the Chief of Kwesikrom Nana Kwesi Angrah took their turns and expressed gratitude to the church for the facilities and entreated the people in their communities to take good care facilities to ensure a longer lifespan.

Present at the ceremony were the Takoradi Area Deacon, Elder Daniel K. Quaye, Pastors Augustine Bacho (Adum Banso District), Ransford K. Baah (Ellobankata District) and some selected officers and members of the church.

The successful implementation of every policy, to a large extent, is dependent on the understanding and commitment of all stakeholders involved.

It is against this background that the leadership of The Church of Pentecost, as part of strategies towards the achievement of the 5-year strategic vision of the church dubbed “Vision 2023: Possessing the Nations,” is engaging with all the stakeholders to achieve the stated objective associated with the vision.

The 7th edition of the annual Ministers and Wives’ Conference at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa, therefore, provided an opportunity for ministers of the church to be informed about the progress of the implementation of the various interventions, as outlined in the vision document.

Elder Dr. Yao Yeboah (National Coordinator for the Pentecost Workers’ Guild (PEWG) began the session with a presentation on the PEWG. He explained that the PEWG exists to operate as a transformational organ to unite all professionals of the church to become “Salt and Light” in the world in order to possess nations for Christ.

He indicated that the guilds have been created to raise role models to mentor the young ones at the workplaces to become responsible and Christ-like adults while serving as a synergy to create jobs, grow businesses and share professional ideas as well as provide career guidance for career progression. He stated that membership of the guilds was opened to all professionals as well as non-professional in the church. He said the PEWG was committed to soul winning through the transformed characters of the guild members and community outreaches like free medical screening and legal aid. He encouraged Area Heads to stimulate ministers to support guilds in their respective jurisdictions.

Taking his turn, Apostle Lt. Col. B. G. Kumi-Wood, on behalf of the Chaplaincy Board, said the board has been tasked to provide the framework for the operations of a robust chaplaincy system in the church.

He said various strategies are being deployed to unleash members as chaplains into institutions, organisations, business entities that serve the society, including hospitals, prisons and correctional facilities, schools and educational facilities, emergency services, orphanages and aged homes, chieftaincy, etc.

The Chaplaincy Ministry, according to him, shall operate with the broad goal of providing God-guided perspective and support to the people driving operations as well as influencing decision processes at the various institutions.

Making a presentation on behalf of the Pentecost University College (PUC), Apostle Dr. Daniel Walker, the Rector of PUC and Executive Council Member of the church, said the university has been identified by the leadership of the church as a unique mission field to train students with the fear of God to possess the nations. He informed the participants that the Charter Application to become a full fledge university was at an advanced stage.

He was hopeful that the PUC will receive the Presidential Charter before the end of 2020. He was grateful to the church for the financial support to the university and to the Areas for sponsoring some students into the university. This, according to him, has boosted the university’s enrollment, which, hitherto had dropped significantly.

Apostle Dr. Walker also enumerated a number of awards received by the PUC for 2019. The Rector was adjudged the Most Outstanding CEO among private universities in Ghana whilst PUC was awarded the Best Private University in Ghana, among other awards.

There were presentations from the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS) Directorate by the Director, Elder Richard Amaning, the Counseling Board headed by Probationary Overseer Professor Joseph Osafo Adu and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Church of Pentecost Chairman Education Foundation (COPCEF), Apostle Prof. Peter Ohene Kyei (Rtd.).

Presentations on Home and Urban Missions (HUM), Ministry to Persons with Disabilities (MPWDs) and PENSA International were made to enable participants have full grasp of what the interventions were all about for easy implementation at their respective stations.

A 2-member delegation from the Ghana Statistical Services also graced the conference on Thursday to interact with participants on the impending 2020 Population and Housing Census. They made a passionate appeal to the ministers to encourage the church members to make themselves available to census officials and cooperate with them for a smooth and effective exercise.

They also informed members to be vigilant and not to divulge any information relating to Bank Account, SSNIT and Visa Card Personal Identification Pin (PIN) to officials who request them. They advised that such officials should be reported to the security agencies for them to be apprehended.

A mechanised water facility has been commissioned at the Pentecost Community Clinic at Twifo Agona to provide safe drinking water for staff and patients of the Clinic.

The facility, which was financed by The Church of Pentecost Headquarters at the total cost of GHS 34,093.12, was commissioned on January 16, 2020, by Apostle Sylvester Arhin (Assin Foso Area Head) with assistance from Pastor Jones Afrifa Awuah (Dunkwa Area Head).

The Pentecost Community Clinic, Twifo Agona was established in 1989 and commissioned on June 14, 1991, by Prophet M.K. Yeboah (former Chairman of The Church of Pentecost). It is among the eight healthcare facilities operated by the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), a social ministry of The Church of Pentecost with an overarching goal to provide quality healthcare delivery to populations living in deprived areas in Ghana.

Since its establishment, the Clinic had been without access to safe drinking water for both staff and patients who patronised the facility.

For the past 31 years, the nurses and other staff, including patients, had to trek long distances to fetch water for use in the Clinic. Sometimes, women who came to deliver their babies had to carry water along from their homes. This situation created challenges for staff working in the facility and the patients.

This situation, thus, necessitated the construction of the water facility by The Church of Pentecost to provide easy access to potable drinking water for staff and patients as part of the “Possessing the Nations” agenda.

The construction of the facility is also in fulfilment of a Global Call to Action issued by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) in 2018, to elevate the importance of and prioritise action on WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) in all healthcare facilities, including primary, secondary and tertiary facilities in both the public and private sectors.

