The Ministerial Spouses Coordinator for the West-Central Africa Division of the SDA Church, Dr (Mrs) Sara Opoku- Boateng, has advised the church’s pastors’ spouses to make conscious efforts to get rid of all evil attitudes in their walk with God.
According to her, such attitudes and behaviours could cause disgrace to the church, the work of God, their spouses, other people and the world at large.
She mentioned some of the bad attitudes as bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, malice and slander and said they were a defect in a person’s life which controls, and causing them to act wildly or carelessly.
“Believers are not to be known for evil, but are to overcome evil with good,” she noted.
DrMrsOpoku-Boateng gave the advice at a six-day biennial retreat of the SDA Church Pastors Spouses at Asokore -Koforidua in the New Juaben North Municipality in the Eastern Region on Saturday.
The theme, for the programme was “I will go, Lord empower me” but DrMrs. Opoku-Boateng spoke on a sub theme “Unity before you go” and said the only way the pastors work could go on well was when their wives had cordial relationship with the church and the community members.
She said God did not empower people who were divided but to those who were trustworthy and had confidence in Him.
She urged the women to stop fighting among themselves because their needs were not being met but trust God because the one who called them to join their husbands to do His work was faithful to feed them.
DrMrsOpoku-Boateng appealed to the women to stop keeping records of wrongs but trust in God to manage their homes well because they live in a world full of conflicts and confusion.
“Conflict is inevitable and we cannot live without it, it exists in our homes, churches, and in the work place but the best we can do is to manage them skillfully,” she said.
She advised the women to pray for God’s guidance, know all the facts and try to attack the problems and not the persons.
She urged pastors to help and encourage their spouses and especially appreciate their contributions because it was not easy for a woman to be a pastor’s wife.
The president of Shepherdess, Dina Ocran, said the pastors’ spouses are called Shepherdess and were drawn from the 12 regions of the Southern Ghana Union Conference of the SDA Church.
“Every two years we gather to pray, study the word of God, learn some skills in marriage, socialise, and encourage ourselves in the Lord for the Holy Spirit to help us manage the many problems we encounter”.
From Samuel Opare Lartey, Asokore-Koforidua
