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Opoku Ware Senior High School Student Wins Bible Society of Ghana’s 2022 Essay Competition

Accolades, Prizes, and Inspiration at the Prestigious Competition

May 5,2023 – The Bible Society of Ghana recently organized the highly anticipated 2022 Essay Competition, a captivating event that showcased the biblical knowledge and intellectual prowess of young minds. The competition concluded with an exhilarating victory by Maxwell Yeboah, a talented student from Opoku Ware Senior High School, who emerged as the overall winner.

Maxwell’s remarkable performance throughout the competition earned him not only the admiration of his fellow participants but also a prestigious array of prizes. As a testament to his achievement, he was awarded a Laptop, a stylish branded Bible Society flask, and a high-quality printer. These valuable prizes aim to equip him with the necessary tools to further his academic journey and encourage continued excellence.

However, Maxwell was not the only star to shine at the event. The Bible Society of Ghana recognized the exceptional talents of all 79 participants by presenting each one with a Youth Interactive Bible. This gesture aimed to foster spiritual growth and encourage a deeper understanding of scripture among the youth. The interactive features of the Bibles allow participants to engage with the biblical text in an immersive and engaging manner, making their learning experience even more enriching.

Moreover, the regional winners were bestowed with an additional prize—the gift of knowledge and technology. Each regional winner was presented with five tablets, a move that not only celebrated their accomplishments but also aimed to bridge the digital divide among young learners. The provision of these tablets ensures that these bright minds have access to educational resources and opportunities that will further enhance their academic pursuits.

The 2022 Essay Competition, organized by the Bible Society of Ghana, represents a vital platform for nurturing young talent, promoting biblical understanding, and encouraging intellectual growth among Ghana’s youth. The event’s success is a testament to the commitment of the Bible Society of Ghana in empowering young individuals and fostering a love for scripture.

The competition not only celebrated the achievements of its participants but also highlighted the importance of providing equal opportunities for education and spiritual development. Through initiatives like the Essay Competition and the distribution of Youth Interactive Bibles, the Bible Society of Ghana aims to create a lasting impact in the lives of young Ghanaians, equipping them with the tools they need to excel academically and deepen their faith.

As the curtain falls on the 2022 Essay Competition, the Bible Society of Ghana extends its gratitude to all participants, teachers, and supporters who contributed to the success of the event. Their dedication and passion for learning have inspired a new generation of young minds to explore and embrace the profound wisdom found within the scriptures.

For further information about the Bible Society of Ghana, its initiatives, or future events, please contact us.

Twenty-nine Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors were taking through the Initial Trauma Healing Training in Cape Coast. These Ministers who mostly work in schools from Junior and Senior Highs Schools as well as the Tertiary intend to form Trauma Healing clubs. This would be the first of its kind towards the youth since the TH program started in Ghana.

Each of these Ministers, has plans of having about 50 person’s in their clubs which would mean that about 1450 youth are being helped from the wounds of their heart. We look forward to the Advance session with them and to share in the impact of the training.

A pilot of the clubs was conducted in a School in Koforidua and reported as follows:

The 2022 academic year saw the launch of a Trauma Healing Club at the SDA Senior High School, Asokore – Koforidua. 60 students were selected and taken through trauma and counselling therapy exercise. The cardinal objective of this club was to offer skills and strategies to assist students with traumatized situations to better understanding, coping with, processing emotions and memories tied to traumatic experiences with the end goal of enabling them to create a healthier and more adaptive meaning of the experience that took place in their lives.

The core lessons necessary for this exercise were all duly covered within a period of 3 months. Students met once every week. The participatory learning module was employed in this exercise. The program ended with a graduation ceremony with a dramatic lesson on “Forgiveness – Pain to the Cross”. The program was very impactful and yielded the results envisaged.

By Samuel Akumatey, GNA

Ho, Oct. 18, GNA – Professor John Owusu Gyapong, Vice Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, has called on leaders to consider themselves divinely chosen, and reflect God’s tenets in their activities towards the development of a more responsible society.

He said religious leaders particularly those of the dominant Christian faith, must lead the way to becoming responsible citizens.

Professor Gyapong was delivering the keynote address at the opening of the 2018 African Biblical Leadership Initiative (ABLI) forum, organised by the Bible Society of Ghana in Ho, which was on the theme: “Civic Responsibilities and Nation Building.”

He asked them to emulate quality leaders recorded in the Scriptures, and consider their duty as service to God and not mankind, saying “if you see yourselves as leading on behalf of God, it would go a long way to change society”.

