Since the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, appealed for people to contribute GH¢100 a month for the construction of the Cathedral during his presentation of the 2021 Mid-Year Budget Review on the 27th of July 2021, there have been mixed reactions from some Ghanaians.
While some have described the appeal as an embarrassment, others believe it is in the right direction.
The new Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral Project, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah, said the edifice will not just be a church building, but “it’s more than what people think” as it will aid Ghanaians to “appreciate what the Lord has given to us as a nation.”
Basing his comments on the many other facilities that would be on the premises of the Cathedral, Apostle Onyinah highlighted how the project is poised to become a national point of convergence.
“It will also have a youth centre, children centre and an educational centre where many people can come to learn,” he said.
Other activities likely to take place at the cathedral will be State funerals, major conferences and swearing-in of presidents who are Christians.
The Board chair is glad that the other projects, which come with the construction of the Cathedral, will “depict the impact of the Bible on good government, civilisation, medicine, education and many other things.”
The point of attraction, he added, “will be a bible museum.”
Some of the events in the Bible will be relived here.
“For instance, if you are talking about the exodus, what is the exodus? When you come there we will give you a picture of how it happened. How about the day of Pentecost?”
Apostle Onyinah revealed how “the day of Pentecost will be relived to give visitors a visible sign of what happened that day.”
Because it will be a museum, the cathedral will display many versions of the Bible that have been done there, he said.
That will not be all, Apostle Onyinah noted that many scripts from ancient to modern ones will all be displayed there.
His pride is to see scholars and Bible students visit the cathedral to “understand the Bible very well.”
His joy is that the Cathedral will be “a centre of excellence that will bring the people of Ghana together. Not only Ghana alone but many people from around the world will come and see it.”
One fascinating aspect of the yet-to-be constructed Cathedral will be the Biblical garden.
Can you imagine walking in the Garden of Eden and seeing all the trees that were planted there? Well perhaps, we might see some of those at the Cathedral.
Apostle Onyinah said, “all the trees in the Bible will be planted there. You’ll see the sycamore tree, the fig tree and many more.”