The Accra West Region of the Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall had its Regional Forum for designated office bearers of Courts and Councils on Saturday, 24th January, 2015 at the Holy Spirit Cathedral Parish Hall in Accra.
The office bearers were made up of Grand Knights and Noble Ladies and deputies, Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries, Secretaries of Finance, Treasurers, Welfare Officers, Auditors, Masters of Ceremonies, Guards and Sentries, Propagandists, Reporters and Insurance Officers.
There were five Courts and Councils respectively. Namely; Court 67, and Council 74 of the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Accra Central, Court 63 and Council 71, St Margaret Mary’s Parish, Dansoman, Court 40 and Council 48, Holy Family, Mataheko, Court 103 and Council 108, St. Silvanus Parish, Pokuase, Court 105 and Council 109, SS Peter & Paul, New Aplaku, They were treated to various topics by resource persons of the Noble Order among who were Past Supreme Knights, Worthy Brothers, Respected Ladies and High officers.
The Regional Grand Knight, W/Bro Peter Kofi Wireko, welcomed participants and urged them to be circumspect in their approach to duty and live above reproach.
He called on the participants to work assiduously to achieve the objectives for the formation of the Noble Order with regards to Unity, Charity, Fraternity and Service.
He urged members to invest in the Marshallan Security Trust since they would be the ultimate beneficiaries.
He congratulated the Accra West Regional Courts and Councils for demonstrating their readiness to uplift the Marshallan fraternity to new levels.
Of particular mention was the Region’s participation in most of the programmes initiated by the Supreme Council including that of MARADES.
On the part of the compilation of personal data of members as requested by the Supreme Council, the RGK persuaded Brothers and Sisters to speed up the submission of their details through the Regional Secretariat.
On the roles of GKs and NLs, the team of resource persons led by S/Kt. Bro. Tony N. N. Baffour asked for shared experiences, knowledge and challenges for effective organisation of meetings.
He called for the promotion of evangelization, the defence of the Church and its hierarchy. Furthermore, create conducive atmosphere for spiritual and material welfare of the Marshallan community. Each Marshallan should be humble and respectful to other persons. There should be avoidance of confrontation, reflect before taking fair and firm decisions. Motivate and inspire those who work immediately around you.
A talk on the topic, ‘Servant Leadership perspectives of a Marshallan as a Disciple of Christ’ was delivered by the Deputy Supreme Knight, W/Bro Ernest Amoako-Arhen.
He named three types of leadership concepts:
1. Charismatic, 2. Transformational and 3. Servant Leadership.
The type of leadership required in the Marshallan fraternity is the Servant Leadership concept. The source of authority of the leader is the Marshallan Constitution and its bye-laws.
W/Bro Ernest Amoako-Arhen noted that the ‘leadership of Council and Court must avoid being intimidated and must never add other personal responsibilities on meeting days as they cause distractions’. He further advised that GKs and NLs should find time for Brothers and Sisters by going down to honour private invitations and programmes.
He said, being available for other members’ programmes enables you to ‘win’ their support by sacrificing your time for others. In this regard, he said, make maximum mark within one year of your reign.
In conclusion, the Deputy Supreme Knight noted that, team work requires that GKs and NLs organise core meetings with office bearers to outline programmes, delegate responsibilities and monitor by follow ups for feedbacks and then express appreciation for good work done.
Summary Report by:
Bro Anthony Ekpedzor
GK, Council 74
Accra Central