Professor Gyapong, also a member of the Bible Society, charged leaders to be bold and stand for the truth in all circumstances.

He further said civic responsibilities were crucial to national development and that the citizenry must show dedication to service for the good of country, saying, environmental degradation was one major indictor of gross irresponsibility, and that addressing such required headstrong leaderships supported by people who were willing to work towards reversing negative trends in society.

The Reverend Dr Erasmus Odonkor, General Secretary of the Bible Society, lamented that despite proliferation of Churches in the Country, moral standards left much to be desired and underscored the need for all to come together to build the nation on integrity and responsibility.

He also asked leaders to find ways of exhibiting love, honesty and transparency in their line of work.

Rev. Father William Kornu of the Ho Diocese of the Catholic Church said the nation did not need “many Churches or Christians”, but rather people living according to the Word of God truthfully, and commended the Bible Society for targeting the youth for spiritual and attitudinal change.

Rev. Seth Mawutor, Volta Regional Chairman of the Christian Council Ghana, appealed to Christians to renew their minds and be committed to the socioeconomic development of the nation.

The forum was organised by the Bible Society of Ghana, a branch of the United Bible Society, formed in 1965 to translate, publish and distribute the Holy Scriptures.

This year’s forum brings together leadership in government, the Legislature, Judiciary, Church organizations, industry, education, and the media among others.

GNA

The Bible Society of Ghana has appointed a new General Secretary effective 1^st February 2023. The newly appointed General Secretary, Very Rev. Dr. John Kwesi Addo Jnr takes over from Rev. Dr. Enoch Aryee-Atta who ended his tenure on 31^st January 2023.

The Very Rev. Dr. Addo Jnr is Minister of the Lord with the Methodist Church Ghana and with extensive years of rich experience in Christian leadership. He has worked in various leadership roles and distinguished himself in several offices held throughout his ministry in the Methodist Church Ghana. Rev. Addo Jnr brings both a strong theological background and a passionate focus on Christian missions. Very Rev. Dr. Addo is a Christian leader with orientation towards pragmatic and collaborative leadership, employing awesome people skills to bring out the best in others for the achievement of organizational goals.

A hearty congratulations to Very Rev. Dr. Kwesi Addo Jnr on his appointment. We pray for fruitful working relations and tenure.

By Samuel Akumatey, GNA

Ho, Oct. 18, GNA – Professor John Owusu Gyapong, Vice Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, has called on leaders to consider themselves divinely chosen, and reflect God’s tenets in their activities towards the development of a more responsible society.

He said religious leaders particularly those of the dominant Christian faith, must lead the way to becoming responsible citizens.

Professor Gyapong was delivering the keynote address at the opening of the 2018 African Biblical Leadership Initiative (ABLI) forum, organised by the Bible Society of Ghana in Ho, which was on the theme: “Civic Responsibilities and Nation Building.”

He asked them to emulate quality leaders recorded in the Scriptures, and consider their duty as service to God and not mankind, saying “if you see yourselves as leading on behalf of God, it would go a long way to change society”.

Professor Gyapong, also a member of the Bible Society, charged leaders to be bold and stand for the truth in all circumstances.

He further said civic responsibilities were crucial to national development and that the citizenry must show dedication to service for the good of country, saying, environmental degradation was one major indictor of gross irresponsibility, and that addressing such required headstrong leaderships supported by people who were willing to work towards reversing negative trends in society.

The Reverend Dr Erasmus Odonkor, General Secretary of the Bible Society, lamented that despite proliferation of Churches in the Country, moral standards left much to be desired and underscored the need for all to come together to build the nation on integrity and responsibility.

He also asked leaders to find ways of exhibiting love, honesty and transparency in their line of work.

Rev. Father William Kornu of the Ho Diocese of the Catholic Church said the nation did not need “many Churches or Christians”, but rather people living according to the Word of God truthfully, and commended the Bible Society for targeting the youth for spiritual and attitudinal change.

Rev. Seth Mawutor, Volta Regional Chairman of the Christian Council Ghana, appealed to Christians to renew their minds and be committed to the socioeconomic development of the nation.

The forum was organised by the Bible Society of Ghana, a branch of the United Bible Society, formed in 1965 to translate, publish and distribute the Holy Scriptures.

This year’s forum brings together leadership in government, the Legislature, Judiciary, Church organizations, industry, education, and the media among others.

GNA

By Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA

Effia (W/R), Oct. 20, GNA – Mr David Ayi Hammond, the Ambassador of the African Biblical Leadership Initiative (ABLI), said little stride has been made in the area of integrity, morality, spirituality and quality leadership despite the multiplicity of churches.

“We cannot to go to church, listen to the gospel truth and decide to do otherwise… We, as church members, must start doing things right and follow the good example of a master teacher and leader-Jesus, who was himself humble and a servant leader,” he added.

Mr Hammond, at the 2017 ABLI Ghana Forum in Takoradi, on the theme: “Responsible Citizenship; The Hall Mark of a Servant Leader,” said it was about time the society and the church, in particular, behaved as the salt of the world.

The African Biblical Leadership forum, organised by the Bible Society of Ghana, is an advocacy programme with focus on leadership in Africa. The ABLI sought to promote leadership transformation using the Bible as a tool for change.

The forum is also used annually to re-echo the need for hard work, initiatives, mutual trust and respect and accountability at all levels of work.

He said the church was gradually failing society with the over concentration on “money business” rather than the salvation and truth, which brought lots of blessings to mankind.

Mr Hammond said the church must revive spirituality among its fold to translate into the overall body of the society.

He said the polaristion of churches had not done any good to the country, particularly the independent churches, with focus on “money business,” neglecting the core values and principles of good Christian living.

Professor Jerry Kuma, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology, who was the guest speaker, said a good leader was the one who inspired confidence among his followers who, in turn, led lives that inspired their contemporaries.

He said in religious, social, educational, industrial, and institutional lives among others, people looked for dedicated, selfless, disciplined, spiritual and sacrificial leaders who would help in building better lives.

“Anyone in leadership role is a servant and greatness comes through servant-hood,” he said.

The ABLI vision emphasises the Biblical values of integrity, compassion and justice in leadership towards a positive transformation of the nation.

It believes that to achieve the objectives of servant leadership, there is the need to improve on the systems for appointing leaders in all facets of society through effective participation.

Reverend Dr Erasmus Donkor, the General Secretary of the Bible Society of Ghana, said the church and other relevant partners must recognise the need to institute counselling, mentoring and career guidance sessions for the youth.

He said the church must demonstrate a stronger leadership role by becoming the conscience of morality and promoting justice with a collective voice in its condemnation of blatant exploitation and corruption, which was deeply entrenched in the communities.

Rev. Donkor said building strong Biblical principles and the inculcation of deeper sense of responsibility was key in national development and transformation.

GNA

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This is a true story of a young man in one of the rural areas of Ghana.

Kojo’s childhood experience was a rough one. His father left home when he was 12 years old and so he was sent to live with his grandfather who was an idol worshipper; that was how he dropped out of school.

As a boy, Kojo never had friends to play with. Coming from the house of idols created some fear about him among the children of his neighbourhood, as a result, he had no friends and would often be found playing by himself. This made him feel different and lonely. It also created in him a sense of rejection.

“I would try to talk to people and make friends,” says Kojo, “but they would just avoid me. They see me as weird, and gross.” Kojo felt like an animal.

“I have nothing to look forward to, no one cares for me, no one loves me“; Kojo often thought.

“No matter how hard I tried, all I knew was pain, hurt, misery and loneliness.”

He would go out and look upwards to the skies and shout to God in heaven to give him one reason he shouldn’t take his own life. On one of such days, Kojo heard an inner voice, so loud and yet peaceful, that said, “Don’t do this, for I have plans for you,”

Kojo continued to have terrible treatment from his grandfather, since he was not interested in the fetish and idol business. He failed to learn the art of idol worship and so was beaten and deprived of food for days. On the contrary, Kojo loved to hide and sneak to Church to listen to the preaching there.

He was always encouraged after church and felt peace in his heart from the God of love who was very different from the gods his grandfather served, who were ruthless, and would be quick to inflict pain and even meted out death for offences committed.

The pastor of the local church in his village, not too long ago, invited the Jesus Film team from the Bible Society of Ghana to come and minister, and during the altar call, Kojo was among the multitude who rose to commit their lives to Christ. He later joined the church and participated in the Faith Comes by Hearing (FCBH) session.

His grandfather was highly disappointed and attempted to harm him spiritually but was unsuccessful. He claimed Kojo’s newfound God was powerful and all efforts to destroy him had failed.

Kojo’s desire to hear the Word of God led him to participate in the literacy class in the church. Within 6 months, he had mastered basic reading skills. This, therefore, qualified him to own his Bible, under a special program called the E2E.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the team who came to our area to show the Jesus film, my life has changed completely”; Kojo shares. He now serves in the church, after his grandfather finally sacked him from the house. Thankfully, his mother’s business is doing well now and so with her help he has gone back to school.

