No fewer than 120 children choir of the Apostolic Faith Church performed during the Children’s Day celebrated in the church last week.
They held the audience spell-bound with songs delivered in Yoruba, Igbo and Efik.
It was a spectacle to see four, five year olds playing the violin. They played inspiring melodious songs with the piano, orchestra and duets.
The celebration with the theme Shining light was the second of its kind.
It was to encourage children in drama, singing and use of musical instruments.
The head of the Children’s Sunday School of the Apostolic Faith West and Central Africa, Christiana Oshiodipe, said the event was held to thrill children and charge them to deploy their talents in working for God.
“Our purpose is to show other children the opportunity they have, that they can dramatise, they can sing and they can play instruments in the church,” she stressed.
She urged parents to make their children shining lights in their community by bringing them to God even at tender ages.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Catholic Church To finally Dialogue With CAN •As CBCN Insists On Amnesty For Boko Haram
There are indications that the rift between the Catholic Church and the Christian association of Nigeria (CAN) will soon come to an end.
The President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria {CBCN}, Bishop Ignatius Kaigama gave the indications when he during a world press conference in Abuja.
Kaigama said “as of today, we are still members of CAN. Sometimes ago, we raised our concerns on certain issues and we asked for dialogue with executives of CAN. The meeting for dialogue was to have held before now, it hasn’t, but will hold very soon.”
He stated that issues would be discussed indepth and that then there would be a national body representing all the christians in the country, “so give us some chance, we shall discuss in a very amicable manner and the results would be out”, he said.
Meanwhile the heads of the Catholic Church have insisted on the amnesty programme, the same issue that CAN has vehemently rejected.
It would be noted that Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor was recently elected for a second term as the President of CAN.
While speaking on other national issues, the CBCN stated that it prayed and hoped that the declaration of state of emergency in some states would achieve the desired objectives and that genuine amnesty should mean offering pardon to repentant militants and not appeasing criminals and their sponsors to stay calm.
Bishop Kaigama said that the Catholic Church welcomed the efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan in seeking to bring the country’s challenges under control and believed that given the serious nature of the crisis, the President must use all available resources required to resolve the tensions in various parts of the country.
He said “we urge the President to mobilise the leadership of the political class especially the members of the dominant ruling Party to resolve the lingering crisis in the country”.
“At moments of national crisis such as we face now, patriotism and national interests should prevail over narrow partisan and selfish interests”.
He said that it seemed clear to all that the crisis were the direct result of the forthcoming elections of 2015.
“We must note first , there has to be a nation before we can conduct elections, democracy ought to offer a level playing field in which every citizen should feel free to aspire to any office in the land. We therefore hold the members of the political class, squarely responsible for ensuring the stability of our dear nation”, he said.
Kaigama further called on the President to find the best way to end the crises over the leadership of the Governors’ Forum and the power tussle in Rivers State.
He then condemned the provocative, unguarded and partisan utterances that threaten the national corporate existence of Nigeria and called on relevant government agencies nit to shy away from prosecuting the elements when they breach the laws of the land or threaten national security and peace.
He called on the Federal Government to continue to explore the most effective means of dialogue with a view to restoring the country to normalcy.
Kaigama stressed that the Christians were experts in forgiving and that amnesty should be given to people who were remorseful,”when you give amnesty as a bribe, then the problem of violence would be temporary”.
The President of the CBCN said that the Boko Haram crisis had become multi dimensional and that religion had become the poor victim after being obviously pinned as the major cause of the crisis.
The President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria {CBCN}, Bishop Ignatius Kaigama gave the indications when he during a world press conference in Abuja.
Kaigama said “as of today, we are still members of CAN. Sometimes ago, we raised our concerns on certain issues and we asked for dialogue with executives of CAN. The meeting for dialogue was to have held before now, it hasn’t, but will hold very soon.”
He stated that issues would be discussed indepth and that then there would be a national body representing all the christians in the country, “so give us some chance, we shall discuss in a very amicable manner and the results would be out”, he said.
Meanwhile the heads of the Catholic Church have insisted on the amnesty programme, the same issue that CAN has vehemently rejected.
It would be noted that Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor was recently elected for a second term as the President of CAN.
While speaking on other national issues, the CBCN stated that it prayed and hoped that the declaration of state of emergency in some states would achieve the desired objectives and that genuine amnesty should mean offering pardon to repentant militants and not appeasing criminals and their sponsors to stay calm.
Bishop Kaigama said that the Catholic Church welcomed the efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan in seeking to bring the country’s challenges under control and believed that given the serious nature of the crisis, the President must use all available resources required to resolve the tensions in various parts of the country.
