Category: worship

There is tension at the First Baptist Church Garki, Abuja over alleged refusal of the outgoing Senior Pastor, Rev Dr Israel Akanji, to follow due process in the emergence of his successor.

A group in the church alleged that Akanji, who was elected President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) last year, opposed its Constitution to initiate the process of electing deacons for the church.

They also said Akanji refused to leave office and allow the Pulpit Committee to take over the Church to spearhead the process of ‘recruiting’ his successor.

Ambassador Akin Oyateru told The Nation on behalf of the other concerned elders, that instead of handling upon his appointment as NBC President, Akanji requested for a three-month extension from the Church-In-Conference to prepare a handover note, pray for the church and elect deacons and execute a transfer of service.

“The Church-In-Conference acceded to the three months for him to prepare his handover notes but there was silence on the issues of transfer of service and election of deacons.

“There is a Church Constitution and bye-laws and by normal judicial practice, an organ of an organisation cannot preach its own constitution.

“That was what led eight of us to raise these observations and our objective to remind the church to ensure that those actions to be taken are in conformity with the Constitution of the church”.

The elders said on June 14, 2021, a member convened a meeting with the pastor and took decisions after they had written the Church Secretary.

Oyateru said one of the decisions at the meeting was for the Senior Pastor to publish the Constitution of the Church before leaving office but he never did:

“Secondly, it was not proper for the Senior Pastor to be a signatory to the church account. That it was improper for him to select deacons for the incoming Senior Pastor.

“Others are that it is not proper for him to hold two executive positions at the same time. He cannot transfer service to another pastor because the Constitution said when there is a vacancy, the Pulpit Committee takes over the running of the church and set up the Search Committee to get a new Pastor”.

The elders said surprisingly: “The process for the election of deacons was instituted, the search committee was formed by the Senior Pastor and he refused to publish the Church Constitution.

“Then after his 60th birthday, all we saw was that he anointed his successor by pouring anointing oil on his head. These are unusual and strange practices in the Baptist Church and he became Acting Senior Pastor which we felt was contrary to the Constitution”.

The elders said Akanji cannot be signatory to the Church’s account, transfer service to another pastor, appoint new deacons because the serving ones have not rotated out and the First Baptist Church cannot continue to pay him a salary.

When contacted, the Chairman Board of Trustees (BOT) of the church, Pastor Bamidele Solomon told The Nation: “There is a procedure for everything in the Baptist church and normally you, first of all, go through the Church Council and the final authority is the Church- In-Conference and that was where the decision was taken. I don’t know what it is again.

“No system is perfect but people will always have their own feelings. We are all humans but then everything will be resolved by the grace of God”.

Akanji told The Nation the issues raised were internal and should be handled internally.

He said the church adopts congregational polity whereby the members take decisions as a congregation and the decisions are implemented.

He said all the actions taken were based on the decisions of the congregation.

According to him: “This is the issue of the body of Christ and it is not good for such issues to begin to gain public attention in such a time we are in as a nation.

“Even if these people feel unhappy about anything, they should not make a public show of things that have to do with the church, they are internal matters that should be handled internally and they are no serious issues to be taken to the public.

“I have my response to every single matter that was raised. I have been going to the church for programmes and it is not as if anything has happened.

“Our denomination is strangely a congregational polity, decisions are made by members when they all gather. Everything we did in church was properly done by the approval of the congregation. It is just that some few individuals wanted something different and the congregation said no.

“Our church government is called congregationalism and everything we did was done by the congregational decision.”

Chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria(PFN) Apostle Eyinnaya Okwuonu has urged participants in the just-concluded Lagos Scripture Challenge 2.0 to live according to the word of God they have imbibed during the exercise.

Okwuonu spoke at the closing ceremony of the event in Lagos recently.

The event, which took place at the Agape Generation International Church, Mende-Maryland, Lagos attracted top church leaders people from across Lagos and a few non-Nigerians

The Lagos Scripture Challenge 2.0 is a collaboration between the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association (NEMA), and Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH).

