A Gift to the House of God

A member presented Flat Screen, projector and accessories to the Church. The Flat screen would enable those who sit at the back to be able to sing hymns displayed, see and read announcements etc. The Minister-in-Charge, Rev'd Seth Kissi , assisted by the other Ministers, dedicated the equipments to the Glory of God. Projecting Hymns on the screen helps especially visitors who might not have Hymn Books to fully participate in Worship.

The Reward Of Faithfulness to the Lord

Bible Readings : 2Sam 23:1-7; Rev1:4b-8; Jn18:33-37

Sis Rose Boadi preached the Sermon.
Here are the main points of the preaching:
*The reward of faithfulness is by Grace.
*Abraham and Ruth acted on their faith and were rewarded.
*Abraham's faith in God led him to offer his son Issac. His reward was that he became a friend of God.
* Ruth was widowed at an early stage and the mother-in-law she clung to was poor, but her faith in the God  she adopted through her mother-in-law, led her to Obed. Ruth's reward was that Jesus was a descendant
of Obed.
*The woman with the issue of blood acted on her faith and was rewarded with total healing for her sickness.
*The Centurion did not allow power, pride and position to stand in his way. He showed great faith and was rewarded with healing for his servant. MHB 758 2nd Stanza, last line says: 'Lord, speak and make me whole'.
*Only faith can free us from unnecessary anxiety. We can be sure God will provide our needs if only we have fath in Him.
*Paul's faith in God made him 'strong' when he was 'weak' for God's grace was sufficient for him.
* Let us remember that faith is always rewarded; and without faith it is impossible to please God.

BE ATTENTIVE AND ACTIVE AS WE WAIT FOR OUR REDEMPTION

1Sam1:4-20; Heb10:11-18; Mk13:1-8

Rev'd Fiifi Foh Arkhurst preached the Sermon. He defined redemption as the freedom obtained when the price has been paid - usually by a third party. During the time of the Israelites in Egypt, God redeemed the Israelites from slavery through the destruction of Egypt but Jesus is our Redeemer because he paid the price.

In Hebrews, the work of Christ is compared to the work of the priest. While the priest repeated his sacrifices very often - which could not remove sin - Christ offered one sacrifice and went up to heaven to sit at the right hand of God. He forgives and remembers our sins no more.
The blood of sheep and goats could not and cannot cleanse us. Only the blood of Jesus can.
In Mark, Jesus warned his followers about the future so that they can live in the present. We must be careful not to be deceived as we wait for his second coming.We must not relax but be attentive and active.
To be redeemed is to be forgiven, sanctified and made free; and so as we cannot redeem ourselves we must access the redemption Jesus freely offers.
It is a clarion call, Rev'd Arkhurst said, to all believers to remain focused, be available and useful.
Our Salvation, he continued, is closer than we think and we must work at it "with fear and trembling". There will be distractions as we seek it but we must remain focused. The redemption is a continuous process. God is redeeming his people all the time and we should not allow anything to stand in our way. In conclusion he said ' Jesus paid a debt he did not owe and we received freedom for which we did not pay"

Harvest & Thanksgiving Sunday

The Harvest Sermon was delivered by the Very Rev'd Prof  K. Asamoah Gyadu. the Bible Readings was from Psalm 116: 1-4; 8-14.
Thanksgiving Services are part of fundraising and part of worship. We use thanksgiving services to tell God we cannot pay for His Grace by giving our all. Thanksgiving Services are about
1. Acknowledging God for what he has done (Ps116:9) 2. Rededicating ourselves to Him not only as individuals but as a community, church and nation (Deut 26)
3. Fulfilling our vows to God; reminding Him everything we have is from Him.
The benefit we receive is the salvation He has given us (2Cor 8:9 & MHB 371)
God has emptied Himself for us.

