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Tag: Churches

  • Lagos to exempt churches, mosques, others from land use charges

    Lagos to exempt churches, mosques, others from land use charges

    Religious organisations, educational institutions and non governmental organisations may be exempted from paying land use charge in Lagos State if the new bill on land use charge currently before the state Assembly is passed into law. This was revealed at a public hearing on the new land use charge bill titled, ‘Land Use Charge (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Law, 2017’, which took place at the Lateef Jakande Auditorium in the Assembly complex during the week.

    But some stakeholders at the public hearing advocated for the inclusion of NGOs in the list; because according to them they are non profit making organisations. The new law seeks to harmonise land rates law, neighbourhood improvement charge law and tenement rates law and when passed into law, all other rates on land cease to operate except the Land Use Charge.

    The Assembly gave assurance that the proposed harmonised Bill on Land Use Charge will be based on market value, noting that it would be beneficial to property owners. According to the Acting Chairman of the Adhoc Committee on Finance in the House, Hon. Oluyinlka Ogundimu, the law will be based on market value and will correct some wrongs in the system, noting that it would be beneficial to property owners.

    “We have to harmonise some bills to form this new one. With the new law, the local government will not come with a bill, while the state government would come with another one on property. We want everything to be harmonised and make it convenient for the people. We have ensured that we will consider the market value of the houses,” he said.  The lawmaker added that some of the houses are close to the market value, while others are far from it.

    According to him, “what would be given out would be the value of the land and the building and the rate would be determined by the government. What we will have will be the market value and this has been reduced by 40%. While commenting on those exempted from the charge, Ogundimu noted that “religious bodies would not be affected, but if you go commercial like running a school, you would not be exempted.”

    In his welcome address, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, said that the new law would make life easy for the people of the state and that the House was passionate about anything that would affect the people positively. While giving the overview of the Bill, the Majority Leader, Hon Sanai Agunbiade, stated that the proposed law differs from the old payment charge as the new charges would be based on market value.

     

  • ‘Tithes should be for churches, not priests’

    ‘Tithes should be for churches, not priests’

    Bishop of Lagos West Anglican Communion, The Rt. Revd. James Odedeji, spoke with Ovwe Medeme, on his life as a cleric, the tithing debate and sundry issues ahead of the 18th anniversary of the Diocese. Excerpts: 

    How has the Diocese progressed over the years?

    Well, we thank the Lord. This Diocese was inaugurated 20th of November 1999. I’m lucky to say I was here but not in this capacity. And the Diocese has grown in leaps and bounds. We have expanded so well.

    We started with about 120 churches and two other Dioceses have been created from us. Like I said, we have invested greatly in church planting. As we speak, we have more than 300 churches.

    When we started, clergymen were 80 but today we have over 300 clergymen. We have also invested in humans. We have encouraged so many of our youths and a lot of them have benefited from the generosity of this Diocese.

    Our vision when we started was to be the leading Diocese and that we have done. Most Dioceses in Nigeria look up to us, not only for help but for whatever is noble and gracious.

    Emphasis has been seriously laid on the spiritual growth of members and youth empowerment. And we have equally planted many churches since I came on board. And a lot of clergymen have gone for further studies to enhance their performance.

    The women have done so well too. They’ve embarked on so many projects that would add to the growth of the church. A lot of correctional centres have been built to cater for those who are unemployed.

    We have engaged in scholarship schemes for indigent students. And these we will continue to ensure that it is going on well. I insisted when I came on board that all our quarters must have a youth chapel.

    When I came on board, we had about two or three. But as I talk to you, we have about 21 chapels that are functional and they’ve gotten their places of worship as well. So those are the things that gladden one’s heart.

    A lot of people believe being a cleric comes with a lot of perks. What are some of the challenges you have faced as a bishop?

    Opinions are like noses, everybody has their own. The call to bishopric is not a call to comfort; it’s a call to service. And if you are privileged to be lifted by God, it is to impart a generation, to add value and to make sure that at the end of the day, I say it without any fear of contradiction, we are responsible to people but we are accountable to God.