It is a spiritual renewal exercise designed to challenge Christians in Lagos to engage with the scriptures, in audio and video format, for forty-five days.

Okwuonu, who was represented by Apostle George Anselm, Chairman, Ejigbo/Isolo Province of the PFN, said the word of God is important in day-to-day dealings.

He said: “There cannot be revival without the word of God, there cannot be revival until the word of God takes root in the life of the people. Charisma cannot do that, personality cannot do that. Influences cannot do that. But when the word of God takes root in the life of a man, every other thing would change.”

Okwuonu said he was grateful to God for the opportunity to witness the scripture challenge because of the opportunity of making the word of God come alive in the lives of people.

“The scripture challenge 2.0 answers that question of taking the word of God to the people and awakening the consciousness of the word in the life of every believer. In fact, the Lagos Scriptural Challenge has really impacted me tremendously,” he said.

He expressed the wish that the programme is given more prominence. “We probably did not have many churches on the challenge but in the next ten years, Christians in Lagos will be a misfit if he has not passed through the level of the Lagos Scriptural Challenge.

” I want every province to get on board. Alimosho is getting the upper hand now but watch it, Ejigbo/Isolo is coming,” he said.

The challenge was divided into three phases. Phase one took place from February 2-16. The Bible was explored in Pidgin, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and English (KJV and ESV).

About 380 WhatsApp groups were created for 380 trained facilitators during the challenge.

Every day for 15 days, members listened to daily scriptures on the Nigerian Bible App in the language of their choice.

The daily discussion was led by trained facilitators on WhatsApp groups.

The second phase began on February 18 and ended on March 4.

About 162 facilitators from 153 Churches across Lagos qualified for the phase and each received a free ‘proclaimer’ (Audion Bible device).

In the third phase,which took place from March 6 to 20, the Bible was projected in video format.

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Participants had the opportunity of having real-life experience of the scriptures in languages of their choice.

About 130 facilitators from 123 Churches qualified for this category and each received a free ‘acclaimer’ (projector and tablet).

At the end of the challenge, 124 facilitators from 115 churches qualified for the final.

The national coordinator of FCBH, Nicholas Okereke said: “The 162 active WhatsApp groups contain a total population of 5657 participants. 77% of all the WhatsApp group participants were located in Lagos State and 14.8% in Ogun State.

“A total of 22 States in Nigeria were represented in the WhatsApp groups with some participants from outside Nigeria. The Local Government Areas in Lagos with the highest representation were Alimosho (14.8%), Ifako-Ijaiye (11.3%), and Ikorodu (11%).

He said about 19% of the “Proclaimer” listening groups were found outside Lagos (Ogun State). Alimosho, Ifako-Ijaiye, and Ikorodu were the Local Government Areas in Lagos that have the highest number of ‘Proclaimer’ Listening groups.

Rev, Toyin Kehinde, the founder and Senior Pastor of Agape Generation International Church, whose church auditorium was used for the closing ceremony, told participants at the event to continually give themselves to the ministry of the word and prayer.

The event witnessed the presence of some prominent church leaders.

Corporate strategist, theologian and development economist, Dr. Osaren Emokpae has been appointed chairman of the Wilson Badejo Foundation (WBF).

The appointment followed the transition of the founding chairman, Rev. (Dr.) Wilson Badejo and vice-chairman, Rev. (Mrs.) Yinka Badejo.

The appointment of the new chairman was unanimously adopted by the board at a meeting chaired by Elder Segun Olusanya.

Emokpae, founder of EDJOHN School of Management, is also chairman of several organisations including LAPO NGO, Havilah Group, Mindshare Group and Concorde Security.

He is a fellow of the Institute of Marketing, Fellow of APCON, Fellow of Management Consultants and has two doctoral degrees in Philosophy and Organisational Resilience.

An Alumnus of Oxford University, Cranfied University, Hertfordshire University and University of Lagos, he is both a corporate strategist and theologian, anchoring two highly watched programmes on Foursquare TV-titled THE ANCHOR and THE WEALTHY PLACE.

