DON'T NEGLECT WELFARE OF CHURCH MEMBERS (P.28) 17-12-07

Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana, Rt Rev Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, says it is unfortunate to see some churches put up huge and flamboyant chapel buildings while millions of people suffer from abject poverty.
He described poverty as wicked, saying it was the responsibility of the church to rescue the people from the shackles of poverty.
“It’s our responsibility to work together as Christians and fight against poverty because Christians are a voice of the voiceless”, he said.
Rt Rev Dr Fynn made the remark on Sunday when he delivered a sermon at a special church service in Accra during which a seven-member Task Force on Poverty Alleviation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Africa was launched to fight against poverty on the continent.
Members of the task force, who were inaugurated in Accra on Sunday, are Rt Rev Fynn, Bishop Dr Z. Kameeta, Bishop Dr Zephania and Ms Magareth Hansen, all of the Lutheran Church in Namibia.
The rest are Bishop Naison Shava of the Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe; Dr Senait Bahta of the church in Eritrea; and Mr Geoffrey Kalugendo of the church in Tanzania.
The campaign, dubbed, “Churches - Stand up against poverty in Africa”, is aimed at mobilising material and financial resources from Africa, the corporate world and countries committed to the cause of Africa to support the millions of people enslaved by poverty on the continent.
Rt Rev Dr Fynn urged churches in Africa to unite and fight against poverty on the continent.
He said God established the church to address problems facing mankind, such as poverty, adding that “It is a task that has to be performed, not by our power, not by our might, but by the power of Jesus Christ who strengthens us”.
Rt Rev Dr Fynn recounted many instances in recent times when even mothers inflicted harm on their children because they were alleged to have stolen money or fish from soup, and other heinous crimes in society, most of which cause he attributed to poverty.
He observed that poverty had also affected the church to the extent that many Christians doubted God’s graciousness and promises to them.
Rt Rev Dr Fynn urged African governments to show greater commitment towards addressing poverty in their countries, particularly by amending laws inimical to wealth creation.