The Nation Newspaper

Tag: church

  • Kwara community, church seek more varsities in Nigeria

    A first class traditional ruler in Kwara state, Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti,  and Cherubim and Seraphim Church Worldwide, have decried the low number of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

    Oba Adeoti, who is the Olomu of Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara state added that the number of tertiary institutions especially universities does not match the exponential growth in the country’s population.

    He therefore urged religious organisations and well-to-do individuals to complement government’s effort by investing in the education sector.

    The monarch said this in Omu-Aran at foundation laying of the proposed Moses Orimolade University (MOU).

    Cherubim and Seraphim Church worldwide is establishing the university.

    Oba Adeoti urged the owners of the institution to make it a specialized university for ease acquisition of license from the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    He said: “Though C&S members are happy today, but the entire community of Omu-Aran is happier.  We are happy that this is happening in our own time. There is no doubt that the existing number of universities in the country cannot match with the explosion in Nigerian population.

    “I promise you all here that my chiefs and I will continue to monitor the progress of work for speedy completion of the project. We are laying this building on Jesus Christ who is our solid rock. I believe he who started the good work will complete it.”

    Spiritual father of the church, Most Rev Samuel Abidoye said the church would commit all the resources at its disposal for accelerated completion of the project.

    He added that the project of a college building is expected to gulp a sum of N300 million, adding the construction of the college would last for 18 months.

    He said that all the church leaders “have committed to a minimum personal contribution, urging other church members to donate minimum of N1,000 each towards the construction.

    In his remark, Chairman, Planning Committee, MOU, Thomas Fakile agreed that Nigeria needed more universities that would offer quality training.

    “There are limited spaces for students in the Nigerians universities. Apart from this, the quality of education in the country has dropped drastically.  We have a situation that some of the products from the Nigerians universities cannot compete favourably with their counterparts in other parts of the world.

    “Another issue is that in the next 15 years the population of Nigeria is likely to double according to the United Nations statistics. If the universities do not grow correspondingly with the population, it means we have educational problem.

    “Even what the C&S is doing currently is like a drop in the ocean. As a matter of fact, this should be the church’s second or third university. If anyone is interested in assisting the institution, we will welcome it. But I must tell you we do have an educational crisis in our hands in the country,” said Fakile, an engineer.

    Fakile said the church is desirous of seeing the project come to fruition in record time, adding that “we are committed to the speedy take off of the university. Other faith realized that gap in our tertiary education close to 20 years ago, C$S church realized this belatedly. The church is just waking up and because of that we are in a hurry to catch up in recouping our losses.”

  • Charlyboy weds wife in church after 40 years

    Nigerian showbiz maestro and rights activist, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charlyboy, has formally walked his American wife, Diane, down the aisle after 40 years of marriage.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the marriage produced three children.

    Charlyboy and Diane exchanged marriage  vows on Saturday evening at the Chapel of Sisters of Jesus the Redeemer Catholic Church in Gwarimpa, Abuja.

    The low-keyed wedding was officiated by the outspoken Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Dioceses, Bishop Mathew  Kukah, and had in attendance close friends and relatives of the couple, including the aged mother of Charlyboy.

    The Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Diocese, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, was also in attendance among some other clergymen.

    The couple exchanged the “I do” vows amidst cheers from the congregation.

    They thereafter signed the marriage register.

    Onaiyekan, in his exhortation, hailed the couple for staying together for over four decades.

    He, however, urged them to be committed to their marriage vows by showing mutual love, understanding and respect for each other.

    ”I specially congratulate Charles and his wife for this Godly decision, and I pray God to keep them together.”

    Charlyboy told NAN on the sidelines that he and his wife decided to wed in church to honour his aged mother who had been ‘pleading that we do the right thing’.

    He told NAN that he got married as a teenager in 1974, and secured divorced after the union produced one child.

    He noted that the Catholic Church observed a strict marital doctrine.

    ”This is not that kind of marriage with fanfare; I am doing it to please my aged mother and meet certain demands of the society.

    ”She has been pleading that we do the right thing, saying this is the woman I have been living with for 40 years.

    ”We have been following through with the process of annulment of my last marriage, and my former wife who has since remarried cooperated very well, and then in 2017, the marriage was formally annulled.

    ”My mother actually got the wife for me at the age of 19 because I was a little rascally with women as a young man; she thinks it would curb my sexual excesses,” he said.

