The Diocesan Bishop of the Northern Accra Diocese, The Right Reverend Professor Joseph M.Y. Edusa-Eyison, who made the call mentioned Pokuase and its environs as the major area where such illegal activities were carried out.

He said a visit to the Ga Sub-Urban Circuit showed the destruction of farmlands and the weak foundations of uncompleted structures as a result of sand-winning activities.

“What is even more dangerous is how the operations are carried out, with land guards wielding AK-47 rifles to scare off legitimate owners of the property and other interested stakeholders.

“This phenomenon has affected some of our members, including ministers who have had to escape for their lives, he said.

“We, as a Church petition the government, the law enforcement agencies, notably the Ghana Police Service to address this problem timeously.

The people are terrified, and the Church is scared. This cannot go on forever,” he said.

The Rt Rev. Prof. Edusa-Eyison made the call when he delivered an address during the Fourth Annual Synod held at the Bethany Methodist Chapel in Accra last Thursday.

Annual synod

It was on the theme: “Discipleship: Living the transformed life in Jesus Christ”.

It brought together hundred leaders within the Northern Accra Diocese to highlight achievements, explain challenges in the previous years and plan towards the advancement of the work of God and the Northern Accra Diocese.

Discipleship

Speaking on the theme, Prof. Edusa-Eyison, encouraged Christians to preach the gospel to transform communities.

He also urged them to show love towards one another, noting that "it is the reason the church does not hate those who are Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgender Intersex and Queer (LGBTQI) but stressed that the Church abhors the practice”.

Achievements

Touching on the achievement of the church, he said, the Northern Accra Diocese was blessed with human resources of 36 candidates who were nominated and interviewed for the office of Bishop in six dioceses.

“Our diocese presented seven candidates; and out of the seven, five were successful and are part of the final 18 candidates to be voted on.

The election will be held during Synods this year. We pray for them and wish them well.

He commended the youth for their dedication to God’s work and called for their involvement in running the church.

Children's ministry

The Rt Rev. Prof. Edusa-Eyison also entreated parents to involve their children in decision-making at home to help with the moral training of the child.

He also expressed worry about the lack of adequate space for children’s worship, noting that the Diocesan Development Officer had been charged to, as a matter of urgency, design new chapels with spaces for the children's worship.

“Children's ministry cannot be an afterthought or an appendage. It must be core, the real thing, the main business of the Church. All hands must be on deck to assist,” he said.