He said “we urge the President to mobilise the leadership of the political class especially the members of the dominant ruling Party to resolve the lingering crisis in the country”.
“At moments of national crisis such as we face now, patriotism and national interests should prevail over narrow partisan and selfish interests”.
He said that it seemed clear to all that the crisis were the direct result of the forthcoming elections of 2015.
“We must note first , there has to be a nation before we can conduct elections, democracy ought to offer a level playing field in which every citizen should feel free to aspire to any office in the land. We therefore hold the members of the political class, squarely responsible for ensuring the stability of our dear nation”, he said.
Kaigama further called on the President to find the best way to end the crises over the leadership of the Governors’ Forum and the power tussle in Rivers State.
He then condemned the provocative, unguarded and partisan utterances that threaten the national corporate existence of Nigeria and called on relevant government agencies nit to shy away from prosecuting the elements when they breach the laws of the land or threaten national security and peace.
He called on the Federal Government to continue to explore the most effective means of dialogue with a view to restoring the country to normalcy.
Kaigama stressed that the Christians were experts in forgiving and that amnesty should be given to people who were remorseful,”when you give amnesty as a bribe, then the problem of violence would be temporary”.
The President of the CBCN said that the Boko Haram crisis had become multi dimensional and that religion had become the poor victim after being obviously pinned as the major cause of the crisis.
Oke plucks smiles from faces of Esa-Oke residents - Donates church to show gratitude to God
It was a day that will remain evergreen for the people of Esa Oke when Honourable Oluwole Oke made a donation of a church building to the people of his home town in Esa Oke, Osun State.
On that day, people from all walks of life thronged the city of Esa Oke on the invitation of the man who said he was making the donation in appreciation of God’s goodness over him and his family.
It was a day filled with laughter, music, dance and good food as the people of the town did not only troop in to catch the glimpse of the church, but also worship in the new church he had built over the course of a few months.
The multimillion naira church, named St Mark’s African Church and inaugurated by clerics and the monarch of the town, has the capacity to seat over 500 people at a time.
Speaking during a sermon made in the new church, one of the clerics eulogised the donor for the kind gesture, while praying that God blessed him with the capacity to do more.
The service, which drew a large crowd of monarchs, politicians, friends, well-wishers and people of the town, got a bit more interesting when the monarch of the town, Owamiran of Esa-Oke, Oba Adeyemi Adediran Atipa Owaji II took the microphone from the lead singer for that day, Evangelist Tope Alabi, to give a special song in thanksgiving for not only witnessing the day, but sharing in the joy of his friend’s achievement.
Oke said the dedication was done to honour God in appreciation of His love. “In appreciation of God’s love, I decided to honour Him with a Church Building in my home town Esa Oke,” he said.
Some people at the occasion, who spoke with Tribune Church, said the politician borrowed a leaf from the Biblical David, who desired to build a tabernacle in humble adoration to God.
At the end of the lengthy church service, where he was surrounded by clerics who showered him with prayers, the congregation trooped out to an open field to wine and dine, in celebration of the special day and to mark his birthday and that of his son.
No African country is large enough to absorb Nigerians as refugees –Primate Okoh
Following the present insecurity bedeviling the nation, the Primate of the Anglican Communion, Nigeria, the Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, has argued that no African nation would be able to accommodate the aftermath of the disintegration of Nigeria, just as he called on every Nigerian to understand that religion could only be practiced in a peaceful environment.
Okoh further argued that sincerity of purpose at all levels was key to resolving the conflicts paralyzing the nation’s economy. He made this position known while receiving the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Rt. Honourable Michael Gifford who was accompanied by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Andrew Pocock when they paid a visit to the country.
According to Okoh, “Every country has its own problem but this is a very strange type of problem that we are having. We think that the government ought to be allowed to face the issue of empowering the people, take to fighting poverty, unemployment, disease and so on and so forth and improving the living standard of the people but it’s been highly distracted by the security challenge and now becomes very difficult to say that government did not do this or that, because it needs a peaceful time to consider very important issues of development.
“If there is no country, there will be no room for anybody to do religion, no room for anybody to be a traditional ruler, there will be no room for anybody to practice anything. So essentially we need our country first and if people are able to understand the priority this way, I think the problem will not be there for too long.
“More so that in this West Africa, there is no country large enough to absorb Nigeria in the event of any major crisis. We can’t go to Ghana; we’ll just swamp their place, because it cannot take us.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Mayor of London stated that Nigeria would always remain crucial to the government of the United Kingdom and that it, therefore, followed that something drastic be done to arrest the lingering crisis. “Nigeria is very important to the city of London and there are so many people living there and so many British of Nigeria descent,” he said.
