“God has a blueprint for human development. To let this blueprint work for a nation, the leaders have to be God-fearing. Unfortunately, our plan for development has effectively taken out the God factor,”says Reverend John Kwasi Darku who is convinced that “It is this lack of the fear of God that leads African leaders into corruption, born of greed and selfishness.”

Addressing the launch of this year’s Great Asanteman Gospel Crusade at a ceremony in Kumasi, to be organised in Ashanti in November by CfaN, Rev Darku appealed to African leaders to give God a chance in their private and public lives.

He is convinced that “Africa could be much richer and more prosperous than it is if we cut out corruption. Corruption is the result of godlessness.” 

The Executive Director, who has directed CfaN crusades in more than 30 African countries covering a period of over 36 years, said this year’s gospel event had been dubbed Asanteman Crusade because, for the first time, the main crusade will be preceded by the arrival of 200 evangelists from across the world, including USA, India, the UK, Germany and La Cote d’Ivoire who will be sent out into villages and small towns in Ashanti to carry out evangelistic work. Altogether, some two million people would be expected to make a decision for Christ.

In answer to a question, Rev Darku disclosed that the CfaN ministry, founded by the late evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, took the gospel of Jesus everywhere but much of its work was in Africa. In 45 years, CfaN mounted record-setting crusades which reached over 120 million people with the gospel, leading to the conversion of some 79 million people.

He told newsmen that with the passing of Bonnke, God had prepared his successor, Evangelist Daniel Kolenda, for the work of the ministry.

“Like Elisha inheriting the mantle from Elijah, Kolenda has received a double portion of the anointing, and is it is showing in the number of souls who are being saved in droves and the miraculous attestation,” Rev Darku said

He disclosed that the Kumasi crusade itself will deploy 100,000 counsellors and 10,000 ushers.

In an exhortation at the launch, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, spiritual head of the nearly 600,000 member Church of Pentecost, with congregations in 136 nations,told the 1,500 pastors that the light which the gospel of Jesus Christ is supposed to shine into the world had become ineffectual because some pastors and prophets were, by their deeds, blocking the light.

Wondering, for example, why a minister of the gospel who arrives at the church premises will not get down unless someone opens the door of his car, and why so-called pastors and prophets are multiplying money for their congregations instead of using the Bible to teach them either how to improve themselves or be creative and pro-active at work, Apostle Nyamekye, said “people are looking for Jesus in his pastors and they are not seeing it”.

The three-day crusade, featuring Evangelist Daniel Kolenda, successor of the late Reinhard Bonnke, is targeting to win two million souls for Jesus Christ. In 45 years, CfaN has won 84,628,467 souls to Christ.