NIGERIA
REPORT ON PREACHERS HELP CONFERENCE AT BENUE STATE NIGERIA (ALIADE GWE-EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT) FROM THURSDAY 11TH TO SATURDAY 13TH APRIL, 2019.
We arrived at Aliade at about 4:50pm, checked into a guest house after making contact with Pastor Mbachie Shadrach, the contact client in Benue state. We went to survey the proposed venue for the meeting with the contact client.
DAY ONE 12TH APRIL, 2019
The meeting was held at the ‘Salvation Armies of the End Time’, Acoho, Konshisha, Local Government, Benue state Nigeria. It started with an opening prayer, praise and worship, and a special number. This was followed by the introduction of the clients from different parts of Benue state and myself. I took time to talk about Preachers’ Help and what it is all about. I told them that Preachers’ Help is a correspondence Bible Training course designed for pastors in the rural areas. I said that the Preachers’ Help course is free for all that are interested, but that other people are making sacrifices for the sustenance of the programme. He encouraged the people in attendance to enrol in the programme. At the end of the first session six (6) clients picked up the registration forms which were filled and submitted after the break period.
Question and Answer Session
I asked the pastors of some of the problems they are facing in the land.
Answers
1. One of the pastors enumerated as follows:
a. In Tiv land, one of the major challenges they are facing is that of getting people to believe the Gospel that is, convincing people to believe the Gospel. He said that an average Tiv believes so much in Traditional worship, but once you get them convinced, they hardly backslide.
b. The people are predominantly of Catholic and Reformation church which are the Traditional churches of the people before the arrival of the Pentecostal churches. This resulted into dichotomy between the Traditional and Pentecostal churches in the sense that the Traditional churches do not much value the Pentecostal. They see them as fakes and blood–suckers.
c. Financial Challenges:
i. The Traditional churches were established by the missionaries who sponsored their buildings. They laid less emphasis on offerings; this is making it difficult for the church members to give offerings to support the church.
ii. The people feel that they are poor, so they will not easily give to support the church financially.
iii. People like to identify with good things: since the Traditional churches are well-built and decorated, they prefer worshipping with them to the Pentecostals because they see it as undue responsibilities.
d. People are not informed and enlightened: this has been affecting the pastors in reaching the people. The lack of enlightenment on the part of the pastors is also a factor.
e. He concluded by affirming that Preachers’ Help has the right information the pastors need in reaching the people.
2. Pastor Aho J. T: Makurdi
a. Influence of the Traditional churches over the Pentecostal.
b. Welfare packages of the Traditional churches which the Pentecostals don’t have.
3. Pastor Ojeke Isaac: Konshisha
a. The kind of the messages preached by the Pentecostals: the Pentecostals preach the true word of GOD which is based on holiness and righteousness, which the people think they cannot meet.
b. Financial challenges: the people have been taught by the Traditional churches that the Pentecostals are opening churches to enrich themselves.
4. Pastor Teasama: Makurdi
a. Lack of trained personnel:
i. They lack trained personnel that will train the preachers.
ii. Lack of willingness of the preachers to be trained
iii. Lack of willingness to accept the Training/Teaching, and put it into practice.
b. Coming of the so-called Modern Christianity: people prefer contemporary lifestyle that has found itself into the church, which does not conform to true Christian life
c. Family challenges: many people are facing serious challenges in their families which are affecting them.
He concluded by saying that he has decided to take up the study because of II Timothy 2:15 (…study to show yourself approved…)
5. Pastor Shadrack: Acoho- Aliade
a. The Pentecostals are also the problems in the church, in the sense that there are poor training programmes which are highly limiting. The leaders of the churches train the pastors/members only on what they want them to know; which is based on what they feel is right.
b. There is a lot of compromise by the ministers: pastors are compromising because of resources, and in order to retain members by preaching what the people want to hear.
c. Financial challenges.
Response from the Africa Director:
1. I explained my missionary work in so many rural areas in Africa. As a result, I have discovered that lack of money and the influence of Traditional churches are not the problem, but the Pentecostals are a problem of the church.
2. The Pentecostals need to have good training which are in the structure of church needs.
3. If the Traditional churches know the truth, God will not allow us Pentecostals to come into the ministry.
4. He advised that, no matter how far you have gone in the wrong path, it cannot make it right. You need to come back with humility and determination.
5. There is need for us to be determined to defend what we believe.
6. The people were encouraged to rise again to the challenges because the Muslims are now invading the land everywhere. And that what is needed to stop them, and redeem the people from the hands of the wicked, is the word of God
7. Let us also try as much as possible to live for Christ so that the people will see and follow us.
8. No matter all that we know as challenges, they are not insurmountable. Working in the rural areas has not been easy, but God will always see His people through.
9. Training is important because when you are trained, you are disposed for service.
Tyungu Nicodemus Aliade appreciated the African Director’s response, and said that one of the problems of the pastors in the land is lack of mentorship. He said that what we have come to do here is more than a Ministers’ Conference, but it is like a mentorship programme.
Further training was scheduled to be held next year on a later date to help them get abreast with their ministry work. They were also asked them to create a forum where they can be coming together to encourage one another. Thus, this gave birth to the Makurdi and Aliade centres.
There was about a twenty (20) minute break, after which the people returned to the hall.
Enquiries
They were asked about some of the cultural strongholds existing in Tiv land.
Reply:
1. There is an idol that manifests itself as male and female; it usually demands the sacrifices of animal, even human beings.
2. Burungwu is a deity believed to give wealth; they demand blood both of animals and human beings. One can be initiated into it with or without the person’s consent, but it will, in the long-run, demand the blood of the child of the one initiated. One truth exists, that is, when anyone is born again, the deity does not work in the person’s life. This deity, and what people believe they gain from it, makes it difficult for them to serve God wholly.
They were also asked if there were a way they can be praying together for the church to help handle the challenges in the land.
One of the pastors said that they have some prayer groups, but the majority of which have been politicized. Then they were encouraged to use the Preachers. Help forum as a prayer platform for the land and the church. The programme closed at about 3:28pm. There was a group photograph of the participants with the African Director of the Preachers’ Help International. Also a heavy refreshment of pounded yam with soup for all in attendance, courtesy, pastor Shadrach the host.
DAY TWO 13TH APRIL, 2019
The meeting held at ‘Evidence of Redemption Ministry’ Aliade was hosted by pastor Tyungu Nicodemus, with a session of prayer and brief exhortation by pastor Teasama from Makurdi. The teaching started at about 11:30am.
Preamble:
Learn to be humble as our master and Lord Jesus Christ. The teaching was based on the basic facts about the Bible. Participants were later called upon, one after another, to summarize the lesson, which they did. Ten minutes break was then taken.
Second session was an exhortation from the Book of II Timothy 3:1-17. The Director divided this Scripture into three segments as follows:
1. Features/Characteristics of the last days.
2. God’s expectations from His children.
3. The authenticity of the Scriptures.
The meeting closed at about 3:15pm
SUMMARY
Materials We Went With:
1. 15 copies of registration forms
2. 10 copies of module one
3. 12 copies of module two part A
4. 1 copy of module two part B
5. 1 copy of module three
6. 1 copy of module four
7. 1 copy of module five
8. Some copies of Preachers’ Help flyers
9. Some copies of the ministry’s flyers
10. 2 copies of Leadership for the whole church
11. 3 copies of the New Thematic Concordance
12. 15 copies of complete sets of the Good news study of the Train and Multiply
Distribution of the Materials:
1. All the registration forms were given out to interested clients; those who could not get them were asked to make photocopies from those that got them.
2. The Preachers’ Help flyers were given along with the registration forms.
3. The 2 copies of Leadership for the whole church were given to the oldest in ministry.
4. 2 copies of the Thematic Concordance were given to those that have finished module one before now, and are currently on module two. The third copy was given to Tyungu Nicodemus the General Overseer of ‘Evidence of Redemption Ministry’, Aliade, who hosted the programme the second day.
5. Copies of module 1 were given out to all that submitted their completed registration forms.
STATISTICS
Day One
Attendance – 12
Current clients – 5
Registered clients – 6
Day Two
Attendance – 22
Current clients – 6
Registered clients – 15
Progress of Preachers’ Help in Benue state
1. Those starting module one – 21
2. Those that just finished module one – 4
3. Those that are on module two but have not finished – 2
4. Those on module three – 1
5. Those on module four – None
6. Those on module five – None
Outcome of the meeting
1. Establishment of two centres, Aliade and Makurdi.
2. Another visit to Benue at about this time next year, 2020, also to strengthen the Preachers’ Help programme in Benue state.
INNOCENT OKONKWO
