News
SDA Women Ministry donates to Koforidua Prisons
Officers at the facility receiving the items
The Women Ministries Department in the New Life District of the Seventh Day Adventist (S.D.A) Church has donated items worth GH¢12,000 to the Koforidua Local Prisons.
The items include three bags of bathroom slippers, 70 bags of sachet water, 700 pieces of toothpaste, 700 pieces of toothbrush, bags of second hand clothing, several copies of evangelistic books, washing detergents and toiletries.
The District Women Ministries Leader, Mrs. Gladys Coompson who presented the items said the purpose of the donation was to reach out to the inmates as the Bible obliged them to do.
She noted that the ministries assisted in spiritual, social, relationships,human interest and humanitarian issues, hence the need to visit the inmates and put smiles on their faces.
Mrs. Coompson indicated that the ministries would use the coming six months to visit, interact and encourage inmates with the aim of loving one another.
She, therefore, advised the public to embrace and love them when they were discharged.
For his part, the Church Pastor of the Newlife S.D.A Church, Pastor Osei Bonsu Sarpong encouraged the inmates to have faith in the Lord and hope that they would leave the place with a new heart.
Pastor Sarpong, who is also the District Pastor noted that there were characters in the Bible who were sent to prison but due to the faith they had in God, they were able to endure and got released later.
He indicated that some of the inmates had found themselves in their current situation due to mere hatred and added that “Jesus loves everyone including them”.
Also for her part, the Former Effiduase District Women Coordinator, Madam Margaret Serwaa Ofori revealed that she had engaged a number of the inmates for 10 years and won eight souls for Christ in baptism.
According to her, the inmates would reform totally when they were released.
Receiving the items, The Assistant Duty Officer of the Koforidua Local Prison, Assistant Superintendent of Prison (A.S.P) Samuel Adu expressed gratitude to the women for their kindness.
He appealed to the government, corporate bodies and philanthropists to address the water, food and congestion situation that the inmates were battling with.
From Spectator Reporter, Koforidua
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
