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The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Justice Adjei, has called for a closer collaboration between the state and religious bodies in the country's quest to improve on the living standards of the people.

He observed that over the years, some churches had lived up to expectation by not only preaching the gospel but providing the needed social services within the areas where they operated.

At a thanksgiving and induction service for the newly elected officers of the Presbyters' Conference of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) in Sunyani last Sunday, he commended the church for the provision of schools and hospital facilities across the country.

Nine new officers, with Mr King Abe Hinneh, Headmaster of the Techimantia Presbyterian Senior High School in the Brong Ahafo Region as the president, were sworn in to take charge of the conference for a period of three years.

Mr Adjei urged the newly established churches to emulate the shining example of the Presbyterian Church by using part of their income to support people in the communities in which they were operating.

He also appealed to the religious bodies to consider going into small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to boost their income and also create employment for the people.

Moral values
In addition, the deputy regional minister called on the religious bodies to put in measures to instil sound moral values in the youth since perpetrators of acts of indiscipline belonged to one religion or the other.

Delivering the sermon, the Clerk of the General Assembly of PCG, Reverend Dr Samuel Ayete-Nyampong, called on Christians to count the cost of their calling instead of the notion that everything would be rosy for them because they had accepted to follow Christ.

"We need to count the cost of our calling. We should be prepared to carry our cross and share in the suffering of Christ once we have accepted to follow him," he stated.

He deplored the situation whereby some pastors only preached to their congregation about prosperity, explaining that following Christ required "dying and rising."

"We should, therefore, be ready to be crucified and die with Christ before we take a decision to follow him,” he said.

The new president, Mr Hinneh, said the officers were humbled to be entrusted with such a duty and pledged that: "We shall do whatever possible to ensure a successful tenure of office."

Present at the function were the Chairman of the Brong Ahafo Presbytery of the PCG, Rev. Kwadwo Owusu Sarpong, and the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Kwasi Oppong Ababio.