A prophet at the Grace Assemblies of God Church has lamented the low revenues generated by the church due to the ban placed on social gatherings as a result of the COVID-19.
Prophet Kwame Donkor, a leader of the Grace Assemblies of God Church, Kwadaso at Suhum, said since the directive was issued by the President in March, this year, to date, the church has received less than GH¢500.00 in tithes and donations from congregants.
He said this could in the near future result in the laying off of caretaker staff who dedicate themselves to ensuring the constant operations of the church since the revenue being relied on now is fast drying up.
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From March up till now, when we look at our books, offering and tithes do not add up to GHC 500. I’m afraid if this persists, we may have to lay off workers. The money we have now is what we used to take care of caretakers, light, and other expenditures, he said in a TV3 report.
The ban on social gatherings is among a number of measures, including the closure of all public schools, compulsory wearing of masks and observance of social distancing, instituted by the government to check the spread of the virus and protect the public.
However, the President has indicated that should Ghana sustain its grip on the management of the virus and flatten the curve, in the coming weeks, he will announce a plan that will see the gradual easing of these measures to bring life back to normal.
But like the prophet at the Grace Assemblies of God Church, other religious leaders also bemoaned the impact of the directive on the church.
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Two other religious leaders, who spoke in the said report by TV3, said they do not have enough revenue to keep buying airtime to broadcast their sermons as there are competing needs that ought to be catered for.
This definitely has a dire effect on the church. Hitherto, we meet as an ecclesial community with that also we are short of revenue stream so far as the church is concerned. here is the case we are not able to converge as such. And so definitely it has its own financial consequences on the church. Whatever reserves we have, whatever we have in our coffers is geared towards the vulnerable in society, especially this time when people are looking for something to eat, drink and a place to lay, one of them said.
The other decried, how many churches can afford for example paying GH¢ 3,000 of one hour broadcast or eight-minute broadcast? Only few churches can afford that. And for those that can afford that, it is putting financial stress on them because the church is not only about broadcasting only on Facebook or on traditional media. The church has other responsibilities.