ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF JOS
BISHOP'S CHARGE 2007
In the name
of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
It is with great joy in the Lord that we welcome everyone to this First Session of the new Tenth Synod, which is in fact the first
synod gathering of the new Diocese of Jos. We thank God for your election as delegates and representatives: some members
are old hands, others are coming for the very first time, but to all we say, “Welcome”, and we look forward to working together for
the three years of this Synod. We urge you to put in every effort and make your own unique contribution to the building of God’
s work in this Diocese and to the promotion of God’s Kingdom - and not of any other kingdom. That is our focus, and will for ever
remain so.
We are particularly delighted to have with us a SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad) team from America: Rev. Canon Les Martin
(who is actually a member of our Jos staff), the Rev. Mark Brown, the Rev. Dennett Buettner, Mr. Bob Smith and Mrs. Toni Smith.
They are here to lead a three day seminar on Stewardship. Next week we also look forward to hosting a large group of visitors
led by the Rev. David Lukenbach, from St. Mark’s Church Albequerque, and then a team from England led by our friend
Baroness Caroline Cox of the HART (Humanitarian and Relief Trust) Foundation. We rejoice in the fellowship of the gospel
which transcends nationality and race, and we thank God for the growing international relationships which we are privileged to
enjoy.
It is a singular privilege and honour for me to welcome everyone in a church which means so much to me personally as Bishop,
and which has a very significant place in the diocese as a whole. We are making history by moving this Synod into a church
which actually began in our life-time. The testimony is simply that St. Michael’s Church is a progressive church which began in
1992 through the missionary efforts of the Rev. Chris Onoguwe and the Rev. Sunday Ajah, who mobilised and got the support of
the P.C.C. of St. Paul’s Church Jos to start the outreach. The seed planted then has now borne one of its fruits in the hosting of
this year’s Synod.
We pay tribute to the founding members and church workers, among whom (to mention just a few of the many) were Mr. F.
Ezeanochie, Prince and Mrs. O. P. Ejidike, Mr. Silas Ike, Mrs. Joy Oguine, Mrs. Beatrice Okoye and several others whose names
will never be erased from the books of history. The church began after an outdoor gospel campaign held on 27th September,
1992. We were privileged to preach on that day and we saw many people come to the Lord. The membership which began
initially with less than one hundred soon grew to 250 by the end of the year, and by the end of 1994 had reached over 900. By
the year 2000, St. Michael’s Church was on record as being the fastest growing church in the entire diocese. At each point of
their growth they were led by committed Christian clergy: Rev. George Njoku was the first Vicar and he was followed in turn by
the Rev. Z. C. Anyanwu, Canon S. Miner, Rev. H. I. Okozi, Rev. C. O. G. Nlem and Canon Prof E. B. Ajulo. These clergymen
were assisted at various times by the Rev. J. P. Bankole, Rev. Prof. C. S. S. Bello, Rev. A. Melemut and Rev. I. Ogbogu. Now, in
the new Jos Diocese we have another new start with the Rev. A. Gompwell, and the Rev. F. Obigwe, with Rev. F. Oti at the baby
church of St. Jude’s, Farin Gada.
From 1999, under the leadership of the Rev. Canon Selcan Miner as Vicar, through the time Ven. H. I. Okozi and on to that of
Ven.C. O. G. Nlem, St.Michael’s advanced the frontiers of the Kingdom through its aggressive mission drive. The church from its
inception was a mission minded, evangelical, Bible based church. No wonder it not only attracted different shades of opinion and
nationality, but it also pursued vigorously the Biblical injunction for the evangelisation of its immediate communities and beyond.
St. Michael’s Church P.C.C. and pastors were fully mobilised as a team and this bore fruit in several outreaches to Pankshin, in
1999, where churches were planted and more people brought into the Kingdom. The church then proceeded to Langtang in
2000 and in September of that year they went on to Bokkos. In 2001 St. Michael’s were at Gurum in Mista Ali and at Unguwan
Rusau, in addition to their regular neighbourhood evangelism within the city of Jos. All of these combined efforts sowed the seed
of mission and evangelism in the hearts of the members of the church and contributed in a large measure to making additions of
new converts into the Kingdom wherever they went. St. Michael’s Church has blessed the work of the Kingdom beyond its local
frontiers. One can only imagine our joy in bringing the Synod to this church that is barely fifteen years old. May God alone take
all the glory, and may the people of God be blessed. We urge you to do still more and to continue to do more until Jesus
comes. This is our prayer for you.
It must be added that in the total history of our ministry, St. Michael’s is the only parish church whose foundation laying
ceremony and dedication was done on the same day, 16th February, 1997, when the Rev. G.U. Njoku was Vicar. There is a
story to that: St. Michael’s church building was completed in less than 14 days! The rest of the story may be left to students of
history.
We once again welcome our brother, Gbile Akanni and his wife, and I urge the church of God to uphold this couple in prayer as
they share the burden and concern for the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the wider church not only in Nigeria but also
around the world. Their genuineness, sincerity and commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ is a model and worthy of emulation.
We ourselves are unashamedly committed to the ministry of Peace House, Gboko. We have enjoyed our interdenominational
fellowship there as we encourage, challenge and stir up one another to revival. We believe God is answering our prayers and
we will do more until the churches in Nigeria wake up and begin to send out missionaries to the whole world. Our goal is to see
the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ at work in transforming lives, communities and institutions. We are irrevocably committed
to giving God no rest, and we ourselves will know no rest, until Jesus becomes Lord and his truth is enthroned in every aspect of
life, and wherever a child of the Kingdom is found. To this end we thank Brother Gbile again for coming this year to bless us.
In this our First Session of the Tenth Synod of Jos Diocese, God has in his divine timing brought forth twins from our womb. We
are a blessed diocese! In spite of our problems, difficulties, sorrows and tears, God continues in his faithfulness to bless our
weak efforts to bring glory to his name. In almost every five years of our ministry the Lord shows himself as the Lord of his work.
To him be the glory for ever and ever. The births of Pankshin and Bukuru Dioceses are signs of God’s blessing on the Diocese
of Jos. This is the reason why God created this diocese in the first place in 1980. On our part we had reached the point where
we could no longer sincerely cope with the growth in the old Jos Diocese. May we be reminded that seven years into our ministry
Lafia Diocese was born, and now after a further eight years of our collective efforts twins have been brought forth. Who knows
what will happen in the next five years! That is why God has called us to follow in the steps of His Son Jesus Christ. We
ourselves did not know that this is what God would do in fifteen years of mission and ministry, but one thing is certain: our call is
to follow the Lord hand in hand; our call is to follow in the steps of the One who holds the whole world in his hands, the Creator of
the universe, the I Am that I Am, the One who was, who is and who is to come. He alone holds the future in his hands. Eternity is
his; with him there is no shadow of turning. He calls and enjoins us to follow in the steps of His Son. He will never abandon or
forsake us, neither shall we see shame and disgrace in the hands of the enemy. To follow in the steps of Jesus Christ is to arrive
at the point of victory through suffering.
