Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has called on Ghanaians not to despair, assuring for the umpteenth time that the government is working assiduously to fix the country’s economic challenges.

“We do recognize the difficulties and uncertainty we are experiencing in our country but with renewed strength and hope in the word of the Lord we are forever confident that we will ride this storm and turn things around to the glory of our Lord,” the Vice President stated at the 70th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church over the weekend.

Speaking at a time when the country’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is under intense pressure to resign, Dr. Bawumia called on Ghanaian to be hopeful and trust the government to turn things around.

Citing Psalm 9:10, he said: “And those who know your name put their trust in you. For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you".

“Our hope is secure in who God is - His goodness, His steadfast love, His justice, His compassion will guide us through these difficult period across the globe.”

Still on the scripture, Dr. Bawumia said: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings of eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint,” adding that: “there will always be moments of hopelessness, despair, doubt, fear and uncertainty but our hope in God is always our source of strength and motivation in these periods.”

According to the Vice President, the 70th anniversary celebration which was themed, 'OLAM @ 70: Honoring the past, celebrating the present and looking into the future with hope', called for moments of self-introspection.

He said the history of the parish was littered with moments worth celebrating especially being among the first churches and particularly the first Catholic Church to be planted in the Tema Metropolitan Area.

“The church has indeed been a lighthouse providing light and salvation to this port and industrial city of Tema,” he said.

“The Very Reverend Father Hans Mertens and Mr Jerome Amendah and all the people who sowed the seeds of this church are worth celebrating. I am sure that wherever they are, they will surely be proud to see that what they started have grown and impacted this community and this nation as a whole,” he added.

“In celebrating the present, the theme, calls on us to recognize the grace, our hard work, dedication, long suffering and the communal spirit that has allowed this Parish to grow in leap and bounds. In looking to the future with hope we are being summoned to work flat out in laying the foundational blocks for the spiritual growth of future generations,” he stated.

Contribution

In the Parish’s quest to look to the future, the church has taken steps to construct a 4-storey multi-purpose building, a conference room, offices, meeting rooms, a skill development centre and a library for the community.

The Vice President therefore, made a contribution in realizing the above.

He further committed to helping realise the plans of the church to have an endowment fund to provide skills and training for young people in the community.