The call recognises the vital role water, sanitation and hygiene play in preventing infections, saving lives, and improving the quality of care. According to UNICEF and WHO landmark report [JMP 2019], one in four health care facilities around the world lacks essential water services, impacting over 2 billion people.

Through the mechanised water facility, water has been extended into the premises of the Clinic (Consulting Rooms, ODP area, Wards and Washrooms) and to the Nurses’ Quarters. The water system has also been extended to some sections of the Twifo Agona community close to the Clinic. Twifo Agona is a rural community in the Twifo/Heman/Lower Denkyira District in the Central Region of Ghana.

The Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), the social development arm of The Church of Pentecost, has donated assorted ICT equipment to three Pentecost Preparatory Schools (PPSs) to enhance technology-based education in the schools.

The beneficiary schools are Pentecost Preparatory School, Abrepo in Kumasi, Pentecost Preparatory School, Tema and Pentecost Preparatory School, Bubuashie in Accra.

PPS-Abrepo received 10 desktop computers and accessories, PPS-Tema received seven desktop computers and accessories, including a digital TV set, while PPS-Bubuashie received two digital TV sets.

Donating the items to the schools at Tema on Thursday, November 7, 2019, the Director of PENTSOS, Elder Richard Amaning, revealed that PENTSOS is currently implementing an educational improvement project dubbed “School Digitization Project” which seeks among others, to improve the quality of education in the Pentecost schools across the country.

“The project targets revamping and retooling the ICT laboratories in our schools to increase knowledge and practice in the use of ICT,” he said, adding, “The project in each year shall support at least two Pentecost schools to equip their ICT labs with modern computers and other equipment.”

Pupils of the Pentecost Preparatory School at Koforidua (PPS-Koforidua) took part in a Public Bible Reading exercise organised by the school to mark the Bible Awareness Week.

The exercise, which was held on February 5, 2020, during the school’s weekly Wednesday morning devotion session, saw the pupils taking turns to read portions of the Bible.

As part of the five-year strategic vision to influence every sphere of society with Kingdom values and principles dubbed “Vision 2023: Possessing the Nations,” The Church of Pentecost has set aside Monday 3rd to Sunday 9th of February to create awareness on the Bible as God’s holy word and the divine instructional manual for all people on the earth.

The Pentecost Preparatory School, Koforidua is one of the 90 basic schools established by The Church of Pentecost. It is run by the directorate of the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS) headed by Elder Richard Amaning.

The Pentecost Senior High School, Koforidua (PENSEC-Koforidua) has been upgraded as a Grade “A” Senior High School by the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The upgrade was as a result of the tremendous academic performance of the students in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) organised by West African Examination Council (WAEC) in three consecutive years.

The school, which currently boasts of a student population of over 1,900, has seen significant progress in the past three years in infrastructure development and academic performance.

In the 2019 WASSCE results, the school recorded a tertiary pass rate of 56%, that is, students who obtained A1 to C6 and qualified for admission into tertiary institutions.

The Pentecost Senior High School, Koforidua is one of the 95 educational institutions of The Church of Pentecost managed by the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS) Directorate. Formerly a Grade “D” school, PENSEC-Koforidua has now become a force to reckon with in terms of excellent academic performance.

The Pentecost Preparatory School, Koforidua, on July 2, 2020, launched a Virtual Classroom Project to keep academic work going following the closedown of schools as part of the COVID–19 restrictions.

Speaking at the launch of the project at the school, the Head Master for the school, Elder Gabriel Amiteye, stated: “In order not to leave our pupils unattended to academically, the school devised a WhatsApp interface through which we sent questions and other educational materials to keep our pupils academically active while at home.”

He added: “The lessons and challenges COVID-19 has brought to us globally, if any educational institution relegates ICT into the realms of insignificance, that institution would soon be out of the competitive market.“

Even though the WhatsApp platform was good, it had its limitations, therefore the school in collaboration with Compass Educational Institute, owned by an alumnus of the school, rolled out the Virtual Classroom project, which will provide real time teaching and learning experience.

The company has provided the school with all the necessary gadgets and teachers have been adequately trained for the exercise.

The Koforidua Area Head, Apostle Samuel Osei Asante, said that The Church of Pentecost has shown that it is interested in the use of technology and this was evident in the recent General Council meeting which was held online.

He stated that the use of PENT TV and other social media platforms of the church has kept church activities going during the COVID-19 restrictions. He was very excited that the school has taken this bold step and hoped that the other Pentecost Schools in the country would emulate the initiative.

On his part, the PENTSOS Director, Elder Richard Amaning, praised the management of the school for the project. He indicated that the project falls in line with PENTSOS vision to improve access and quality in the educational institutions of the church and also the “Schools Digitization (S-DIG) Project” the directorate is embarking on in the schools.

Elder Amaning said that the overarching purpose of the “Schools Digitization Project” is to enhance ICT teaching and learning in all Pentecost schools. The project, he said, among others, seeks to support schools without the requisite ICT infrastructure (such as functional ICT laboratories as well as teaching and learning aids) and to also train ICT teachers in the Pentecost schools in understanding and appreciating the current trends in ICT education in Ghana.

He disclosed that the initiative will be replicated in the church’s educational institutions across the nation.

Koforidua Pentecost Preparatory School was established on 1st October 1980 with 91 pupils by the late Apostle A. T. Nartey, the then Eastern Regional Head of the church. The school currently has an enrolment of 1,247 pupils and a staff strength of 76.

Present at the launch were Apostle Daniel Nsaful (Effiduase Area Head), a cross-section of ministers from Koforidua and Effiduase Areas, management and staff of the school as well as some parents and pupils.

Report by Area Media Team.

Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), the social services wing of THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST, has donated 200 pieces of dual and mono desks to three schools in the Sawla Area of the Church.