We rejoice with the Rt. Rev. Olumuyiwa and Mrs. Dorcas Ajayi who have already swung into vibrant action. You only need to
read his Presidential Address and Charge to know the kind of “mad man” God has in the ministry in Pankshin Diocese. The
revival of God knows no barrier of tribe or sex or race or nationality. We give thanks to God for what the Lord is doing and will
yet accomplish in Pankshin.
Similarly, we praise God for the Rt. Rev. Jwan and Mrs. Lois Zhumbes who, while working with us were very gentle, quiet and
unassuming. They have suddenly changed as Saul changed when the Spirit of God came upon him: they have been turned into
new people! The prophecies from his Charge, the exegesis and the clear sense of direction is the testimony of God’s anointing
on his servants. We must continue to support these two new dioceses - which is why we still share a common prayer diary, the
Cycle of Prayer, and ministries that will be of benefit to our dioceses.
Our synod theme this year is taken from 1 Peter 2:21:
For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example, so that you should
follow in his steps.
The Lord led us to this topic two years ago. It was in a context in which we were examining what the rest of our life was going to
look like, having attained the age of fifty and feeling dissatisfied with the present condition of the church, the style of ministry and
general productivity, effectiveness and fruit-bearing in mission. The Lord dropped this soothing message into our heart, and
simply said,
“Follow in his steps”.
Simple as the word may look, this whole letter of Peter, in asking each Christian to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ, also
explains what this means, what it entails and its total consequences. A careful study leaves us with no doubt that following in the
steps of Jesus Christ demands a definite commitment to follow Christ whatever the cost. It is also a call to a full conviction that
following in any other step will lead to a glamorous failure and eternal bankruptcy. Thirdly, it is a call to a consistent, unwavering
and unflinching followership and acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ to lead in everything, on a daily basis and
everywhere. It is a call to take good advice, but to allow the rule of God; to respect all men, but to fear God alone; to do good at
all times to all people, but to reject evil, wickedness, and lies and instead to enthrone truth, righteousness and justice.
“FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS” (1 Peter 2:21)
The first Epistle of Peter is a Pastoral Letter, written to encourage and to reassure the Christian churches in Asia Minor as they
begin to face the storms of persecution. The letter instructs us and points us to the basis of our faith, Jesus Christ, our hope,
now and for ever. Peter points to the glory of God’s calling: Christians are God’s chosen people, heirs of God’s blessing - but
Christians are also called to suffer, to endure unjust abuse and undeserved persecution. This is our calling because it was
Christ’s calling, and we are called to follow his example (2:21). Christ suffered for our sake, and as we follow him, we suffer for
his sake and for the sake of bringing others to know him. Peter presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant from the Old Testament,
using in 2:23 language similar to the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 53). Jesus went to the cross as a lamb led to the slaughter, his
meekness showing his submission to the Father’s will and also his confidence in his Father’s righteous judgement. Peter had
once wanted Jesus to escape suffering (Matthew 16:21-24), but it was precisely this suffering that Jesus came in order to endure.
The epistle seeks to encourage believers not only to remain steadfast in the face of suffering, but also to examine the reasons
why they must endure suffering and persecution, bearing in mind that Jesus suffered vicariously for the sins of the whole world,
thereby achieving salvation for us. It is one thing to suffer due to ignorance, foolishness or deliberate personal sin and
transgression. It is yet another thing to suffer innocently for righteousness’ sake. Each believer must examine carefully and
truthfully the reasons for his or her suffering and see whether or not it is worth it. Any suffering which does not lead people to
Christ and bring blessing to the people is not worth it. Any suffering which is not for the sake of Jesus Christ and the gospel of
salvation is not worth it. Any suffering that has no eternal value before God is utterly useless. Even if you are suffering through
a sickness you did not inflict upon yourself, it will be important that you cast all your cares and burdens on Christ because he
knows you, he knows your condition and he cares or you (1 Peter 5:7), otherwise you would have lost, fatally. This needs to be
pointed out clearly in order to debunk the idea of passively accepting a state of suffering as a sign of being a believer. Some
have even gone further to regard unnecessary, undue and even senseless suffering as being a mark of a genuine faith.
The suffering of Jesus Christ was because he confronted the powers of hell, of death and of Satan himself. He suffered, but
he had to do so in order to rescue a people from death to life, from darkness to light, from hell to heaven. He suffered in order to
set on course an irreversible trend of transformation of history, people, lives and communities. God loves the world and
humanity so much that he could not leave us in sin for ever. The direct practical implication is that whoever is going to become
involved in redeeming the world must face bitter confrontation and even death. Jesus literally went through all this so that today
we are the direct beneficiaries of this huge price that God had to pay as his only Son suffered and died our death. The fact in all
this is that Jesus rose from the dead triumphantly on the third day and ascended to heaven, to his throne as the Saviour,
Redeemer and Judge.
Now, through baptism and the release of the Holy Spirit, the redeeming work of Jesus Christ continues in his church through
pastors, prophets, teachers, evangelists, missionaries and all who accept Jesus Christ’s Lordship into their hearts and receive
his redeeming work through faith as they become born again by grace. This experience necessarily transforms people radically
so that they become actively involved in the work of bringing salvation to others and in the transformation of lives and
communities. Brothers and sisters, following in the steps of Jesus Christ is not passively accepting a suffering condition, but
actively and passionately confronting the forces of injustice, evil, wickedness, lies, immorality, open and secret cults, corruption,
false religion, hell, death and Satan. A true believer must, like Jesus Christ, count the cost of facing the forces that have held
people in bondage and count the cost of the repercussions - and make the choice.
It is obvious that Satan will not just look on and watch the dismantling of his strongholds and powers: he will fight back. This is a
serious consideration for all who choose to follow Jesus Christ. Our assurance, however, is that Jesus has already won the
victory so that now it does not matter what the devil does or what he is doing. We are assured of victory when we enlist to
follow in his steps.
Let us consider three things to help us in understanding the application of following in his steps:
A. Our call. “To this you were called” (v.21)
B. Jesus Christ our example. “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example.” (v.21)
C. Follow his steps. “That you should follow in his steps” (v.21)
Our Call
It is awesome to know that God knows me by name and calls me! It is especially so because I did not know this truth until that
day when I made that bold step to turn my back on Satan and the world, and to accept the saving grace and lordship of Jesus
into my heart and into my life. Until that day I did not think that God would care for someone like me. In fact the possibility is that
even now you are not so sure that God knows you and cares about you. This can be the case when you are so engrossed in
your problems, in your troubles, in your trials, in your sufferings, in your sins, to the extent that all that matters to you right now is
you. Whilst God is screaming and calling out your name you are covered in yourself, with the active assistance and connivance
of Satan who seeks to occupy your heart with considering why everything has gone wrong and to remind you of the memories of
all the hurts and the injuries that have befallen you, so that your ears are blocked from hearing the call of God. This leads to a
dissatisfactory state of life, full of ingratitude and complaints, and with an intent focus on the wrong issues and wrong priorities in
life.
