Solace Asafo,GUC/Gilbert Weeh, WAD
The first ever Stewardship Summit in the West Central African Division has been held in Ghana from the 9 th -13 th of April 2009 at the Valley View University Campus at Techiman. It was organized by the West Central African Division in collaboration with the Ghana Union Conference.
The objective of the summit was to introduce delegates to the new GC strategy for stewardship promotion .
According to the Vice President of the GC in charge of Stewardship, Pastor Armando Miranda “stewardship is the lifestyle of one who has a living relationship with Jesus Christ, accepts His lordship and walks in partnership with God, and acts as His agent to manage His affairs on earth. This transcends financial stewardship, which hitherto has been the emphasis.”
For the GC Stewardship Director, Pastor Erika Puni, the summit has been able to bring church leadership, district pastors, and laypersons together to learn about wholistic stewardships.
“Too much attention has been given to financial stewards in the church, yet stewardship is wholistic, it is about one's relationship with Christ and his response God. Delegates must understand the principles of the new approach and then go back to adapt them to fit their environment,” said Pastor Puni. Hosting the summit was both an opportunity and a challenge for the Ghana Union Conference, says the President of the Ghana Union Conference, Pastor Samuel A. Larmie. “It was an opportunity to host the first ever stewardship summit in the Division. It also comes as a challenge because since we hosted it, the GUC will be expected to yield some good results after the summit”, the Union President said.
The 5-day Summit held under the theme “Faithfulness in the Mission of Hope” was attended by 300 delegates made up of church officers, pastors and laypersons.

“The attendance has been good. This is the first ever stewardship summit in the Division and I am glad it was held in Ghana,” says the Stewardship Director of the Ghana Union Conference, Pastor Emmanuel Odenke Abbey.
“This is a very refreshing experience and I am glad the ultimate of stewardship is to make disciples for Christ. When we help our members to have a relationship with Christ, returning of tithes and offerings will come naturally, this is the best approach”, said a delegate.
Pastor Salomon Assienin, the WAD Stewardship director expresses his satisfaction for the summit and his optimism for the West-Central Africa Division.