The Methodist Church of the Resurrection-Kpeehe has held a stakeholder dialogue on the challenges of the Corona Virus Disease (covid-19) on Christians.
The programme, which was hosted by the Superintendent Minister of the Kpeehe Circuit who doubles as the Director of Public Relations of the Methodist Church Ghana, Very Rev.Dr. Henry Ampaw Aseidu aimed at engaging experts on the health, socio-economic and religious well-being of Christians amidst the COVID 19 pandemic.
The stakeholder dialogue, which was held under strict Covid-19 preventive protocols, brought together three experts; a dietitian intern at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital who is also a nurse at the UCC Hospital Mrs. Joyce Eshun, ASP Alexander Asamoah of the National Counter Terrorism Department (NCUT) at the Ghana Police Head Quarters-Accra and the Second Minister of the Methodist Church of the Resurrection-Kpeehe Rev. Richmond Eshun to discuss the health, financial, social and moral challenges that Christians are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rev. Richmond Eshun, who spoke on the impact of COVID-19 on the church said that Christians do not necessarily need to be in a physical auditorium in order to continue to serve God because their bodies are the temple of Christ.
The Rev. Minister urged Christians not to abandon their relationship with God in these bad times but rather use the opportunity to get closer to God.
Speaking on the essence of tithing, Rev. Eshun noted that the claim that Christians should stop paying tithe because they not attending church is erroneous.
According him, paying tithe is a Christian’s way of worshiping or showing gratitude to God and it should also be seen as a duty which needs to be performed for the growth of the church.
“Tithing is an act of spirituality and worship which is a must for every Christian”, he said.
Following calls from President Akufo-Addo and health practitioners for people to boost their immune system to resist contracting the covid-19, the stakeholder dialogue also focused on the correlation between covid-19 and healthy eating.
Thus, Mrs. Joyce Eshun advised people to eat foods such as dawadawa, and kontomire which contain antioxidants to counteract oxidation that takes place in the body to help boost their immune system. In addition, the dietitian also urged Christians to exercise more to maintain a healthy immune system while they work on fortifying their relationship with God for spiritual well-being.
Speaking on the adherence to prescribed safety protocols, ASP Alexander Asamoah revealed that security personnel have had challenges with recalcitrant citizens especially during the lock-down. He therefore urged people to take responsibility for their own safety even though, the restrictions on movements and interactions with others have now been made more flexible.
ASP Alexander Asamoah called on religious leaders to put efficient measures in place to ensure that social distancing and other covid-19 safety protocols are strictly adhered to when religious activities resume.
The panelists were of the view that should the government even lift the ban on social gatherings, citizens must continue to observe the safety protocols to ensure a holistic fight against the covid-19 pandemic.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Joyce Hilda Efia Aboagye