Dearly Beloved in the Lord,

Today is United Bible Societies Day of Prayer. It is a day set aside by all Bible Societies to pray for Bible work in the world.For us in the Bible Society of Ghana is organizing a National Prayer Marathon today. Join us today wherever you are and in whatever language to pray on any of the following topics:

PART 1 :  SUICIDE among the youth. May the Lord have mercy on our youth, parents, and school authorities in the light of recent development in this area. Let us pray that parents, the Church and schools will be awake to this distributing phenomenon and come up with solutions to curb the trend

1. EXAM malpractices. Our wards will soon be taking exams. Let us pray that the relevant authorities will effectively deal with cheating and related malpractices. Let us pray that parents, students, school authorities W.A.E.C officials and invigilators will all cooperate to eradicate this menace.

PART 2

1. YOUTH – Let us pray for our youth and the national agricultural sector using the words of PSALM 144: 12-15.
2. Prayer for a transformational character and good peers among other youth
3. Pray for the youth to make God’s Word the standard of their life
4. Let us pray for revival among the youth to desire God more or the desire to do right things in their generation
5. Let us pray for the youth to become gifted leaders with a pledge to live by integrity.
6. Pray against the influence of occultism and prostitution among the Youth

Social Agenda (2)

PART 1

1. Pray that our leaders will find solutions to the filth and degradation around us and that Ghanaians will have a change of attitude on cleanliness in our homes, towns and cities.
2. Pray that the ministers will find solutions to the dangers posed by galamesy and pollution of our river bodies.
3. Media Sanity & orderliness

PART 2

1. INDISCIPLINE on our roads and role of Okadas. Let us ask for wisdom for the relevant authorities to handle this menace in an effective manner.
2. Robbery on our highways and in our towns appears to be taking an upward trend and a few security agents have been killed recently. Please pray for our security agencies that they will be equal to the task assigned to them as they protect life and property and that they in will know God’s protection.

 PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH (3)

PART 1

Ask God in His loving mercy, and by His saving grace, to revive the Church and more churches to be established Ask God to give each member the heart to loath sins as true disciples of the Lord

PART 2

1. Ask God to raise more men and women who are genuine Kingdom builders for the Mission.
2. Ask God for the salvation of SOULS and for their commitment to the course of His Kingdom.

PART 3

1. IMPACT of the church in Ghana. Let us pray for our church leaders at all levels instead of simply criticizing them and that they will fulfil the mandate God has entrusted to them. May we be focused on the Great Commission which is fast becoming the Great Omission.
2. Let us pray that we Christians shall be salt and light in Ghana and beyond and shall avoid compromises and copying the ways of the world. May we be delivered from false prophets and ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing. “Lord gives us a revival!”

 AGENDA GHANA (4)

PART 1

Pray against outbreak of killer diseases in our Nation and West African. Pray for steady recovery from the present economic recession. Pray against natural disasters that are gathering momentum.

PART 2

1. Pray for those who are in authority for wisdom and guidance.
2. BREAKAWAY group from the eastern corridor especially around the VOLTA region.

Kindly pray for wisdom for government to handle this development described as treason in some quarters Let us pray for our political leadership both the party in power and the opposition for wisdom as they lead this nation. May they put the nation above party and partisan interests and focus on national development.

1. Let us pray for our president Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo that he will have the needed wisdom, health, strength and energy to run the affairs of Ghana in line with God’s will and with integrity.
2. Let us pray for leadership at district, municipal and metropolitan levels that our leaders will rule with integrity and in the best interest of the nation. There are rumors of bribery in some quarters even in this new era.
3. Pray the Almighty God to show mercy on Ghana and save her from backward sliding.
4. Let us pray that in our quest to find funding we shall not fall to the bait and favours from quarters that will entice Ghana to join OIC and similar bodies.
5. Thank God for 60^th Anniversary of Ghana
6. Election of a new Chief Justice and other appointments to be made by the President

PART 3

BIBLE SOCIETY OF GHANA / UNITED BIBLE SOCIETIES

That God should supply donors; Churches and individuals with resources to help the work of Bible

1. Strength for BSG Council and Committee and Staff to continue the mandate of Making God’s Word Available and Affordable.
2. Global Bible work and leadership of fellowship– Philadelphia Promise
3. World Assembly 2022 in Ghana and preparations
4. Flow of resources and capacity of personnel to the fellowship to meet the expected needs of scripture work