    Charlyboy, who is 67 years, has nine children from different women, and has 16 grandchildren.

    He has, however, always regarded  Diane as the mother of all his children.

  • Church to hold conference on holiness among Nigerians

    The Worship Centre (Assembly of Son and Daughters of Christ Apostolic Church) will hold its annual Apostolic Fire Conference between January 11 and 12, next year.

    The senior pastor of the church Seyi Adeyemi said the conference, which will be rounded off with the assembly’s ninth anniversary thanksgiving on January 13, will hold at 1, Worship Centre Avenue, Off Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Lagos State.

    Adeyemi said the conference would put the issue of holiness on the front burner, adding that holiness is needed to revive and beautify the life of the nation.

    He said: “God expects us to be holy.  Christians need to get back to the requirement of holiness, which is not just the exhibition of piousness but the character of uprightness, forthrightness, godliness and purity in thoughts and actions.”

    The cleric said the church would showcase the “Beauty of Holiness”, the theme of the programme.

    He said nothing can attract the nation to God and God to the nation other than holiness.

    “Nigeria has been a ‘work-in-progress’ since independence.

    “There may have been some developments here and there, but by and large, we have become the poverty capital of the world. The responsibility lies squarely on the shoulder of our leadership, which has been the bane of the Nigerian project.

    “The more truly spiritual people we have in Nigeria, the better our nation will be. These are the kinds of fruits we expect that the Apostolic Fire Conference will produce in the life of attendees.”

    Adeyemi noted that as the election year draws nearer, the church needs to watch and pray.

    He added: “Watching entails educating Christians to bring forthrightness into the electoral process, to get involved in issue-based discussions, proffer brilliant and progressive ideas, insist on doing the right thing rather than sell their votes for a pot of porridge, identify the best candidates and vote for them on Election Days.”

    According to him, great countries of the world were built on Christian ideals.

    Adeyemi also said: “The more genuine, spirit-filled Christians like the biblical Joseph, Daniel, Meshach, Shedrack and Abednego we can get into positions of power, the better for our nation. We need genuine spiritual, God-fearing and knowledgeable people in positions of governance.”

    On how the annual conference began, he said: “The Lord inspired us to start this conference in 2016 and the inaugural edition came up in January 2017 with the theme: Tongues As of Fire. The 2018 edition has the theme: Eyes on Eternity. We look forward to the 2019 edition with the theme: Beauty of Holiness.

    “With these themes, our direction as an assembly is focused on spirituality as opposed to religiosity. We believe the church will be more impactful to the nation and society if we live up to God’s expectation.”

     

  • Church organises free health screening

    The Catholic Church, Ijebu-Ode Diocese, the church has organised free eye and breast cancer screening and other medical check-ups for people.

    Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ijebu-Ode Most Rev. Dr. Albert Fasina said the exercise was organised to commemorate the golden jubilee of the diocese.

    He said the church through its health service unit has been providing health care services for the people, to complement government’s efforts in the health sector.

    “We know the government cannot do it alone. This is why we are organising a free health screening, ranging from free eye test and glasses to free breast cancer screening, free cervical cancer screening, free HIV/AIDs screening and other routine checks,” the bishop said.

    The Director for Catholic Optical, Dr Christopher Ogunupebi, said their mission in Ogun State was to see how to reduce avoidable blindness among the citizens.

    He said the church was concerned about the well-being of the people.

    Ogunupebi said many people who had one ailment or the other, lacked money to take care of themselves.

    “Observation has shown that many have lost their sight due to negligence, while some died untimely due to lack of care. Knowing one’s health status is very important because it will help us to know how physically fit and healthy we are,” he said

    The Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Mr. Gbolade Oduwole, hailed the diocese for complementing the health care delivery programme, “which is one of the five cardinal programmes of the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration.

    The Director of Church and Society Department, Catholic Diocese of Ijebu-Ode, Rev. Patrick Ngoyi, said the diocese had earned its recognition through its humanitarian services, especially to the less privileged and people in the rural communities.

     

  • Church holds carol night

    A Kingdom Light Christian Center otherwise called Praise Arena will on Saturday hold Christmas Carol Service at Le-Real Hotel, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, Lagos.

    The event tagged Super Praise will feature song rendition, bible teaching, prayer, special ministration from Praise Arena Choir, WaleSax, Chidinma and other gospel ministers.

    Praise Arena Senior Pastor Jummy Adetoyese-Olagunju said in a statement that the carol is aimed at celebrating Jesus and the provision he made for the redemption of mankind.

