Kumasi, April 2, GNA - Right Reverend Professor Osei Safo- Kantanka, Methodist Bishop of Kumasi, has expressed concern about the upsurge of lawlessness in the country and said the situation has become a threat to the national security and development.

He therefore appealed for public support for the security agencies to enable them to deal decisively with the problem. Rt. Rev. Safo-Kantanka was preaching at a Good Friday service at the Adum Wesley Cathedral in Kumasi.

He said the birth of Jesus Christ should reconcile people with God and help them to live in total peace and harmony with their neighbours. The Methodist Bishop denounced what he said was the unhealthy political rivalry among politicians and warned that if allowed unchecked, this could fuel violence and confusion.

He urged Christians to pray unceasingly to God to help cure the nation of polarisation, adding that, they should accept to contribute their quota towards the development of their communities. Delivering the sermon at the Bantama Prayer Memorial Presbyterian Church, Rev. Peter Kofi Nyarko, the Minister in-charge, urged Ghanaians to avoid ethnocentrism so as to sustain the unity, cohesion and stability of the nation.

He said the death of Christ should inspire all to learn to forgive and to co-exist peacefully.

Rev. Nyarko said the occasion was not just about merry-making but the time to soberly reflect on how they could grow in their faith. At the Faith Outreach Ministry at Oforikrom in Kumasi, Rev. John Appiah, the Head Pastor, called on Christians to use the Easter festivities to renew their faith and uphold Christian principles and values. They should also lead Christ-like lives to become good example to society. Rev. Appiah raised concern about the rising indiscipline among the youth, stressing that they represented the nation's hope and should therefore be assisted to remain focused so that they could realize their God-given talents.

At the Amakom Grace Baptist Church, the Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Kojo Osei-Wusu counselled Christians to use the Good Friday to amend their shortfalls.

He asked Christians to serve as the light of the world by leading simple, modest and exemplary lives. Rev. Osei-Wusu encouraged them to pray and remain steadfast in their faith in these difficult times when the world is confronted with a lot of challenges.