General Council

Tribute by General Council

IN MEMORY OF APOSTLE F. E. ANTWI

“Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, not riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like the fish that are taken in the evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of men are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.” Ecclesiastes 9:11 NIV

The chairman, executive council, the pastorate, the bereaved families, sympathizers, and dear ones gathered here, it is very evident from all that is going on here that the church, the nations as well as families have lost a precious son indeed. With the volumes of tears being shared, the notable evidences of tributes read, the heart throbbing “Hmmms” and “Aaahhs” of beloved ones for losing such a dear one such as Apostle Antwi, whose sudden translation to the world beyond has brought all of us here, there are practical lessons to be learned.

As the opening text states, man does not know his time of departure from this planet called, Earth and, are like birds put in a snare. All children of men are snared of the times and many will describe time as evil because, being human, we do not know when our time may be due; whether it is meet us well prepared or suddenly and unprepared.

Herein lies a great man of God, a real gallant soldier both physically and spiritually. Young Akwesi Antwi in no way made a mistake in enlisting as a service personnel to serve his nation, Ghana. It is evident that the Lord used that opportunity to prepare him for the actual task that was ahead of him: full-time ministerial work and as would be expected he executed his duties as a real soldier.

Apostle Antwi rendered his services to the Lord as if his master would come the next minute or hour. He was a “spiritual bulldozer,” breaking barriers with his melodious songs and soul inspiring worship sessions. Burdens rolled away while demons fled under his ministration and targeted prayers. It is therefore, no wonder that one of his beloved children, Miss. Diana Antwi Hamilton is a renowned gospel singer.

Here lies a charismatic man of God. Apostle Antwi indeed had a personality that drew people towards him. One cannot help but love him the moment they came into contact with him. His rate of attracting and winning souls for the Lord was so fast that he was wonderful. He was a great counselor, revivalist and encourager. Apostle has a knack for alleviating and solving conflicts. He was a good team player and loved to share ideas with his peers and subordinates. When he served as an executive council member for ten (10) years, his frankness earned him the accolade “commander.”

Talk about infrastructural development and one would find him riding shoulder high. He was a man of vision who undertook projects with vim and zeal. His bravery in the army was translated into the way he worked assiduously in the ministry. Every station Apostle Antwi worked saw massive improvement in infrastructure and membership drive.

Though an Apostle, F. E. was an astute evangelist. His passion for evangelism dates back to the early days of his convention. His zeal made him travel across nations with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed he could easily be called the Evangelist – Apostle. As patron of the witness movement (now evangelism ministry), he mentored many young ministers in the work of evangelism and left an indelible mark in the heart of many disciples in the ministry of our dear ministry.

He was a great unifier and this was confirmed in many ways, an example is that while he was the chairman of the network of churches in Takoradi, in was also a Vice Chairman of the GPCC in Takoradi. The Church of Pentecost can say that we have lost a real gem who will never be forgotten.

On this sad occasion as we bid farewell to this gallant man of God, the General Council of the Church of Pentecost wishes to say BRAVO, to the GREAT SOLDIER OF THE CROSS!

Delivered By Apostle Alfred Koduah

General Secretary-COP