    So what people term as comfort might not be there if you want to serve your God. I joined the ministry 28 years ago and I had this idea that I have never subscribed to maximum comfort; perhaps the minimum comfort.

    How much food do you need to survive? The office attracts a lot of pressures. Everybody sees you as a solution. Everybody believes that you have all the power, not knowing that all power belongs to Jesus.

    So those are the challenges. As a bishop, your phone rings virtually every second. But you still have to pray for God’s wisdom and discerning Spirit so that you will be able to do the work according to His will.

    The theme is arise and shine. How can you relate that with the state of the country today?

    Well, the expectation of God is that Christians should arise. We should not settle for less. And when you arise, what you are saying is that you will shine, you will live a life that will impart on the people.

    It is like the issue of the man called the prodigal son. He had wasted a lot of years; he had wasted a lot of resources. And at a time, he discovered that he has not been fair on himself. So he decided to arise. That’s what we are looking at. Arising shows that you are waking up.

    Arising is saying that you should not settle for mediocrity. And when you rise, definitely, you will be obvious. Your activities will be evident and you will be able to do that which God has configured you to do. The purpose of God for us is to make impact.

    That was why Jesus Christ described Christians in Matthew 5 as the salt of the earth, as the light of the world. And he said, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and when they see it, they will glorify God.

    And God is ready for his children to manifest His glory to uncover the glory that God originally meant for his people. When everything was created, they were all handed over to man.

    So man should be in dominion. Because a situation where you are beneath instead of being on top, you need to arise and take your rightful place in the community God has placed you.

    What motivated you to go into the ministry?

    The idea of going into the ministry as at the time I came in was basically the call of God upon my life. I had many choices as at that time. I had a personal conviction of coming to the ministry to work for Him. And people at that time thought I didn’t know what I was doing.

    Because I was very young and they were of the opinion that I should go into the world first and return when I’m old. And I believe so much that I can use my youthful age for the Lord. Some of us, when we entered, it was not because of money or anything. We just felt God is calling us to make a difference.

    It was a time when the Anglican Church would not allow Pentecostal practices. It was a time when people believed that you just go into the church, you clap and you go back home. But some of us felt God is saying something different, that God should be more involved in the activities of His creatures.

    What was it like joining the ministry at a young age?

    Those of us that joined that time, we thank God that none has fallen by the way. That is to let you know that it is the call of God upon us and that is what we refer to at all times.

    I spoke yesterday with some group of people and I said there are things I will never call people to do. One of them is coming to the ordained ministry of the church. It is personal. And if God has called you and you have difficulties, you can still go back to the one who called you. And that is the best that can happen to anybody. We have three types of callings. God calls people. The church itself can call you. Maybe they see some gifts in you and you are carried away with that. Then you have problems, who will you meet? You can also call yourself.

    If unemployment is biting so hard and you believe that going into the ministry will secure some things or you. But the point is that, after 10 years, the difference will be there among those three categories of people that have been called to the ministry.

    So we thank God that we came in, not because of any other thing or that because we didn’t have other choices, but we believe it was God. And God has manifested that these past 28 years I’ve been talking about.

    What’s your position on the tithing debate?

    I’ve listened to a lot of debates going on in the recent past and I’m of the opinion that the bible is very clear. The difference between our set up and other denominations is that the tithe is not for the priest. The tithe is for the church. In fact, most of our churches, the highest income they have is from the tithes. If I have to take the tithe of this cathedral, we will not be able to maintain the premises because the bulk of the money that my Cathedral collects is from tithes.

    And tithe is scriptural. It is biblical and the condition is there that if you want God to rebuke devourers and we must allow food to be in the store. So, it might be rocking some other denominations but not the Anglican Church or the orthodox churches because the tithe is for God and the tithe is being used for the gospel.

    The tithe is being used for evangelism. As a bishop of this Diocese, I’m not entitled to the tithes of the people. I don’t touch it. They don’t give it to me because it is exclusively for the use of the church.

    If it is a one man church, everything comes to you; your wife is probably the treasurer. It is not like that in the Anglican Church. In the Anglican Church, three people sign a cheque. How does the money belong to the pastor? So the Anglican Church is so different. And that is why we thank God that we have been in existence for more than 150 years and we are still very solid.

