Re: ARS appoints 7-member committee to champion reconciliation in church
The Editor,
Ghanaian Times
Accra.
The attention of the Church of the Apostles Revelation Society (ARS) has been drawn to a story carried by the Ghanaian Times of June 11, 2024 page 9 under the headline above.
We find the said publication inaccurate, unfortunate, offensive, very misleading and denigrating.
It is an undeniable fact that there is division in the ARS since the death of the Founder which has led to the emergence of two factions- namely “Gbedzi” and “Ekporme” It is also an undeniable fact that the two factions have separate organisational, management arrangements and leadership which have been in operation for some years now. There is, therefore, no ambiguity about the leadership of the two factions, and this is known, recognised and accepted by members of both factions.
We wish to emphasise that, in spite of all the issues affecting the Church, its administration continues to run smoothly through the Administrator of the Church with great experience and institutional memory and the Church continues to operate from the international headquarters of the church in Tadzewu, Gbedzi, as well as its regional offices nationwide and abroad.
Mr. Malik Sullemana your reporter, in the said report carried by your paper stated that the ARS church has appointed a 7-member committee of lay judges of the church and named members of a purported Committee of Lay Judges, and swore them-in with a one year tenure of office, during which, it is to resolve conflicts in the church. The foremost task assigned the committee is to bring back break-away members of the church.
1. The information in the said publication is completely misleading, inaccurate and contemptuous as the ARS Church has its standing Committee of Lay Judges which has been functioning before the passing of the founder of the church and continues to function.
2. The report stated that “currently the ARS is in court over the break-away of some members” It also made reference to Accra High Court (General Jurisdiction 5) order. What was done at the so called swearing-in and what was reported was entirely different and contrary to the court order of May 29, 2024. The court order specifically was for the Lay Judges to meet the two (2) parties Togbe Awli II and others -the plaintiffs and the Apostles and Regional Supt. Ministers –the defendants and to resolve the matter brought to the court by Togbe Awli and others against the Apostles and Regional Supt. Ministers of the Church and not the break-away of some members. The recognised Committee of Lay Judges of the Church has initiated action by inviting the two parties to submit their cases to the committee, particularly the Togbe Awli IVgroup since they are the plaintiffs in the matter. So far, the defendants –the Apostles and the Regional Supt. Ministers have submitted their case. The plaintiffs Togbe Awli IV and others are yet to submit their case.
3. The elements who organised the charade ceremony covered by your reporter are members of a renegade group who have lost favour with the Gbedzi and Ekporme leadership and are always out to cause mischief and disturb the peace and unity of the Church.
Torgbui Duklui Attipoe V and Apostle A. N. Tehn-Addy are also, to the best of our knowledge, out of favour with the Gbedzi leadership and are only seeking attention, and publicity to redeem their faltering/plummeted image.
They have all therefore found it very expedient and convenient to come together as bed fellows to pursue their agenda of deepening the split in the Church and imposing themselves over it. The group has no constituency, no branches under it nor control over anything, and has no authority to call a meeting let alone the swearing-in of a very sensitive and high powered committee like the Committee ofLay Judges of the Church. It is very ironic that the group and it’s so called Chairman referred to some members as break-away group when they truly are the break-away group that must reconcile with the mother church.
4. Some of the persons named as members of the so called committee of lay judges inaugurated by the renegade group included the current Chairman of the standing Committee of Lay Judges (Elder Sam Agbenu Esq.) who has acted in the said position for many years and was appointed by the Founder of the Church.
5. Elder Sam Agbenu Esq. as well as Elder Nana Tabiri Ampem Kyeremeh II(acting lay judge) who were included in the so called committee of lay judges, were never, and have never been part of the renegade group, and are never a part of their anti-church activities. They were not contacted nor consulted and never attended the so called inauguration.
6. However, your reporter contrary to the ethics of your profession included their names without making any effort whatsoever to contact them. This grave omission on the part of your reporter has exposed these honourable elders of the church to great embarrassment as members now point fingers at them and regard them as being in league with a group that is always fomenting trouble and are against the peace and unity of the Church. This has caused irreparable damage to their reputation and that of their families.
7. The Church has its structures firmly in place, and well known and recognised and any member who wishes to follow the path of peace knows what to do to ensure that peace is achieved by returning to the mother Church at Gbedzi and become members of the Church.
8. We wish to emphasise that the Gbedzi faction is interested in the unity of the Church and will do whatever it takes to achieve this. The desired unity we have been preaching over the period we believe, cannot be decreed, rail-rolled or imposed as this renegade group is seeking to do but can only be achieved through dialogue, negotiations and prayers.
9. The harm and damage done to the reputation of the Church and the Gbedzi faction by this publication is regrettable.
10. From the foregoing, we demand that this rejoinder be published unedited and timeously in the interest of your esteemed readers who appreciate well-balanced publications and to give it equal coverage to undo the damage and misleading implications occasioned by your unfortunate publication of June 11, 2024.
11. We are prepared to sit with you to discuss and provide our (Gbedzi) side of the story and our continuing attempts to bring about unity and harmony into the Church.
12. We are sure that the Ekporme group is also prepared to do the same with you in your pursuit to arrive at the truth and advance peace and harmony in ARS Church.
13. The recognised members of the Committee of Lay Judges of the Church of ARS are as follows; Sam Agbenu Esq. Chairman, Prof. J. B. K.Aheto, Secretary, Nana Tabiri Ampem Kyeremeh II,Togbe Azadagli Dededo I, Elder George Aho, Elder Christopher Foe, Apostle W. K.Adabra, Elder David Xormeku.
By Prof. J. B. K. Aheto
Secretary,
Board of Trustees