Very Reverend Yaw Frimpong Manso has recounted a painful and heartbreaking story of how the leadership of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana allegedly ganged up to hound him out of the church.
It will be recalled that in 2015, Reverend Frimpong Manso announced his resignation from the PCG, citing unfair hearing and disrespect to his person and ministry.
Reverend Manso had been accused by the leadership of PCG of endorsing gays following his association with the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America which had declared its stance on the controversial topic of if the church should bless marriages of homosexuals.
Reverend Frimpong Manso was ordered to return to Ghana and leave the Emmanuel Presbyterian and Reformed Church in Bronx, New York.
He refused and instead resigned from the church, accusing the leadership of tarnishing his image.
Opening up on the issue in an interview with Kofi TV, Reverend Frimpong Manso said the plot to get him out of the church included the filling of the media space with false stories about him endorsing marriages of gays and lesbianism.
“What was said about [me] was unfair and sad. The Presbyterian Church of Ghana has membership here and a majority of the church people are Ghanaians and we all know it is against our values as Ghanaians to accept homosexuality. I am [a] renowned pastor and an old testament scholar who knows that marriage is between men and women, there was no way I was going to allow it.”
He explained that despite the Bronx Church being under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church of the United States, it operated independently as it was affiliated to the PCG due to its membership.
Reverend Frimpong Manso clarified that the Presbyterian Church of the US did not openly embrace homosexuality but rather left the decision to the heads of the individual church.
“My church was never going to allow homosexuality. There is no way I was going to bless such marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman. PC USA made amendments to their constitution and it was that marriage is between two people but traditionally is between man and woman. They told us the pastors to decide what is right with the Bible and accepted by the branch. So someone like me who understands that the marriage is between man and woman, do you think I would bless a marriage of homosexuals?” he quizzed.
Reverend Frimpong Manso narrated how the church haunted him and made false publications about him.
He also disclosed that he has, as a result, been stripped of all privileges as a leader of the church and is now a ‘common’ member of the church.
Reverend Frimpong Manso expressed gratitude to Apostle Opoku Onyinah and other pastors who have been of immense support to him and revealed that not one of the current leaders of the church has ever called to listen to his side of the story.
