By Seraphine Nyuiemedi
The Methodist Church, Ghana has inaugurated the Ho Diocese as an autonomous area of the church comprising the Volta and Oti Regions.
Hitherto the Tema Diocese administered the activities of the Church in the two regions. The ceremony also saw the induction of Rt. Rev. Mathew Zikpi as the foundation Bishop of the new Diocese.
At the inaugural and induction ceremony at the Emmanuel Cathedral of the Church in Ho, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo charged the newly inducted Bishop to serve the Church and the people in humility to accomplish God’s purpose.
The foundation Bishop of the newly inaugurated Ho Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana, Rt. Rev. Mathew Zikpi, who is 64 years old, was commissioned into the Ordained Ministry of the Church in 2001. He rose through the ranks to become the Superintendent Minister of the Ho Circuit, which was under the Tema Diocese of the Methodist Church until his induction as the Bishop of the Ho Diocese.
The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, presented Rt. Rev. Zikpi with the skull cap, the ring, the pectoral cross, a Bible, the Methodist Church constitution, and the pastoral staff as the insignia of the Episcopal Office to complete his induction. Most Rev. Dr. Kwabena Boafo urged Rt. Rev. Zikpi to seek God’s guidance in order to realise the purpose for which he is being called at a time when the country is going through an economic crisis.
He expressed the hope that the new Bishop will be committed to the doctrines of the Church and the Holy Bible. He said the Methodist Church Ghana will continue to bring hope to the underprivileged through its social services, such as the building of schools and health care facilities, among others.
The newly inducted Bishop of the Ho Diocese, RT. Rev. Mathew Zikpi, declared his acceptance and pledged his commitment to faithfully serve the Church in humility.
The ceremony also featured the induction of Brother Lawrence Anyomi as the lay Chairman of the Ho Diocese.
