Reverend Dr Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, Chairperson of the Akuapem Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has called on Ghanaians to thank God for the peace the nation is enjoying. "Considering what is happening in other African countries and the countries around the globe like earthquakes, floods, famine and tsunami, Ghanaians have every cause to thank God for his love and gracious mercy," he said. He has therefore cautioned political leaders not to take the peace of the nation for granted and be circumspect in their utterances in order not to disturb the current stability of the nation. Rev. Dr Mante made the call in a sermon at the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Bethel Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at Coaltar on Sunday. He commended the early missionaries who propagated the gospel at Coaltar for establishing the church in the area that had changed the lifestyle of the people. Rev. Mante expressed concern about the deplorable nature of the Coaltar Presbyterian Senior High School (SHS) which is the only SHS in the area and appealed to the people to contribute their quota to uplift the image of the school. Rev Mante said the presbytery was contributing a lot to the school but the problems were many and needed the support of all and sundry. He noted that lack of accommodation for both teachers and students had limited the desire of management of the school to expand admissions. Rev John Buertey Lawerteh, Coaltar District Minister, said one significant background of the church was its composition of various tribes such as Ewes, Gas, Akans, Guans and Dangbes who had come together to worship God. He said it was unfortunate that the age of the church did not reflect in its numerical strength because most of the great men and women who received their training through the church had left the town for greener pastures in the cities. The District Minister mentioned some programmes outlined for implementation to help the growth of the church which included training of church members to propagate the gospel of Christ and equip the church office with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipments. Rev Larweteh said the church was established in 1932 under the leadership of one Mr James W. Offei and Mr Israel Gyani all of blessed memory. He said in January 1935, Rev. James Kwame Mante Obogu from Larteh Akuapem was transferred as the first minister and ever since, 23 ministers had served the church. Mr Samuel Ayepey, Member of Parliament for Ayensuano, on his part commended the church on its contribution to education and other socio-economic development in the area since its establishment. He pledged his support to the development of the senior high school in the town through construction of a dormitory from his share of the common fund as well as other funds. Rev Dr Mante later laid the foundation stone for commemoration of the anniversary and all those who had contributed to the growth of the church. Source: GNA