Okoh further argued that sincerity of purpose at all levels was key to resolving the conflicts paralyzing the nation’s economy. He made this position known while receiving the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Rt. Honourable Michael Gifford who was accompanied by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Andrew Pocock when they paid a visit to the country.
According to Okoh, “Every country has its own problem but this is a very strange type of problem that we are having. We think that the government ought to be allowed to face the issue of empowering the people, take to fighting poverty, unemployment, disease and so on and so forth and improving the living standard of the people but it’s been highly distracted by the security challenge and now becomes very difficult to say that government did not do this or that, because it needs a peaceful time to consider very important issues of development.
“If there is no country, there will be no room for anybody to do religion, no room for anybody to be a traditional ruler, there will be no room for anybody to practice anything. So essentially we need our country first and if people are able to understand the priority this way, I think the problem will not be there for too long.
“More so that in this West Africa, there is no country large enough to absorb Nigeria in the event of any major crisis. We can’t go to Ghana; we’ll just swamp their place, because it cannot take us.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Mayor of London stated that Nigeria would always remain crucial to the government of the United Kingdom and that it, therefore, followed that something drastic be done to arrest the lingering crisis. “Nigeria is very important to the city of London and there are so many people living there and so many British of Nigeria descent,” he said.
Amid Tears Over A Disgruntled Nation, Oritsejafor Receives Award From Northern Xtians
It was an emotionally laden moment for the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, when he shed tears on the state of the nation at a reception and an award ceremony held in his honour in Abuja during the week.
In a tearful mood, he said that the Federal Government should not waste time pampering the Boko Haram sect members because the amnesty deal would not work.
The President of CAN said that the arrogant and deriding manner with which Boko Haram had dismissed the amnesty deal coupled with statements from the sect’s spokesman, Abu Qaqa, had both reinforced CAN’s stance that the sect’s only interest was the elimination of Christians and the enforcement of an Islamic state in Nigeria.
The event which was well attended by the top hierarchy of various churches across the country, of which most of them spoke on the achievement of the CAN President since he assumed office as the chief spokesman of the Christian community across the country.
Oritsejafor called on President Goodluck Jonathan to be wary of some Muslim leaders in the North and their very few Christian allies who always went to the President in droves to seek regional concessions with religious bias. “There are people who do not see anything wrong in Boko Haram killing Christians but only want amnesty for the murderous and bloodthirsty sect members.
“The President should be aware of those who kept mum when Odi and Odioma in Bayelsa State and Zaki Biam in Benue State were destroyed by soldiers, but now want the heavens to fall when Baga village came under military attack.
He stated that there was no war, for those who said that there was a war, because the other side which are christians have no weapons to fight back.
He saluted the resilience of the Nigerian people and urged them to be more security conscious. “I also salute our security agencies who, in spite of attacks on them by the enemies of progress have come to the rescue of our people”, he said.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of NOSCEF, Evangelist Mattew Owojaiye stated that the church remained the only answer to the nation’s many problems.
In a tearful mood, he said that the Federal Government should not waste time pampering the Boko Haram sect members because the amnesty deal would not work.
The President of CAN said that the arrogant and deriding manner with which Boko Haram had dismissed the amnesty deal coupled with statements from the sect’s spokesman, Abu Qaqa, had both reinforced CAN’s stance that the sect’s only interest was the elimination of Christians and the enforcement of an Islamic state in Nigeria.
The event which was well attended by the top hierarchy of various churches across the country, of which most of them spoke on the achievement of the CAN President since he assumed office as the chief spokesman of the Christian community across the country.
Oritsejafor called on President Goodluck Jonathan to be wary of some Muslim leaders in the North and their very few Christian allies who always went to the President in droves to seek regional concessions with religious bias. “There are people who do not see anything wrong in Boko Haram killing Christians but only want amnesty for the murderous and bloodthirsty sect members.
“The President should be aware of those who kept mum when Odi and Odioma in Bayelsa State and Zaki Biam in Benue State were destroyed by soldiers, but now want the heavens to fall when Baga village came under military attack.
He stated that there was no war, for those who said that there was a war, because the other side which are christians have no weapons to fight back.
He saluted the resilience of the Nigerian people and urged them to be more security conscious. “I also salute our security agencies who, in spite of attacks on them by the enemies of progress have come to the rescue of our people”, he said.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of NOSCEF, Evangelist Mattew Owojaiye stated that the church remained the only answer to the nation’s many problems.
