Category: Sunday magazine

Newly converted Christians of the Sedang ethnic minority in Vietnam’s Central Highlands were terrorised last week – their homes and personal properties badly damaged or destroyed in four consecutive night raids, and some of the faithful seriously injured from beatings in broad daylight, sources said.

Since becoming Christians in the past year, five families in mountainous Kontum Province have reported constant harassment from villagers upset that they are no longer contributing to communal sacrifices and other practices because of their new faith. The attacks constituted a third wave of sustained violence since their conversion, leaving their properties severely damaged and their lives threatened.

 Attacks on the new Christians – who belong to a Christian Mission Church (CMC) congregation in Ngoc La village, Mang Ri Commune, Tumorong District in northwestern Kontum Province – were primarily motivated by strong tensions within the ethnic group over the families leaving the “old ways.” Ideologically opposed to Christianity, local Communist officials freely permit and even encourage such conflicts, sources said.

At the same time, local Vietnamese officials commonly incite and employ area thugs to attack Christians, whose united faith is perceived as a threat to government ideology and sovereignty.

Glorious passover is the theme of the anniversary celebration of Divine Grace Ministries a.k.a solution ground, Ikeja Lagos this year.

It commences on March 26 with a musical concert from 7pm.

The grand finale comes up on March 31 with celebration service at 8am to 3pm.

Those expected to minister include Don Moen, Rev. Joshua Talena, Apostle Vernon Amakhol, Bishop Ugo Wems, Lionel Petersion (South-African), Uche Ndukwe (Liberation Time) and Esther Adeola (Ebo-Ope).

Comedians expected are Holly Mallam, Gordons, Charles B.Yaw and Mike Light Child, among others.

The founding pastor of Glory Christian Ministries Lagos, Dr Iruofagha James, has supported moves for churches to file their annual accounts to the Corporate Affairs Commission for inspection.

He said the measure will not only ensure financial probity but also restore confidence in the moral integrity of the church.

James added that charlatans in the body will also sit up and cases of financial recklessness will be reduced to the barest minimum among churches if such moves become legal tools.

The cleric spoke last Tuesday ahead of the 21st anniversary of the Church and the formal dedication of Gloryland Dome in Lagos.

The anniversary holds from March 6-10 with Bishop Mike Okonkwo and Pastor Tunde Bakare ministering.

He said churches resisting such moves must have something to hide and up to something sinister.

According to him: “I see nothing wrong with accountability; regulations are there to guard and save us from troubles.

“If we support the move, it will sanitise the body and expose those who are in the ministry for their bellies.”

He said the dedication, which holds on March 9, is a culmination of the faithfulness and grace of God on the church.

According to him: “The Lord has been good to us. The Dome represents His faithfulness and commitment to the ministry.”

He praised members for actualising the vision, saying such development confirms their dedication to the things of God.

The General Evangelist of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Worldwide, Pastor Samuel Abiara, has enjoined Christians to cultivate the act of praising God in the face of increasing socio-economic challenges facing the country.

Abira gave the charge last Sunday at the 25 anniversary celebration of the C A C, The Transfiguration Hill District at the Zonal Headquarters in Baale,  Ajuwon, Ogun State.The anniversary attracted thousands from parts of the country with sessions on teaching, drama presentation, song rendition and prophetic ministrations.  50 elders and deaconesses were also ordained while a 120-seater luxury bus was dedicated at the event.  Abiara said the secret of enjoying the supernatural power of Jesus is always been appreciative of what He has done in the past no matter the challenges facing human beings in life.

He said that with intense political climate, failing economy, kidnapping, religious unrest and wanton destruction of lives, survivors need not be told only God has kept them. The cleric said: “Life is full of challenges but we can only walk over them when we continue to look up to God and exhibit the act of praising him at all times and we will see Him working on our behalf”.

Abira noted that many people are missing out of divine agenda for their lives because they are always complain and are disillusioned about everything instead of expressing gratitude to God. He cited the patriarchs of faith who despite their challenges praised their way to victory.

The Zonal Chairman of CAC The Transfiguration Hill, Pastor Emmanuel Odejobi, said the anniversary was a celebration of God’s grace and faithfulness to His children who put their implicit trust in Him.”For 25years, it has been filled with many gaping events and terrifying happenings, each one strong enough to wipe us off. We are grateful to God who chose to spare us,” he stated.

Life Gate Ministries International Lagos is working assiduously towards building an estate for widows.

The general superintendent of the Church, Reverend (Dr) Levi Adegbe, said the move is to assuage the plight of widows that have lost the comfort of their matrimonial homes.

He said: “Most widows have quit their homes after the death of their bread winners.

“Others have had their family houses built by their husbands confiscated by their husbands’ relations and left in the lurch with their children and have nowhere to live.”

“Many,” he added, “don’t have any means of livelihood and are just left in the cold by the day.”

These, he said, informed the founding of Friends of Widows and Orphans International (FOWAI), a non-governmental organisation, (NGO) to offer them succour.

According to him: “We have considered it imperative to build an estate for them to provide comfortable homes for them and equally give them other basic necessities of life and make life meaningful for them.”

He called on well-meaning Christians to support the project.

“It is a very expensive project. That is why we are appealing to government, individuals, private and Christian organisations, especially women organisa-tions, to support us. It is not a project I can undertake alone.

“We need land, we need furniture, we need skill acquisition, equipment, among other facilities,”Adegbe stressed.

Recalling how he received the vision, he said: “In my dream, God led me to a very big parcel of land and showed me a factory with different trade departments.

“Some for hairdressing, some for bead making, some for cake making, some for fashion designing, some for soap- making, among others.”

He said the estate will not only offer free accommodation but also empowerment schemes and training opportunities for the widows for self-sustenance.

St. Joseph’s Chosen Church of God (SJCCG) has ordained its first set of female ministers in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

27 female females were part of the 43 pastors ordained to end the 4-day 67th annual delegates conference presided over by the pioneer Director-General of Nigeria Stock Exchange and the church’s general overseer, Apostle Alile.

The colourful process started with a procession with each of the candidates carrying his cross, the cleaning/washing of the candidates by the senior ministers, robbing and anointing by the spiritual leader.

Two of the ordainees, Samuel Ohaegbu and Obadiaru, were upgraded to the office of apostles.

After the ordination exercise, six of the female pastors were immediately promoted to the post of staff pastors.

They were Pastor Pat Alile, Gloria Konyeshi, Mariam Omoregie, Bridget Dafe, Hosanna Okoh and Victoria Obadiaru.

The exercise was in fulfillment of the decision of the council of St. Joseph’s Chosen Church of God, headed by Apostle Hayford Alile, last year, in favour of female ordination as part of ongoing re-organisation of the church predominantly governed by spiritual revelations through the Holy Spirit.

The conference, which featured several activities including the selection of ministers, lectures, bible quiz, a book launch, award ceremony for the best-dressed ministers in the church was attended by two representatives of the Oba of Benin, the Ihekhuuoba of Benin, Chief S.O. Asuen and the Uso of Benin Kingdom, Chief Nosa Egharevba.

The spiritual leader, Alile, described the world today as a theatre of the absurd, noting, “it is not an exaggeration to say that our world is in great turmoil and it is burning with fever worse than that of Peter’s mother-in-law.”

According to him, it was while he was holidaying in one of his daughters homes in the US that he got a divine revelation that gave him the theme “No limit”.