News
‘Echoes of Victory’ celebrates 25 years September 4 with musical concert
Echoes of Victory, a singing ministry of the Ebenezer Methodist Church, at Madina in Accra, is set to celebrate its Silver Jubilee with a Gospel Rock Show scheduled for Sunday, September 4, 2022.
The concert dubbed: “Celebrating 25 Years of Transforming Lives through Music,” comes off at the Ebenezer Methodist Cathedral at Madina and would feature two renowned gospel artistes, Uncle Ato and Eugene Zuta.
The group was officially inaugurated on Sunday, 22nd December 1996 after it was formed in 1994 and has over the years contributed to various evangelism programmes of the church.
Nana Kofi Opoku, President of the group, said the choir was initiated by a group of young Christians belonging to various youth organisations with the purpose of “evangelism and creating an atmosphere of worship at church services.”
According to him, the group had actively participated in numerous crusades, revivals, and other outreach programmes organised by the Madina Circuit and the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church.
“Some of the programmes that stand out include the Madina circuit and Accra diocese outdoor crusades with Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh between the years 1998 and 2001.
“We were one of the youth singing ministry among a total of three selected for the national crusades under the auspices of the Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Asante Antwi which had Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh as the main speaker,” he noted.
He said the choir as part of its evangelism programmes had over the years toured some basic and secondary schools at Madina to help them nurture their talents and encourage them live Godly lives.
He mentioned Mr. Gideon Osei Agyemang, Jude Amoakwa, Nana Kofi Opoku, Joseph Okai, Joseph Agyei, Benjamin Agyei, Alfred Nii Otu, Michael Okai Simon Sackey, Henry Owoo, among others as some founding leaders of the group.
Nancy Tetteh, Gloria Akonnor, Augustina Barnes, Constance Gyabi, Angelina Arthur, and Christiana Owusu, he added, later on formed the first batch of females to join the group.
“As we celebrate our anniversary we can only look back and be thankful for how far the Lord has brought us.
“The history of the group will never be complete if we fail to acknowledge the immeasurable contributions our patrons and patronesses as well as other individuals have made to sustain the group up to this point,” Mr. Opoku added.
The anniversary celebrations will be climaxed in December with a Thanksgiving Service.
By Spectator Reporter
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
