Coronavirus: Churches turn ‘ghost town’ on Sunday after Akufo-Addo’s directive

Instead of a usual mood of high spirited faithfuls singing and praying in supplication of the Lord’s blessings and protection for the start of the week, the sights on various church premises across the country on Sunday March 22, 2020 is quite the opposite.

This is because today marks the first Sunday of a four-week period that the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, has placed a ban on social gatherings as a measure to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus in the country.

Visiting some churches in Accra, OTECNEWS cameras captured desolate car parks, empty chapels and deserted compounds in place of what would have been the direct opposite on the fourth Sunday in the lent season which precedes Easter.

At the Bethany Methodist Church in Dzorwulu, the Superintendent Minister Right Reverend Edward Ofori-Donkor, said his church just like other churches across the country have had to resort to social media livestream to broadcast a 45-minute service to his church members at home.

“We were not able to have our normal service as we used to do because of the situation we all know. So we had a livestreaming of our service for the day. We used about 45 minutes for our members to listen in at their various homes.

On the effectiveness of the compromise the church has had to make, Rev Ofori-Donkor said responses received from members indicate they were in tune with the online service shared today.

“Our members were actually in tune with the service, because at the end of the day we had about 885 people viewing and about 105 comments coming from our members and from other places. It seems they enjoy the service at home.”

He advised Ghanaians to heed to the practices outlined by the World Health Organisation to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He also called on Ghanaians to use this moment to reflect on their relationship with God and live a life more pleasing to their maker.

“Let us take this situation to look at our relationship with God and live a better life after this difficult period that we are in. People need to change, people need to repent and come back to their God. That will be a very happy moment for everybody and it will be good for our country.”

From there, the team visited other churches including the Charity Baptist Church and the Covenant Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, all in Dzorwulu.

In both locations, the situation was no different with church leaders telling otecfmghana.com that they had also conducted earlier services which was streamed online to the benefit of their congregants.

Kumasi

Hundreds of Churches in the Kumasi metropolis have totally closed down their temples to guard against spreading of corona virus.

The government banned all public gatherings including conferences, workshops, funerals, festivals, political rallies, church activities and other related events as part of measures to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country.

President Nana Akufo-Addo in a national address on Sunday [March 15, 2020] said the ban will be in force for the next four weeks.

As the country enters into the first Sunday after government’s directive, OTEC NEWS KWAME AGYENIM BOATENG toured over 15 churches in the Central Business District of Kumasi and other neighboring municipalities in the Ashanti Region.

Some of the most renowned churches in Kumasi which have had their temples opened always for tens of years were seeing closed down.

The Ashanti Regional Headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, Saint Peters Basilica at Romanhill , Adum Methodist Church(Wesley Cathedral), Anglican Archdiocese of Kumasi(Saint Cyprians ) at Fante New Town were all closed.

Bantama Assemblies of God

At Bantama, Harvesters Evangelical Ministry, the church of Pentecost, the Methodist church, Saint James Baptist church, Bantama Catholic, and Assemblies of God Church were all closed. An Associate Pastor at Bantama Assemblies of God Pastor Francis Acresti called on all to have faith in God in these challenging times.

Reverend Obofour’s Church

Reverend Obofour’s Church All churches in the Kwadaso Municipality were also close down including Anointed Palace church headed by Reverend Obofour. The Superintendent Minister for Kwadaso Methodist Right Reverend Moses Quanson called on all church leaders to support the government.

At Perez Chapel, Kwadaso- Hwimase

Perez Chapel at Kwadaso- Hwimase, the Resident Pastor for the Kumasi main branch of Perez Chapel at Kwadaso-Hwimase Rev .Dr. John Arye commended the government for move and called the public to trust God and do away with fear.

Source: Ghana/otecdmghana.com