ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF TAMALE GETS NEW BISHOP

Narration: A Member Council of State for the Upper East Region, Jacob Kofi Ayeebo has been confirmed as the Bishop Coadjutor elect for the Anglican Diocese of Tamale. His confirmation follows an election conducted on April, 29 during the 6th Diocesan Synod held at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. This was officially announced by the Outgoing Bishop of the Tamale Anglican Cathedral, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Arombo at a ceremony held at the church in Tamale. Correspondent Isaac Asare witnessed the occasion and has the rest of the story for Ghana today.
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The ceremony on the theme: “the Churches mission to the individual” was marked amidst drumming and dancing. It was attended by representatives drawn from the various churches, pastors as well as members of the Anglican diocese. Rev. Ayeebo who is also the Dean of the Tamale Anglican Cathedral in his acceptance speech, commended the Anglican church for the confidence repose in him. He said his vision is to ensure that the Gospel of Christ is extended to the rural areas, where majority of the people due to ignorance still worship idols and other smaller gods. He pledged to be fair and open to all his subjects in the course of his duties despite the challenges. Rev Ayeebo also expressed his desire to embark on numerous developmental activities geared at poverty reduction. This, he explained, would involve the establishment of schools, farming practices, vocational training and employable skills for the teeming unemployed youth for the benefit of the society. Anglican Rt. Rev. Arombo in a sermon urged Christians to inculcate the habit of giving to the poor and vulnerable in the society. He said it behoves on Christians as ambassadors of Christ to exhibit lifestyles worthy of emulation. Rev. Arombo congratulated Rev. Ayeebo for his elevation to the position of a Bishop Cuadjutor and called on the support of the diocese to ensure that he live up to expectation without fear or favour. In a sermon Rev Arombo charged religious leaders to help guide and lead sinners to righteousness since God rejoices in the repentance of the lost soul. He said the confirmation of the newly elect bishop Coadjutor confirmed by the 16 bishops of the province, has become necessary due to preparation towards his retirement in the next two years. Rev Arombo described Rev Dr Ayeebo as a dedicated clergyman with many parts who have distinguished himself in various capacities thus earning him many academic and religious credentials. Rev Ayeebo, born at Nkawie in the Ashanti Region on July 1, 1960 is the current Executive Director of Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Organization (ADDRO). Rev Ayeebo after long years of dedicated service to the Anglican Fraternity was appointed the dean of the Anglican Cathedral in Tamale in 1999. Before then Rev Ayeebo accepted duties as an assistant priest in the Saint James Parish in Binaba in the Upper East where he also doubled as overseer of Yelwoko Saint John’s Provisional Parish.
He rose to senior priest for The Saint James Parish in 1992, then in charge of 9 churches dotted within the district. His enormous contribution and sacrifices brought a great change of development on churches under his jurisdiction. He chattered a progressive path for the Anglican community and later launched concerted plans for the bridging of the south-north divide and intensive provision of relief items to people in natural crisis. These plans received a major boost with his ascension to the position of executive director for ADDRO since 2004.