Pastor denies burial service for 45-year old man over tithes

The family of the late Frederick Apaah has refused to recognize the pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Magyaduro, after the pastor of the church denied his burial service this morning. Frederick died in August 2020 after battling typhoid, but was kept in the mortuary because of the restrictions on burial from the executive arm of government. Frederick has lived all his life in Mogyaduro and Washington DC, the capital of US. He was born and breed in Mogyaduro, a town in the Sene East Municipal of the newly created Bono East Region. Mogyaduro lies ahead of Kwame Danso, of the same region.

Frederick after spending eighteen years in Washington DC, made up his minds to return back to Ghana. He built himself a three bedroom mansion with a boys quarters, which he rents to civil workers. He knew the mouth of his family, so he built a new family house for his extended family, instead of renovating their old family house. He remembered several untold stories about how men were short lived, after they made attempts of renovating their external family houses. He didn't want anyone cutting short his life, and couldn't stand any family member asking him why he is renovating their family house, so he bought a new land and built an eight bedroom house for the family.

He had a problem with the Baptist Church, during the acquisition of the lands he used to build his family house. The church was not affected but the pastor in charge of the church, was deeply affected. The pastor had interest in the 3 plot of lands Frederick bought, to build his family house. The pastor wanted to acquire that land, but wanted to pay installments for it. The owner of the land, was going to give him the land because, he was a pastor and was stationed in the town. Frederick was looking for a land to build his family house, when someone gave him a hint to try the landlord Agya Appiah. Agya Appiah gave Frederick the lands, when Frederick shown ready cash, no installments and no long payments.

Agya Appiah sold the lands to Frederick, and the pastor became furious with him. The pastor in several occasions used Frederick to preach in the church, but it didn't stop him from serving his Lord. Frederick stopped honoring his usual forms of assistance to the church, and even stopped his family members from sending food stuffs, to the pastor. It is a norm at the church that, women fellowship and other fellowship, sends food items and other things to the mission house every month.

Frederick stopped his family from sending things to the mission, because of the pastor's actions towards him. This brought a total set of confusion between the pastor and some church elders, because of his actions. The church couldn't fight for the pastor because of Frederick's annual harvest funds, he gave to the church every year. He was the major contributor in each annual harvest the church made, and had the backing of most church elders.

Frederick fell ill and was admitted at the Hopes Clinic in Techiman, but couldn't survive it. He died in August 30, 2020 and family couldn't bury him because of the funeral restrictions. Family scheduled his burial to 20 February 2021 after the restrictions were lessen, but couldn't cancel the arrangements after the restrictions were put in place again. The Mt. Zion Baptist Church at Mogyaduro, was to bury Frederick this morning, but the pastor denied leading the burial. The pastor denied burying someone who is not a member of any fellowship in the church, someone who drinks alcohol and doesn't pay his tithes. Frederick isn't a fellowship member of any fellowship in the church, and doesn't pay tithes because he doesn't believe in it, but pays heavily in all other church programs.

He is the major contributor of all church programs including annual harvest, but because his name wasn't registered with any fellowship in the church, Pastor Sampson Larbi denied leading his burial this morning. Church elders lead the church choir, and members into organizing a small burial service for Frederick, despite the pastors boycott.