Category: Worship

Resident Pastor of This Present House (TPH), The Dome, Pastor Jude Nwoko, in this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde talks about activities of the ministry, inspiration, challenges and how to contribute to nation building.

What has been your experience in the ministry?

It all started  when I first met the founder of the Dome, we call him the set man, Dr Tony Rapu, a couple of years back. I will  say that meeting him has revolutionised my life. I have become a different person and he changed my worldview about life.

You have a passion for touching life. What inspired this?

Basically for me, everyday you step out there you just see a need in the life of people. You see a need in the society and you don’t want to walk away.

So I tell my friend that Nigeria is rife with opportunities because there is so much you can do to inspire someone and create value. So, seeing those needs out there inspire us daily and drive us daily to want to fill those gaps and bring value to the life of people primarily.

What are some of the challenges?

Basically for us as a Ministry we always look up to God for  every assignment that he has given to us and I wouldn’t say there are no challenges. But the experience for me has always been that God always goes ahead of us.

The Bible says  that you just need vessels that are willing and the moment you step out, God steps out with you.

So for us, it’s always a work of faith, trusting Him all the way, trusting Him for every step.Challenges are not specific, they are diverse relating to what we are doing. But for each challenge that comes what the Bible says is that He will provide a way of escape. What that means is a way of solving them, we just need to lean on Him, so we see opportunities .I don’t call it challenges. In Lekki environment, we see a lot of young people that would feel a lot more, they can make a lot more out of life than what they are doing currently and we want to trust God, we will go there and  partner with them without necessary bringing them physically to church and make their life better in various ways.

How has  your ministry impacted the lives of young people?

This ministry has helped a lot of people in the society in various ways. Let’s talk about the Clean Up Lekki Project. Here,  we made our  findings about our environment in Lekki and we made a decision and urged people in the environment to clean up their surroundings  and we went in different directions from Agungi, Chevron and other communities within the area.

This exercise was part of the church community outreach to mark the country’s 61st independence anniversary.During this exercise we distributed waste bins, rakes, broomsticks, cleaning agents and other materials to residents. This exercise will continue and we will  also teach the society about personal hygiene, cleaning their homes and surroundings as well as  always washing their hands.

The church is part of the solution in nation-building and would do more in terms of waste management.

We marked  nation’s independence anniversary  with a  17-km walk, tagged: ‘Lekki prayer walk’, which saw over 500 people take to the street to pray for the nation and the ministry. We encouraged our  youths to remain focused on their goals and shun vices such as drugs, cultism, fraud and many others.

What are some of the memorable moments for you as a minister?

I love my various meetings and most of the time with the founder of the ministry Pastor Tony Rapu because he is always full of wisdom.

He is my inspiration, my mentor, my spiritual father and he is someone that I get inspired from. He has been that and more to my wife and I in the last couple of years.

What advice do you have for our leaders as we draw closer to the 2023 election?

I would like to advise everyone, not only leaders that this is our Nigeria, Nigeria has become what we make of it. So,we must position ourselves to determine the Nigeria we want to see and go for it. For me, I see a new Nigeria, I say Nigeria election will count. I see where  citizens will vote, and they will vote for the people that they feel they want to be their leaders and their vote will count. We are trusting God for free, fair and peaceful elections.

What inspires and motivates the things you do?

Scriptures, the word of God. Like I said earlier, God has put a lot of great people around me.

Mentioning a few like Dr Tony Rapu, Mrs Nkoyo Rapu and my lovely wife Dr Eloho Nwoko, she has been a partner, friend and doing life with her made life a lot easier than going alone. The word of God has inspired me and has been used to change my story.

Poverty and hunger are challenges for the average Nigeria today.What advice for Nigerians ?

In Nigeria we are a blessed nation blessed in natural resources, blessed with agricultural landscape, arable land.

We are also very positive people, there is nothing that I  can do to eradicate poverty but collectively we have one positive attitude that if everyone brings their value, they will create the change that we desire.

I see a force in the next season of Small and Medium-scale Enterprises rather than a change. Once we are able to create opportunities there will be much more for everyone to do in terms of adding value.

What other message do you have for Nigerians?

We are coming to a new Nigeria having a message of hope for everyone who feels discouraged about this nation.

We’re coming into a new nation and all of us must collaborate to make it work. You have a role to play and I have a role to play .The Lord’s hands will be upon this nation and his blessing will be great.