    My stand on tithing is that whatever is scriptural should not be open to debate. It is unfortunate.

    But a lot of people don’t share that view…

    There was a time I read a particular article on the papers where somebody said the pastors are enjoying the tithes, they are spending the tithe. I want to say that sometimes, erroneously, when people see pastors wearing a good shirt or a good shoe, it does not mean that he has used the tithe to buy it.

    Sometimes if you serve God, God will service you. When people come with their diverse troubles and challenges and you pray for them and God answers because He has called you for that purpose and they return with gratitude to God and something private is given to you and you use it to buy a shoe, some people might say it is tithe money.

    Many times, people offend God. That’s the way I see it. I have one or two vehicles in my premises that were given to me to use. I cannot tell you how much they were bought. Somebody just felt this man is fantastic. God is using this man. He is not particular about what he wants to get but about what he wants to give.

    So for you now to see my wife tomorrow with a new shoe and you say it is the tithe money, sometimes we are offending God. And God understands that human beings are limited in everything. So my own idea about tithe is that it should be paid. Know where you pay your tithe.

  • Churches challenged on social inclusion 

    Churches must place greater emphasis on social works to change their immediate environments, the Executive Director of Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Dr Otive Igbuzor, has stated.

    He spoke at the 57th birthday ceremony of the Convener of Catalyst for Global Peace and Justice Initiative (CPJ), Pastor Sam Aiyedogbon in Lagos.

    Igbuzor regretted that global wealth and poverty are increasing simultaneously, saying churches have to rise to become a force for the voiceless, defenceless and helpless.

    He noted that the system of the world increasingly provides incentives for few people to be rich while a majority wallow in penury, which is against the values of social inclusion that Jesus teaches.

    Although he noted the reformation movement in the 14th century and birth of pentecostalism in the 20th century led to the revival of the church, he lamented that the church neglected the social dimension and integrated mission of Jesus within their environments.

    Igbuzor, who is also the Presiding Pastor of Compassion of Jesus Global Mission International, cited a recent research by OXFAM indicating that in 2015, three richest people in the world have more wealth than the Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) of 48 countries.

    The same report indicated that the wealth of five richest people in Nigeria will eliminate poverty completely from the nation, he declared.

    He challenged the church to continue to speak truth to power, declaring prophetic ministry must be revived, no matter whose ox is gored.

    Chairperson of Transition Monitoring Group, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, challenged churches to intervene in national reorientation and value orientation.

    She noted the church wields a lot of influence on the people and their intervention in promoting the values that unite everyone together cannot be undermined.

    The chairman of the occasion and convener of CPJ, Aiyedogbon, said the idea to start the foundation was through divine inspiration.

    The General Overseer of Realm of Glory Church said: “I was writing a column in one of the newspapers from 1996 to 2009 on religion and where I addressed the challenges in the society and excesses of the pentecostal churches were part of what led to the formation of the foundation.

    “As an individual, when you see a need or a problem and you are passionate about it, you pray, speak and have engagements in your conversations with people and obviously it will make God to birth something in you and that’s how the idea came up.”

     

  • ‘Why churches don’t encourage discipleship training’

    ‘Why churches don’t encourage discipleship training’

    President of Equipping The Saint Worldwide Ministry, Dr. Jeje Philips, speaks with Adeola Ogunlade on the journey of the mission to the ideas of discipleship in Nigeria at its 14th convocation in Lagos

    How has the journey been in a terrain like Nigeria, trying to make disciples?

    Making disciples anywhere in the world is not easy and not smooth. Nigeria is not different but we give glory to God who has given us the strength to move this far and enablement all the way. Some of the things we encounter are human factors but God has been faithful to us. Because of is faithfulness, we have been able to move faster than expected. It‘s not been easy. We have been able to do 14 convocations in 20 years.

    That means you have lost out of some years. Why was that?

    In the process of setting up and establishing the ministry, we lost some resource people along the line. They lost out of the lane. May be the because of the rigid or rugged exercise put in place to run the race, some dropped out.

    We had to look out for new, greener pastures. Some people who started with us thought that is not as easy as church planting because in church planting, you have many people to support you financially.

