Vice-Chancellor, University Officials Worship With Legon SDA Church While Church Donates to the UG Staff Village Crèche and Nursery School

Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice-Chancellor

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu has paid a visit to the Legon SDA Church to worship with the members at a recent service organised by the Church. Professor Oduro Owusu was accompanied by the Registrar, Mrs. Mercy Haizel-Ashia and the Acting Director of Finance, Mr. Kwasi Odame.

Delivering his speech, the Vice-Chancellor announced that he was glad to be worshipping with the SDA Church. He expressed a lot of appreciation to the Church for visiting and ministering to him and his family on his assumption of office as Vice-Chancellor. He intimated that the song ministration and the word of God shared during the visit raised him from his sick bed.

In his exhortation based on Proverbs 22:1 and drawing from the life of the Former Chancellor of the University, the late Mr. Kofi Annan, Professor Oduro Owusu inspired members of the congregation to aspire for good name rather than riches. “Do not allow money to take the best out of you,” he reiterated. He added that if members have the option to choose between good name and money, they should always opt for “good name,” and aspire to love God, not money.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that true Christian character reflects in attitudes. As a result, “Let us as Christians be distinct in the way we do things” because if Christians fail, the nation has failed. He admonished the congregation to leave a legacy for the youth and also requested prayer support for the University Management in efforts to transform the University.

In a sermon based on Exodus 4:2 and titled “A Call to Serve,” the Legon Church Pastor, Ps. Dr. S. A. Larmie noted that, God has a purpose for creating everybody and also has a call for each person. It is for a good purpose that He called Professor Oduro Owusu to steer the affairs of the University supported by the Registrar and other members.

Ps. Dr. Larmie alluded to the life of Moses whom God called and equipped with the requisite resources to lead the Israelites. He indicated that just as God surrounded Moses with Aaron and Joshua to help him achieve the desired goal, each worker in the University community has been purposefully placed at his/her office by God to help the University Management achieve its goals. Ps. Larmie, therefore, inspired workers to respond positively to God’s call and utilise the strength, wisdom and values instilled in them to fulfill the desired purpose.     

Ps. Dr. S. A. Larmie

Earlier in a speech delivered by the President of the Southern Ghana Union Conference of the SDA Church, Ps. Dr. T. T. Ocran noted that he was exceedingly glad for the visit by the Vice-Chancellor and his team. On behalf of the Church, he thanked the Vice-Chancellor and his team for the visit and commended the University Management for constructing the road network at the Staff Village to ease movement by motorists in the community.

Ps. Dr. Ocran recounted the privilege the SDA Church had enjoyed on the University campus since 1964. He also indicated that the Church had been a very law-abiding member of the University community and had been contributing its widow’s mite to building the “world-class University.” He made a passionate appeal to the Vice-Chancellor and his team that notwithstanding issues encountered in the past, the University should kindly consider Adventist students when scheduling lectures and examinations for weekends, especially during the Sabbath.

The service ended with the presentation of selected Christian literature books to the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar and a donation to the Staff Village Creche and Nursery School which was received by the Registrar.  Also present at the service were the President of Accra City Conference, Ps. Dr. S. O. T. Hammond, the Legon SDA District Pastor, Ps. I. G. Morrison, the Ghana National Association of Adventist Students (GNAAS-UG), the Chaplain of GNAAS-UG, Ps. Elorm Edison, the SDA Campus Ministry Director, Ps. T. K. Mensah, members of the SDA Church and staff of the University. 

The VC and his team in a pose with Ministers at the Service: From right, Ps. I. G. Morrison, Mr. Kwasi Odame, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu (Vice-Chancellor), Mrs. Mercy Haizel-Ashia (Registrar), Ps. Dr. S. A Larmie, Ps. Elorm Edison. Top: Ps. Dr. T. T. Ocran (right), Ps. T. K. Mensah (left).

 A cross-section of the congregation

In another development the church has made a donation of GH¢21,000.00 to support proposed projects at the University of Ghana Staff Village Crèche and Nursery School. The Church made this donation in response to a request for sponsorship from the Registrar of the University, Mrs. Mercy Haizel-Ashia.

Ps. Larmie presenting the cheque to the Registrar. Looking on is Mr. Kwasi Odame, the Ag. Director of Finance.

Presenting the cheque to the Registrar at a service organised at the Legon branch of the Church, the Church Pastor of the Legon SDA Church, Pastor S. A. Larmie, announced that this gesture was an extension of the Church’s corporate social responsibility to the School. Pastor Larmie acknowledged the fact that the SDA Church shares a lot in common with the School. Both of them share the same community and have been on the University Campus for more than 50 years. The Church was, therefore, very privileged to contribute to the development of the School.

Receiving the cheque on behalf of the School, Mrs. Mercy Haizel-Ashia expressed profound appreciation to members of the Church for their kind donation. She indicated that the School, which was established about 55 years ago with the goal of providing holistic early childhood learning experiences for children of University employees and neighbouring communities, had had produced alumni who had completed tertiary institutions. Mrs. Haizel-Ashia noted that the donation would go a long way to advance the projects earmarked for the development of the School. She assured the Church that the University would account for the phase of developmental project supported by the money.

Present at the ceremony were the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, the Ag. Director of Finance, Mr. Kwasi Odame, the President of the Southern Ghana Union Conference of the SDA Church, Pastor Dr. T. T. Ocran, the President of Accra City Conference, Ps. Dr. S. O. T. Hammond, the Legon SDA District Pastor, Ps. I. G. Morrison and the Legon SDA Church Pastor, Ps. Dr. S. A. Larmie. Also present were members of the the Ghana National Association of Adventist Students (GNAAS-UG), the Chaplain of GNAAS-UG, Ps. Elorm Edison, the SDA Campus Ministry Director, Ps. T. K. Mensah, members of the SDA Church and staff of the University.