So, l look forward to celebrating a new Nigeria with everyone. Seeing the power problems sorted, education sorted, health sorted and we all will remain safe, keep a clean environment and good personal hygiene. There is a priority to fighting both the pandemic and every other communicable disease through our actions and research.

It was a convivial atmosphere at the Harbour Point, venue of the “Symphony of Praise and Thanksgiving,” when thousands of well wishers gathered for the reception of Reverend Ada Ugo-Ngadi, who was ordained Priest of the Methodist Church Nigeria.

Popular gospel artistes like Mercy Chinwo, Chioma Jesus and Sammy Okposo, among others, thrilled the audience with good music.

The Rev. Ugo-Ngadi, an astute business woman and quintessential player in the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry, was on August 22, 2021 ordained into the priesthood of the Methodist Church Nigeria in a ceremony officiated by the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Dr.Samuel Kanu Uche, at the Hoares Memorial Cathedral Herbert Macaulay Way Yaba Lagos.

The celebrant is known by many as an experienced business leader and silent philanthropist.

Read Also: Gunmen abduct three worshippers in Ogun church

Guests at the reception indicated that Rev. Ada has for years catered for widows and helped drug addicts recover with many  indigent persons on her monthly payroll as a way of giving back to the society and service to God.

She was also said to be investing in medical facilities, rehabilitation centres and feeding programmes in different locations.

On why her philanthropic activities are rarely heard or reported in the media,a close associate responded that she does not want to be known or seen as doing these things.

Speaker after speaker extolled the virtues of the newly ordained  priest of the Methodist Church, saying her ordination was long overdue and deserving.

One of them narrated how Reverend Adaoha helped sponsor church building projects and several evangelistic outreaches, irrespective of denomination.

“She deserves this ordination because she loves God and always supports the work of God,” she said.

 

The Trustees of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Nigeria have warned that the church will no longer condone any person or group of persons parading themselves as factions of the church.

This was contained in a statement entitled: ‘Christ Apostolic Church: Strict Warning Against Impersonation And Indiscipline,” signed by its General Secretary, Pastor Emmanuel Ezekiel Mapur.

The statement read in part: “No person or group of persons has any right to hold himself or themselves out as a faction of Christ Apostolic Church. There is only one registered constitution for the Christ Apostolic Church under the Companies and Allied Matters Act. And this Constitution was duly registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission. This was further validated by the judgment of the Federal High Court. Therefore, the Church will not tolerate any person acting or holding himself out contrary to the provision of that constitution and the judgement of the Federal High Court.

“Henceforth, the Church will take serious exception for any person to ignore and act contrary to this warning and will not hesitate to invoke the wrath of the law against such a person or group of persons.

“Henceforth, no unauthorised person or persons should exchange correspondence, or grant any interview with any persons, group or authority for or on behalf of Christ Apostolic Church, Nigeria and Overseas.”

Mapur stated that the decisions were taken at a recent meeting of the trustees held on October 12, this year at the national headquarters at Anlugbua, Basorun Ibadan, where they deliberated on the ongoing events in the church.

He said when the crisis began in 1990, “The protagonists in the matter that led to the crisis never thought it could develop to a stage of complete division. It was just about the discipline of some errant ministers, whom the authorities believed were spirit filled enough to show remorse and get reabsorbed by the Church authorities in no time.”

As part of the global outcry against climate injustice in Nigeria, Christians Association of Nigeria and Islamic Society of Nigeria have called on government and other institutions to act immediately in addressing the climate emergency in Nigeria.

This was stated at a walk and a forum put together under the banner of Faith for Climate Justice by Green Faith. The event which was a follow up to prayers and meditation vigils was peaceful as the group noisily made their demands known outside the office of the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Participants sounded the alarm by beating drums, waving hand signs and holding prayers.

The participants displayed placards with different inscriptions including: ‘God created the earth, do not let your greed destroy it’, ‘Pollution is the enemy to a healthy life, embrace recycling for a better society’, ‘Faith for Climate justice.’

Speaking at the event, the founder LUFASI Park, Mr. Desmond Majekodunmi lamented that Nigeria as a nation blindly follow other developed nations, by using energy that came from burning fossil fuel, and as a result, contributed to galvanising the atmosphere which has made climate change a looming disaster.

He said: “For the love of God, our neighbor, all vulnerable communities around us, we call on the government to solidarity with the global demands for climate finance from wealthy countries to countries from Africa. Exert pressure on the federal government of Nigeria to intensify the cleanup of Ogoniland and stop the gas flaring as stated in the NDC.”

