AN Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 32-year-old unemployed woman to two years imprisonment for stealing assorted items from a church at the 48 Engineer Barracks at Teshie.

The convict, Amanda Pascal, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful entry and stealing.

The court, presided over by Mrs Basilia Adjei-Tawiah, convicted her on her own plea and sentenced her to two years imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently.

Prosecution said the items stolen included a deep fryer valued at GH¢1,500, a Bluetooth speaker worth GH¢3,423, trumpet mouthpieces numbering 21, valued at GH¢6,820, a perfume, valued at GH¢586, and six tins of sardines, valued at GH¢200, all belonging to Veronica Owusu Boateng, the complainant.

Amanda was arrested after the CCTV camera of the church captured her entering the complainant’s room during a church service and leaving with bags containing the stolen items.

However, drama erupted during proceedings, when the trial judge asked whether the convict had any previous convictions.

Although the case investigator indicated she had been jailed by the LEKMA District Court, Amanda told the court she had previously been convicted and sentenced by the same Circuit Court to nine months imprisonment.

The judge cautioned her to take advantage of rehabilitation programmes within the Ghana Prisons Service and turn her life around, particularly as she had young children.

The court heard that only the deep fryer and the Bluetooth speaker were retrieved. Amanda pleaded with the court for time, stating she was preparing for an outdooring ceremony in March.

Chief Inspector Abigail Offeibea told the court that the complainant, emergency medical personnel at the 37 Military Hospital, resided at the Teshie Barracks, while the convict, a Nigerian national, lived at Teshie Lascala.

Prosecution said on February 15, 2026, the complainant was informed after a church service that 21 trumpet mouthpieces kept for safekeeping were missing. Upon checking her room, she realised other items had also been stolen.

A review of the church’s CCTV footage showed Amanda, who had been frequenting the barracks, entering the room during the service and later exiting with the items. The matter was reported to the police, and a search was launched.

Amanda was spotted in the neighborhood on February 17, arrested, and taken to the police station together with the retrieved items. In her caution statement, she admitted the offence and said she had used some of the remaining items and discarded the trumpet mouthpieces. –GNA

EXCESSIVE academic pressure coupled with weak spiritual formation is gradually eroding the moral foundations of the current generation of children, Rev. Daniel Amoako Nyarko, President of the Ghana Blue Cross, has warned.

According to him, the spiritual vulnerability of these children in the contemporary society was something parents and society must be concerned about.

Rev. Daniel Amoako Nyarko made the remark at the launch of the 120th anniversary celebration of the Ghana Blue Cross at the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Emmanuel Congregation, Aburi, in the Akuapem Presbytery.

Blue Cross Ghana, founded in 1906 and affiliated with the International Blue Cross, is a faith-based NGO under the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and focused on preventing alcohol and substance abuse.

It provides advocacy, counselling, rehabilitation, and self-help group services to promote dignified, drug-free lifestyles, particularly for youth.

The anniversary launch, held at the historic Aburi mission enclave in the Eastern Region, also marked 120 years since the birth of the Blue Cross movement in Ghana.

According to Rev. Nyarko, the present generation of children were burdened and overstretched with academic demands and are spiritually neglected.

“Today’s children have a lot of problems. They are overburdened with academic assignments and left with little spiritual engagement; this is gradually destroying them,” he indicated.

That vulnerability, he emphasised, could lead such children to other social vices that endanger their lives and put their future in doubt.

Consequently, Rev. Nyarko cautioned the youth against substance abuse, declaring that, “Do not let drugs and alcohol waste your life.”

He noted that addiction was not merely a social issue but a spiritual crisis requiring collective compassion and intervention.

Drawing from 2 Timothy 1:3–8, he urged believers to uphold sincere faith and spiritual courage, emphasising that victims of drugs and alcohol need care, not condemnation.

Rev. Nyarko called on parents and the Church to intentionally pass on the moral and spiritual heritage of the Presbyterian tradition to younger generations. Quoting Job 14:14, he appealed to members to live with eternal consciousness and renewed commitment to mission.

He also urged “all meaningful members of the Presbyterian Church and Christians alike” to carry the perishing at heart and actively participate in rescue efforts through evangelism, mentoring, and structured Christian fellowship.

He invited the adult generation to rise to the challenge of confronting social decay by supporting the Blue Cross movement through prayer, availability, and financial commitment.

“Sow your seed to make the work of the Blue Cross a lasting legacy for the Church and the Ghanaian community,” he stated.

120 years of moral reform

The Blue Cross movement in Ghana traces its roots to Aburi, approximately 120 years ago during a period of intense missionary and revival influence within the Presbyterian tradition.

Established as a Christian temperance movement, Blue Cross emerged in response to rising concerns about alcohol abuse and moral decline.

Its foundation combined biblical teaching, moral discipline, public pledges of abstinence, and structured fellowship.

Grounded in texts such as 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Ephesians 5:18, and Romans 12:1, the movement framed abstinence not merely as social reform but as theological obedience — presenting the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit and a living sacrifice unto God.

From Aburi, the movement spread across Presbyterian congregations nationwide, shaping generations of youth through pledge, prayer, and practice.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Blue Cross, Rev. Patrick Adjei Acheampong, in his brief address, recounted the milestones achieved over the past century.

He highlighted the movement’s role in youth mentorship, addiction prevention advocacy, moral formation programmes, and community engagement initiatives across Ghana.

Rev. Acheampong expressed gratitude to past leaders who, in his words, “held the fort and passed it on faithfully to this generation.”

He noted that the anniversary celebration was not merely ceremonial but a moment of reflection, renewal, and recommitment to the founding vision birthed in Aburi more than a century ago.

Beyond celebration

As the Ghana Blue Cross marks 120 years of existence, the message from the Presbyterian Church leadership is clear: the challenge of moral discipline, youth formation, and substance abuse remains urgent.

The anniversary launch was, therefore, framed not as nostalgia but as a renewed covenant to protect children, restore the addicted, strengthen families, and anchor the Church once again in disciplined, Spirit-filled living.

The anniversary Planning Committee Chairperson, Rev. Daniel Ofori Appiah, has appeal to all and sundry to support and make the celebration a memorable one.

By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu