Religious bodies in Ghana have been asked to engage officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) to increase the level of awareness about the biometric voter registration process. “The biometric voter registration is a very sensitive exercise which we need to get our people well informed about. Our religious bodies have a very important role to play by serving as a platform to educate the populace.” A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who made the call in an interview with the Graphic said this would go a long way towards reducing the myth surrounding the biometric voter registration exercise. He was speaking on the fringes of the launch of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Accra New Town Bethel Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Accra. “The various churches for instance can have their leaders engage with resource persons from the EC where they could get an understanding of the biometric registration and then relay it to the larger congregation,” he said. After the completion of the pilot biometric voter registration exercise in some part of the country last week, the Electoral Commission is expected to start the registration exercise on March 24 this year. In that regard, Mr Okudzeto observed that since it was not all Ghanaians who were technologically savvy, it was important to ensure that understanding of the process was made easy to make the registration fairly easy. Formed in 1962, the Accra New Town Bethel E.P Choir is among the most vibrant church choirs of the E.P Church. Besides leading the congregation to praise and worship God, it has also been at the fore front of winning souls. Activities to mark the seven-month long celebration of the anniversary include health walk, games and recording of an album. Speaking at the programme earlier, Mr Okudzeto commended the choir for standing the test of time saying “50 years in the life of any group is no joke, there are many groups who don’t even survive but you have bridled the storm. It takes a lot of sacrifice to let go of your engagements to rehearse and meet the expectation of the congregation.” “The achievement of the choir, Mr Okudzeto noted, was not different from the E.P Church in itself which he stated had been instrumental in bringing education, health and moral upbringing to several communities especially in the Volta Region. “Without the E.P Church, there would have been quite a lot of underprivileged people who will have no hope. But the church has gone beyond merely providing spiritual direction to being partners in national development,” he stated. The Parish Pastor of the Bethel Parish, Rev Ernest K. Gaewu, who launched the anniversary urged the choristers to remain dedicated, devoted and committed to their calling. He said the choir’s 50 years was worth celebrating as they brought great joy to many people. In a word of exhortation, the Associate Pastor of the Church, Rev Juliet Adigbli, urged the choristers to avail themselves as vessels for God’s work. All the years of hard work, restlessness and dedication deserve commendations,” he said amid a loud applause.