The leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in West Africa has refuted claims that it is a mystical entity, emphasizing that it is a normal church like all others in the country.
It exhorted Ghanaians to see the church as a place where God may be worshipped through Jesus Christ, emphasizing the need to debunk the myths that surround the country's numerous branches of the church.
"We are like other churches in that we accept a ten percent tithe every month, we worship God through Jesus Christ, and we have laws and regulations regulating the church that are founded on biblical principles," says the pastor.
During a media soiree at the church's West Africa Headquarters in North Ridge, Accra last Thursday, Elder Larry Kacher, the first Counselor, spoke on behalf of the Africa West Area President, Elder Hugo Martinez.
Elder Kacher encouraged Ghanaians to think of every branch of the church as a welcoming location to worship God at any time.
He also stated that the church had a career and networking roadmap for young people.
"We have a FamilySearch office where over 700,000 people's family histories and ancestors are being digitized and encoded for the future," he explained.
Elder James Owusu (right) speaks to the press.
Soiree des médias
Charles Igolo, the church's Assistant Director of Communication, claimed the church's name could only be written in two ways: "the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" or "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints."
"Our name has been misspelled and mispronounced in the media and by other entities in the majority of situations; it's about time this was addressed," he said.
He also discussed the usage of the term saints for church members, claiming that the apostles frequently referred to church members as saints in the New Testament, and that the phrase Latter-day Saints connoted modern or present church members.
Matthew Godfrey and Emelia Ahadjie took the time to explain their distinct policies to the media. Mrs. Ahadjie spoke about the church's 'Strengthening Family Conference,' which is an outreach program aimed at uniting families, bringing cohesiveness, assisting the emerging generation in discovering and developing their maximum potential, and upholding biblical family values.
On the other side, Bro Godfrey urged the media to work more closely with the church and vice versa.
He stated that the church's doors are always open for media encounters and urged the media to analyze the church's operations.
Africa West Area Tour
Members of the media were given a tour of the large building in Ridge, Accra, which serves as the official headquarters of the church in the Africa West Area.