The Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) has launched its 125th anniversary celebrations, with a call on its members and Christians in general to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ and live Christian lives in order to lessen corruption and evil in the country.
Launching the celebration, the President of the Ghana Union of the SDA, Pastor Samuel Adama Larmie, said corruption and evil had become the order of the day and yet there were many who professed Christianity.
“Today, millions have abandoned the Christian standard of conduct and are bartering the sweet and sacred experiences of marriage and parenthood for the bitter remorseful fruits of lust,” he said.
“The ideals that make our social relationships safe and happy are breaking down under the influence of passion unrestrained by moral and religious principles,” he added.
Pastor Larmie said if Christians proclaimed the message of God and lived it, evil in perilous times could be lessened.
According to the President, it was for that reason that the celebration was on the theme; “Proclaiming and Living the Christian life”, to rededicate and evaluate the lives of members of the church.
The programmes lined up for the celebration include a national clean-up campaign on March 3, a national blood donation on March 16, revival and spiritual camp meetings from August 1 to August 31, evangelistic campaigns from September to November and the climax of activities on December 7.
Other activities to be organised at regional, district and local levels include musical concerts, health expos, youth rallies, choir and singing rallies, symposia and seminars.
Pastor Larmie urged members of the church to reach out to the unbelievers and celebrate with the intention of rededicating and evaluating their lives.
It is exactly 125 years since the establishment of the SDA Church in Ghana after its establishment in America. Thus, as the World Church celebrates its 150 years of existence, Ghana celebrates 125 years.
The SDA mission started in Ghana in 1888 through an indigene called Francis Dolphin, who picked up a Sabbath tract along the coast of Apam in the Central Region. However, in 1894, the first missionaries, Edward L. Sanfrod and Karl G. Rudolph, arrived at Apam.
With about 700,000 membership, the SDA has about 3011 worship centres nationwide.
The church has over the years built over 600 basic schools, 14 senior high schools and three tertiary institutions, which include the Valley View University, Asokore College of Education and Kwadaso Nursing Training College.
As part of the SDA’s contribution to health care in the country, the church has 12 hospitals, 10 clinics and two health assistant schools with one pharmacy.
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