Pastors Ready For Church Service

Tension is brewing among the leadership of churches in the country over whether or not the church is ready for business despite the president’s lifting of the three months old lockdown.

So far some members of the clergy are unsure whether to continue with their online church services or to open their churches under the new COVID-19 protocols for churches.

The President on Sunday lifted the three months old lockdown directive on churches replacing it with what it says is “Government’s Safety Guidelines for Church Activities.”

Under the 29-point Safety Guidelines, churches could only have just a majority of 100 congregants within a one-hour service while persons without face masks should not be allowed entry into the church.

In addition, all congregants must to wash hands with soap under running water or rub with alcohol-based hand sanitiser before entry.

Also, persons with underlining conditions are not permitted to attend church service.

Religious bodies are to keep a database of worshippers to assist in contact tracing should a Covid-19 case be recorded.

According to the government, congregants are to avoid shaking hands or body contact, sharing of items like pens and jewellery on church premises should be discouraged.

The long list of directives also among others advocated regular cleaning and disinfection of frequently used communal places (like toilet surfaces) and frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs/handles, preferably every 1-2 hours depending on the rate of utilization.

Church Ready

But in the face of these unusual directives, some members of the clergy seem unfazed.

Prophet Davis Kofi Akuffo-Addo of the Creator’s Blessing Church is sure the church is ready to take off.

Hinging his unshaken faith on the principle that nothing can take Christians from the love of God, the man of God said his church is more than ready to obey the set of guidelines put in place by the government.

Prophet Akuffo-Addo stated that Christianity is built on obedience insisting that Christians had complained about the lockdown and that the lifting of same should be a course to applaud government.

On the one hour duration given under the new directive, the man of God said, the nation and for that matter the world was not in normal times for which reason long and protracted churches services is no more necessary.

“The time for the service does not matter, Christianity is all about the heart and your uprightness to God…” he added.

Support

Prophet De-Graft Owusu Ansah, Founder of the Perfect Way Evangelistic Family Church while agreeing with the position of Prophet Akuffo-Addo said opening the churches was a risk.

He said the decision by the government to open churches had both positive and negative implications.

Prophet Owusu Ansah quoting the price of a thermometer gun for instance, stated that the measures by the government as a way of checking the further spread of the disease would favour the big churches who have good financial standing than the mushrooming ones.

Admitting that his church is opening on Sunday June 7 for service, he said the church will strictly adhere to the directives put in place by the government.

ICGC Fear

Meanwhile, the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) will not reopen its church premises.

In a communique to pastors and local assemblies, the church’s Presbytery said all of its branches are to remain closed until further notice.

“No ICGC local assembly shall be opened to run in-person church services until so advised by the Presbytery.”

The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council says its members who might not be able to meet all the requirements announced by the government ahead of the opening of churches on Sunday not to open.

According to the General Secretary of the GPCC, Rev. Emmanuel Barrigah said churches should not rush to start services if they do not have all the requirements being demanded.

According to him, this is to ensure that the whole environment is safe to prevent anyone who might have the disease to infect others with it.

“We are writing to our congregations and we are telling them that they should not be in a rush to open…”