Rev. Paul Boafo, the Chaplain of the Protestant Chaplaincy of KNUST said something about six years ago that has stayed with me. He had a problem with Christian students who used the hall chapels ‘noisily’ and once said, ‘the fact that God has asked you to pray at dawn doesn’t mean you should wake everybody up with so much noise. Be considerate; take note that some students stay up late to study and may just be catching some sleep before an exam.”

So many churches have sprung up in Ghana, and if you don’t live in a gated-community or a well-planned estate, you may have about two churches / fellowships in your neighbourhood. Sometimes, churches make so much noise and when a neighbor complains, he/she is branded as a ‘bad’ person….but really, why do we make so much noise? Why do we turn out our speakers and shout so loudly when praying? Why does it sound like a ‘shout-competition’ sometimes between two congregations?  I’ve asked a few people and got answers like, ‘oh, we want people to hear the message of Christ and be attracted to the convention’ and ‘you know, music touches lives and so we increase the volume of our sound systems when we come to church so that it would be a point of evangelizing to outsiders’.

Speaking the truth in love, I hate to admit that we may be drawing people away from the church rather than drawing them in! You see, you may be preaching a really powerful message; but I had a really long day at work and I just want to relax and listen to GTV’s 7pm news without having to increase the volume of my TV set because of the noise from a near-by fellowship. You see, you may have the best music director and your songs may be lovely; but I am a student currently writing exams and I need some ‘peace’ in my room to read many pages before 8am tomorrow. You see, your prayers may be well-meaning and very relevant for the times; but I am a doctor dealing with the case of a patient who needs my expertise… plus, I’ve been in the hospital for over 24 hours continuous -I need to do some research tonight about that patient’s case and catch some sleep as well. I know the Bible says ‘to shout unto God with the voice of triumph’; but it also says ‘to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.’

 Can we please be considerate enough to turn down our volumes? – ( especially those of us who have our meetings very close to people’s homes. ) If the congregation can hear the speaker, the meeting should be fruitful….and oh, if we want to invite others, let us pray that God would draw them in. Let us show our love by being considerate. Our greatest witness to the world is our love, not our noise.  1 Cor. 13:1 “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal”…. John 13:35 ‘By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.’