He was the Founding Chairman of Foursquare Leadership Institute, former chairman-Foursquare International Conference Centre Idimu, founding president MIPAN, a founding member of Mcpherson University Board of Trustees, BOT and Founding Pastor of Lakeview Foursquare church.

He is bringing his wealth of experience, expertise, goodwill and social equity to lead the new Board of WBF. Also elected are Mr. Femi Badejo as Vice Chairman of WBF and Miss Oreoluwa Badejo as Director, WBF

In his first address to the board of WBF, Emokpae stated that to immortalise the visioner/former chairman Rev (Dr.) Badejo and and vice chairman Rev (Mrs) Badejo, the foundation is to be totally restructured-with institutions and processes to enhance robust corporate governance in fulfilling its mandate to make significant contribution in reducing poverty in Nigeria.

He further stated the board’s committees would be developed as instruments of effective administration and governance structure of the Foundation and that a performance evaluation framework will be installed to appraise all directors in exercising their functions.

He also announced that the next WBF lecture will be hold in the Institute of International Affairs with erudite scholar and Director General of the Institute of International Affairs, Professor Eghosa Osagie as guest speaker.

The occasion will have the General Overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria – Rev Sam Aboyeji as chairman; and Mr Femi Adesina – Special Adviser to the President on Media as Very Special Guest of honor.

Among eminent personalities already invited include Pastor Tunde Bakare, Dr and Mrs Godwin Ehigiamusoe -founder, LAPO Microfinance Bank and Dr Iyi Uwadiae -immediate past Registrar of West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

Over 100 students that attended the Anchor International Youths and Teens Work Academy (AIYTA) in Lagos have declared war against child sexual abuse and ritual killings across Nigeria.

This was the consensus after the residential academy that combined cohort2 and cohort 3.

President of AIYTA, Dr Bolarinwa Omotosho, said the academy offered practical skills for the attendees drawn from various organisations, churches and communities.

He told journalists that the academy frowned at the prevalent worsening cases of money rituals and cybercrimes in Nigeria.

He lamented mothers of cyber fraudsters, colloquially known as “Yahoo boys” were forming associations.

He appealed to parents as well as all the students of AIYTA academy to support the war against cybercrime and prevalent Ritual, Money, Making Madness (RMMM) syndrome.

He blamed society, parents, government and religious organisations for celebrating inexplicable wealth in our society.

According to the youth empowerment expert: “It is unfortunate that Nigeria has lost many prime and promising future leaders to rape, sexual abuse, unhealthy and immoral societal failure called money ritual or yahoo+++.”

He also frowned at how a 22-year-old fashion designer, Bamise Ayanwole was raped and killed by suspected ritualists.

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Some of the courses taught at the academy include The empowerment of Nigeria teens and youths; Entrepreneurship intervention as a solution to unemployment in Nigeria; Youth and teens workers as marital counselors; Child and youth abuse: Psychological, Sociological Effects and Solutions; Substance abuse and crime prevention among teens and youths: Essence, effects, and solutions.

Among the adjunct facilitators drawn from traditional institutions of higher learning, ministries and workplaces were: Dr. ‘Rant Samuel; Dr. Grace Ijarogbe, a medical consultant and mental health specialist; Dr. Priscillia Omotosho; Dr. Deji Oyenuga, an associate Professor.

“The AIYTA curriculum focuses on the practical aspects of child and youth development practices, ministry, and the status of professionalism in the wider society.

“The students were inspired to shape their ministry lives and support the overall well-being of their teens and youths. Discover how they can experience a rewarding childhood and adolescent career. The students were equipped with the necessary tools and effective skills for result-oriented child and youth development work today,” Omotosho added.

Anchor has provided training for over 3,000 current and aspiring church leaders in instructional, transformational, and servant leadership through a combination of coursework, biblical, and practical application.

Fishermen Maximum Output Trainers Ltd, a foremost Management Consulting Firm, has underscored the need for Ministers of the Gospel to improve their leadership competencies.