     

  • Church celebrates 5th harvest anniversary

    THE Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Watergate Parish Ifo, Ogun State will mark its 5th adult harvest and thanksgiving today with the theme “The gift of His grace.’’

    The service holds at the church’s auditorium with ministrations by guest artistes including Evangelists Tunde Ara and Ekundayo Olusola.

    The week-long anniversary commenced with a vigil for sidemen and women on December 3 with a special needy service and harvest’s prophetic consultation last Wednesday and Thurday.

    The Shepherd of the church, Superior Evangelist I.M. Odunjo, assured attendees of uncommon spiritual uplift.

    According to him: ‘’Your life will never be the same, you will surely experience God in another good dimension.’’

  • Church celebrates God’s kingdom

    Activities marking the 10th anniversary and thanksgiving service of Christ Grace Evangelical Bible Ministry will begin with a revival/crusade on December 3 from 5pm daily. On December 7, there will be a vigil, which will start at 10pm. Grand celebration holds on December 9 at the church’s new auditorium, 238, Agege Motor Road, off Ayantuga Street, opposite AP Filling Station, Mushin, Lagos State.

    The theme of the celebration is: “Let Your Kingdom Come” (Luke 11:2).

    The General Overseer, Prophet Joshua Rotimi Okin, said: “God will renew the glory of all attendees. God’s kingdom will provide a platform for favour, grace, breakthrough and joy. It will afford us the opportunity to appreciate God for good things in our lives.”

     

  • Church to hold annual programme

    Cherubim and Seraphim Church, The King of Glory, Obawole, Lagos, has scheduled November 29th to December 8th, 2018 for its 2018 Mountain of Covenant Programme, tagged “My Year of Testimony.” A statement signed by the Church Spiritual mother, Prophetess Idowu Sanyaolu JP, reveals that the 2018 Mountain of Covenant is meant to free believers from spiritual bondage, especially as the year is going to an end.

    The programme, which will hold at the church auditorium in Lagos, will feature healing, breakthrough, salvation and deliverance. Important guests and notable men and women of God are expected to grace the annual programme.

  • Church ends MANTLE 2018

    Co-Founder of World Evangelism Incorporated (aka WEBIC), Prophetess Mercy Ayorinde, has said a new dawn has just begun in the church.

    She spoke on Sunday during a thanksgiving service to round off this year’s three days convention (MANTLE 2018), themed: “A New Dawn” at the church’s headquarters in Lagos.

    Prophetess Ayorinde listed eight platform that would make the new dawn work for the congregants who came from across the globe for the gathering. The platforms are: Review of Vision, New Approach, Positive Thinking, New Strength, New Diligence, Righting the Wrong, Focus on Eternal Values and New Mandate.

    She said WEBIC is witnessng new joy and happiness, insisting that the past should be forgotten as members work for great opportunities which will be the hallmark of the new dawn.

    “The new dawn is all about hard work in the ministry, time to correct the wrong of the past as both leaders and the led should work to make heaven our earthly goal,” Prophetess Ayorinde said.

    Highlight of the thanksgiving service was rendition of soulful songs by renowned gospel artiste, Evangelist Esther Igbekele, whose group delighted the audience. Prophetess Ayorinde used the occasion to recognised the contribution of the Resident Pastor, Rev. Harold Chinonyerem to the operation of the church. The occasion was carnival-like as members from far and near storm the church in their various dresses and colours as they honoured God with their offerings.

    The founder, Prophet Samson Ayorinde, prayed for everyone present while urging them to remain steadfast in the ministry.

     

  • Church holds convention

    World Evangelism Incorporated, 51/53 Ogudu Road, opposite Area ‘H’ Police headquarters, Ojota, Lagos, (aka WEBIC), has fixed November 8, 9 and 11 for this year’s convention tagged MANTLE 2018.

    The pastor, Rev. Harold Chinonyerem, said the convention would witness soul-winning messages, lectures and symposia. He said the choir had rehearsed to thrill the congregation with praise and song worship.

    He prophesied that WEBIC was being transformed by the Holy Spirit, adding that a new dawn had begun in the church.

    The cleric said the third day of the convention, which is thanksgiving service on November 11, will witness messages to round off the event.

    He said members from across the globe are expected to attend the event.

    Rev. Chinonyerem said as part of the thanksgiving service, Holy Communion will be served.