On the eve of the Alpha Hour Convocation with Pastor Agyemang Elvis, the Accra Sports Stadium became an unusual but striking sight. Mats, pillows, plastic chairs and prayerful bodies turned the national stadium into a temporary open-air sleeping camp. Long before the first sermon was preached or the stage fully set, scores of believers who are popularly known as Alpharians, had arrived, determined to secure a place at what many considered a spiritually significant gathering ahead of 2026.
For some observers, the scene inspired admiration. For others, it provoked condemnation.
Social media quickly lit up with criticisms, ridicule and disbelief. Why would people sleep on bare concrete for church? Why arrive a day earlier for prayers? Why endure discomfort in the name of religion? These questions, while loudly asked, reveal more about societal double standards than about the actions of the worshippers themselves.
Across Ghana, queuing overnight is hardly new. During national ID card registrations, citizens sleep at registration centres for days just to secure early slots, and it is widely accepted as a necessary sacrifice. During December concerts like GTCO Live, Rapperholic, Zaama Disco, Revival and many others, fans troop to venues hours, sometimes days, ahead of events, sitting in the sun, standing for long periods, and later trekking home for hours due to traffic and lack of transport. These actions are rarely condemned; instead, they are justified with a simple phrase: it’s worth it.
So why does the line suddenly get drawn when the gathering is for worship?
The Alpha Hour Convocation is not just another church service. It represents the climax of a movement that has grown from a midnight livestream on YouTube and Facebook into a dominant force in Ghana’s religious and digital culture. Throughout 2025, Pastor Agyemang Elvis and the Grace Mountain Ministry have consistently preached spiritual discipline, consistency and intentionality. For many Alpharians, spending the night at the stadium was not fanaticism, but a physical expression of the same commitment they have practised daily online.
For people like Martha Mensah, a trader who travelled from Kumasi and arrived in Accra hours before nightfall, sleeping at the stadium was not a burden but a declaration of faith. “Sleeping here is part of the blessing,” she explained. To her and many others, discomfort was a small price for spiritual renewal and preparation for the year ahead.
Critics argue that such gatherings show how people are being “used” by religion. Yet no one accuses concertgoers of being used by musicians, promoters or brands when they spend thousands of cedis, endure fatigue and sacrifice comfort for entertainment. The truth is simple: people willingly invest time, money and energy into what gives them meaning. For some, it is music and nightlife. For others, it is prayer and worship.
In a democratic society, freedom of worship is not a favour—it is a right. As long as citizens are not causing harm, disrupting public order or infringing on the rights of others, their choices deserve respect. The Alpharians at the Accra Sports Stadium hurt no one. They cleaned up after themselves, followed security protocols and gathered peacefully. Their only “offence” was choosing prayer over partying.
What makes the condemnation even more ironic is that many of the loudest critics are the same people who will walk for hours after concerts due to traffic, sleep in uncomfortable conditions during festivals, or queue endlessly for administrative processes. Endurance suddenly becomes foolish only when it is tied to faith.
Religion may not mean the same thing to everyone and that is perfectly fine. But tolerance demands that we allow others to pursue fulfillment in their own way. Worship, like entertainment, is a form of enjoyment, expression and identity. One is not superior to the other; they are simply different.
As Ghana steps into 2026, perhaps it is time to embrace a broader understanding of freedom, one that allows people to sing at concerts without judgement and pray at stadiums without ridicule. Let people worship. Let people enjoy. And above all, let people live.
Happy New Year 🎆
