Nicholas Omane Acheampong
The lack of money would suppress and frustrate Christian missionaries and gospel musicians who are working to propagate the message of Christ, Ghana’s official ‘Gospel General’, Nicholas Omane Acheampong, has disclosed.
“Money is the vehicle of the gospel and we have to stop living a lie and face this reality. If there is no money to do the work of God, how can missionaries or gospel musicians do God’s work? The cloths we wear cost money, the soap we bathe with costs money and the songs we sing cost money. So we have to face this reality and stop pretending money is evil so gospel musicians should not be paid simply because we are ministers of the gospel of Christ,” Omane Acheampong mentioned.
He continued…“I am not saying that money should be our aim or focus or priority but we should also not completely take away money from the equation. Even if Jesus Christ was to have come to work on earth now, November 2016, he would need money to go round and do God’s work,” Omane Acheampong told NEWS-ONE.
Omane Acheampong’s ‘Aposor’ is the reigning VGMA Gospel Song of The Year and he is one of the country’s most popular musicians whose presence at Christian events attracts huge crowds.
“I am a gospel musician and I can’t pretend I do not take money when you invite me to perform my songs at your church events. But the difference is that I never charge you commercial rates like I would do to a private event organiser who invites me to perform at an event for which tickets have been sold.
“The two are different although the message in the song and aim of singing is the same. I consider playing at a church event as a pure missionary work but we do not walk to such events and we also do not appear there naked. We fuel our cars and we pay for the costume we wear. Even if we walk to the event, we would thirst on the way and sweat. Therefore, I would not reject the honorarium given me or the little budget he church has put aside for my team,” Omane Acheampong explained.
Asked if he would agree to perform at a church event where the church has absolutely no money to give him, Omane Acheampong said it is something he has done several times in his career.
“There are some of the churches who cannot afford even the transportation of the gospel musician invited, I such instances, we use our own money to sponsor such invites. Look if my colleague gospel singers would be bold to speak the truth, they would tell you that many of the pastors who invite us do not even pay what they promised to pay.
“After the show, the ask you to hold on for a while, after several hours of waiting, they would ask you to go home and that they would send the money through MTN mobile money. Such moneys never come but we never run to the media to expose them. Personally, because of the respect I have for my pastor, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi, I have decided to never have any problem with any pastor so I just ignore such disappointments and move on with my life,” Nicholas Omane Acheampong stated.