The Executive President of the Ghana Baptist Convention (GBC), Reverend Enoch Nii Narh Thompson has unveiled plans by the Church to embark on a nationwide tree planting exercise as part of its 60th Anniversary celebration this year.
“The Church has over 1,380 branches in Ghana currently, with each of them planting trees in their local areas throughout the year”.
According to him, Ghanaians, especially Christians, have a crucial role to play in restoring and protecting the environment, water bodies and other God’s creation that are being destroyed by human activities.
“God is working ultimately to take away the catastrophe that has happened to nature. Our galamsey situation is something that the government is trying to address but we believe that if all of us, especially Christians who are in majority should have the consciousness of God’s concern for the environment and every one of us must stop degrading our environment and keep it clean”.
Speaking at a ceremony to unveil the official logo for the 60th Anniversary of the GBC at the Tema First Baptist Church auditorium, Rev. Thompson said God’s purpose is to restore the lost creations [human beings] back to himself through the sacrifice of the saviour, Christ Jesus.
The 60th Anniversary celebration, which is under the theme: “Fulfilling God’s Purpose, Growing God’s Church – 60 Years On”, is expected to end on November 26, 2023.
He said the Church was brought to Ghana in the 1900s by the Nigerian Baptist Convention and later gave independence to the Ghana Baptist Conference in 1963 before it was changed into the current Ghana Baptist Convention.
The Executive President said: “We believe that God’s intention is not primarily to meet the material needs of people, but to ensure that human beings who are separated from God, because we fell into sin through Adam, will be brought back through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
This is what the Church is already doing in the last 60 years and hoping to do more this year to restore more people to God, through the preaching of the authentic word of God and disciplining people”.
Rev. Nii Narh Thompson emphasised that God wants the Church to be an agency in bringing prosperity to society; “And so we as a church produce human capital by disciplining people and helping them to live a better and corruption free life”.
The Executive President of the GBC touted that the launching of the 60 year’s anniversary was to celebrate their achievements of preaching of the Gospel, the salvation of souls, the disciplining of believers to become true followers of Christ, the training of members into useful citizens and reliable human capital of the country and the world at large.
“We are celebrating 60 years of educational facilities, and the provision of health, initially through our flagship Baptist Medical Centre at Nalerigu and the additional health facilities that we have continued to build across the country.
“We are proud of the positive impact we have made in providing educational facilities (from the Mafi Early Child Education programme, the Saddler Baptist Academy, started by our American missionaries, now Kumasi Academy Senior High School and the Ghana Baptist University College in Kumasi, among others)”.
Rev. Nii Narh Thompson further touted that the church is celebrating the many bore holes provided for needy communities, active work to reduce the negative impact of the Trokosi culture- freeing vestal virgins from shrines and giving them education and a lease of life, they never would have had.
He invited all people of goodwill inside and outside Ghana to stand with the Church for the Anniversary celebration and revealed that the Convention will continue to depend on God for showers of blessing in five major areas such as vital spirituality, financial solvency, denominational discipline, human resource development and shelter for worship.
By Amadu Kamil Sanah
