On Sunday, November 6, Power of Worship International’s facilities on Accra’s Spintex Road were crowded with locals and visitors alike.
About 1,000 members attend services there every Sunday, but when the church opened its doors for the second Free Compassion Boutique, that number quadrupled.
Videos that were shared on social media showed a large number of people scurrying for some of the numerous clothes and accessories that were being exhibited on mannequins in the church’s forecourt.
Even while other churches organize fundraising events, Sunday’s event was unique since attendees could browse the collection and select the sizes that fit them.
There were various materials (including lace and African designs), garments for men, women, and children, as well as hats, shoes, bags, and other accessories, the majority of which were either brand-new (with tags) or barely used.
They were arranged on mannequins, shelves, and stands in sizes and color tones to resemble a contemporary boutique.
Prophet Daniel Amoateng, the church’s founder, said that “now is the season for Christians to demonstrate empathy to their neighbors” in an interview with The Mirror last Tuesday.
He claimed that since Christianity was about sharing and demonstrating love, it was even more crucial for believers to do so, no matter how little, in light of the current financial situation.
The first Free Compassion Boutique, where church members brought new clothing and accessories to be given away for free, he claimed was held last year, but only church members took part.
“I realized that the bulk of our members don’t need these clothes, so we opened it up to the general public and were flooded with applications. It demonstrates how desperately they required such a response. People were astonished by the scramble for the garments, and in one of the comments on social media, someone questioned whether that was actually Accra.
The Compassion Department, the church’s charitable arm that organized this event, has decided that the next free boutique will be held on weekdays when we can use the entire parking lot as a display area because at some point we couldn’t control the crowd, he said.
Originally, according to Prophet Amoateng, the church intended for it to be an annual event, but after hearing from attendees at last Sunday’s event about how much assistance was needed, the church decided to have another one in December.
We want to help a lot more people in December because many of my friends and some celebrities mentioned they would like to participate in the next event after the videos went viral. We will give seats and call the elderly first, then we follow with first come, first served, in order to regulate the crowd, he said.
Some of the visitors’ utility expenses were also covered by the church.
In the church, the Compassion Department provided rice, bottled water, and paid utility bills for members who couldn’t pay them, according to Prophet Amoateng, so it was also nothing new.
“Any member of the church knows that this is the way things are done around here, and we make our selections in public so that there are no complaints of favoritism. We ask for anyone who need assistance throughout the service and we provide the items or money out in the open, he said.
I often tell my congregation that if you can’t ask me to dinner or lunch, don’t invite me to church, he continued, indicating that the church regarded its mission to be more than merely preaching about salvation. Christianity is not about what we teach; it’s about what we do.
He expressed his gratitude to the group that organized the event, contributors, and churchgoers for voluntarily donating their possessions during such trying circumstances.