Rev'd Seth Kissi Inducted as Minister-in-Charge of Trinity United Church

The Sermon was delivered by the Rev'd Dr J.O.Y. Mante, the Chairman of the Akropong Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church. Readings were from: Deut 6:1-9; Heb 9:11-14 and Mt 11:1-6 and the title was ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME OR WE SHOULD LOOK FOR ANOTHER? Directing the whole Sermon to the new Minister-in-Charge,  Rev'd Mante traced the history of the question which forms his theme for the Sermon, when Obadiah asked the prophet Elijah a similar question when King Ahab wanted to see the Prophet on certain issues. John the Baptist was in prison and heard of all that Jesus was doing. Additionally, Jesus was John's cousin and John expected him to do something about his imprisonment, such as a miracle or something like that to get him released from prison; but Jesus did nothing and although John, at the baptism of Jesus, saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove, he still doubted and that was why he sent his disciples to Jesus to find out whether he (Jesus) was the one to come or they should wait for another. Jesus' response, according to Rev'd Mante, was not in terms of his qualifications or degrees obtained from any university, but his works: 'Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, and the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.' Rev'd Dr Mante's hope was that after a time of heading the Trinity United Church, Rev'd Kissi's spiritual profile will be that he had a greater impact on the congregation; and his 'classroom dynamics' will be the same as his 'Churchroom dynamics'; his morals and teachings will reflect in his lifestyle. Again Rev'd Mante said a pastor, apart from good education, must be able to spell the word 'pastor'.
P = Progressive: for no one wants to follow a leader who is retrogressive 1Tim 1:14 & Jer 29:7. God Himself has plans that will prosper us- morally and spiritually.
A = Availability: the church is too important for the pastor not to be available when the flock needs him, so the pastor must be available.
S = Sacrifice: The congregation will not sacrifice when they do not see the pastor making any sacrifices. Nothing great or important, Rev'd Mante said, is achieved without sacrifice. Anyone who sacrifices gets followers. No cross, no crown he concluded.
T = Teamwork: Allowing teamwork is difficult because there is the tendency, as a Minister-in-Charge, to think that one has all the skills and knowledge to do everything, but in the church are many gifts which must be allowed to operate. Rev Kissi should therefore play the coach's role in the United Church and allow members to play their respective roles.
O = Overcomer: Spiritually and morally to be able to help members to also become overcomers. To be an overcomer, the pastor must be prayerful; seeking God's face all the time.
R = Reverence: 1Tim 4:7 A pastor must train himself in godliness. This also is difficult but with meditation, prayer and fasting, the pastor will portray reverence.
The Rev'd Dr Mante concluded his sermon with a prayer for the new Minister-in-Charge for God's guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen him.

Photo Gallery of Induction Ceremony

The Church Council Secretary, Bro Yaw Buaben Asamoa, set the ball rolling by telling us who Rev'd Seth Kissi was. He read his CV. His first station was Saltpond Presby Church...and many more which will be published here next week...








...while Rev'd Kissi and wife Mavis stand in readiness for the ceremony.
















Rev'd Dr Cyril Fayose and Rev'd Dr Mante and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, the Rev'd Dr Frimpong Manso pray for Rev'd Kissi.










RIGHT: Rev'd Dr Fayose performing the Induction Ceremony. On his left is the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev'd Dr Frimpong Manso and on his right, the Rev'd Dr J.O.Y. Mante.

The Moderator congratulating Rev'd Seth Kissi. Looking on and ready to do same are Rev'd Dr Cyril Fayose, the immediate past Minister-in-Charge and Rev'd Dr Mante.

Church, here is your new Minister-in-Charge!

Council Members congratulate their new boss.

TOP: A section of  Rev'd Kissi's students at church to lend their support.

RIGHT: Some Teacher-colleagues of Mrs Kissi were also there to share in the joy.

...his Fathers in Ministry were there to provide  the much-needed Spiritual help...
















...Mom and Uncles were also there.

Church was filled to capacity

Rev'd Kissi's Acceptance Speech

In a short but impressive 'speech',  Rev'd Kissi said the Head of the Church is Christ therefore he will rely on the Holy Sprit for 'it is not by might or  by power'. He said he is happy to be appointed the Minister-in-Charge, for Trinity United  Church is a 'sophiscated Church'  with a wide variety of gifts and skills. He said 'my hands will continually be in the hands of Christ that my steps will be ordered by Him'.
He paid a glowing tribute to his wife who 'was willing and able to make difficult and exacting sacrifices as a worker and mother and  as a father to their children when he was not there'. God, he said, will bless and bless her. He thanked his predecessor, Rev'd Dr Cyril Fayose for his help and guidance. He hinted that his last child is named Cyril, after Rev'd Fayose. Rev'd Kissi thanked his
Mother, the Presbyterian Hierachy and indeed the whole church for giving him this opportunity to serve. He asked for prayers from everyone so that he will receive wisdom and strength to do this work.

Trinity United makes a presentation to the new Minister-in-Charge

The idea was that usually a Minister is transferred after becoming an Assistant Minister at TUC for a while; but in Rev'd Kissi's case he is the first Assistant Minister to be appointed a Minister-In-Charge and so the Church presented him with a gift that he would have been given if he were going on transfer. Here the Council Secretary, Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoa makes a presentation on behalf of the Church to Rev'd & Mrs Kissi.

Mrs Kissi thanking the Church for the present with Rev'd Kissi looking on with intense admiration.