I've Rid World of 160,000 Demons-Catholic Church Exorcist
The Catholic Church’s top exorcist, who claims to have sent 160,000 demons back to hell, says he wants Pope Francis to allow all priests to start performing the ritual to deal with a rising demand for exorcisms from the faithful.
Father Gabriele Amorth, 88, who also heads the International Association of Exorcists, told The Sunday Times that he will ask Pope Francis to allow all priests the right to do exorcisms without the church’s approval. According to the report, priests currently need special approval from their bishop to perform the rite and it is rarely granted.
“I will ask the pope to give all priests the power to carry out exorcisms, and to ensure priests are properly trained for these starting with the seminary. There’s a huge demand for them,” said Father Amorth.
He explained that he was inspired to make the request after watching Pope Francis perform what he insists was an exorcism on a man “possessed by four demons” in St. Peter’s Square.
“The pope is also the Bishop of Rome, and like any bishop he is also an exorcist,” Amorth reportedly told La Repubblica newspaper. “It was a real exorcism. If the Vatican has denied this, it shows that they understand nothing.”
“There was now, more than ever, a need for exorcists to combat people possessed by ‘sorcerers’ and ‘Satanists,’” he noted in that report.
An 84-page update of exorcism rites compiled in 1614 and drawn up in 1998 stipulates how Catholic priests trained as exorcists should operate.
According to the guidelines established by the church, they have to follow a ritual known as “De exorcismis et supplicationibus quibusdam,” or “Of exorcisms and certain supplications.”
Amorth explained that Pope Francis’ exorcism on May 19 helped to balance the growing atheism in the world where people don’t believe in the Devil anymore.
“We live in an age in which God has been forgotten. And wherever God is not present, the Devil rules,” said Amorth.
“Today, unfortunately, bishops don’t appoint sufficient exorcists. We need many more. I hope that Rome will send out directives to bishops around the world calling on them to appoint more exorcists.”
Pastor Okoh:I Once Mimicked Idahosa And Miracle Happened
Senior Pastor and General Overseer, Sovereign Word Church, Pastor Antoni Okoh, has sensationally revealed how by merely mimicking the late televangelist and preacher, many evangelists in the country became miracle workers.
The evangelist recalled this ahead of his church’s forthcoming quarterly programme, ‘Day of Recovery’, billed to hold at the Banquet Hall of Excellence Hotel, in Ogba, Lagos on Sunday June 9, 2013.
Okoh whose church’s headquarters is at 11, Awori Street, Egbeda, Lagos with outreaches in different parts of the country, recalled how he, along with others, was endowed with Idahosa’s style of performing miracles, he said many of them merely mimicked the late man of God.
His words: Consequent upon my healing, the Church of God Mission automatically became my church and Archbishop Benson Idahosa became my pastor. We also watched him on television and saw all his crusades abroad. Taking spiritual inspiration from him, we started putting up crusades right in the dining hall of our school and urging our fellow students to go and bring the sick people around to attend and get healed. Interestingly, our friends brought a lot of sick people.
“It was indeed a frightening experience. Couples of deaf and dumb person were brought among the sick to our crusade. So, I just did what I saw Papa Idahosa do i.e. I put my ear near their ears and my finger on their tongue, even when I didn’t know what those gestures signified. I just replicated what I saw Idahosa do and said, ‘You deaf and dumb spirit, come out in the name of Jesus.”’
“Though the first, second and third persons were not healed immediately, it was on the fourth person that miracle happened. He was deaf and dumb but spoke and the crowd yelled and erupted in jubilation. He recalled with nostalgia how he had physical challenges in his early days before he was miraculously healed, saying the miracle made him a living witness of God’s power.
“The vision has been birthed in my heart right from my childhood, precisely at age 13. My encounter at that time could be described as the catalyst that actually thrust me into the healing ministry and that was how I got to know Jesus. I fell sick and what they thought was malaria was later discovered to be tuberculosis of the bones and it damaged my cartilage. “Within a space of months, I could not walk. That caused me to actually repeat a class. There was something demonic about the sickness because after about one year, the doctors felt I was not improving and forcibly discharged me.
“It was then that my elder sister invited me to a crusade that was organised by the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, of Church of God Mission, at Upper Mission Road, Benin City. That was in 1980. Evangelist R. W. Shambark was one of the guest ministers from America. It was in that crusade I got healed and till date, the testimony of the healing is still outstanding. I gave my life to Christ at that crusade.