    People will bring their tithes, which can be used to run the church but God ordered us not to collect money. So, we don’t charge for the training.

    So, how have you been keeping the ministry going?

    It is God that is helping us to survive. He told us to train them free that He did not send us to collect money but to make disciples and when we obey, He will give us the money.

    Are the materials free? If yes, how then do you pay your resource persons?

    The materials are not free.

    What is so peculiar about these new graduates in your interaction with them?

    God has enjoined us to go out and make disciples of all nations. The gospel of Jesus Christ should go across all missions. It is a mandate Jesus gave when He said all authorities on earth have been given to Him after resurrection.

    He gave the disciples the charge to go out and make disciples and teach the world about him. For sometimes, the church has been distracted from the main mandate by focusing on other things and not on Jesus and his heart cry to the church.

    Jesus told us to make disciples. By so doing, we would depopulate the kingdom of darkness, bring people to Christ, pray for the sick among them and they would recover because we have obeyed His injunction to go and  disciple all nations.

    We will then bring down the power of God on the earth. Originally, when Jesus Christ came, He gave power to the church to heal the sick but somehow the church, because we are busy running after other things, forgot His mandate

    His disciples are like Christ. Like Jesus said that to His disciples, they are not greater than the master but everyone, when fully trained, will be like his teacher (Luke 6: 40).  The church is supposed to act on earth as an arm of Jesus Christ. That is main purpose

    Do you keep tab on your graduates?

    We don’t just focus on the ceremonial aspect but invest our time and energy in following up with them one on one with the support of the alumni of the school.

    Why is it hard to sell the ideas to some denominational heads?

    The challenge is that some denominational heads want to run their own thing the way it profits them. They are churches that have bible colleges and they charge heavily. The church is looking for money by all means.

    When we started, a church invited us and we charged them and when we got there for the training, we did not see anybody, apart from an old woman with a child in the church. We felt very disappointed.

    I asked the Lord, why this disappointment and God told me ‘freely you have received, freely give. I told you to go and make disciples and not charge them. I will give you the money to run your ministry.’

    Then, we stop charging. We had charged some people for a fee, but when God told us to stop charging, we wrote to them that we are not charging any fee for the training and God over the years has been faithful to us.

    I remember we went to a church on Allen Avenue where we taught the workers for six weeks without any fee. The pastor of the church gave us some gifts after we finished the training but on our way out of the church, he called us back and told us that God told him to give us N100, 000.

    That encouraged and convicted us that God is faithful to what He said. Some churches also believe that no other ministry can come and teach them. We are non-denominational. We teach as the bible teaches us.

    Is it located only in Southwest?

    No, we are covering the whole of Africa.

    What’s your take on inclusion of African elements in worship in churches?

    We have no quarrel with that because you can do anything you like. Everything is important but not everything is expedient. Use of candle was first brought to Catholic Church in Nigeria and later to Cherubim and Seraphim.

    When I was the Dean of the C and S Bible College, we found it difficult to accept it but later we did. We accepted it but later changed. After some years, I was having problems with the church authorities because I was saying some things contrary to what they know and teach. We had problems and eventually, we moved out.

    We started an independent ministry, non-denominational ministry. We are not particular about the doctrines of each denomination. We teach Christ and we allow the denomination to teach their things. We may not interfere with the doctrine of any church, we only teach Christ and Christ alone crucified. It is a common denominator among all church

    How do you handle cases of trinity because some churches don’t believe in?

    There is no controversy about Trinity. Anybody who says he does not believe in trinity does not understand the nature of God. The nature of God is three, just like the nature of man. If you say that God is one and you are not interested in knowing the three aspects of Jesus, you have not started.

    Water is liquid as we know but if you put it inside the fridge or boil it, its only changes its form. It remains water. Anyone who does not understand that God is three does not understand God at all. Everything about God is three.

    How can the church make more impact in the world?

    The church can make impact if we follow the teachings of Christ that is why Jesus came to the world to make man understand God’s plan and purpose for humanity. In economy and other areas, the world did not have understanding of the purpose of God. That was why He sent His son to reveal His plan and purpose to the world. If the church can adhere to the teaching of Christ, it will affect the world positively.

