YOUTH URGED TO ESCHEW SOCIAL VICES (PAGE 25)

THE Administrator of the St George’s Cathedral Church at Koforidua, Reverend Fr Paul Abankwa, has called on the youth to eschew social vices to enable them to lead responsible lifestyles as worthy ambassadors of Christ.
That, he noted, would motivate them to draw other young people to Christ and also to develop their potential and make them useful to society.
He was speaking at a thanksgiving service organised by the Koforidua Orthodox Youth Association at Koforidua to thank God for the peaceful nature of the recent general election in the country.
The service brought together some youth from the Catholic, Anglican, Evangelical Presbyterian, A. M. E. Zion, Presbyterian and Methodist churches.
According to Rev. Fr Abankwa, the large number of unemployed youth loitering the streets in the New Juaben Municipality had over the years given a serious cause for concern.
He attributed that situation to lack of counselling and guidance for such persons, whom he described as future leaders whose potential must be nurtured to enable them to become responsible adults.
He, therefore, entreated members of the association to consider it a challenge to individually and collectively eschew various social vices so as to become role models for other young people.
“A responsible lifestyle on your part as Christian youth to be looked up to, requires that you individually and collectively avoid all forms of social vices if you are to become worthy ambassadors of Christ”, Rev Fr Abankwa said.
“To achieve this, we must avail ourselves of God’s guidance in our everyday endeavours and unite as a group with a common ambassadorial purpose for Christ,” he added.
The interim Chairperson of the association, Ms Emelia Oppong, appealed to the youth of the various political parties to unite to enable them to contribute meaningfully to nation building.
She particularly appealed to the leadership of the National Democratic Congress to institute youth-friendly policies that would allow the youth to play a major role in the country’s socio-economic development, adding that “this surely will help us to prepare adequately for future leadership roles”.