Four fight over church leadership

A scuffle over who heads the Christ for All Mission Church at Moree in the Central Region, has led to the arrest and remand of a former pastor of the church and three of its members.

The Cape Coast Circuit Tribunal presided over by Peter Asare-Duah, has remanded Kingsford Tawiah, a former pastor, charged with abetment of crime and the three others, Kofi Beyewodze, Gideon Afful and Adjoa Nyame, in police custody for allegedly assaulting a newly-appointed pastor, Rev Robert Doku of the church.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Augustine Amonoo, said the former pastor, Tawiah, defied a directive by the founder of the church, Rev Dr Apotstle Marcus Yaw Danso, based in Kasoa, to change the day of worship from Saturdays to Sundays.

Inspector Amonoo said Tawiah objected to the order and continued to worship on Saturday s and consequently had hs appointment terminated by the founder. He said a new pastor, Rev Doku, was then appointed by the founder to head the church at Moree. However, he said Tawiah lodged a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), while he broke away from the church and continued to worship and continued with a few members who followed him.

This he said brought division among the members. He said on 16 September, Tawiah who claimed he had had a letter of reconciliation from the CHRAJ, mobilised some members of the church and led them to worship at the Christ for all Mission Church worship centre at the Moree D/A JSS.

He said when Tawiah was reading a letter to the congregation, Rev Doku went in and challenged why he should gather people to worship there while his appointment had been terminated.

Inspector Amonoo said this led to a misunderstanding between the two during which the three accused persons pulled Rev Doku down violently and assaulted him resulting in injuries on his knee and left palm. He said Tawiah encouraged the people while they assaulted Doku.