Religion
Diri, Kumuyi Preach Love, Unity at Bayelsa Crusade
FROM TAYESE Mike, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri and General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, have again called on Nigerians to embrace peace, love and unity to move the country forward.
The two leaders made the call on Tuesday at the grand finale of a six-day crusade organized by the Deeper Christian Life Ministry in Yenagoa, the state capital.
They stressed the need for people of the country to exhibit untainted love and patriotism in all their dealings to enable Nigeria harness its God-given potentialities and pride of place among the comity of nations.
Speaking through his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Governor Diri urged Bayelsans to close ranks, regardless of their political differences, to work for sustainable prosperity and development of the state.
While thanking the people for attending the crusade en masse, he reiterated his administration’s commitment towards transforming the state slogan of ‘Glory of Lands’ in tangible terms for every right thinking person to see and glorify God.
Governor Diri also expressed gratitude to the General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi and the entire ministry for staging the crusade in the state.
According to Senator Diri, he has implicit confidence that prayers made at the crusade had not only expanded the spiritual horizon of Bayelsa but would also attract greater opportunities to the Government and people of the state.
Speaking on the topic, “Timeless, Perpetual Redemption Through the Blood of Jesus,” Pastor Kumuyi explained that everyone who had accepted Christ as his or her personal saviour, enjoys a marvelous heritage of redemption bought with the blood of Jesus.
Quoting copiously from the scriptures, Pastor Kumuyi, stressed that believers should serve God and humanity in holiness and sincere love to fully appropriate God’s manifold blessings.
His words: “For us at the state level, we have seen the hand of God in this crusade. The first sign is that between 3pm and 4pm, it rains everyday. But once it is time for the programme to start, the rain would give way. That is not a coincidence; It is the finger of God at work.
“This last night is another opportunity for us to yield ourselves to the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit to receive our miracle. What God cannot do does not exist; God can do all things.
“I want to use this opportunity again to thank our father Pastor W. F. Kumuyi for coming to our state, to add to the blessings in this state. I want to thank you for this opportunity to talk to our people and encourage all Bayelsans to please show love to one another. There are only two commandments that Christ gave to us: Love God and love your neighbour. It is on these two stones that our Prosperity Administration is built.”
Religion
Not Everything on Social Media Should Feed You- Cleric
The Senior Pastor of Streams of Joy International, Jerry Eze, has urged Christians not to feed on everything they see on social media.Eze made the call during his sermon at the church service on Sunday in Abuja.He noted that certain contents on social media could corrupt the minds of God’s children,negatively influencing their thoughts,spirit and behavior.
“Don’t let everything feed you. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Not everything on social media should feed you.“You remember the vile words of the enemy more than you remember what is in the word(the Bible).“I didn’t even want to talk about it, but I do recognise that when you head Equatorial Guinea, it fed you and re-fed you, “he said.He said that God has unique plans for His children, but required them to be in tune with Him.He added that they also need to be intentional about the information they consume on social media, the company they keep, and the places they go.Eze urged the congregants to guard their vision in accordance with God’s instructions, just as a pregnant woman was advised on what to consume to keep her body safe and healthy.The cleric prayed for wisdom and understanding for the congregants, asking God to guide them on their unique life paths.He added that they should not dwell on their fears and insecurities, but instead look to God for the fulfillment of their new seasons.According to the pastor, some difficulties are allowed by God to build and prepare his children to handle greater responsibilities in the future.(NANReligion
Bigard Seminary has Produced 4 Cardinals, 37 Bishops– Rector
The Rector, Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, Very Rev. Fr. Albert Ikpenwa, says the seminary has produced four cardinals, 14 archbishops, 37 bishops and thousands of priests since it officially opened in 1924.
Ikpenwa disclosed this on Tuesday at news conference to give insight on Bigard Centenary Celebration scheduled to begin on Nov.
10 in Enugu.He said the seminary had also produced thousands of priests working in Nigeria, Europe, America, Australia and other parts of the world.
Ikpenwa listed the Cardinals to include Francis Arinze, Dominic Ekandem, Christian Tummi and Peter Okpalaeke.
According to him, some of the archbishops are Valerian Okeke, Bishops Callistus Onaga, John Okoye, Albert Obiefuna, among others.
He added that the seminary had also served in the formation of seminarians from Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Liberia and produced professors in many universities as well as other individuals who studied there but did not serve as priest.
The rector said Bigard Memorial Seminary started as St. Paul’s Seminary, Igbariam, Anambra, in 1922, an initiative of Bishop Joseph Shanahan, the then Vicar Apostolic of the Vicariate of Southern Nigeria.
“The seminary was, however, officially opened in 1924 to teach theology and philosophy following Pope Benedict XV’s 1919’s letter that emphasised the need and urgency of establishing indigenous clergy in mission lands.
“In 1928, the seminary was moved to Onitsha and a senior seminary was opened at Eke in Enugu State in 1934 to separate it from the junior seminary.
“The senior seminary was later transferred to Enugu in 1939, then to Okpala, Imo, in 1942, and finally back to Enugu in 1951 where it has remained as Bigard Memorial Seminary,” he said.
He explained that seminary was named Bigard to honour Stephanie and Jeanne Bigard, the mother and daughter foundresses of the Opus Sancti Petri Apostoli society, which funded the building of the seminary.
Speaking on the 100 years anniversary, the Chairman Planning Committee, Rev. Fr. Kelvin Udenwagu, said the event was going to be a great and unique one as it would be a reunion of the people that passed through the seminary in the past 100 years.
He listed the activities to mark the event to include inaugural Mass, inauguration of academic year and award to distinguished students, cultural event, Biblical quiz, symposium, football match and dance.
The clergyman added that the celebration would begin on Nov. 10 and end on Nov. 21.
The highlight of the conference was a media facility tour that included the new student hostels built by Ikpenwa. (NAN)
CRIME
Chief Imam’s Sallah Ram Stolen in Jos
There was a drama as the sacrificial ram of the Chief Imam of the Mista Ali community in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, Imam Abdulkadir went missing on the eve of the Ed-el-Kabir.
Abdulkadir’s ram was reportedly stolen during a downpour in the area on the eve of the Ed-el-Kabir.
An Imam in the community, Haruna Yaqub, disclosed this during the sermon, shortly after the two Raka’at prayers.
Yaqub, who condemned the incident, described it as “insensitive”.
He added that the act showed that people lack fear for God.
The Imam said, “The Ram of our Chief Imam, which he purposely brought to sacrifice, has been stolen in the night.
We are really shocked by the incident. We were surprised to hear this story. This means that people are not God-fearing.“It is scary that people have gone to the extent of stealing ram meant for religious activity.”
Speaking further, he urged people to be God-fearing and not engage in either stealing or any act of criminality.
He stressed that everyone will account for their actions on earth and hereafter.
“It is high time people repented and took the path of Allah. It is not too late. People should stop committing bad things and act according to Allah’s commandments,” he urged.