Lighthouse Chapel drags former bishop to police, revokes car gift

The Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI) in Ghana has revoked a car gift to a former bishop, Kwame Yirenkyi Ampofo. The automobile, a Chevrolet Tahoe, has become the subject of a police investigation following allegations of car theft made against the ex-bishop after he allegedly refused to return it.

According to a report filed by myjoyonline.com, Kwame Ampofo, an engineer by profession was gifted the said car which was originally used by Adelaide Heward-Mills, the wife of the church's founder, from 2013 to 2016 and afterward, the Healing Jesus denomination, a part of Lighthouse Chapel, gave him the vehicle as a gift in 2022.

However, he was subsequently dismissed from the church due to a disagreement with its leadership.

According to the report, the bishop then mounted an attack on the church after his dismissal, and in response to his alleged attacks, Lighthouse Chapel International decided to revoke the car gift in a letter dated July 4, 2023, signed by Bishop Dr. Kofi Hene Asare, the Convener of the Bishop's Council. In the letter, sighted by GhanaWeb, the church expressed surprise and disappointment at Ampofo's behavior, citing a history of kindness and honor extended to him.

The church emphasized that it had not yet transferred the ownership of the car to the former bishop and was entitled to change its mind regarding the gift. As a result, Lighthouse Chapel International stated that it would not transfer ownership of the vehicle to Ampofo and upon his refusal landed them in the police station to ascertain the rightful owner of the vehicle.

“Before we could actually affect the transfer of the ownership of the car to you legally, you began to attack and insult the church which has been so benevolent to you. This was both a surprise and a shock to the Lighthouse Chapel International in the light of the long history of kindness and honour shown to you,” the church said in a July 4, 2023.

“… The church is entitled to change its mind on decisions about its intentions on any subject. The church no longer wishes to give you the car because we have had a change of mind and because we never actually transferred ownership to you. We WILL NOT transfer the ownership of this car to you,” myjoyonline.com quoted the bishop to have said.

In December 2022, the church dismissed Ampofo based on their internal investigations and organizational values. Having served as a bishop in charge of the Nsawam area since 1995, Ampofo had devoted himself entirely to the church, having resigned from his previous job in 2006. However, following his dismissal, he renounced the bishop title and turned to social media to counter what he regarded as false accusations by prominent bishops within Lighthouse Chapel.

In January 2023, a lawyer representing Lighthouse Chapel, Kweku Y. Pantsil, notified Ampofo of the revocation of the car gift. The church took issue with Ampofo's characterization of the vehicle as a compensation package rather than a gift, leading them to consider the offer null and void.

Efforts by Lighthouse Chapel to retrieve the car from Ampofo proved unsuccessful, leading them to involve the police in determining the rightful owner.

AM/SARA

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