On his part, The Pastor in Charge of River of Life Parish, Redeemed Christian Church of Church, Pastor Iyiola Olayori, said that no religion or tradition says we should destroy the planet. “Yes, this is exactly what governments, financial institutions and major corporations are either doing or allowing. It’s morally inexcusable.”

Also, the Convener of Green Faith, Muhammed Almoroof said that grassroots religion will no longer accept vague rhetoric by politicians, financial leaders, industry or even our faith leaders. We will not stop until our politicians support calls to protect our people and planet. The time for action is now.

The action in Lagos was part of a global series of events organized by Green Faith International Network, a global multi-faith alliance of grassroots religious organisations in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. Over 480 actions took place in 43 countries.

Prophetess Margaret Mayaki is the General Overseer, Sanctuary for the Broken Hearted International Ministries, United Kingdom with branches in Nigeria. Her ministry is focused on women, broken marriages and endowing women with finance. In this interview with Adeola Ogunlade,  she speaks on her call, and her mission, among others.

In what ways has your background influenced your ministry?

Well, to the glory of God, I was born in Okene in Kogi State. My late father was a policeman, and we were based in Lokoja. I had my early education in Nigeria before travelling to the United Kingdom in 1979 as a teenager.

Why did you travel to the UK?

I got married at the age of 19 and relocated from Nigeria to live with my husband who was already working in London. We met in Lokoja of all places. He came to work in Nigeria as an expatriate. He was already a medical doctor. He worked for a company that used to build houses in those days. We met when a friend introduced both of us. My late husband was an Ibo man from Abia State.

What’s your advice for Christian women in difficult marriages?

Well, it is Jesus Christ that instituted marriage. I am not an expert on this, but I will say that in any relationship that you are in and there is violence, you must get out to hide and preserve yourself. But if there is no physical hitting, no emotional blackmail, then the partners in the marriage need counselling or they need to heal because there must be something that caused the crack in the marriage, maybe infidelity, one of them was unfaithful to the other. Or there is no more money coming in because money can also be a major problem in a relationship. Or when one of the partners is not taking up his or her responsibilities in the marriage. Christ is the head of the church, just as the man is the head of the home. The man is the head but we are the neck. You know unless the neck turns, the head cannot turn, so it takes two people to be committed to a relationship for it to work.

Some top pastors are having a crisis in their marriages. What could have been responsible for this?

Let me tell you something, the Lord told me a few years ago, that Satan is taking the fight to the homes of the pastors. The Bible says. ‘Strike the shepherd and the fold will scatter’. So, when the devil attacks the man of God, it is not the man and his home only that the devil is after, it is the flock. It is that man’s ministry, it is the call of that man, or the call of God upon that man, that the devil is after. Remember that if there is no spirit of God in the church, the church cannot move forward. So, the devil can move into the home through the man or the woman if both of them are not discerning the spirit. We wrestle against principalities. Again, when some of us ministers of God got married, we were not in ministries, we had not received the call. If we were, we would have prayed through before marriage. Most of us did not pray through marriage. That’s the truth of the matter. Now, some of us have joined ourselves in marriage with partners that we are not compatible with spiritually. So, if such a couple is ready to work on their marriages, then there will be restoration. But if they have the attitude of ‘I can’t be bothered, then that is it.

What are the challenges that you face as a female minister in London and Nigeria?

One of the challenges that I face, though not just me, female ministers all over the world, is the fact that some churches do not believe that women should be in leadership in the five-fold ministries because of the statement Apostle Paul made in Corinthians that women should keep quiet. People took that statement out of context because if you read it very well, it has a different interpretation. You know in those days, women used to sit on the same side with their husbands and maybe they were not listening because of side chats with their husbands and the Apostle Paul then said that the women should keep quiet and that when they got home, they should ask their husbands what they did not understand. So that did not mean that women were not called into ministry because when you look at the Acts of Apostles, the Bible says that He has poured His Spirit on all flesh – both males and females. The problem we are also having is that women have not yet found their form. It is only very few and that’s in America where we have people like Doris Myers, Paula Whyte, those in the U.S. are finding their form. Even here in England, women are not as prominent as men. I am a Prophetess, but I know that in Nigeria, our voices are not loud enough. Maybe we can attribute that to culture. In Africa, it is said that women are seen and not heard. Women are mostly meant to be housewives. So, when you see a woman come out and on fire, speaking up boldly, meeting presidents, with God using them to bless nations, I think we need to accept it and I pray that God will continue to open that door for us.

