The Northern Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana has held an indigenous Ghanaian Day celebration with a call on the citizenry, especially the youth, to be appreciative of their tradition.

It was a day set aside for every Methodist, including ministers in the Diocese, to promote wearing of Ghanaian cloths and eating Ghanaian foods as part of the 5th anniversary celebration of the Northern Accra Diocese.

The occasion was also used for a send-off church service for Rev Dr Kwesi Arthur Mensah who retired after serving for 37 years while a food bazaar was also held at the premises of the St John Methodist Church.

The Bishop of the Northern Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana, Right Rev. Professor Joseph M.Y. Edusa-Eyison, who made the call said the day was declared as indigenous Sunday because “we want to showcase who we are as Africans and as Christians.

“This shows that we worship with all that God has bless us with. Tradition comes out with what we say, what we wear, and what we eat and that is what we are doing today,” he stated.

“We are also doing this so that everybody would appreciate where we live, where we are and how we may carry ourselves as far as religion is concern, most especially targeting the youth of the church to know what we eat and what we wear,” he said.

He said the youth must be grateful for where God had placed us as Africans.  Africa is the richest in all the minerals and they should stay in Ghana; work, study and help the nation to grow rather than moving out.

“Just look at the colourful things like our indigenous wear and delicious food and we want the youth to pick them up so that when we are dead and gone, they would also continue just as we are continuing what our forebearers left us,” he stated.

Touching on the achievement made by the Diocese, Rt Rev Prof Edusa-Eyison said they started five years ago as a new diocese and moving forward they have been able to build masses, chapels, give out money for societies to improve their lot in evangelism.

“Previously we were 34,000 but now 44,000 members, we have improved that kind of and so this is what we have done trying to bring people together. This is a diocese that believes in community – we are all connected to one another as a Methodist,” he stated.

He said they were about to build their own office and thanked God for building the human capacity.

In a sermon, Rt Rev Prof Edusa-Eyison eulogised Rev Dr Arthur Mensah describing him as calm, affable, peaceful with a disposition that drew people and asked the church members to emulate his shining example.

Other activities of the anniversary would be lectures on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Genetic Modified Food.