The Rt Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante was inducted into office as the 18th Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) at a ceremony at Akropong-Akuapem on Sunday.
The ceremony attracted a high-powered delegation from the government, led by the Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, people from academia, the clergy and traditional leaders from parts of the country.
Rt Rev. Prof. Mante, who succeeds the Rt Rev. Prof. Cephas Omenyo, will serve for a five-year term.
He assumes office with a wealth of experience from the academia and the church, having served in various capacities in the church, including Presbytery chairman, and as a lecturer and immediate past President of the Trinity Theological Seminary.
He has also served as a member of the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and Eastern Regional Chairman of the National Peace Council.
He is currently the Chair of the Ethics and Research Committee of the University of Ghana.
In his address at the induction, Rt Rev. Prof. Mante stressed how important it was for the church to partner the government to advance the national development agenda.
He said the PCG had, over the years, demonstrated beyond all doubt that, “it is, indeed, a real partner in national development”.
The Moderator said apart from the church’s contribution to education, health, agriculture and other aspects of national development, its contribution to ensuring morality could not be overemphasised.
He gave an assurance that the PCG would continue to partner the state to drive the development agenda.
Rt Rev. Prof. Mante said since statistics showed that a greater proportion of Ghanaians were youthful, it was important that the government and leaders of churches directed their attention to the moral uplift and training of the youth.
Evangelism
On evangelism, Rt Rev. Prof. Mante said he intended to revive the evangelism and missionary activities of the PCG in an aggressive manner and disclosed that a missions and evangelism fund would be set up for the church to accomplish that task.
The Moderator expressed his gratitude to God for all the grace and mercies that had brought him thus far.
He also paid tribute to the PCG and the Scripture Union for their support and encouragement.
He promised that he would follow in the footsteps of his predecessors to uphold the legacy of the church as “a Christ-centred and Bible-believing church”.
Commendation
Mrs Osei-Opare, on behalf of the government, commended the PCG for its contribution to national development and pledged the commitment of the government to continue to partner the church for the holistic development of the people.
She said the church had played an enormous role in driving national development and encouraged it to do even more in the years ahead.
In a sermon, the Rt Rev. Dr Sam Prempeh, a former Moderator of the PCG, urged Christians to lead lives worthy of emulation.Other members of the government delegation included the Minister of Regional Reorganisation and Development, Mr Dan Kwaku Botwe; the Minister of Roads and Highways and MP for Atiwa West, Mr Kwesi Amoako Atta, and the Eastern Regional Minister and MP for Nkawkaw, Mr Eric Kwakye-Dafuor.
Other dignitaries included the Chief Justice, Ms Sophia Akuffo, and a host of chiefs from the Akuapem Traditional Area, led by the Okuapehemea, Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuor, as well as a delegation of chiefs from Asante Kokofu.