Recovering from a long vacation and a period of silence that has fallen into coma, the Personality Crew brings to you a wonderful minister of the Church of Pentecost. This gentleman happens to be the Travelling Secretary for Central Sector, an alumnus of UCC and PENSA as such, a Casfordian for that matter, a former Evangelism Director and a committed member of Fountain of Joy- Aroma Theatre Department who in his numerous ministrations has been led by the Holy Spirit to impact souls and bring many to the saving knowledge of Christ. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Rev Emmanuel Agyei Kwaffo. We as PENSA-UCC Personality Crew are represented as PUPC and our guest for today is represented as PERSONALITY. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the awesome life of this great personality as your life is blessed with the experiences of this handsome God fearing gentleman. God bless you as you read.
PUPC: We are much grateful for honouring our invitation and finding time out of your very busy schedules to prick us, tickle our ears and soothe our hearts and inspire many with your story. To begin with, can you give us an accurate description of yourself?
PUPC: We are much grateful for honouring our invitation and finding time out of your very busy schedules to prick us, tickle our ears and soothe our hearts and inspire many with your story. To begin with, can you give us an accurate description of yourself?
PERSONALITY: I am Emmanuel Agyei Kwaffo from Akwamufie in the Eastern region of Ghana. I am a pastor of the Church of Pentecost with one wife, Mrs Agartha Nana Ama Pokuaa Agyei Kwaffo and three kids Ayeyi (the first female born child), Nyansah(the second female born child) and Nyameaye ( Papa, the last born).
PUPC: Can you tell us about your days in SSS?
PERSONALITY: I attended Accra Academy. I got enrolled in February 1994 and completed in November-December 1996. I read Science and my favourite subject was Chemistry because I read Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I was part of the Scripture Union and was the Bible Studies Coordinator, was part of the Interact Club, played drums and was as well the Chapel prefect. Whilst on BLEOO campus, I never attended freaks and the likes. We were coached and told that those who engaged in such stuffs were stubborn. Though I could sing all their ‘jama’ songs (jama is a Ghanaian word which deals with the compilation of cheerleading songs by a particular group of people), I didn’t involve myself in all those stuffs but that notwithstanding, I still joined the drama group, was a fun of National Maths and Science Quiz and followed the House week celebration annually with my heart.
PUPC: As usual, we would like to know what triggered you to attend UCC but nowhere else.
PERSONALITY: It was my first choice. I didn’t like University of Ghana-Legon because I had lived all my life in Accra and I had not travelled outside Accra even for a week before so I wanted something outside Accra and UCC came in mind. My first choice was UCC whiles the second was KNUST.
PUPC: Did your programme of study in UCC meet your expectation?
PERSONALITY: Yes, I had a desire of being a lecturer. I intended doing my masters and then PHD after my first degree. I read B.Ed. Science and majored in Chemistry. Some of my friends from Secondary School who attended UG and KNUST read raw Science (Chemistry, Physics and Biology) and most of them came out teaching and therefore they had to come back to UCC to do post graduate diploma in education so I had an advantage over them. In our time we were not only trained for the classroom we were also trained for the industry, so I did not regret doing that programme in UCC. Even in ministry now it’s been very helpful.
PUPC: How was life on UCC campus?
PERSONALITY: It was wonderful being a casfordian. When I came in as a first year student, I didn’t get the chance to be in the hall. By the grace of God, second year, I moved into the hall and stayed through to final year. I got the opportunity to stay in the rooms of virtually all the blocks so I really enjoyed the hall. My days in UCC were fun and also Casford hall gave life to the University. Although they could go off at times, the solidarity was there and it was and is indeed a place to be. I can sing all their songs. It was like Accra Academy where I could sing all their ‘jama’ songs but did not participate. My life in PENSA was also interesting and anytime I recall my days in UCC I get so excited
PUPC: Were there any challenges encountered whiles on UCC campus?