The founder, Rev Kehinde Babarinde, a management expert and former President Lagos Central Baptist Conference said a seminar on strategic & innovative pastoral leadership holds from Monday, March 21- Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at its training Centre at Bungalow way, Oke Afa Isolo, Lagos.

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Some of the resource persons are Dr. Julius Adeniji,a renowned counselor and management consultant and former President, Lagos West Baptist Conference; Mr Victor Olaiya and Mr. Joseph Okusare.

Babarinde said it is imperative for pastors to embrace leadership skills that will enhance their ministerial capabilities.

According to him, Maximum Output Trainers is poised to equip and expose Pastors to contemporary trends in Pastoral Leadership.

The annual Triumphant Congress, which coincides with the 26th anniversary of Triumphant Baptist Church, Holy Ghost Compound, Akowonjo Lagos commences on Sunday, March 20 and ends with thanksgiving On Sunday, March 27, 2022.

A major highlight of the congress is a four-day revival service which starts on Sunday, March 20.

The theme is “ Supernatural interventions for greater advancement “

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The guest minister is Rev Dr Timothy Oyekunle.

The Church Pastor, Rev Dr Sunday Oladejo saif the theme aligns with the yearnings of the people to experience advancement in all facets of life

This Present House will host delegates from across the country at the WordFest 2022.

The host, Pastor Jude Nwoko and guest Pastor Chigtok Ishaku, will share great insights on how God’s children can find purpose and achieve kingdom agenda, even in these turbulent times.

The theme of the conference is; “The terms of the will – co-heirs with Christ”.

The Ministers will also highlight the essence of God’s promises, which has already been given to us through Christ.

Minister Elijah Oyelade and One Music will bless delegates with soul-lifting music throughout the conference from 6.30 pm. on Friday the 18th, 8 am on Saturday 19th and Sunday, 20th March 2022, at This Present House’s International Freedom Centre, Lekki Phase 1.

Anchor International Care and Humanitarian Initiative, a faith-based Non-Governmental Organisation, has launched a zero-tolerance campaign against the use of pornography, drug abuse, child abuse, rape, sex for grades, prostitution and youth trafficking.

Tagged “I am forever precious campaign,” the initiative, according to Anchor International founder, Dr Bolarinwa Omotosho, would sensitive youths to the dangers of the vices.

Omotosho lamented that the vices have destroyed many youths globally and cut short their potentials, vowing the organisation would stop at nothing to empower the youths to fight them.

Omotosho added youths under the influence of the vices have faced personal grief, illness, suicide, social crises, sexual abuse and exploitation.

According to him: “Pornography is more destructive than HIV/AIDS and it has ravaged the lives of youths. Pornography has resulted in many forms of sexual abuse, molestation and exploitation of young people throughout Africa.”

He called for support to assist youths to tackle the plagues through a zero-tolerance policy.

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Senior Pastor of Grace Assembly Lagos, Dr Femi Paul, while formally launching the initiative, praised Anchor International Care and Humanitarian Initiative leadership and team for spearheading the historic initiative to address the threats that society, particularly young people face.

The summit, which drew over 425 people, featured a number of notable schools, organisations, notable personalities and partners from Nigeria and the United States of America.

The launch was supported by notable non-governmental organizations and government agencies, including the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Our Daily Bread Ministries, Bible Society of Nigeria, Nigeria Youth Works Association, and Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Workers Association.

Other notable dignitaries and speakers during the summit were: Dr. Steve Van Horn, President of International Training and Equipping Ministries (ITEM) USA; Dr. Ranti Samuel, Senior Lecturer at Lagos State University; Dr. (Mrs.) Priscillia Omotosho, National Women Coordinator Anchor International Care and Humanitarian Initiative; Pastor (Mrs.) Moji Abiodun, Wife of the Pastor in Charge of Lagos Province 72 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Very Rev. Bukola Adeleke, Special Adviser on Religion Affairs (Christian) to Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwolu-olu