Anglican diocese of Tamale elects new bishop

Religion of Thursday, July 11, 2019

Source: James Amoh Jnr

2019-07-11

Venerable Canon Dennis Tong, pastor of the Saint Cyprian Anglican Church of Bolgatanga, was elected Bishop of the Tamale Diocese of the Anglican Church.

He succeeds the reverend Dr. Jacob Kofi Ayeebo, who died in February this year.

Venerable Tong won 74 votes out of a total of 111 delegates to beat her main opponent, Reverend Clement Azure, dean of the cathedral, who won 37 votes after the two candidates were chosen from among the three candidates for the final. , having challenged the first-round elections and failed to meet the constitutional requirements of two-thirds of the total votes cast

Delegates described this election as wonderfully peaceful, sober and witty.

The delegates came from the 14 parishes and included 34 branches with 40 clergy and 81 laymen who constituted the constituency.

The church will then prepare all the necessary formalities and documents and will communicate its election to the Archbishop of the province of Ghana for his opinion.

After a satisfactory response from the archbishop, the newly elected bishop would be officially consecrated and enthroned as a bishop of the diocese.

The diocese of Tamale was carved in the diocese of Sunyani of the Anglican Church in 1997.

The venerable Tong becomes the third bishop of the diocese after the first bishop, the reverend Emmanuel Anyindana Arongo and the right reverend Dr. Jacob Kofi Ayeebo.

After his ordination and devoted service in the diocese, the venerable Tong became archdeacon of the archdeacon of Bolga-Binaba – a position he currently holds.

The position of Archdeacon is one of the most important and respected positions of the Anglican Communion.

He holds a certificate in Ecumenical Studies from the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Geneva, Switzerland, and a bachelor's degree in theology from St. Nicholas Seminary in Cape Coast.

He attended Tamale Polytechnic where he continued his studies in carpentry and carpentry until the second year and was a pioneer of the defunct Anglican School of Vocational Training (AVOSCO) in the early 1980s in Zuarungu.

Venerable Tong has held several positions with badociations and church groups, including president of the churches of the Upper East Region's Christian Council, and member of the Upper East Region's Media Advisory Board. , a member of the Upper East Region Peace Council and a member of the Upper East Regional Department of Prisons.