PERSONALITY: Yes there were challenges and these were basically financial challenges. I left Secondary School in 1996, stayed home for two years instead of one due to financial challenges so I had to go to the training college in 1999 and then later, applied to the university and gained admission in the year 2000. It was difficult in the university because in the training college we were fed and given allowance and that could keep me so life in the training college wasn’t difficult because I could even get money and send home but coming to the university, I had to fall or rely on SSNIT loan and with that one, an individual will need three guarantors who have worked in a government institution for not less than five years. Around that time also, getting a guarantor was not easy but I had to present three in all so it took one and half years before I could access the SSNIT loan. The loan too wasn’t that much it could only pay for my hall dues and some departmental dues. The financial challenge had an impact on my academic life. I had to sell suiting materials, ladies footwear, exercise books and many others. I used to go door to door to deliver these items or direct people to my room in Casford (RM 148) that was what I was using my student loan for. One uncle of mine, Wofa Brefo used to buy the books that I sell for me from the printing press so that after selling, I use the money in take care of myself. This affected my academics greatly but I was still able to come out with a better class.
PUPC: When Saul met the Lord on his way to Damascus his life took a nose dive. When and how did you meet Jesus?
PERSONALITY: Well I was born into the church and right from childhood we were trained to love Jesus. My mother is a prayer pillar, she even prays more than me the minister. We were trained right from infancy and that love for Christ was there. I did my personal confession in 1999 but I got baptised in the Holy Spirit in 1988/1989 before I accepted Christ as my Lord and personal Saviour in 1999.
PUPC: Which wings in PENSA did you belong to?
PERSONALITY: I was a full member of FOJ and was with the choreography crew. I was also with the Evangelism wing so in levels 100 and 200, I was purely in Fountain of Joy and then 300-400, I had to combine FOJ with Evangelism.
PUPC: Throughout your days in Casford, what intriguing moment would you like to share?
PERSONALITY: I think our hall week celebration. We did not experience any ban in our time and so one day casfordians were misbehaving and some soldiers came over. They were brought to put us in order so everybody was running and there was this guy who used to dye jeans and make them new. So when the military men came around he was still standing there and felt since he wasn’t a student the military men would single him out. He was hanging around when one military man called him and gave him a slap so immediately he said, “I am not a student, am a jeansin”. There were many of them but I think this is what is always fresh on my mind.
PUPC: When did you realize you had the calling to be a minister?
PERSONALITY: Back in elementary school days, it occurred to me that I would be a pastor in future but I didn’t like the idea. Whenever I had academic challenges my mom would say that I would be a pastor one day so I shouldn’t worry about academics and I would get offended due to that and skip my meals. Right from childhood I had the inner conviction that I would be a pastor one day so I was careful with my relationship with the opposite sex so that someone wouldn’t say that “he was my ex-boyfriend”, so I was very careful with my life. After secondary school I got actively involved with the local activities from youth meetings to choir rehearsals and in UCC too I participated well in all the interesting fields and this was all due to the conviction I had as a child.
PUPC: What do you have to say about the misconception that the NIV was written by homosexuals?
PERSONALITY: It is never true. Sometimes even ministers make such comments when they themselves haven’t taken the pain to research. The Bible was written from manuscript (all the versions) and the hand written ones were all over in many places so in those days, they translated from the original language to Latin or Greek. The New Testament for instance was written in Greek and that Greek is the coined Greek (it is like pigeon Greek). Less than 100years ago, the NIV was discovered by some shepherds in an old pot but it was just 98% complete like the normal ones that we had in circulation. It is not true that homosexuals wrote it or worked on them. Even if one of the editors was a homosexual, he translated the manuscript and not something that he had in mind. If people out there can discredit a version of the Bible this way, then all other versions can also be discredited.
PUPC: To you, how will you define PENSA?
PERSONALITY: PENSA is a home on campus for Pentecost members and associates who would want to hold onto their faith. Because with some of us, if it wasn’t for PENSA we wouldn’t have gotten to where we are now, though I came to UCC as a Christian who was quite good and God fearing but some challenges could have weighed me down but PENSA helped me a lot and it was difficult drifting back.
PUPC: Have you encountered any challenges in your ministry?
PUPC: Have you encountered any challenges in your ministry?
PERSONALITY: Most of the challenges are that, students have bad notions about the TS so most students wouldn’t let you know what they are doing or what is taking place on their campuses but by the grace of God we are sailing through. The travelling secretary concept started when we were in level 100 and we were schooled that they have come to take our monies from us so some of us didn’t really like them. When I became a travelling secretary I understood them better and realized that if I had been in their shoes I would have taken a more entrenched position than they took. Though the number of students in the sector is huge and making us unable to reach out to all other students, its better as compared to handling districts alongside campus ministries. I have enjoyed working with students and full time campus ministries.