  • Oyo govt to sanction churches, mosques, others for noise pollution

    Oyo govt to sanction churches, mosques, others for noise pollution

    •Three churches sealed as pastor harasses commissioner

    Oyo State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Chief Isaac Ishola, at the weekend narrated his ordeals in the hands of the General Overseer of a new generation church while attempting to seal off the church for violating environmental laws.

    The commissioner said the General Overseer allegedly molested, harassed and insulted him on the church premises to prevent the sealing of the church.

    Three churches were reportedly sealed off for alleged noise pollution and violating the government’s prescribed noise level.

    Speaking with The Nation in his office at the weekend, the commissioner warned against violation of noise regulation laws.

    He noted that the ministry would no longer tolerate what he called the impunity among religious bodies that were fond of exceeding the prescribed noise level.

    Ishola said: “…I was insulted and harassed (at the weekend) by a pastor, the owner of one of the sealed churches. He refused to comply with the state noise regulations. The pastor refused to attend a meeting when called. In fact, the pastor came out, pounced on me and said I could not seal the church because if I did, it would close my destiny. And I told him that I am a Christian too, but ‘you cannot use Christianity to disturb the peace’ of others…”

    The commissioner urged religious bodies to remove speakers mounted on their buildings, saying doing so violated government’s laws regulating noise in the environment.

    According to him, anybody who refuses to comply will be arrested and the premises sealed, in line with the laws regulating noise in the state.

  • Ozubulu: ‘No more sound teaching in churches’

    National President of Association of Christian Theologians (ACT) Prof. Olakunle Macaulay has lamented that most churches  have downgraded Christianity, setting aside sound teaching for worldly affairs.

    In his reaction to the tragedy in a Catholic Church in Ozubulu, Anambra State, where a gunman killed worshippers in what was believed to be a drug war, Macaulay said “it is sad most Nigerian churches have been taken over by people of shady character.”

    Speaking in Lagos, at a get-together to mark his 80thbirthday, the protégé of the popular Macaulay family in Lagos said the Ozubulu incident was the consequence of the decadence in the church system.

    “The fact is that the church we have today is not the church Jesus had in mind when he talked about building the church. The church we have today is not the church built by Jesus Christ or God; things have changed from the first century church to the present church.

    “The church is not expected to be full of sinners, the church is meant for people who repent, bad people who have been in certain ways of life and now consider it necessary to change life.

    “Today, the Christian leaders are not looking for righteous people; they are looking for people who can support their ministry by fame, money and integrity and are less bothered if they are robbers, kidnappers or drug dealers.

    “In the human thinking, integrity is when you have money and can make noise; so I will not be surprised if this incident was connected to somebody who donated money to the church. It is happening all over the place. The churches today glorify rich men and women and forget the poor,” he lamented.

    Speaking on the raging controversy relating to the regulation of theology universities by the National Universities Commission (NUC), Macaulay said NUC has no right to control theology universities, as such universities are not secular but faith-based.

    He regretted the ‘’constant harassment’’ from officials of the NUC, who demanded accreditation for courses offered by theology universities.

    The octogenarian, who is director of Studies of United Bible University (UBU), in Ojodu, Lagos, recalled that NUC officials invaded his office last year, arrested him and detained him for a night. He was accused of operating an illegal university.

  • ‘Seek medical attention from hospitals not churches’

    The wife of Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade has urged expectant mothers to stop patronising churches for medical advice and delivery.

    Mrs Linda Ayade gave the advice yesterday at the launch of the first round of Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) week in Odukpani Local Government.

    Dr. Ayade lamented that increasing mortality rate of expectant mothers was due to rising patronage of faith-based organisations, instead of hospitals.

    She appealed to expectant mothers to take advantage of health facilities in their locality, as the state intensifies efforts to end maternal and infant mortality.

    “As we launch the first round of MNCH today, I appeal to expectant mothers not to be too busy when it comes to regular attendance at antenatal clinics.

    “Secondly, I advise them to seek medical attention in our health facilities, rather than in churches and prayer houses,” Ayade said.

