By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Mafi Adidome
The General Councilor of the Christ Is The Same (CITS) Ministries International, Apostle Gershon Kwaku Amedetor has called on Ghanaians including politicians to uphold the virtues of Godliness, faithfulness and righteousness as the nation prepares for the 7th December elections. Speaking to our newsteam at this year’s international convention at Mafi Adidome in the Central Tongu district of the Volta Region, Apostle Amedetor noted that these virtues are the key panaceas to ensuring peaceful polls in December.
The four-day convention was the first post-COVID gathering of members of the church after the last event in 2017 at the national headquarters of the Church at Aflao in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region.
The church, established by the late Apostle Seth Kofi Amedetor in 1973, began in Lome-Togo before extending to Aflao in Ghana and subsequently to its current three (3) main regions of the country namely Volta, Greater Accra and Eastern regions where the Church can boast of more than fifty (50) branches dotted in many typical rural, voodoo stricken and other idolatry dominant areas.
The convention, themed, ‘Remain Living Stones’, coincided with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Church which also has branches in Togo, Benin, Nigeria and France with mission partnerships and presence in the USA and Japan amongst others.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Church, six (6) pastors, two (2) elders and two (2) deaconesses were ordained and inducted into office. A memorial and research building and office in memory of the late Founder, was also unveiled at the convention. New choir robes for the church were also dedicated and outdoored at the thanksgiving service on Sunday.
Speaking to our newsteam in an interview after the thanksgiving service on Sunday, the General Councilor of the Church, Apostle Gershon Kwaku Amedetor called on Ghanaians to ensure peace in the forthcoming polls.
According to him, for such peace to be manifested, Ghanaians must show truthfulness, righteousness and Godliness not only in their conversations and utterances but also their deeds, actions and inactions.
Apostle Amedetor noted that one of the major challenges facing the country for which Ghanaians have several challenges today as a nation is the absence of faithfulness and Godliness in the conduct and lives of many Ghanaians and the country’s leadership as a whole in all spheres. He reiterated that for the country’s current economic and social woes to be addressed, the country’s leaders including the political leadership must be faithful and Godly in their conduct and actions.
Touching on the unveiled Memorial and Research building in memory of his late father and Founder of the Church, Apostle Dr. Seth Kofi Amedetor, Apostle Gershon Amedetor said the late Founder, supported by the wife and Co-Founder, Mrs. Patience Amedetor, embarked on a mission at the time to rescue many lost souls not only from Lome-Togo but also later at Aflao and beyond.
He described the Founder as very hardworking and a Godly figure that sacrificed for the good of the ordinary man in particular and Christians in general.
The Memorial structure, he said would be expanded to become a Research Centre for future generations to read and learn about the late Apostle Dr. Seth Amedetor.
The General Deacon of CITS Ministries International, Rev. Mathias Mayeden said the Church has many achievements to its credit. According to him, the Church over the years has been involved in supporting the poor and needy in the society by donating food and other items to the rural folks, supporting the needy with scholarships to school as well as building chapels in many communities amongst others.
He disclosed that the Church currently has thirty-six (36) branches in Ghana dotted mainly in three (3) regions of Volta, Eastern and Greater Accra with the Church’s international headquarters located at Tema. There are also some fourteen (14) branches in Togo, five (5) in Benin, two (2) each in France and Nigeria, mission presence in Japan with partnerships in the US and Gabon.
Rev. Mayeden gave the assurance that the Church would continue to positively impact more Ghanaians especially in the rural areas in the coming years. According to the General Deacon, the ordination of the new pastors, elders and deaconesses during the week-long convocation or convention, marked the continuation of more things to happen to the Church and its members.
The National Pastor in-charge of the Church in neighbouring Togo, Pastor Dominique Gamedah noted that since the inception of the Church in 1973, it had brought unity, peace and togetherness between the peoples of Ghana and Togo including the body of Christians in the two sister countries.
He attributed these achievements to the leadership of the late Founder who sewed the seed of unity among the members and also led exemplary lives worthy of emulation by the youth and the entire membership of the church.
At fifty (50) years of its establishment, CITS Ministries can boast among other things of having made great strides in many rural areas in Togo, Benin and Ghana. This was made possible by strategic evangelization programmes through radio broadcasts, film and drama shows, personal witnessing and open-air crusades, various follow-up strategies, children’s outreach and camp meetings, vacation Bible schools, home cells/groups sessions as well as underground church strategies in restricted and hostile areas.
