The Association of Methodist Church Choirs-Ghana (GHAMEC) has held its 20th Biennial Connexional Delegates Conference at Mampong in the Effiduase Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana in the Ashanti Region.
The conference was held under the theme, “Walking in the Word: Equipped for Every Good Work,” drawn from 2 Timothy 3:16–17.
Addressing participants at the conference, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev. Prof. Johnson Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, said the important role played by choirs in the worship life of the church could not be underestimated.
He said hymns, songs and anthems formed an integral part of Christian worship and urged choristers to regard their activities not merely as musical performances but as a ministry and a divine calling.
According to him, Christian ministry was not limited to preaching and teaching the Word of God, but also included singing the Word through psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to uplift and edify God’s people.
“We sing to praise and glorify God, but what we sing is also a blessing to worshippers,” he said.
Most Rev. Prof. Asamoah-Gyadu stressed that the effectiveness of hymns of praise, thanksgiving and preaching through music depended largely on the spiritual condition of the people through whom the music was delivered.
He therefore urged choristers to live consecrated and holy lives, noting that their personal conduct should reflect the message they proclaimed through music.
Reflecting on the conference theme, he said the Word of God was central to the calling of the church because it was through the Word that God formed His people, renewed the church and equipped believers for faithful witness in the world.
He noted that hymns and songs held a particularly important place in the Methodist tradition, explaining that the hymns of John and Charles Wesley were not merely additions to worship but important instruments of theological formation.
Through the hymns, he said, ordinary believers were taught to sing, pray and live out the doctrines of grace, holiness and Christian love.
The Presiding Bishop cautioned choristers against cultivating negative values such as vanity and complacency, reminding them that they had been entrusted with a spiritual responsibility.
He noted that choir members often played a crucial role in pastoral care, particularly when visiting the aged, the sick and people nearing the end of their lives.
“In some situations, when pastoral caregivers visit the aged and the very sick, the only thing they may be able to do is to sing. You are therefore ministering at a very important stage of people’s lives,” he said.
Quoting Colossians 3:16, he encouraged the choristers to allow the Word of Christ to dwell richly in them and to use psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to teach, admonish and encourage one another.
He further urged them to focus their minds on heavenly things and ensure that their lifestyles were consistent with their Christian calling.
He cited immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed—which Scripture describes as idolatry—as some of the attitudes Christians must reject.
Most Rev. Prof. Asamoah-Gyadu emphasized that singing in the church should not be pursued simply because an individual possessed a good voice.
Rather, he said, choristers must understand that they were engaged in a ministry whose ultimate purpose was to glorify God and edify His people.
He also called on choir members to maintain decent conduct in the church, cautioning against jokes, filthy language and other forms of behaviour inconsistent with Christian values.
He reminded them that their calling was one of purity, holiness and sanctification, stressing that holiness was not merely a human achievement but a work of God in the life of the believer.
Referencing the writings of Charles Wesley, he said the Christian’s confidence in holy living was rooted in faith in Jesus Christ and the transforming power of God.
He urged the choristers to ensure that their lives outside the choir matched the spiritual messages contained in the songs they ministered.
The conference brought together delegates and members of Methodist Church choirs to reflect on their ministry, strengthen their spiritual commitment and explore ways of enhancing the role of music in the worship and mission of the Methodist Church Ghana.