    She called for support for the Health Insurance Scheme, tagged: Ayadecare,  aimed at delivering affordable health care services.

    Director-General, Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr. Betta Edu said the objective of the week was to improve health care delivery for expectant mothers and children.

    “We are grateful to Governor Ayade for making available free commodities for expectant mothers and children, as they will receive free immunisation, malaria test and drugs, free vitamin A supplement, de-worming tablets and others.

    “We have resolved to reduce maternal and newborn mortality.

    “This is why we are launching this health week to render free medical service to expectant mothers and children,” she said.

    Edu hailed the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP) and other development partners for supporting the health sector to render health care services to residents.

  • If fathers do their work, Nigeria will do less – Osinbajo

    If fathers do their work, Nigeria will do less – Osinbajo

    If Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has his way, those who loot the treasury will no longer find sanctuary in the House of God.

    At a special service at the Aso Villa Chapel yesterday to mark Fathers’ Day, the Acting President urged churches to ostracise looters.

    Such people, he said, should not be held in high esteem because they brought the country to where it is today.

    Osinbajo enjoined fathers to be exemplary leaders that build generations of righteous men and women.

    He said: “I want to say that all of our leaders, the Christian leaders; the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), that it is the role of the church to build this nation. And the church has that role because God has said concerning us that we are the light of the world and we are the salt of the earth. That role is a very difficult role. We are not to teach the world how to be like the world but to teach the world how to be like our saviour, Jesus Christ.

    Every time we come to the church, we are told about giving, but we need to talk more about honesty. Just now His Eminence said Nigeria’s great problem is not an absence of prosperity but that we have enough for our needs but we don’t have enough for our greed. The greed of many is what has landed this country to where it is today. Many in position of authority, it is the greed that has landed us to where we are. Many who say the reason why they are stealing is because they need to have an arsenal for future political experiment, it is a lie! It is greed.

    “And if the church says you are not allowed to steal and we will ostracise the thieves in our midst. If a man’s resources, what a man has does not measure up to what he earns, if you found that a man has more money than he should have, if a man is earning a salary in a civil service or public service and he has houses everywhere, we have to hold him to account. He must first be held to account in the church. He must first be told in the church, we will not allow this. If the church ostracises the thieves; if the church says we will not accept thieves here or we will ensure that we expose you, you are stealing the resources of our nation, you are stealing the resources of a private company or other establishments, then we will not have the kind of problems that we have in this country. If only the church can.

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    “When I listened to His Eminence a few minutes ago, talking about the importance of the type of training we received as a child; the type of training where you were taught primarily about integrity; that you must be a person of integrity; that you must be truthful, you must be honest. That is the foundational teaching. Even knowing the Ten Commandments was enough to teach you about righteousness. That is so important especially for us who are Christians.”

    Fathers, the Acting President said, follow the footsteps of Abraham who God chose in order to “command his children and household in the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice.”

    He adminished fathers to love their wives and refrain from domestic violence.

    House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara lamented the collapse of family system in the country.

    He said: “We should invest more, really as a nation, in fatherhood or in family. And when children are properly brought up, you will see that most of the resources we channel towards control of crime and so many other government programmes, there will be no need for them. Because we will have some kinds of transformation that only take place at the family level.

    “Certain things cannot be done by the government like we cannot just outsource discipline in a home, the issue of imparting or instilling morality in the lives of our citizens. The government certainly cannot do that; it is the role of the family. So when we celebrate fathers like this, we celebrate fatherhood, we emphasise on the importance of the family as a unit in bringing up those components of society, performing its role and then turning citizens that are compliant. That, therefore, means that we won’t be spending money in fighting crime.

    When fathers do their work, the nation will have less work to do. And when next we have people in leadership who fail, who are patently corrupt, the question shouldn’t be ‘who is this?’ The question should be ‘who is the father of that person?’ I congratulate the fathers.

    The Speaker urged fathers to be exemplary in their conduct, saying:

    “If you wouldn’t want your children to follow your example, then it means you are failing as a father. And once father fails, family fails, certainly, the nation will fail because the family is the strength of a nation.”

    He described Fathers’ Day as one of the most important days in the life of a nation, saying a nation is a collection of families.

