UMaT Organises the 6th Annual Thanksgiving Service for Staff and Students
A 3-day power packed annual Thanksgiving Service for the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa has been held at the University Auditorium for staff and students on the theme “A thankful heart opens doors for greater works”. The Special Guest Preacher for this year’s event was Bishop Kakra Baiden, the Senior Pastor of the Qodesh (Morning Star Cathedral) in Accra. He has planted many churches and trained several ministers of God and he is also known widely as the Walking Bible.
On the first day, the Head Pastor of the Tarkwa Branch of the Light House Chapel International, Bishop Sam Obeng presided over the service. His sermon was based on the gift of Grace which according to him is free from God. He indicated that the only sufficient thing one can have is the Grace of God. He told the congregation that thanksgiving was very important for every believer because anyone who was filed with the Holy Spirit was full of thanks and that only those who were filled with demons were full of complains and murmurings. He connected his message to the Bible passage in Ephesians 2:19. He prayed for the Grace of God to multiply in the lives of all.
The message for the second day was preached by Bishop Kakra Baiden, a unique gift from God. He was grateful to the University for inviting him to be part of this wonderful annual event of the University, to give thanks to God. He preached on the theme “That Mary” which was based on the Bible reading in John 11: 6-44 which is the passage that talks about Jesus Christ raising Lazarus from the dead. He said that all things that seemed impossible would become possible only if one puts his or her trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He told the congregation that if one wants to see the glory of God, faith is the master key. That is why according to Bishop going to church alone was not enough. He encouraged the congregation to have faith for God to work miracles in their lives. He emphasised that although Jesus Christ commanded Lazarus to come out of the grave, Lazarus still needed to be helped by people around to take off the bandages and napkins on his body before he was totally free. That is why according to Bishop, when God does his part in any miracle, we also have a part to play to make the miracle complete. He called on young people to have a realistic mind and not a perspective mind because, according to him, anyone who has a renewed mind would have a realistic mind. He called on the congregation not to let their minds determine the limits of their faith because according to him with God there are no limits. He concluded by indicating that, that Mary was a special one from other Marys because she was not an ordinary Mary because she was the one who poured anointed oil on the feet of Jesus Christ and wiped the feet with her hair.
On the 3rd and last day, Bishop Kakra Baiden continued his sermon on the Call of God to perform a lot of things in his vine yard. He said the purpose of the call of God is not only to preach or to be part of the Ministry but there are many reasons why God calls us. He indicated that the main purpose of the call of God is to make us conform to the image of Jesus. That was why God created man and woman in his own image. According to Bishop, the first reason why God created human beings to look like him is the call to fellowship. He said it was important that as Christians we need to fellowship together. Secondly, we are called to be saints. He indicated that it was important that we respond to the call to be saints, because according to him, if we are all saints we would not be confronted with challenges such as poverty and diseases in Africa. The message was so inspiring that, members of the University Community became elated and started dancing, thanking and praising God for his goodness towards the University.
As part of the thanksgiving service 16 staff of the University who retired from the services of the University in 2018 were recognised and honoured for their devoted services to the growth and development of the University. They were presented with a citation and a cloth as a show of appreciation from the University.
At the end of the service it was very clear that Bishop Kakra Baiden’s sermons truly blessed members of the University Community through his insightful teachings which also made many of them to gain self-confidence and renewal of faith in Jesus Christ. He prayed and thanked God for the Vice Chancellor, Prof J. S. Y. Kuma, and called on the Almighty God to direct his affairs and also prayed for the University to grow from strength to strength.