DAILY GRAPHIC, Sturday, September 1, 2012, Pg.22. Sakaman Methodist holds memorial service for Mills



Rev Ebenezer Grantson interacting with the Central Regional Minister,

 Madam Ama Benyiwa-Doe, and other family members of the late President.

 Story: Mary Ankrah
A CROSS-SECTION of family members of the late President John Evan Atta Mills last Sunday joined the Sakaman Methodist Church in Accra for a memorial thanksgiving service for him.

The service was to pray for the blessings of God for the departed body, the bereaved family and Ghana as a whole for continual peace in the family and the country.

Mr Ernest Kwesie, the Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), who is also one of the friends of the late President, sought permission from the church to hold the thanksgiving in honour of his late friend.

He commended the church for its continuous prayers for the bereaved family, adding that his friend’s death was a sacrifice to the nation considering the way he died.

Preaching on the theme: “The Words of God are in Christ”, a Deputy Superintendent Minister of the Odorkor Police Church, DSP Hannah Sackey,  said the word of God was in the brethren; for that reason they had congregated to give thanks to God.

She emphasised that without the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of the brethren to listen to the words of God and do His will, they would misinterpret the word of God and that could lead to confusion, division and quarrelling among the brethren.

“If the Holy Spirit does not interpret the word of God to you, you will not understand anything,” she stressed.

DSP Sackey said as the congregation had accepted to take Christ as their Lord and Saviour, they should be aware that they had a great responsibility and that they were not in charge of their own lives, illustrating that despite the sufferings and difficulties that the disciples of Christ faced, they were strong to follow him.

She, therefore, advised the congregation to accept the word of God with all their hearts, follow the steps of Jesus the Christ by not allowing their senses of the flesh to predominate them and by so doing God would be happy with them.

Speaking at the thanksgiving service, the Minister-in-Charge, Rev Ebenezer Grantson, observed that death was inevitable and that everyone would in one way or the other pass on to glory but one could not comprehend the manner death would occur.

The minister-in-charge, who also prayed for the late President’s family and Ghana, used the occasion to advise Ghanaians to stand in unity to the glory of God and live peacefully with all.

Mrs Nana Aba Tekyiwa des Borders, Ebusua Obaatan of Nkima Kyere Twidan Ebusua of Cape Coast, the maternal family of the late President, described him as a peaceful person and said his death was a big blow to the family.

Meanwhile, the Susanna Wesley Mission Auxiliary (SUWMA) of the church held its thanksgiving service on the theme: “Our Christian responsibilities”  to raise funds to support an educational building project in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

Some of the activities organised during the celebration were a seminar, a clean-up exercise and a fund raising activity.