    According to him, every leader, every good person, every armed robber, every militant, every terrorist comes from the family and when the family collapses, the nation collapses.

    In his sermon titled: “Fathers to the rescue of our beloved nation,” Methodist Church of Nigeria Prelate Samuel Kalu Uche, said God established the family as a basic and foundation unit of a country.

    “God has made fathers as the head and this assignment must be exercise in love, honesty, gentleness and unity. The responsibility of a father makes him to be accountable to God. A father must render a selfless service and he must be faithful to his wife,” he said.

    Attributing one of the problems besetting the nation to failure of many fathers, he pointed out that many fathers could not give their children good education, hence, they turned out to be criminals in the country.

    He noted that in the past children were taught to respect elders and to be upright, contrary to what is obtainable today where children are abandoned and they constitute nuisance in the society.

    The clergyman, who prayed for President Muhammadu Buhari’s quick recovery, said “anyone wishing the president dead is a wicked person.”

    “We should pray for the father of the nation to recover,” he said.

    Aso Villa Chapel Chaplain Pastor Seyi Malomo described the day as” a day to celebrate our source.”

    He said: “Every one of us has a source. There is a source of our heavenly father but that heavenly father graciously also gave us physical fathers. Every one of us traced our source to a father. And as we celebrate today, we are acknowledging ourselves; our President who is the source of this administration, the reason why we are here.

    “And we must celebrate him and we are celebrating all the fathers to let them know that they are really appreciated and that we are praying for them that more of their responsibilities, more of their roles will be felt by us and make our nation better and make our families better and make our communities better.”

    The two Bible readings from Ephesian 5: 22-33 and Ephesian 6: 1-4 were read by the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi and Dogara.

    As part of the activities to mark the occasion, gifts were presented to President Buhari; Acting President Osinbajo; Senate President Bukola Saraki; Dogara; the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the churches in Nigeria.

    There were also song presentations by the children and the fathers to celebrate the day.

    Other in attendance included Archbishop of Methodist Church Abuja, Oche Job; Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Taiwo Abidogun.

  • Set examples of transparency, Oyo deputy gov tells churches

    Oyo State Deputy Governor Otunba Moses Adeyemo has enjoined churches to become centres of transparency and purveyors of the desired change in the nation.

    He spoke at the 18th annual convention and thanksgiving service of Sanctuary of Christ Evangelical Church, Ibadan with the theme “Roles of church in national development.”

    Adeyemo said churches can no longer bow, indifferent to the travails of the nation, stressing ‘’it is time we rose to our responsibilities as the salt of the earth and the light of the world.”

    The deputy governor explained: “If we desire to see more transparency in government, commerce and industry, then we the church must take the lead in demonstrating transparency through our own operations, leading by example. In other words, we must become the change we desire.”

    Adeyemo enjoined the churches to always promote values that will culminate in national development such demanding adequate funding for education, promoting honesty, placing values on punctuality and dignity of labour as well as savingand investments.

    In the seven-point agenda on the state of the nation entitled: Giving Hope to Nigerians, he delivered at the 18th annual convention, General Overseer of the church, Pastor GbadeOjo, who is also Chief of Staff to Oyo State governor, said corrupt politicians part of the rots of the last eight years should be fished out and prosecuted.

    He said President Muhammadu Buhari administration must be seen to be truly committed to fighting corruption and cutting down on the huge costs of governance.

    Ojo stressed: “Nigerians expect a sincere, genuine and complete war against corruption with no sacred cows.

    ‘’This is especially so considering many of the politicians now masquerading as patriots and agents of change in APC were part of the rots of the last eight years, both within and outside government.”

  • ‘People don’t attend churches that cannot meet needs’

    ‘People don’t attend churches that cannot meet needs’

    Founder of Laughter Foundation International Ministries, otherwise known as babies’ factory, Pastor Gbenga Oso, spoke with Sunday Oguntola on the uniqueness of the church on the eve of its 20th anniversary. Excerpts:  

    There are people who believe the church should have been a ministry. What would be your reaction to them?

    For me, I don’t see any difference between ministry and church. Either church or ministry, there is only one goal – that people should go to the kingdom of God.