“The two people that actually brought me out of the car, crippled, were Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and Dr Boyo. Pastor Chris was the President of the Christian Fellowship in Edo College, then and Pastor Boyo, a medical doctor, now has a church in Mafoluku, Lagos. It was at that crusade that I took my first leap after almost a year of being bedridden,” he realled.
So what has the miracle of your healing got to do with your ministry?
He stressed that his healing ministry is intrinsically linked with his childhood
He added, “For a child of about 13 years to have been bedridden and seeing your mates go to school and not being able to walk, the emotional torment and torture are intense.
Eventually, when God gives you a second chance to bounce back to life, the experience just ignites a passion in you naturally, to see other people healed. Also, you can identify with the suffering of people that are sick and infirmed. Sometimes, you cannot really be compassionate until you have been in places where other people have been.
Take for instance, somebody who has been an orphan or widow, naturally will gravitate more towards those who are in that situation and be more sympathetic towards them.
“So my case was like, ‘Yes, you have tasted sickness, you have known what it means for doctors to say, ‘there is nothing we can do.’ Then, God gives you a miracle. It just makes you passionate to see other people healed and delivered.
Culled from National mMirror
The evangelist recalled this ahead of his church’s forthcoming quarterly programme, ‘Day of Recovery’, billed to hold at the Banquet Hall of Excellence Hotel, in Ogba, Lagos on Sunday June 9, 2013.
Okoh whose church’s headquarters is at 11, Awori Street, Egbeda, Lagos with outreaches in different parts of the country, recalled how he, along with others, was endowed with Idahosa’s style of performing miracles, he said many of them merely mimicked the late man of God.
His words: Consequent upon my healing, the Church of God Mission automatically became my church and Archbishop Benson Idahosa became my pastor. We also watched him on television and saw all his crusades abroad. Taking spiritual inspiration from him, we started putting up crusades right in the dining hall of our school and urging our fellow students to go and bring the sick people around to attend and get healed. Interestingly, our friends brought a lot of sick people.
“It was indeed a frightening experience. Couples of deaf and dumb person were brought among the sick to our crusade. So, I just did what I saw Papa Idahosa do i.e. I put my ear near their ears and my finger on their tongue, even when I didn’t know what those gestures signified. I just replicated what I saw Idahosa do and said, ‘You deaf and dumb spirit, come out in the name of Jesus.”’
“Though the first, second and third persons were not healed immediately, it was on the fourth person that miracle happened. He was deaf and dumb but spoke and the crowd yelled and erupted in jubilation. He recalled with nostalgia how he had physical challenges in his early days before he was miraculously healed, saying the miracle made him a living witness of God’s power.
“The vision has been birthed in my heart right from my childhood, precisely at age 13. My encounter at that time could be described as the catalyst that actually thrust me into the healing ministry and that was how I got to know Jesus. I fell sick and what they thought was malaria was later discovered to be tuberculosis of the bones and it damaged my cartilage. “Within a space of months, I could not walk. That caused me to actually repeat a class. There was something demonic about the sickness because after about one year, the doctors felt I was not improving and forcibly discharged me.
“It was then that my elder sister invited me to a crusade that was organised by the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, of Church of God Mission, at Upper Mission Road, Benin City. That was in 1980. Evangelist R. W. Shambark was one of the guest ministers from America. It was in that crusade I got healed and till date, the testimony of the healing is still outstanding. I gave my life to Christ at that crusade.
“The two people that actually brought me out of the car, crippled, were Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and Dr Boyo. Pastor Chris was the President of the Christian Fellowship in Edo College, then and Pastor Boyo, a medical doctor, now has a church in Mafoluku, Lagos. It was at that crusade that I took my first leap after almost a year of being bedridden,” he realled.
So what has the miracle of your healing got to do with your ministry?
He stressed that his healing ministry is intrinsically linked with his childhood
He added, “For a child of about 13 years to have been bedridden and seeing your mates go to school and not being able to walk, the emotional torment and torture are intense.
Eventually, when God gives you a second chance to bounce back to life, the experience just ignites a passion in you naturally, to see other people healed. Also, you can identify with the suffering of people that are sick and infirmed. Sometimes, you cannot really be compassionate until you have been in places where other people have been.
Take for instance, somebody who has been an orphan or widow, naturally will gravitate more towards those who are in that situation and be more sympathetic towards them.
“So my case was like, ‘Yes, you have tasted sickness, you have known what it means for doctors to say, ‘there is nothing we can do.’ Then, God gives you a miracle. It just makes you passionate to see other people healed and delivered.
Culled from National mMirror
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)