Assemblies of God, Ghana will begin a National Week of Fasting from Monday, January 13, to Sunday, January 19, 2025, the General Superintendent of the church, Reverend Yenusom Wengam has announced.
He explained that the one-week fasting will be followed by a 12 - hour Prayer Chain on Assemblies of God Television(AGTV) daily. After that the church will continue with daily 12 hours prayer on AGTV for 33 days making it a total of 40 days of praying without ceasing.
Reverend Wengam outlined these prayer activities in his yet-to-be aired 2025 New Year Message in Accra.
The comprehensive prayer programmes of the church is in line with its 2025 theme, “Pray Without Ceasing” (For Supernatural Manifestations) based on 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
The General Superintendent emphasised that “New Year means New Hope.” This new hope in the new year he observed, is predicated on prayer.
Rationale
Explaining the rationale for the 2025 theme, he stated that “prayer is the native air of the Christian. Prayer is therefore an indispensable element of our spiritual life.”
Reverend Wengam stated that “Jesus whiles on earth prayed without ceasing as indicated in Hebrews 5:7.When we pray we will experience supernatural manifestations-miracles, healings, signs and wonders among others.”
Daily Prayers
The General Superintendent further indicated that the national prayers will be marked with Prayer Meetings.
He said there will be a 48-hour Prayer Chain for Executive Presbytery(EP), Executive Committee(EC), Departmental Directors and Heads of Agencies, as well as Friday All – Night services in all local churches.
Reverend Wengam intimated that a one-month Prayer Chain will be observed in all Districts in April.
This he said would be followed by the maiden Mid-Year National Week of Fasting from Monday, July 7 to Sunday, July 13, 2025.
“Alongside prayer will be capacity building events across all levels of the church” he added.
Centenary Project
The General Superintendent stated that a major highlight of the year will be a sod- cutting ceremony for the Assemblies of God Centenary City Project. He explained that the project is an international conference facility which can accommodate about 6,000 people at a go when completed.
“Related events will be the inauguration of the Centenary Celebration and Centenary Reform Committees” he revealed.
In line with the focus of the year, the General Superintendent pointed out that EP meetings, Regional Council meetings, departmental retreats and camp meetings will centre on prayer.
Retreats
He further announced that EP and Key Leaders will attend a Prayer Retreat in November adding that there will also be EP Officers prayer retreat, EP and departmental directors prayer retreat, as well as Pastors and Spouses Prayer Convocation, scheduled from August 4 to August 8, 2025, at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region.
Reverend Wengam further announced that the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God in Malaysia, Rev Ong Sek, will be the Speaker for the event.
He observed that 2025 will also feature the first Pastors’ Widows Prayer Retreat, and the first National Prayer Warriors Retreat, from March 3 to March 7.
“God willing, 2025 will see the relaunch and resumption of SOAR-a weekly prayer meeting led by the General Superintendent, on Thursdays, from 8-9pm on AGTV” he further stated.
Apostolic visits
Touching on Apostolic visits by Reverend Wengam and his wife, the General Superintendent stated that the activity will continue as usual and it will be characterised by three to four hours prayer meetings with pastors and their spouses.
He said he would hold a series of prayer meetings with various stakeholders and groups in the church alongside the prayer meetings.
“To deepen our emphasis on prayer, we will contract a group who will be praying full time for the church in 2025. We will also ensure that each local church, department as well as the districts and regions have functional prayer warrior groups who meet weekly to intercede for the various outfits” the General Superintendent stressed.
Personal level
At the personal level, Reverend Wengam directed that every member must pray-one hour a day, every pastor-two hours a day, while District, Regional Executive, EP and Departmental Directors must pray three hours a day, minimum.
“We encourage a lot of prayer activities in the districts and regions, and by the departments. These include all-night prayer meetings, prayer chains, prayer retreats, prayer walk in the various communities, and speaking in tongues exclusive prayer meetings” Reverend Wengam further directed.
Exposure, learning trip
In the course of the year, the General Superintendent said the Regional Secretaries and Treasurers, National Directors, Senior Faculty members of AGTMS would travel to Singapore on a learning cum exposure trip at the Trinity Christian Centre.
He indicated that the EP and Spouses will travel to the United States of America on the same mission.
“Brothers and sisters in Christ. With the Holy Spirit as the enabler, Assemblies of God Ghana will be as strong, vibrant, firebrand, expansive and dominant as the members make it. In view of this, we reiterate our special appeal to all our members and churches to sponsor the construction of legacy temples and the planting of churches” he advised.
Reverend Wengam said the agenda will continue in earnest this year to achieve the target of building a church in “Every Town and Village,” as well as achieving the MM33 mandate of the World Assemblies of God .
World Congress
On the World Congress of World Assemblies of God Fellowship to be hosted in Ghana in 2026, the General Superintendent stressed that the church has no choice but to scale up preparations for the historic event which will be the first to be held in Africa stressing that it will eventually “vindicate the rectitude of choosing Ghana as host.”
“So as believers, we will inhale and exhale prayer, this year, more than ever before. Thankfully, Assemblies of God was birthed in prayer with reference to the Azusa Street Revival and it is defined by prayer” he said.
Call to action
Reverend Wengam's New Year message culminated in a stirring call to action, as he urged his audience to embrace a year of unceasing prayer. In doing so, he explained, that the church is not breaking new ground, but instead, faithfully executing its divine mandate and advancing towards its predetermined destiny, with prayer as a guiding force.
