Methodist Bishop urges MPs to pass LGBTQ+ bill
The Bishop of the Tema Diocese of the Methodist Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Samuel Ofori-Akyea, has called on parliament to as a matter of urgency pass the ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021’ before they break for the holidays.
This is as a result of substantial evidence that all religious, traditional and cultural bodies in the country are against its practice in the country.
“It is my wish that our parliamentarians pass the bill on LGBTQ+ before they go on Christmas break because it is evident that Christians, Muslims, traditionalists and other religious and cultural bodies are against this foreign practice being practiced in Ghana,” Rt Rev. Ofori-Akyea stressed.
The Bishop was speaking after delivering a sermon during the climax of the 50th anniversary celebration and thanksgiving service of the Bethel Society, North Diocese of the Methodist Church of Ghana, on Sunday at Community Eight, Tema, on the theme ‘Make straight path for the Lord’.
He urged parliamentarians to put aside their political affiliations when it came to certain foreign practices that went against the values and norms, and to consider the common good of their constituents, especially the future of the youth who would take up leadership roles in the country.
Rt Rev. Ofori-Akyea urged the church and Christians in general to be concerned about these negative foreign practices and guard the youth against the influence of social media and its threats.
According to him, the negative effect of social media threats on the youth could derail the foundation of generational leaders in the church and the nation at large.
“As Christians and the church, we must be concerned about social media and other bad effects, such as cyber fraud, drugs, betting, LGBTQ+, prostitution, alcoholism, and others as they have the ability to influence the youth, and in order to preserve and shape up God fearing youth leaders fit for diverse roles in the church and nation,” he advised.
Speaking on the history of the church, the Superintendent Minister of the Tema North Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana, Very Rev. Emmanuel Ohene-Gyimah highlighted some operations of the church around 1970’s under a shed at Community Eight, Tema, and how over the years the church had used evangelical drive to transform lives and elevate human standards amongst its members and in the communities.
He stressed that the church had played its part in its corporate social responsibilities in the communities it operated, and had also established a basic school in its catchment area as well as established many branches of the church in and outside Tema.
According to him, other notable achievement of the church was the many support to hospital, schools, children’s homes, security services, among others as its contribution to the development of the society.
BY VICOR A. BUXTON
