The Asst. Pastor (Mrs.) J. D. Isokariari of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, King’s Palace, New GRA, Port Harcourt has stressed the importance of women in the development of the family.
Mrs. Isokariari made the assertion while delivering a sermon to mark the end of a Good Women Week organized by the women of the RCCG, City of Miracle Parish, Rumuapu, Rupkwu in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the Rivers State on Sunday.
The theme of the programme was tagged “Overflowing Women In The Home”. The guest preacher who cited Proverbs 31: 10 to the end and that of Genesis 2:1-2 highlighted the various ways women assisting their families, adding that a good home cannot be made without a good woman.
She pleaded with the women of the church to always exhibit godly virtues, saying that they have important roles to play in the sustainability of the church and that of the home.
Mrs. Isokariari charged them to be focused, fervent in prayer and serve the living God.
In her exhortation, the wife of the Parish Pastor, Deaconess Caroline Macaulay Blessing further emphasized the roles of women in the church and also in the family.
Deaconess Blessing enjoined Christian women to always be submissive to their husbands so that Jesus will reign in their families.
In his response, the Pastor-in-Charge of the parish, Pastor Macaulay Blessing thanked the women of the church for their massive turnout during the program. He prayed the God Almighty to shower His blessings on them. ###
Trinity Ordination: Jettison Arrogance, Imbibe humility serving God, Man Clergies told
The St. Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Hospital Road Port Harcourt last Sunday July 13th, 2014 was agog as 22 clergies of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Niger Delta Diocese were ordained to take up full responsibilities as Priests and Deacons in the vine yard of God.
The Diocesan Bishop the Rt. Rev. Ralph Cornelius Ebirien, JP while performing the ordination prayed God for the impartation of the Holy Spirit for the respective offices and charged the newly ordained to be faithful dispensers of the word of God and of the Holy Sacraments, blessing their ministries, anointing them to do their Prophetic and Priestly work according to the order of Christ Jesus as he handed a copy of the Holy Bible each of them as sign of authority which God has given to them for the propagation of the Gospel of Christ and administration of Holy Sacraments.
Earlier in a sermon the ordained Priests and Deacons were admonished against arrogance as nobody wants to be associated with an arrogant servant since arrogance is an invitation to hatred and enmity, but imbibe the spirit of humility, serving the church and God, while jettisoning the mentality of “I have arrived”, rather be ready to assist others in injecting new blood, zeal and life into the church.
Speaking on the theme, “Call to Serve, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark chapter 10:35-45, the guest preacher at the weeklong preparatory and Trinity Ordination thanksgiving service, and retired Archbishop of Aba, Provincial Bishop Aba Diocese, the Most Rev. Ugochukwu U. Ezuoke, JP reminded the newly ordained of their call to serve the church by Jesus Christ, therefore must do nothing less than what Jesus did.
Archbishop Ezuoke, while referencing the book of Prophet Jeremiah chapter 1:5, also recalled that the ordained Deacons were known before their birth, hence their duty was to assist the Priests in serving and caring for the poor, the needy, the sick, and all who are in trouble, as well as strengthen the faithful, search out the careless, indifferent and to preach the word of God in the place to which they were licensed, describing their work as that of a Publicity Secretary and urged them to look for and pay attention to such families and bring them to God.
The retired Archbishop of Aba, Most Rev. Ezuoke who drew attention of the newly ordained to the fact that there are several others who did not heed the call to serve but they have, noted that the work of the Ministry is a team work, emphasizing that their duty is to assist in strengthening the church, saying that they did not appoint themselves but God.
Admonishing the newly ordained against bowing to money from any influential figure in society, Archbishop Ezuoke further charged them to meet with the poor and never be selective, pointing out that the church has labeled many Priests after money and warns against killing sick parishes and burying dead Parishes rather use their spiritual gifts to raise their respective parishes on posting.
To the Archdeacons and Canons, the Archbishop Ezuoke advised them to treat the newly ordained as younger brothers and assist them to grow positing that “any bigman without plans for his successor is already a failure”, buttressing that if Jesus had not died perhaps the church would not have been.
On the welfare of the ordained, the experienced and retired Archbishop of Aba, urged the congregation to take care of their ministers, adding that a beggarly looking Priest in any church is a significance of having no surviving or well to do member in the parish.
9 Deacons and 13 Priests were administered with the oaths of Canonical Obedience, Oaths of submission, Oaths of allegiance to God and oaths against involvement in homosexualism.
The Deputy Chancellor of the Diocese, Sir, Barr (Dr.) Zaccheaus Z. Adangor administered the oaths while the Diocesan Registrar, Magistrate Ibiere George was present.
Dignitaries from all walks of life graced the 2014 Trinity Ordination thanksgiving service. ###
