“We praise thy Name forevermore…” sang the choir to usher in this year’s Thanksgiving Service at Kumasi Central Church on Sunday 21st November 2021. The service was conducted by Lead Apostle Samuel Oppong-Brenya and he was assisted by Apostle Amos Osei-Du and Community Evangelist Brefo.

The bible text was read from Luke 19:13: “So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.”

“Lay aside every burden of life and be connected to the Holy Altar this morning and be thankful to the Lord even for the grace to bring before Him our thanksgiving offerings. Those who bring thanks to the Lord acknowledge that the Lord has been gracious to them and we feel blessed when we do so,” words of comfort and hope expressed by the Lead Apostle as he commenced the divine service.

The free gifts of the Lord
Watch carefully how the altar is decorated, fruits and vegetables of different kinds. For these few farm produce displayed over here, we have to be thankful to God. The Lord has given them to us free of charge and we must be thankful to the Him. The development of a fetus in the womb into a well-developed human remains a mystery. No one pays any bill to the Lord for the air we breathe, we breathe freely, we need to appreciate the Lord and be thankful for all His benefits.

What the Lord expects from us
The Lead Apostle admonished the congregation to examine their hearts and always bring before the Lord the best: “As we care about the Lord’s work and desire to support, we must also honour our responsibilities as parents, husbands, wives and as children. These are pleasing before the Lord.”

Work with the Divine gifts
“We have all received divine gifts through grace: the sacraments of Holy Baptism, Holy Sealing and Holy Communion. Those who were ordained into various ministries and given assignments have additional tasks and responsibilities. Woe unto us if we have failed to utilize what is given to us to the benefit of the work of the Lord. Let us not be stingy when we have to use the resources the Lord has blessed us with for the support His work”

Occupy till I come!
The Lead Apostle likened the salvation work of the Lord to the business of trading. “Let us all go and trade with what the Lord and given us so that we can bring the benefits to support the Lord’s work. Let us labour with our hands and the Lord will bless us. With joy and in one accord, the disciples continued to contribute to support the work of the Lord.

The Lead Apostle encouraged the congregation to be passionate about the progress of the Lord’s work and contribute to building the church. He advised the members to pledge in their hearts to support the work of the Lord in whatever they do.

“May Heaven favour you. Continue to serve the Lord, the accompanying blessings will follow you,  your families and your generation, Amen!” the Lead Apostle ended.