    And secondly, we meet the physical needs of people. That was what Jesus did when He was here. There were three basic things He did when He was here. He would preach, heal the sick and do deliverance. Then, there were times he fed people with physical foods.

    So, Jesus was meeting the spiritual and physical needs of people, which is what a church or ministry is expected to do. If they are sick, they must be healed and live healthy lives. If they don’t have children, they must have children. That is what church or ministry exists to do.

    But there is the argument that need-oriented ministries and churches tend to raise people to use, rather than love God. What do you say to this?

    A Church or ministry is expected to meet the spiritual and physical needs of people. Doing one without the other means you won’t see people in the church.

    The major thing that draws people to God is meeting their physical needs. When you see churches and ministries with population today, it is because they are meeting the physical needs of people. People don’t go to church mostly because they want to hear the word of God or love God. They are going because they have a challenge, which they believe can be addressed in such a church or ministry.

    But after you have baited in people, what do you do with them?

    In this church, apart from the fact that the main focus is for people to have children, I always say it is not the major emphasis. The major emphasis is to make the kingdom of God and go to heaven because there is life after here.

    If someone has all the children and go to hell, it is just a waste of efforts on the part of the pastor and waste of life with the person involved. So, we tell people here that they must serve God, shun ungodliness and love people.

    After then, they must have the good things of life. They must have children and have money to take care of them. So, the two are combined. But preaching to people without meeting their needs is not what Jesus sent us to do.

    He didn’t do that. He would first of us preach to them and meet their physical needs. And that is what we are doing.

    Those with specialised ministries or churches like this impose consultation fees or ask people to do something before sharing testimonies. Is that what obtains here?

    That kind of thing is not found in the Bible. It is not part of what we do here at all. During the times of Jesus, he didn’t take money from anybody for consultation or something. We don’t ask people to do that either. People see me when they have to see me; of course they are procedures because of security and all that.

    When they have testimonies, we just ask them to write everything in a sheet of paper. We look through and take the ones we consider major. Most times, we always don’t know what they want to say and we never ask them to sow anything.

    There are people that do things and there are people that don’t do. What they do depends on what they have. But we have never asked them to do anything or bring anything at all. It is not part of our culture here.

    At 20, why is the church not involved in any relationship with Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) or Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN)? Is that deliberate or you have anything against the bodies?

    No, we don’t have anything against them. We are a member of CAN, though not registered and all that. If there is a need to do that, we will do. Their officials come here and all that. If there are procedures to follow to register….

    … They haven’t told you or you didn’t ask?

    Well, they haven’t told me but if I feel the need to do that, we will do it. But if PFN or CAN is doing anything, we will support from here. It is not compulsory all of us register. It is not compulsory, but if there is a reason to register, we will do that. We believe we are a member of the body of Christ in this nation. And if we have to register, we will do that. If anything is needed, we are part of it.

    You also don’t invite ministers from outside the church. Is that also deliberate?

    That is because this is a highly specialised ministry. We have what we are aiming at; basically praying for people that want children and all that. It is a specialised ministry and God has to have prepared you to be able to do it.

    Besides, we have people we have trained in-house to handle our ministrations over the years. So, we don’t really need ministers from outside here.

    And you don’t honour invitations from other churches too?

    I do but not always most of the time. I just like to face the thing God asked me to do. My joy is to see people that come here receive their breakthrough and all that.

    Once in a while, I go to other places but not many times.

    Does that mean those who already have children have no place in this church?

    They do because the kingdom of God is the basic here. But we have some other programmes in the church, though not the basic. Childbearing is the basic. We know that if members have children and no money to take care of them, they will suffer.

    So, first Sunday of every month, after service, we hold a service for like 30 minutes to pray for their careers and businesses. We call it the billionaires’ service. If they don’t become billionaires, they will become multi-millionaires.

    We also pray for singles to get married because there are many of them eligible but it is not happening for them. Whether we like it or not, there are reasons beyond them responsible for this.

    We also have a prayer service for pregnant women. Women must carry pregnancies for 40 weeks and many of them lose their pregnancies. But we don’t have that here because we pray for them and encourage them to go to good hospitals.