Section of the congregants at the Homowo lecture. INSET: Prof. Laryea addressing the congregation
Deputy Rector of Akrofi- Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, Rev. Prof. Philip Tetteh Laryea has entreated churches to adopt the use of digital mediums such as social media for evangelism outreaches.
According to Rev. Prof. Philip Tetteh Laryea, the use of digital mediums such as social media for some time now has become one of the best ways to communicate and is a great tool for evangelism as it allows seamless sharing of messages and stories that would otherwise go unnoticed.
He said the majority of the youth have embraced the use of social media as a means of communication, adding, “As a church and a body of Christ we cannot continuously use the old ways our predecessors used to run the church. In our time things have changed, our way of life and our style of living.
In our quest to evangelise and draw people nearer to God, we can utilize various digital mediums to propagate the gospel according to the message of Christ. With this, you can reach a much wider audience than you could ever hope to get through traditional methods by sharing these messages online.
Rev. Prof. Laryea made this known at the 2023 H)m)w) lecture held at the Eben-Ezer Congregation, Osu District of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana under the theme, ‘Prospects and challenges in preaching the gospel then and now.’
The public lecture witnessed the assembling of traditional rulers, opinion leaders and clergymen in attendance. It was also part of activities to commemorate the 195th anniversary of the congregation.
Addressing issues of cultural segregation within the Christian fraternity, Rev. Prof. Laryea urged believers not to discriminate against people who seek to partake in traditional activities as such drives away persons interested in studying the word of God.
He indicated that the traditions define the identity of the Ga people, “which was the reason why we created the H)m)w) lecture to allow us to appreciate the very cultural values and heritage of the Gas to better understand ourselves as people and how we can serve our Lord together”.
Rev. Prof. Laryea also seized the opportunity to advise the youth in the Osu community to desist from engaging in criminalities to help reduce the increasing crime rates recorded in the community.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke