He started his address by quoting Isaiah 40:31 and welcomed all participants to the Conference. He expressed his appreciation to the Executive council, the immediate past General Overseer, Apostle Richard Buafor, all other leaders and his family for their support and sacrifices. He asked for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in our forthcoming church elections.

He outlined some successes chalked by the church in the year under review regarding programmes intended for the period. The year started with delegates’ seminars based on the theme “Building a Godly Family” which spurred us on. This was followed by Children’s party at Tokokoe aimed at instilling godly values in them as the future of the church. Other events observed were the decentralized Celebrate Restoration Conferences that were full of wonderful testimonies of the goodness of God, celebration of our International Easter conventions at the various Areas, Youth Camp at Tokokoe and then TELPSAM conference, noting that these last two ministries chose new sets of leaders to run their affairs in a fresh tenure. He also stated that crusades and evangelisms, which remain pivotal to advancing the gospel, were intensified across all Areas which resulted in the planting of new churches and the winning of more souls.

He disclosed that as at conference, the total membership of the church stood at twenty-four thousand, seven-hundred and fifty-nine (24,759), which was an increment of four thousand, seven-hundred and seven (4,707) as compared to the previous year. Women and children made up over fifty percent of this figure. He also announced that we had two-hundred and sixty-one (261) branches all over the world.
Highlights of some significant milestones in the last five years include the expansion of the church from 160 branches to 261, successful launch and celebration of the 60th anniversary of the church, paying of missionary visits to South Sudan, Togo, Seme, Benin, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Liberia, and commitment to mentorship and spiritual development of ministers.

The period also saw an upsurge of infrastructural developments across the church and improvement in our logistics with the purchase of three new vehicles for use by the headquarters.

He notified conference that the court case between Apostle Rtd. Amedzro and the church was still ongoing after more than four years, and the excommunication of Rev. Evans Tawiah on grounds of immorality.
The General Overseer disclosed the interest the church has in formal education, saying it is essential to leading a meaningful and impactful life. In this regard he listed the number of basic schools established and being run by the church, and their respective total enrolments. He also elaborated on the number of students being supported by the church’s scholarship scheme at the tertiary level. As at 2024, 142 tertiary students have benefitted from the scheme.

In other events, he spoke about branch visitations he personally undertook and efforts made at the headquarters regarding international missions drive and his journeys in this respect. There also was the retirement of Elder Agnes Agbator and Rev. Dohoe in the Afram Plains and Sokode respectively.

Theme for the Year

After recounting the activities covered successfully in the period under review, he announced the theme for the year, “Grace for Greater Works” with the scripture 1 Corinthians 15:10. He noted that it is through the grace of God that we are able to do what we do to bring glory to His name. We therefore ought to dream bigger and step into greater opportunities.

He implored all branches and church members to actively participate in our local and national welfare schemes, as well as joining the Abundant Life Center Credit Union (ALCCU) as a way of developing financial discipline and investment consciousness.

Partnership with Compassion International

Talking about the church’s relationship with Compassion International, he mentioned that the Kwashieman project has been taken off the partnership, but Balai has been taken on as a new project and went on to state the number of children being supported by the currently active participating branches namely Ashaiman, Israel, Baatsona, Kumasi and Balai.

Secular Issues

Commenting on current happenings in the nation, the General Overseer added his voice to the cries against harmful and illegal mining in Ghana noting the havoc it is causing to the environment and local communities. He said in this regard, that authorities are perceived to be indecisive in solving this problem. He reiterated the demand by citizens for government and all political leaders to provide concrete solutions to permanently halt the destruction before it becomes irreversible.

Speaking about the upcoming general elections in the country, he implored all Ghanaians to prioritise peace and unity above everything else.

Bereavements

The General Overseer also brought to mind the passing into glory two beloved members of the church in the persons of Elder Agnes Agbator, Leader of Afram Plains branch and Ex Senior Deacon Zacchaeus Norgbey.

To conclude his address, he reminded conference of one of the main reasons of the year’s general conference, the election of new national leaders. He appealed for thoughtful discussions which will stimulate growth and development, and went ahead to declare conference officially opened.

The praise team treated conference to a few beautiful songs after which the MC invited the Keynote speaker to address the house.