The 12th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPCG) opened in Ho on Thursday, August 13.
About 200 presbyters and catechists from congregations across the country are attending the five day gathering, held under the theme "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." A key highlight of the assembly will be the election of a new Moderator to lead the church.
Opening the assembly, the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, said cleanliness goes beyond keeping homes, churches, streets and communities tidy. "It is also about discipline, dignity, responsibility, and respect for God's creation and one another," he said.
Gunu said churches have an important part to play in the national sanitation agenda, describing them as more than places of worship, but also centres of moral education, community mobilisation and social transformation. He urged the EPCG to step up efforts to educate congregations on proper waste disposal, handwashing, keeping surroundings clean, responsible water use and the protection of water bodies.
He said it was for these reasons that the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) has been carrying out various sanitation focused development projects across the region, including 180 completed borehole projects and CHPS compounds, alongside education and other development initiatives.
On water specifically, Gunu pointed to his personal Water for All initiative, under which 19 boreholes have already been delivered, with further work underway in various parts of the region. He added that government is also expanding major water systems, including the Kpeve Water system and the Agordome and Adidome treatment plants, while the Anyako-Konu-Seva Water Systems project has ended a 22 year water shortage affecting three communities.
"These interventions demonstrate that safe water, sanitation and hygiene are not luxuries, but rather essential foundations for healthy, dignified, and productive communities as part of SDG6," he said.
Gunu stressed that the success of these interventions depends on partnerships between churches, chiefs, traditional authorities, schools, businesses, civil society organisations and the wider public.
In his welcome address, the outgoing Moderator of the EPCG General Assembly, Rt Rev Bliss Kofi Agbeko (rtd), said the church now has 18 presbyteries across the country. He said the church is exploring expansion into Australia and Asia, and already has established ties with the E.P. Church in Pakistan.
