The General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Reverend Professor Paul Frimpong Manso, has admonished the church to invest valuable resource in the youth and also provide mentorship for them to realise their God-given potential.
He said very often, the church focuses on the adults to the neglect of the youth, however, the future of the church and the survival of society depended on the youth.
“We should invest in them. We should be directional and mentor them. We should let them know their giftings at their young age. The Bible says teach the children the way they should go and when they grow they will never depart from it,” he stressed.
Rev. Frimpong Manso made the call at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Children Ministry of the Assemblies of God Church in Accra over the weekend.
Dwelling on how the neglect of the youth had destroyed many, he said if the church had paid attention to issues of the youth, great personalities like Steve Jobs, the innovator of Apple Computer and Elvis Presley would not have ended up as unbelievers by joining the LGBTQ communities.
“Let me tell you a story, it was said by Dr George Budah at one of our general councils. He said Steve Jobs was Assemblies of God, he was very inquisitive, he went to a pastor to ask him a question but the pastor did not spend time with him, so he got disillusioned and left the church. One of the best entrepreneurs but he became a member of the LGBTQ and died as an unbeliever even though he started as a Christian. Elvis Presley was an Assemblies of God member. One of the best singers of all time, as a younger singer like our little ones who performed here today the church did not take good care of them and they slipped out of the church,” he recounted.
He explained that having interest in the youth, investing in them and providing them with direction would help them realise their potential.
“They are the future of the church, they are the future of our country and they are the future of the world so let’s show interest in them,” he said.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the ceremony, the National Director of the Children’s Ministry, Rev. Mark OkyereKessie, said the celebration was to thank God for the growth and how far he had brought the department.
He explained that the children’s ministry which had become an integral part of the church’s structure had more than 200,000 members across the over 4,000 branches in the country.
Rev.Kessie said the department was formally incorporated into the church’s structure in 2002 and had shown growth in leaps and bounds.
He said members of the Ministry who are mainly children were imbibed with the teachings of Christ and made to learn a balanced lifestyle that prepares them for the world.
Rev.Kessie said due to the impact the Ministry was making all other branches of the church outside Ghana had adopted it.
The event was climaxed with the cutting of the 20th anniversary cake amidst musical performances and Bible recitals.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL