Members of Assemblies of God church and residents of No. 3 Dick Tiger Street, Mile 2, Diobu, Port Harcourt, were thrown into pandemonium, weeping and wailing, when a pastor of the church announced the cancellation of a wedding ceremony with guests already seated.
The bride, Miss Victoria Kelechi Njoku and the groom Mr. Success Nkesi Alu, both from Emohua local government area of Rivers state had gathered their parents, relatives, friends and well wishers to witness their well speculated wedding ceremony at the Assemblies of God Church, No 3 Dick Tiger Street, Mile 2 Diobu, on Sunday, November 6, 2011, but were given a rude shock when the senior pastor of the church and the officiating minister, called off the wedding.
The senior pastor told the shocked audience that the church had conducted a pregnancy test on the bride a day before the wedding as their custom demanded and discovered that she was a month pregnant which was against the church doctrine, adding that the rule of the church stressed that no spinster should get pregnant until after her church wedding.
A reliable source however hinted that the bride, Miss Victoria Kelechi Njoku who is a chorister in the church, had gone for a pregnancy test which proved negative, before her traditional marriage at her home town Rumuodogo, Emohua LGA, three months ago
unknown to her that there would be another pregnancy test before the main church wedding, she took in a month ago before the wedding.
The officiating minister simply prayed God, ignoring the injunction “judge not”, and cancelled the wedding ceremony in spite of the attendant disgrace for the bride and the groom.
The bride and the groom who could not bear the shame, rushed to the Grace Tabernacle Church at No. 23 Timber street, Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt, on the same day with their relations, parents, friends and well wishers where the pastor of the church joined them together as husband and wife.
When The Newswriter visited the scene of the wedding and chatted with the groom, Mr. Success Nkesi Alu. He expressed sadness over the embarrassment, describing the pastor of Assemblies of God church as myopic.
According to him, the pastor intended to destroy his wedding because he wanted to give the bride to their member for marriage since he, Success Nkesi Alu is not a member of their church. ###
Emeka Jilly Ejiowhor
