Religion
NCPC Urges Church to Rebuild Relationship with Jerusalem
By Danusa Ocholi, Abuja
Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) Rev. Yakubu Pam has urged Christian leaders and the Church in Nigeria to rebuild its relationship with the State of Israel by supporting pilgrimage and encouraging their congregation to embark on pilgrimage.
He made this observation while playing host to the Bishop of the Christ Methodist Cathedral Church of Nigeria, Rt.
Rev. Kehinde Adeyemi at the NCPC headquarters in Abuja.The NCPC boss explained that it is a biblical injunction for Christians to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
“The Bible has declared that God will bless those who are friends with the State of Israel”.
He urged the leadership of the Church and the Church in general to take ownership of pilgrimage and further urged the Church Leaders to encourage their members who are financially buoyant to sponsor Christians who cannot afford to sponsor themselves.
According to him, “the Sponsorship of pilgrimage has been low in the past years and we need to work together to increase the sponsorship”.
He informed that the Commission had embarked on an aggressive mobilization visit to all Church leaders across the country to seek partnership and support in this year’s pilgrimage exercise..
Rev. Pam acknowledged the support of the Church to the Commission in the past. He said: “the Church has stood by NCPC in the past years because according to him, “it is only the church that visits Israel”.
He commended the Catholic Church for their support and participation for Christian Pilgrimage. He explained that the Catholic Church organizes it members to visits Rome and Greece yearly on Holy Pilgrimage.
He further commended the Methodist Church of Nigeria for being the vanguard of the Gospel of Jesus in the country. He explained that the Methodist Church is present at every nook and cranny of Nigeria. In his words, “the presence of the Methodist Church is felt even in the Northern part of the Country where it is the difficult to preach the gospel”.
The NCPC helmsman urged his guest to continue to for pray for NCPC and for the peace of Nigeria. “We need to build our prayer altars and intensify our prayers so that the killings in the country will end and peace of Nigeria will be restored”.
Earlier, Rt. Rev. Kehinde Adeyemi congratulated the Executive Secretary for his appointment as the Executive Secretary of NCPC. He described his appointment as a well-deserved one because of how well he had led the Church of God in Nigeria.
He commended the NCPC boss for his role during the crisis in the North especially in the recent southern Kaduna crisis. In his words, “you have indeed contributed positively in ensuring peace in this country”.
He appealed to the Executive Secretary to use his good offices to bring together Christians and to prayer for President Muhammadu Buhari and for those at the helms of affair in the country.
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.