PUPC: How did you feel when you heard that you were coming to Cape Coast to be a Travelling Secretary?
PERSONALITY: I was shocked because PENSA-UCC had invited me a year before for Gethsemane impact. So when I heard that I was coming to Central Region as the Travelling Secretary, I was wondering whether the students saw something when they invited me. It was also a joy because I had been here in Cape Coast before and so coming back to serve my university, old friends and other colleagues I left behind, I was so excited.
PUPC: What mission and vision do you hold on to?
PERSONALITY: Pleasing the Lord and dying under the cross of Christ. So anything God lies on my heart, I get the passion to work at it with all my strength to please the Lord. I also like to see people happy and so often times I spend just 5% of my income on myself; the rest goes to family, wife, children, ministerial projects which are my passion and the vulnerable in society.
PUPC: Who is your favourite Bible character and why?
PERSONALITY: Daniel. From the book of Daniel 1:8, “…..and Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the King’s food…” and because of that determination, he survived. I have read that book times without number and I wish that by the time I’ll fall under the cross as a dead man, God will compare me to Daniel.
PUPC: What is your favourite Sunday school Bible quotation?
PERSONALITY: They are two. One from my Sunday school teacher (Hon Elizabeth Sackey –MP for Okai Kwei North) 1 Corinthians 10:31b, “whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God”- it was an action memory verse and we had to raise our hands and jump when saying “to the glory of God”. The other one was from my mother. Yakubu 4:17“Nea onim papa a w’any3 no, 3y3 bone ma no”- meaning whoever knows what is good but refuses to do it, its becomes a sin to that individual.
PUPC: Going personal, when and where did you meet our mother, your wife?
PERSONALITY: We were in the same local assembly. We started the local assembly (Sakura) in 1985. Later, I saw her in the church as a very quiet person, decent, intelligent and respectful. One thing about me is that I get hooked to quiet people (phlegmatic and melancholies) because I don’t want people who will embarrass me in public. She is extremely quiet unlike me. I’m quite reserved naturally but not quiet when on the platform. I liked her so much even before going to the Secondary School so I told God that, I wish I marry this lady in future. So when I was about leaving the University, I proposed to her. Though there were other PENSA ladies on campus who were good, I liked this lady in my local assembly that I didn’t have an eye for any of them.
PUPC: Which of your preached topics so far has been your favourite?
PERSONALITY: The theme, “the Lord is my shepherd” preached on the Amamoma field in the year 2004. By then I had not paid my fee and the school didn’t want us to register so PENSA organised a prayer meeting and I was asked to minister on the theme, “the Lord is my shepherd”. Meanwhile, I knew I was going to defer my course because I had not paid my fees worth 70ghc. After the ministration, I realised the Lord was indeed my shepherd.
PUPC: Can you share your happiest moments with us?
PERSONALITY: Times with my mum when we sung each evening after a hard day’s work, times with my wife and family going out for sight-seeing and also playing with my kids when they turn daddy into a horse.
PUPC: What about the sad moments?
PERSONALITY: First was when I lost one of my brothers, second was when I lost my first male child due to negligence of nurses when my wife was in labour and the third was when my father died.
PUPC: What is your favourite food?
PERSONALITY: My favourite food is banku and okro stew with soft beef and well fried or well smoked fish.
PUPC: What do you think that people don’t know about you?
PERSONALITY: People don’t know that I am soft hearted. I have pity for people; I love people and give most people attention. Also, I cry when I’m hit by an incidence and finally, I LOVE my wife.
PUPC: What advice will you give to PENSA or the Central Sector on male-female relationship?
PERSONALITY: Now it is even male-male and female-female. I would plead that we accept the Bible based on what it has been transcribed. We should hold on to the basic truth in order to live Holy lives. Let’s guard the truth which has been passed on to us.
PUPC: Your final words
PERSONALITY: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my experiences with the church of God out there. It is my prayer that whatever God has said concerning PENSA will surely come to pass. I strongly believe that, some few years to come, every minister of the Church of Pentecost would be a PENSA product so let’s all get it right from PENSA so that the future of the Church will be safer. The Church of Pentecost has a future because of PENSA; God bless us all.
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