You are a female Minister of God, it is natural that men will be attracted to you. How do you handle such?

Hmmm, you know everything in life is for a purpose. If you know what God has purposed for you, there is the likelihood that you will face it. Yes, I am a female, men are attracted to me. But I have an assignment and I am focused on what God has called me to do. I am not interested in any of such attractions because the reason for my call is my assignment here on earth.

What’s your position on single ministers of God?

If you do not have the grace to be single in ministry, please marry. And that is the same thing that Apostle Paul advised. So, it is good to be married when you know that you cannot hold yourself. It is not about being holy when you are with people and when you are alone, you indulge in sin. Remember that God is all-knowing and all-seeing. And you know what, one of the reasons anointing is draining in the lives of most pastors is because of them having sex outside marriage. God detests it because they are sinning against their body. So, it is good to be married when the opportunity comes. What can also kill the anointing in a ministry is when the pastor marries the wrong man or woman. You must take time to pray through, God will make a way for the right person.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday, hailed the African Church for resolving the crisis that polarised the church and its 120th
anniversary.

Osinbajo spoke at a unification service attended by leaders of the church, among who were, were the Primate of African Church, Emmanuel
Udofia and the Lay President, Babatunde Odufuwa.

The service, which held at the African Church Cathedral Bethel in Lagos, attracted Christian leaders across denominations, among whom were The Catholic Archbishop (Emeritus) of Abuja, Nigeria, His Eminence, John Olorunfemi Cardinal Onaiyekan, who preached the sermon;
the President, Christian Council of Nigeria, Most Rev Fubara Benebo; and Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, who delivered the anniversary lecture.

Osinbajo identified unity, peace and harmony as key to promoting growth in the church in particular and the nation, at large.

The Vice President, represented by the Chairman of the Nigerian Pilgrims Commission and Senior Pastor, Foundation of Truth Assembly, Rev Yomi Kasali, said Nigerians, regardless of their diversity, must embrace peaceful coexistence.

On the anniversary, Osinbajo commended African Church leaders, saying: “I commend and congratulate the leadership of African church for this landmark feat. As the church celebrates its 120 years in existence, it is imperative to note that unity, peace and harmony is key to the growth and development of the body of Christ.

“Today, our nation will learn lessons of unity and peaceful coexistence from the African church,” Osinbajo added.

Onaiyekan, in his sermon, extolled African Church for ending the internal crisis and celebrating peace and love.

READ ALSO: We‘ve resolved crisis in African Church – Udofia

He said: “Unity, reconciliation and peace are the gifts of the Holy Spirit to guide and inspire the body of Christ. Churches must collaborate towards promoting unity, peace and reconciliation for growth in the body of Christ.”

Benebo urged churches to wake up in pursuit of justice and righteousness, adding, “It takes God’s people to move the church forward on the path of peace.”

Kukah, in his anniversary lecture, said it was imperative for Christians to pray for national redemption, stressing the need for Christians to unite in peace and caring for one another.

He spoke on the theme, ‘The role of the church in the face of insecurity in the nation’ and urged Christians to show interest in the
plights of fellow Christians, especially as they face insecurity.

Udofia, in an interview with journalists, expressed delight over the unification, saying, “It is the responsibility of the church to ensure peace and unity revolve around the nation for growth and development.”

Odufuwa also expressed delight in the development.

He said: “There is strength in unity and we can achieve more, united. Disagreement can come up, yes, we disagree to agree but all should be
committed to the promotion of the body of Christ. I am happy for the unification of the African church today.”

Banditry and terrorism are twin problems impeding the economic growth of the nation and unless the perpetrators of these activities are identified, arrested and prosecuted, our economic growth will remain a mirage.

These are views of the executive members of the Christian Conscience after its monthly meeting in Ikeja, Lagos.

A statement by its National Chairperson, Dr. Yetunde Akinluyi and the National Secretary, Revd. Kolawole Verralls, said the killings and kidnappings across the nation had caused lots of distractions and disturbances.

“It is really appalling seeing bandits terrorising where farmers who are supposed to produce food and crops for the nation. We urged Nigerians to sustain the resilience nature we are known for and also to continue to pray to God for His intervention.

“We congratulate our Armed Forces who are fighting to keep Nigeria safe and united,” the group said.

The group urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to create more avenues for interactive sessions and engage in town hall meetings because.