By, Winifred Kodua, GNA
Tema Feb. 13, GNA - Reverend Lawrence Kwesi Tete, Minister in-charge, Presbytarian Church of Ghana, Grace Congregation in Tema Community 11, has charged Christians, ahead of the celebration of Valentine’s Day, to unite and rededicate themselves to their faith in the season of love.
He said Valentine’s Day had been commercialized over the time and misconstrued by many Christians in their attempt to show love to one another.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Wednesday ahead of a programme to commemorate Valentine’s Day, dubbed “Family Enrichment Night” at his church, Rev Tete said it was imperative for Christians to know the true essence of the celebration of Val’s day and proclaim God’s true love.
St. Valentine’s Day or the Feast of St. Valentine is celebrated annually on February 14 during which people express love to their loved ones in diverse ways.
The celebration, which hitherto was not commemorated by many, especially churches, has in recent times become a part of many annual church activities to prevent congregants especially the youth from engaging in immoral activities.
According to him, Christians and others alike had misrepresented what otherwise should be a demonstration of God’s redeeming and endless love for humanity, and engaging in debauchery and other amorous relationships which defile them as Christians.
“The youth and mostly singles in our society wrongly express love and that has necessitated the proliferation of Christian programmes on Valentine’s day to try and diffuse the misconceptions of the day, ”he said.
He added that his church, just like many others, had adopted the day to bring families together to build and chart a united front, and also critically deal with issues that confront marriages and other relationships.
Rev Tete admonished married couples to recommit themselves to their marital vows and shun acts that had the tendency of leading to divorces.
He said “the influx of social media applications including Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram among others, were the causes of many breakups in marriages and other relationships in recent times, since couples were usually fixated on their phones even in the presence of their partners".
Meanwhile, a number of traders had displayed red items such as artificial rose flowers, teddy bears, lingerie, and perfumes among others in the Tema Community one market, shops and roadside to attract people to buy for their loved ones.
A few of them were also seen either hawking or displaying varieties of chocolates on tables and calling in buyers to patronize as Ghana observes the Valentine Day as a Chocolate Day.
GNA
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