The call which Peter refers to is a call that is echoed in chapter 2:9-10:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of
him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
God has always been in the business of calling humanity. He called Adam, “Where are you?” He called Abraham to make him
into a great nation and father of faith. He called Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Gideon, the apostles. He called Augustine of
Canterbury; he called Ajayi Crowther, an ex-slave whom he sent to minister to his own people in Nigeria. He called the
missionaries and he is still calling everybody young and old, men and women. All who hear his voice and believe, the same shall
be saved - and now is the time of salvation. It is a call to enlist into the army of those to whom the Father in his great mercy gives
new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1:3). It is therefore a call to hope in a living
hope, because Jesus is alive and has conquered the devil, and now we have a guarantee of victory over all powers of evil and
wickedness. That is our call as individuals and collectively as a church. When we answer this call and live out our call in the
community it will be obvious that we are
following in his steps.
B. Jesus Christ our example.
What the Lord has done for us is a practical example and demonstration of what each one of us who is a believer in Jesus
Christ should be and do. In other words, this is not an abstract theory; it is also not a distant instruction, and most of all it is not
an impossibility. In order to be an example, Jesus Christ came into the world in human form and was in every way like us, but
without sin:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in
every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
He learned obedience and was subject to earthly parents; he worked effectively, productively and fruitfully, doing good
wherever he went. Jesus never entered into a home, a public or a private place and met people, and their condition remained
the same. He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, brought freedom to the oppressed, preached the good news to high
and low, taught the people with authority, endured hardship and demonstrated for us zeal, passion and compassion for the lost.
Every single thing he did was directed towards saving the lost, regardless of their nationality, their creed, their sex or race. He
was a blessing wherever he went. In the same manner, we, having been redeemed, saved and made a people of God, are to
take the example of Jesus Christ to the world. It is therefore a contradiction if for fear of suffering and hardship, we do nothing
and still claim to be Christians living in a community or church where people are oppressed, harassed and living in fear like
sheep without a shepherd. It is an even bigger contradiction if we say we are Christians and yet at the same time our activities
are carrying out and fulfilling the very acts of Satan himself. In following the example of Christ we MUST be in direct confrontation
with the forces of Satan, of darkness, of hell and evil. This is what it means to
follow in his steps.
Follow His steps
Whenever God calls, he calls us to follow. He does not call us to run ahead of him or to lag far behind him, but he calls us to
follow in his steps. When God called his people out of Egypt he was ahead as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. All the
people needed to do was to watch and see when it was time to move and when it was time to stop. Each one of the prophets was
called to listen and hear from God before taking any step or giving instructions to the people of God. Jesus calls his disciples,
and to each he says, “Follow me.” Following the Lord has always been the hallmark of a true servant of God and a true disciple.
Throughout the Old Testament men and women who wholeheartedly followed the Lord and obeyed his command were always
called blessed. In fact Joshua and Caleb were not only blessed for following the Lord, but they were the only two in their
generation who crossed over the Jordan and entered the Promised Land.
Let us identify three blessings in following the Lord:
i. Following in the steps of the Lord brings hope, vision and mission. This is so because outside Jesus Christ there is no hope
and outside Jesus Christ every vision and mission is wide open to Satan’s control.
ii. Following in his steps leads to action. Let us carefully trace Jesus’ steps as he leaves his footmarks in different homes,
across Palestine, healing the sick, raising the dead, teaching, preaching and attracting a large following of people who are daily
being saved and brought into the Kingdom. To follow and to copy the Master in this way, on a daily basis, brings defeat to
Satan, salvation and redemption to the people and full deliverance from the control of evil forces.
iii. Following in his steps brings blessings. If Ajayi Crowther had not followed in the steps of Christ we would have remained in
darkness. If the missionaries had not followed in the steps of Christ we would have remained in slavery and unbelief. However,
the sacrifices of those who risked their lives and endured all forms of hardship to bring the gospel to us is no doubt a blessing for
us - but they also are more blessed because we are the fruit of their labours and this mutual benefit is our heritage and our joy.
We must never forget, indeed we must always remember, that as Christians we have a call and it is a single all-important call
equal to none other. Moreover, this call has eternal consequences. We will do well as individual Christians to answer this call
and invitation to be saved and become children of God by adoption and grace through faith.
Our call which makes us children of God also requires that we look like our father: we must walk in righteousness and holiness
as he does; we must do good works; we must bear good fruit and follow the example of Jesus Christ in his patience, endurance,
perseverance and single-mindedness in doing God’s will, and only God’s will. Doing the work of God in this manner is not
possible without the direct leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit works in us to do and to please God in all things.
The Holy Spirit’s power and presence in our lives will transform us and make us agents of transformation. Whoever does not
have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ (Rom. 8:9). Only through the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives can the people see
how much like Jesus we look and how much of Jesus’ example we are following. Our call that makes us children of God when we
respond to it is only effective when we take Jesus Christ as our example, and not philosophies, or great learnings of the world
from whatever generation. We must make Jesus Christ alone the sole standard for all of life and living, and we must make a
deliberate choice to follow in his steps. Only then can we change the world and become agents of transformation wherever we
are.
LOOKING AHEAD IN HIS STEPS
We must thank God continuously in Jos Diocese. We must thank God every day, everywhere, individually and as a people, for
there is undisputed evidence of the work of God and of his grace upon us in this diocese. We ask that a litany of gratitude be
the song of our lips at all church meetings. Two years before we came to Jos, God had already confirmed the call to missionary
growth and development by the division of the original Jos Diocese into the Dioceses of Jos, Makurdi and Yola. When we began
ministry here in 1992 we heard clearly from God that we must seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness amongst the
people. In our first sermon we set out clearly that which we believed was God's agenda for Jos Diocese. We noted that the
Kingdom of God refers to a setting or situation where everything is done under the rule of God. The kingdom of God therefore
means the rule of God. We continued:
In much of life and living, priorities are usually misplaced. True values are exchanged for the false in the struggle to make the
most out of life. This is almost normal because of our human frailty and nature. The text before us (Matthew 6: 24-33)) is a
summary of Jesus' teachings as recorded in St. Matthew's gospel chapters five to seven. He had taught about attitudes and right
relationships, love for our enemies, giving, prayer and fasting. He now goes further to reveal certain truths about heaven, about
light and darkness and about possessions. Finally he sums it up by stating the most important priority: "Seek first the Kingdom of
God ....."
The idea of needing to seek implies that somehow people have lost the Kingdom. Men and women have not discovered it in the
many things they have continually chased after. They have not even sought for it. So it remains missing in the daily affairs of
the world and in the routine of our mundane pursuits.
The Kingdom of God is both misunderstood and taken for granted. Therefore people quarrel, trying to assert themselves by
forming so-called majority groups which grapple for the power to dominate the so-called minority groups. In doing this, they
totally forget that it is God who should take pre-eminence and rule over everything that man seeks to acquire.
Seek first the Kingdom of God . . . .
In seeking first the Kingdom of God we are totally committing ourselves to the establishment of the rule of God Almighty.
We are not thereby committed to the rule of any puny man or government or bishop: we are absolutely committed to the rule of
God. We shall therefore seek to establish a Kingdom where Jesus will rule in the hearts and affairs of mankind.
. . . . and his righteousness
The idea of seeking after righteousness (and, all the more significantly, God's righteousness!) is totally alien to our secular
world. In our culture today the oppressor and the dictator are feared and honoured by our worldly system. Today some of the
most unjust men may be put in positions charged with the maintenance of justice, and some who are dishonest may be put in
charge of finances! Jesus says: Seek justice for all people, in all things, at all times.
In matters concerning the seeking of the Kingdom of God we can see that conditions today have not changed much from those
of the time of Jesus. If anything, we have added more things to our daily life which alienate us from that Kingdom.
Our Task
Our first task in Jos Diocese is to find the Kingdom of God. Our second task is to find the Kingdom of God and his
righteousness.
I come to you as one seeking first of all this Kingdom. Therefore I shall resist every attempt to set up a Hausa kingdom, an Igbo
kingdom, a Yoruba kingdom or any other kingdom. For that matter I shall do all within me to insist on establishing the rule of God
in the hearts of people, and on furthering his righteousness in all places and at all times. Then, and only then, shall all other
blessings follow.
We then asked God to reveal to us his vision for our mission. He was gracious in blessing us with a vision which we made public
in what was popularly known as the “Blue Booklet”. The four distinct areas of mission where God asked us to invest our energies
and to concentrate our efforts, were revealed to us with the marks of footsteps. [We reproduce a page for you to see.] In
following these visionary steps the Lord directed us in our mission effort to the present Nasarawa State. In November 1999 this
area became Lafia Diocese. We continued the same vision for the next eight years and we now have Bukuru and Pankshin
Dioceses. What is clear in all this is that whenever you answer the call of God and follow in his steps, nothing on earth can stop
your mission.
During the course of following in the steps of Jesus Christ, the Lord himself opened our eyes to declare an all out war on three
things:
War on filth and dirt which has led to our commitment to a Clean and Safe Environment throughout our diocese.
The enthronement of truth in everything.
Dealing with the roots of sin and poverty.
The Lord showed us clearly that for us to successfully follow in his steps we must insist upon, stand upon and exercise the
power of the gospel which alone is able to save all people. Our commitment to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ is sharpened by
our listening to God and by walking wholeheartedly in his ways through a constant revelation of how to deal with those things
which stand in our way, or which try to deny us the access necessary for us to see clearly the example of Jesus Christ and to
follow in his steps.
No other generation will be held accountable - for good or for bad - for all that is happening in our time. We must stand up and
be counted like Joshua and Caleb, like the apostles and missionaries, like our grandparents and parents who stood in their time
and made a choice not only to make Jesus Christ their example and standard, but to follow in his steps - which sometimes means
to die. Let us not be cowards as we look ahead. Let us do away with all forms of compromise in matters of faith and practice and
let us look up unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, and -
follow in his steps.
NEW JOS DIOCESE
Our gratitude to God continues as in fifteen years we have become parents of three dioceses. We must give glory to God
because these dioceses were carved out purely because of the simple fact that our missionary efforts had borne fruit and grown
beyond our ability to cope. Now in our sixteenth year of episcopacy and in our First Session of the Tenth Synod we are meeting
as a smaller Jos Diocese, comprising of Jos North, Bassa, Jos East and some parts of Jos South Local Government Areas. The
population covering these areas is estimated at 1.5 million people. We are left with some 50 or so congregations, 43 clergy and
13 catechists.
Significantly, however, we are faced with a more difficult urban mission and ministry. The ministry now requires the efforts of
everybody and we are determined that in our life-time and in our generation the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ must be
preached in word and deed. The gospel must progress and prosper and the power of the gospel must establish the Kingdom of
God in the lives of people in offices, in schools, in the market, in the homes, in the church and everywhere. This commitment is
born out of the fact that there is no viable alternative to following in the steps of Jesus. Therefore every church member must be
involved: the professor in the university must win other professors and students to Jesus Christ; the businessman or woman in
the market must similarly win other businesspeople to Jesus Christ; the students, the civil servants, the public workers - all of us
must come under this conviction that we are here and we have been saved by Jesus Christ so that through us other people,
regardless of their nationality, age, status, sex or race, may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
There is no gospel if there is no transformation of lives, communities and people. There is no gospel if there is no salvation.
The gospel is the power of God. It is an explosive power, it is not passive; it is creative, it seeks approval from no-one, but it is
the power that destroys Satan and all his evil works. This gospel is universal; it is for everyone who believes. It is a gospel to the
people, for the people. It is a gospel of change from death to life, from hell to heaven, from darkness to light. The gospel is a
faith venture from start to finish. This makes it visionary, missionary, revolutionary, adventurous, exciting - and a risk. It is a
living and active gospel. It is worth living for and, believe me, it is worth dying for (Romans 1:16-17).
It is for this reason that the Lord has directed us to reshuffle, re-organise and delineate our new diocese for strategic and
effective mission purposes. We have created smaller units of districts in teams, and broken off the Archdeaconries into four
cardinal focal points for mission. This has been done prayerfully, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit with the aim of doubling
our current size of congregations and multiplying the seed of righteousness by our mission and evangelism within the shortest
possible time. In five years, should the Lord tarry, we hope to sing a new song. For us, mission and evangelism and indeed the
call of God on our lives is summed up in this mission. If we are not agents of transformation by the power of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, if we are not bringing people into the Kingdom, if we stop being a blessing to our communities by establishing the
Kingdom of God in righteousness, truth and justice, if in all this life we are not consumed by zeal, passion and compassion for the
lost - then this life is not worth living.
Far be it from us that soul winning, mission, evangelism and the call of God should be for any human achievement, competition
or the like. Let it be sown deep into our blood system, and let it be rooted in our DNA, as members of this diocese, that we are
saved in order to bring others to salvation, not out of duty, but out of conviction. So we charge you to get up and to get down to
work! It is worth it not only because we have an inheritance in heaven when we do this, but more than that - if it is worth it for
God, then it is worth it for us. God invested everything in saving the world, and if we are to appreciate and understand this at all,
then we too must invest everything in this mission right now.
Furthermore, the Lord showed us that in the next five years we should become involved in agriculture. To this end we reported
to you a donation of two tractors. These have been put to use and so far, so good; their report and the audit of their accounts
has been made available to us, and the future of this project in the hands of the Lord is bright. It is with joy that we announce the
appointment of Mr. Christopher Lamba Yilwada as the Project director of our newly formed Agro Technology and Rural Extension
Services. He is a graduate in agricultural sciences and has taken up the challenge to make this project a model for mission and
evangelism. We have also appointed another professional in this field, Mrs. Sarah Chuwang, as Consultant to this diocesan
department.
As a further part of the development of the new Jos Diocese we have also passed two canons, the first on Youth, and the
second on the environment:
CANON 1 YOUTH
It has been proved that most choices of career, style of life, vocations and various commitments are usually crystallized in the
human mind within the teen ages. The church does not seen to see the huge opportunity for youth outreach to this age range.
Jos Diocese must change its style of outreach in this regard and transform its mission focus to the teens and children. Our
schools are a multi-faced mission ground and a strategic unit for transformation of communities. We demand from all ministers of
the gospel and churches that they develop a strategic programme of making disciples of Jesus Christ of all our children who will
in turn become disciplers of their peers and thereby train missionaries for the church of God for the whole world. Failure in this
will open the flood gates for cultism, robberies, thuggery etc.. It is very obvious that those already involved in these practices
are within the age range under discussion. Jos Diocese must change.
CANON 2 TREE PLANTING
AND ENVIRONMENTAL BEAUTIFICATION
Jos Diocese must do its part in participating in changing the world for the better. It has been proven scientifically that the world
climate change is a result of human participation in carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere, as well as human destruction of
the environment. It was not so in the beginning! God put us on this planet to tend the environment, to look after it and till it, so
that the environment in return will be fruitful. It is a reciprocal relationship: we look after the environment and the environment
responds in being fruitful for our benefit.
Interestingly, the climate change is going to affect Africa most devastatingly. We are going to be most affected negatively.
Knowing this, as a Diocese, is not only for knowledge’s sake, but there is something we can do. Every pastor, catechist and
church worker must work very hard and encourage church members to plant fruit trees or economic trees and beautify their
surroundings by planting flowers, and also engage in backyard gardening. This will help us in our small way to arrest erosion
and drought and to keep the environment clean. This is a must for our Diocese! Your bathroom water is good for planting
bananas and other fruit trees. A cup of well water is good for your flowers, in fact you can brush your teeth on your flowers. Use
your water strategically to water flowers or keep your environment clean. We will watch this development in the diocese with keen
interest as we personally carry out inspections of our members’ houses, schools and churches.
Therefore, no church is permitted to fell trees on church land or to clear shrubs on any church land without our express
permission. This is by Canon of the Bishop of Jos on this second day of February in the year of our Lord two thousand and
seven and in the fifteenth year of our Episcopacy.
These developments are not just idle talk: they are God’s revelations and exhortations. When we take them seriously and make
them a part of our lives, we will soon find that in our various communities and homes we are living out what it means to be
children of God who have chosen to follow the example of Christ and are
following in his steps.
MISSION AND EVANGELISM
We have a life-changing message. We have a message that can change the world. This message cannot be horded, stored or
even kept in a safe place. It must be shared. The message has no meaning until it is shared. When we ourselves came in to
contact with this great message of salvation our life was changed and transformed. It was a real experience to the extent that we
ourselves could not keep the message, we had to tell people what had happened to us. Evangelism starts there: it is simply
telling your salvation story. It is as simple as giving a testimony. You may wish to answer the question, “who is Jesus to you?”
because it is only as Jesus takes his place significantly in your life that you can see clearly his example and
follow in his steps.
We thank God for the Church of Nigeria and for our Primate the Most Rev. Peter Jasper Akinola, who has laid down his life for
mission and evangelism not only in Nigeria but to the whole world. This example has been passed down to the Bishops of the
Church of Nigeria and the Anglican Dioceses of Nigeria. We make note of this so that no member of our church should make the
mistake of shifting focus from this critical heavenly assignment passed down to us once and for all for the salvation of the whole
world.
We ourselves are fully committed to this call and are determined to spend the rest of our lives doing just this. We wish to raise
men ad women who will succeed us as missionaries, teachers and evangelists, who are fully converted to Christ, on fire for the
Lord with zeal, passion and commitment, filled with the Holy Sprit and ready to spread the good news. It is our desire and prayer
to build and leave behind us a vibrant, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, numerically and financially strong diocese that will carry on the
missionary enterprise and the spread of the gospel internationally. We are confident in the Lord as we see the signs of God’s
mighty hand of blessing in enabling us even now in the sending and receiving of short term missionaries, both locally and
internationally.
The Christian life has no meaning if it has no gospel to proclaim. It must give testimony and bear witness to the power of God in
forgiving sins and transforming a believer to live in righteousness and holiness. Similarly, the church is no church if it has no
message of the good news of salvation. If it is not proclaiming forgiveness of sins, and the need for righteousness and holiness
of living, it is anything but a church.
At the first one day P.C.C. Conference held on 24th February this year, we spoke extensively on this subject. Our desire for
mission is based on our conviction that -
It’s all about the Kingdom.
It’s all about victory.
It’s not about what we can get.
It’s about God doing his work, building his Kingdom, his people, who will go out in power to prepare a people, a bride for his
return.
It’s about being fruitful in the task of building the Kingdom so that the Kingdom will be fruitful and bear much fruit.
It’s about participation; not being a spectator, but being actively involved, propelled by love, demonstrating God’s hatred for sin,
but offering salvation for sinners.
It’s about changing lives, communities and peoples of every race and nationality.
You cannot follow in the steps of Jesus without those steps leading you into mission and evangelism. We have given clear
directions for operation to each Archdeaconry and each District team. We have high hopes that God who has led us before will
lead us again. We believe with our whole heart that we will sing a new song on this subject at the next synod. We encourage our
Diocesan Mission Team to resume their assignment with new zeal and vigour until our diocese comes totally under the
sovereignty and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
POLITICS
We give praise and glory to the Lord for a successful completion of our process in electing a new government for another four
years. We thank each voting member who took time to pray and to act on exercising their franchise. It has proved to be a
worthy venture as the election results show. We encourage those who lost to take the exercise in good faith and to look forward
to another day - after all, it’s only four years! To those who won we congratulate you all. We especially congratulate our
Governor elect, Air Commodore Jonah David Jang, his Deputy, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, Senators elect, members of the House of
Representatives and members of the State Assembly. The Lord has raised you up at this time only because he wants to bless
the people. You can measure your success in political leadership by the level of improvement in the life and conditions of the
people you lead, and in the condition of their living and environment. The health of the people, their educational level, their
physical, intellectual, spiritual and moral development speaks more about the leadership than it does about the people
themselves. Therefore we make a passionate call to those coming into office not to ignore the suffering of the poor, the
pensioners, orphans, widows and the physically challenged. We warn that no community or nation that ignores the suffering of
these will ever prosper. Ignoring the conditions of these people no matter how long it takes will invite and ignite the wrath of God.
The responsibility of seeking, establishing and building the Kingdom of God in this life is squarely and exclusively the duty of the
children of God. You are the salt and the light of this world, Jesus says. So wherever a Christian finds himself or herself, in
whatever capacity, vocation and ministry, it is such a Christian who must be the agent of change and transformation and who
must create a distinction which will make him/her the salt and light in that place. Children of God are builders, not destroyers.
We know unbelievers and agents of Satan by their capacity to destroy material things, spiritual things and people, whereas God
puts his children in the world to be agents of development, sustainability, creation and the building of communities, structures
and people.
We are worried as clergy when we see truth and justice being trampled upon. We appeal in the name of the Lord to the
incoming leadership to uphold truth and justice and to stand fervently against corruption because this is the only way to attract
the blessing of God and the prosperity of the people. That you have won political office in elections does not make you a
lawbreaker and a super-human being! Rather, leaders in politics, leaders of the clergy and judiciary are set up by God as
models to enable the people to see living examples of what it means to
follow in the steps of Jesus Christ.
DIOCESAN MERIT AWARD
In the course of the year we laid the foundation stone of St. Peter’s Anglican School, Bukuru, before Bukuru became a diocese.
We were moved by the labours and sacrifice of its founding principal Mrs. Joy Onubogu. Her testimony is written all over the
school. She has won the admiration of her staff, her management and parents. Her determination, dedication and zeal for the
Lord Jesus Christ speak loud and clear. We felt moved by God to honour this woman by awarding her the highest diocesan
award, the Diocesan Award of Merit.
Hon. Justice M. O. Oyetunde: We wish to honour this man who has faithfully served God and humanity as a Justice of the High
Court. He is known to be an incorruptible and upright judge; all his judgements were passed dispassionately, honestly and in the
fear of God. He has shown himself to be a disciple of God in the church: he has carried his faith not only as a student of the
Bible (B.S.F.), but he has applied his faith to the wider society. He continues to serve the church as Chancellor of the Diocese of
Jos, and has offered himself to serve God at no cost to the church. I offered to pay him one naira a year to do all that he does,
but rather he, in his retirement as a pensioner, contributes to the work of mission in this Diocese. We are humbled by his
example of love and dedication. While his wife serves as the Chancellor of Ogbomoso Diocese, he travels all the way from
Ibadan to serve the Lord in Jos as our Chancellor. We are honoured to have them as supporters and models. We offer Justice
M.O. Oyetunde our Diocesan Merit Award.
CONCLUSION
Christ Jesus has gone before us and we are called to follow. We must always keep him in sight, never lagging so far behind
that we lose sight of him, and never pushing ourselves forward ahead of him. We are to follow in his steps, wherever he goes
and by whatever way he goes, not trying to push him onto a path of our choice, but with a total commitment following in his way
and copying his example of character, of behaviour, of speech, and of daily living. The way in which he leads us may sometimes
be rough and it may sometimes be smooth, it may be difficult or easy, we may or we may not actually want to go that way, but the
way is his, he knows the reason for going that way, and we are called to follow. We therefore move in faith, not knowing in
advance the details of the journey, but trusting in him, relying on his vision, his strength and his presence. So it is that as day by
day we commit ourselves to this way of living, increasing multitudes will see and hear and will join us, as together we move
towards the Kingdom of God.
God has led us this far as individuals and as a diocese, but he has not finished with us yet. There is a way ahead of us: it is
exciting, challenging, full of hope and promise. It may involve suffering, but it will lead to joy. One thing is certain: the One who
leads us knows the way, he is the way and he will never fail us; if we follow him will shall not get lost and we shall arrive at our
correct destination. Let us therefore arise with new vigour, new zeal, new determination and
follow in his steps.
Your friend and pastor.
+Rt. Rev. Dr. Benjamin A. Kwashi
Bishop of Jos
May 2007
of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
It is with great joy in the Lord that we welcome everyone to this First Session of the new Tenth Synod, which is in fact the first
synod gathering of the new Diocese of Jos. We thank God for your election as delegates and representatives: some members
are old hands, others are coming for the very first time, but to all we say, “Welcome”, and we look forward to working together for
the three years of this Synod. We urge you to put in every effort and make your own unique contribution to the building of God’
s work in this Diocese and to the promotion of God’s Kingdom - and not of any other kingdom. That is our focus, and will for ever
remain so.
We are particularly delighted to have with us a SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad) team from America: Rev. Canon Les Martin
(who is actually a member of our Jos staff), the Rev. Mark Brown, the Rev. Dennett Buettner, Mr. Bob Smith and Mrs. Toni Smith.
They are here to lead a three day seminar on Stewardship. Next week we also look forward to hosting a large group of visitors
led by the Rev. David Lukenbach, from St. Mark’s Church Albequerque, and then a team from England led by our friend
Baroness Caroline Cox of the HART (Humanitarian and Relief Trust) Foundation. We rejoice in the fellowship of the gospel
which transcends nationality and race, and we thank God for the growing international relationships which we are privileged to
enjoy.
It is a singular privilege and honour for me to welcome everyone in a church which means so much to me personally as Bishop,
and which has a very significant place in the diocese as a whole. We are making history by moving this Synod into a church
which actually began in our life-time. The testimony is simply that St. Michael’s Church is a progressive church which began in
1992 through the missionary efforts of the Rev. Chris Onoguwe and the Rev. Sunday Ajah, who mobilised and got the support of
the P.C.C. of St. Paul’s Church Jos to start the outreach. The seed planted then has now borne one of its fruits in the hosting of
this year’s Synod.
We pay tribute to the founding members and church workers, among whom (to mention just a few of the many) were Mr. F.
Ezeanochie, Prince and Mrs. O. P. Ejidike, Mr. Silas Ike, Mrs. Joy Oguine, Mrs. Beatrice Okoye and several others whose names
will never be erased from the books of history. The church began after an outdoor gospel campaign held on 27th September,
1992. We were privileged to preach on that day and we saw many people come to the Lord. The membership which began
initially with less than one hundred soon grew to 250 by the end of the year, and by the end of 1994 had reached over 900. By
the year 2000, St. Michael’s Church was on record as being the fastest growing church in the entire diocese. At each point of
their growth they were led by committed Christian clergy: Rev. George Njoku was the first Vicar and he was followed in turn by
the Rev. Z. C. Anyanwu, Canon S. Miner, Rev. H. I. Okozi, Rev. C. O. G. Nlem and Canon Prof E. B. Ajulo. These clergymen
were assisted at various times by the Rev. J. P. Bankole, Rev. Prof. C. S. S. Bello, Rev. A. Melemut and Rev. I. Ogbogu. Now, in
the new Jos Diocese we have another new start with the Rev. A. Gompwell, and the Rev. F. Obigwe, with Rev. F. Oti at the baby
church of St. Jude’s, Farin Gada.
From 1999, under the leadership of the Rev. Canon Selcan Miner as Vicar, through the time Ven. H. I. Okozi and on to that of
Ven.C. O. G. Nlem, St.Michael’s advanced the frontiers of the Kingdom through its aggressive mission drive. The church from its
inception was a mission minded, evangelical, Bible based church. No wonder it not only attracted different shades of opinion and
nationality, but it also pursued vigorously the Biblical injunction for the evangelisation of its immediate communities and beyond.
St. Michael’s Church P.C.C. and pastors were fully mobilised as a team and this bore fruit in several outreaches to Pankshin, in
1999, where churches were planted and more people brought into the Kingdom. The church then proceeded to Langtang in
2000 and in September of that year they went on to Bokkos. In 2001 St. Michael’s were at Gurum in Mista Ali and at Unguwan
Rusau, in addition to their regular neighbourhood evangelism within the city of Jos. All of these combined efforts sowed the seed
of mission and evangelism in the hearts of the members of the church and contributed in a large measure to making additions of
new converts into the Kingdom wherever they went. St. Michael’s Church has blessed the work of the Kingdom beyond its local
frontiers. One can only imagine our joy in bringing the Synod to this church that is barely fifteen years old. May God alone take
all the glory, and may the people of God be blessed. We urge you to do still more and to continue to do more until Jesus
comes. This is our prayer for you.
It must be added that in the total history of our ministry, St. Michael’s is the only parish church whose foundation laying
ceremony and dedication was done on the same day, 16th February, 1997, when the Rev. G.U. Njoku was Vicar. There is a
story to that: St. Michael’s church building was completed in less than 14 days! The rest of the story may be left to students of
history.
We once again welcome our brother, Gbile Akanni and his wife, and I urge the church of God to uphold this couple in prayer as
they share the burden and concern for the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the wider church not only in Nigeria but also
around the world. Their genuineness, sincerity and commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ is a model and worthy of emulation.
We ourselves are unashamedly committed to the ministry of Peace House, Gboko. We have enjoyed our interdenominational
fellowship there as we encourage, challenge and stir up one another to revival. We believe God is answering our prayers and
we will do more until the churches in Nigeria wake up and begin to send out missionaries to the whole world. Our goal is to see
the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ at work in transforming lives, communities and institutions. We are irrevocably committed
to giving God no rest, and we ourselves will know no rest, until Jesus becomes Lord and his truth is enthroned in every aspect of
life, and wherever a child of the Kingdom is found. To this end we thank Brother Gbile again for coming this year to bless us.
In this our First Session of the Tenth Synod of Jos Diocese, God has in his divine timing brought forth twins from our womb. We
are a blessed diocese! In spite of our problems, difficulties, sorrows and tears, God continues in his faithfulness to bless our
weak efforts to bring glory to his name. In almost every five years of our ministry the Lord shows himself as the Lord of his work.
To him be the glory for ever and ever. The births of Pankshin and Bukuru Dioceses are signs of God’s blessing on the Diocese
of Jos. This is the reason why God created this diocese in the first place in 1980. On our part we had reached the point where
we could no longer sincerely cope with the growth in the old Jos Diocese. May we be reminded that seven years into our ministry
Lafia Diocese was born, and now after a further eight years of our collective efforts twins have been brought forth. Who knows
what will happen in the next five years! That is why God has called us to follow in the steps of His Son Jesus Christ. We
ourselves did not know that this is what God would do in fifteen years of mission and ministry, but one thing is certain: our call is
to follow the Lord hand in hand; our call is to follow in the steps of the One who holds the whole world in his hands, the Creator of
the universe, the I Am that I Am, the One who was, who is and who is to come. He alone holds the future in his hands. Eternity is
his; with him there is no shadow of turning. He calls and enjoins us to follow in the steps of His Son. He will never abandon or
forsake us, neither shall we see shame and disgrace in the hands of the enemy. To follow in the steps of Jesus Christ is to arrive
at the point of victory through suffering.
We rejoice with the Rt. Rev. Olumuyiwa and Mrs. Dorcas Ajayi who have already swung into vibrant action. You only need to
read his Presidential Address and Charge to know the kind of “mad man” God has in the ministry in Pankshin Diocese. The
revival of God knows no barrier of tribe or sex or race or nationality. We give thanks to God for what the Lord is doing and will
yet accomplish in Pankshin.
Similarly, we praise God for the Rt. Rev. Jwan and Mrs. Lois Zhumbes who, while working with us were very gentle, quiet and
unassuming. They have suddenly changed as Saul changed when the Spirit of God came upon him: they have been turned into
new people! The prophecies from his Charge, the exegesis and the clear sense of direction is the testimony of God’s anointing
on his servants. We must continue to support these two new dioceses - which is why we still share a common prayer diary, the
Cycle of Prayer, and ministries that will be of benefit to our dioceses.
Our synod theme this year is taken from 1 Peter 2:21:
For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example, so that you should
follow in his steps.
The Lord led us to this topic two years ago. It was in a context in which we were examining what the rest of our life was going to
look like, having attained the age of fifty and feeling dissatisfied with the present condition of the church, the style of ministry and
general productivity, effectiveness and fruit-bearing in mission. The Lord dropped this soothing message into our heart, and
simply said,
“Follow in his steps”.
Simple as the word may look, this whole letter of Peter, in asking each Christian to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ, also
explains what this means, what it entails and its total consequences. A careful study leaves us with no doubt that following in the
steps of Jesus Christ demands a definite commitment to follow Christ whatever the cost. It is also a call to a full conviction that
following in any other step will lead to a glamorous failure and eternal bankruptcy. Thirdly, it is a call to a consistent, unwavering
and unflinching followership and acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ to lead in everything, on a daily basis and
everywhere. It is a call to take good advice, but to allow the rule of God; to respect all men, but to fear God alone; to do good at
all times to all people, but to reject evil, wickedness, and lies and instead to enthrone truth, righteousness and justice.
“FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS” (1 Peter 2:21)
The first Epistle of Peter is a Pastoral Letter, written to encourage and to reassure the Christian churches in Asia Minor as they
begin to face the storms of persecution. The letter instructs us and points us to the basis of our faith, Jesus Christ, our hope,
now and for ever. Peter points to the glory of God’s calling: Christians are God’s chosen people, heirs of God’s blessing - but
Christians are also called to suffer, to endure unjust abuse and undeserved persecution. This is our calling because it was
Christ’s calling, and we are called to follow his example (2:21). Christ suffered for our sake, and as we follow him, we suffer for
his sake and for the sake of bringing others to know him. Peter presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant from the Old Testament,
using in 2:23 language similar to the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 53). Jesus went to the cross as a lamb led to the slaughter, his
meekness showing his submission to the Father’s will and also his confidence in his Father’s righteous judgement. Peter had
once wanted Jesus to escape suffering (Matthew 16:21-24), but it was precisely this suffering that Jesus came in order to endure.
The epistle seeks to encourage believers not only to remain steadfast in the face of suffering, but also to examine the reasons
why they must endure suffering and persecution, bearing in mind that Jesus suffered vicariously for the sins of the whole world,
thereby achieving salvation for us. It is one thing to suffer due to ignorance, foolishness or deliberate personal sin and
transgression. It is yet another thing to suffer innocently for righteousness’ sake. Each believer must examine carefully and
truthfully the reasons for his or her suffering and see whether or not it is worth it. Any suffering which does not lead people to
Christ and bring blessing to the people is not worth it. Any suffering which is not for the sake of Jesus Christ and the gospel of
salvation is not worth it. Any suffering that has no eternal value before God is utterly useless. Even if you are suffering through
a sickness you did not inflict upon yourself, it will be important that you cast all your cares and burdens on Christ because he
knows you, he knows your condition and he cares or you (1 Peter 5:7), otherwise you would have lost, fatally. This needs to be
pointed out clearly in order to debunk the idea of passively accepting a state of suffering as a sign of being a believer. Some
have even gone further to regard unnecessary, undue and even senseless suffering as being a mark of a genuine faith.
