The General Superintendent (GS) of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, Rev. Dr. Stephen Wengam, has challenged the leadership of the National Cathedral Project to anchor the project in prayer.
Sharing lessons from his own experience in the building of the Cedar Mountain Chapel in Accra, he entreated the National Cathedral leadership to bring a biblical perspective to the project and to be aware that:
“Building for God always entails warfare!”
He therefore called on the leadership to put together an active force that will constantly pray for the National Cathedral project.
Rev. Dr. Wengam made this call on June 20, 2023 when the leadership of the National Cathedral Project, led by Board member Rev Dr Joyce Aryee, paid a courtesy call on him at the Assemblies of God (AG) Headquarters.
Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee indicated that the delegation was there to congratulate him on his assumption to office as the General Superintendent for the AG church, and to assure him of the support of the NCG leadership. She reported that all the preparatory work on the project – the Cathedral, the Museum, and the Biblical Gardens -- has been completed. Construction has however stalled because of the lack of funds. “As soon as we get a reasonable amount of money, construction will resume”.
She explained that, given its national character, the vision had to come from the sitting President. Thus, she was gratified that Rev. Dr. Wengam affirmed the importance of the National Cathedral project when he visited the President at the Jubilee House.
The challenge, however, is for the body of Christ in Ghana to rally around the project, and “own” it.
And this entails broadening the understanding of the National Cathedral as an interdenominational infrastructure for the Body of Christ, and a symbol of the Christian presence in Ghana. To engage the church leadership on these issues, a Church Relations Committee, under the leadership of the Archbishop Justice Ofei Akrofi, has been set up by the Board to provide strategic leadership to the church engagement of the National Cathedral. Additionally, a Church Leaders Forum is also to be established for interaction with the sitting Heads of churches.
In his response, Rev. Dr. Wengam expressed his appreciation to the NCG leadership for sending a delegation to his induction that included the Chairman of the Board, Apostle Prof Opoku Onyinah and the Executive Director, Dr Opoku-Mensah. He acknowledged the divisions in the country on the National Cathedral project.
As he explained, “I received a lot of bashing not only from unbelievers but from well-meaning Christians when I commended the President for initiating the National Cathedral project.” He therefore commended the leadership for the engagement which will provide much needed clarification, and an understanding of the project’s significance for the church.
Rev. Dr. Wengam appealed to the NCG leadership not to demonize those who are opposed to the National Cathedral project. Rather, he called for a proactive engagement that clarifies the issues around which there are misunderstandings and misinformation, to ensure that they bring everyone on board. He, therefore, encouraged the leadership to continue with the broad consultation.
Others present at the meeting were the Head of Operations at the AG Headquarters, Rev Freeman Tettey; NCG Board Member Archbishop Justice Ofei Akrofi; NCG Executive Director, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah; NCG Director of Admin. & Finance, Ps. Dr. Nicholas Darko; and NCG Church Relations Officer, Rev Ebenezer Ameyaw.