The Chairperson of the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, (PCG), Rev. Dr. Victor Okoe Abbey asked the congregation in the presbytery and beyond to regulate the level of noise they make during service.
This is to avoid conflict with residents in communities in which the churches operate.
Speaking at the 10th Anniversary thanksgiving service of the Sakumono District of the PCG, Rev. Dr. Abbey on Sunday, January 12, 2020 at the Hope Congregation of the PCG, Rev Dr Abbey advised the chirches to invest in instruments for measuring the sound levels to avoid conflict with residents.
His advice follows a publication in the Daily Graphic of last Saturday, January 11, 2020 in which two churches in the Akweteman area including a Presbyterian congregation have been sued for noise pollution.
Following the legal action, he said he has written to all ministers in the presbytery to take the necessary mitigation steps to avoid further legal battles.
He noted that although the agenda of the church is to win souls for Christ, their activities must not to carry out through excessive noise making where the church will end up becoming enemies with antagonistic residents.
Apart from the nuisance to neighbours, noise generated by the churches was not good for people within the congregation. “Even for our own health, the noise levels in the chapels if not controlled may not be too helpful to us”. If we do not check it, by the time we get to a certain age, we may develop hearing problems.” He said and thus admonish churches to invest in noise measuring instruments to curtail noise pollution.
In a sermon on the theme of the anniversary celebrations, “Let Christ be formed in you, a decade of discipleship, celebrating the goodness of God” Rev. Dr. Abbey urged Christians to trust solely in Christ stressing that if they allow Christ to be formed in them, their attitude, lifestyle, behaviour will change and reflect the life of Christ.
The District Clerk, Mr David Mireku, read out the history of the District stressing on Sunday, 10th January 2010 the SAKUMONO DISTRICT, was created with Hope Congregation as the District head station was inaugurated by then Moderator of the General Assembly, Rt. Rev. Dr. Yaw Frimpong Manso, performed the Act of Elevation assisted by the then Ga Presbytery Chairperson, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey.
He said the Clerk of General Assembly, Rev. Herbert A. Oppong, read the Narrative and the Ga Presbytery Chairperson inducted Rev. G.B. Puplampu into office as District Minister of the new District. This was later followed by the dedication of Agents and District Council by the Ga Presbytery Chairperson. In attendance were Rev. Esther A. Adjetey and Rev. S.K. Mensah, the then Clerk of Presbytery and Tema Community 2 District Minister respectively.
He said since its creation, the District has worked very hard through conscious evangelism to transform one of its Preaching Points, the Manet Preaching Point, to achieve a congregation status under the name Abundant Grace Congregation.
He added that the Kotobaabi Preach Point have also achieved tremendous growth and are putting structures in place to be inaugurated as a congregation very shortly.
The Clerk said the Sakumono District of the PCG was currently nurturing two additional Preaching Points at EMEFS Estate and Borteyman.
He, on behalf of the District Council, congratulated to all past and present District Ministers, namely, Rev. G.B. Puplampu, Rev. Dr. William K. Quaye, Rev. Stephen Lankwei Lawson and Rev. Emmanuel Obeng Ntow for the various roles they played in the development of the Sakumono District.