The suffering of Jesus Christ was because he confronted the powers of hell, of death and of Satan himself. He suffered, but
he had to do so in order to rescue a people from death to life, from darkness to light, from hell to heaven. He suffered in order to
set on course an irreversible trend of transformation of history, people, lives and communities. God loves the world and
humanity so much that he could not leave us in sin for ever. The direct practical implication is that whoever is going to become
involved in redeeming the world must face bitter confrontation and even death. Jesus literally went through all this so that today
we are the direct beneficiaries of this huge price that God had to pay as his only Son suffered and died our death. The fact in all
this is that Jesus rose from the dead triumphantly on the third day and ascended to heaven, to his throne as the Saviour,
Redeemer and Judge.
Now, through baptism and the release of the Holy Spirit, the redeeming work of Jesus Christ continues in his church through
pastors, prophets, teachers, evangelists, missionaries and all who accept Jesus Christ’s Lordship into their hearts and receive
his redeeming work through faith as they become born again by grace. This experience necessarily transforms people radically
so that they become actively involved in the work of bringing salvation to others and in the transformation of lives and
communities. Brothers and sisters, following in the steps of Jesus Christ is not passively accepting a suffering condition, but
actively and passionately confronting the forces of injustice, evil, wickedness, lies, immorality, open and secret cults, corruption,
false religion, hell, death and Satan. A true believer must, like Jesus Christ, count the cost of facing the forces that have held
people in bondage and count the cost of the repercussions - and make the choice.
It is obvious that Satan will not just look on and watch the dismantling of his strongholds and powers: he will fight back. This is a
serious consideration for all who choose to follow Jesus Christ. Our assurance, however, is that Jesus has already won the
victory so that now it does not matter what the devil does or what he is doing. We are assured of victory when we enlist to
follow in his steps.
Let us consider three things to help us in understanding the application of following in his steps:
A. Our call. “To this you were called” (v.21)
B. Jesus Christ our example. “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example.” (v.21)
C. Follow his steps. “That you should follow in his steps” (v.21)
Our Call
It is awesome to know that God knows me by name and calls me! It is especially so because I did not know this truth until that
day when I made that bold step to turn my back on Satan and the world, and to accept the saving grace and lordship of Jesus
into my heart and into my life. Until that day I did not think that God would care for someone like me. In fact the possibility is that
even now you are not so sure that God knows you and cares about you. This can be the case when you are so engrossed in
your problems, in your troubles, in your trials, in your sufferings, in your sins, to the extent that all that matters to you right now is
you. Whilst God is screaming and calling out your name you are covered in yourself, with the active assistance and connivance
of Satan who seeks to occupy your heart with considering why everything has gone wrong and to remind you of the memories of
all the hurts and the injuries that have befallen you, so that your ears are blocked from hearing the call of God. This leads to a
dissatisfactory state of life, full of ingratitude and complaints, and with an intent focus on the wrong issues and wrong priorities in
life.
The call which Peter refers to is a call that is echoed in chapter 2:9-10:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of
him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
God has always been in the business of calling humanity. He called Adam, “Where are you?” He called Abraham to make him
into a great nation and father of faith. He called Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Gideon, the apostles. He called Augustine of
Canterbury; he called Ajayi Crowther, an ex-slave whom he sent to minister to his own people in Nigeria. He called the
missionaries and he is still calling everybody young and old, men and women. All who hear his voice and believe, the same shall
be saved - and now is the time of salvation. It is a call to enlist into the army of those to whom the Father in his great mercy gives
new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1:3). It is therefore a call to hope in a living
hope, because Jesus is alive and has conquered the devil, and now we have a guarantee of victory over all powers of evil and
wickedness. That is our call as individuals and collectively as a church. When we answer this call and live out our call in the
community it will be obvious that we are
following in his steps.
B. Jesus Christ our example.
What the Lord has done for us is a practical example and demonstration of what each one of us who is a believer in Jesus
Christ should be and do. In other words, this is not an abstract theory; it is also not a distant instruction, and most of all it is not
an impossibility. In order to be an example, Jesus Christ came into the world in human form and was in every way like us, but
without sin:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in
every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
He learned obedience and was subject to earthly parents; he worked effectively, productively and fruitfully, doing good
wherever he went. Jesus never entered into a home, a public or a private place and met people, and their condition remained
the same. He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, brought freedom to the oppressed, preached the good news to high
and low, taught the people with authority, endured hardship and demonstrated for us zeal, passion and compassion for the lost.
Every single thing he did was directed towards saving the lost, regardless of their nationality, their creed, their sex or race. He
was a blessing wherever he went. In the same manner, we, having been redeemed, saved and made a people of God, are to
take the example of Jesus Christ to the world. It is therefore a contradiction if for fear of suffering and hardship, we do nothing
and still claim to be Christians living in a community or church where people are oppressed, harassed and living in fear like
sheep without a shepherd. It is an even bigger contradiction if we say we are Christians and yet at the same time our activities
are carrying out and fulfilling the very acts of Satan himself. In following the example of Christ we MUST be in direct confrontation
with the forces of Satan, of darkness, of hell and evil. This is what it means to
follow in his steps.
Follow His steps
Whenever God calls, he calls us to follow. He does not call us to run ahead of him or to lag far behind him, but he calls us to
follow in his steps. When God called his people out of Egypt he was ahead as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. All the
people needed to do was to watch and see when it was time to move and when it was time to stop. Each one of the prophets was
called to listen and hear from God before taking any step or giving instructions to the people of God. Jesus calls his disciples,
and to each he says, “Follow me.” Following the Lord has always been the hallmark of a true servant of God and a true disciple.
Throughout the Old Testament men and women who wholeheartedly followed the Lord and obeyed his command were always
called blessed. In fact Joshua and Caleb were not only blessed for following the Lord, but they were the only two in their
generation who crossed over the Jordan and entered the Promised Land.
Let us identify three blessings in following the Lord:
i. Following in the steps of the Lord brings hope, vision and mission. This is so because outside Jesus Christ there is no hope
and outside Jesus Christ every vision and mission is wide open to Satan’s control.
ii. Following in his steps leads to action. Let us carefully trace Jesus’ steps as he leaves his footmarks in different homes,
across Palestine, healing the sick, raising the dead, teaching, preaching and attracting a large following of people who are daily
being saved and brought into the Kingdom. To follow and to copy the Master in this way, on a daily basis, brings defeat to
Satan, salvation and redemption to the people and full deliverance from the control of evil forces.
iii. Following in his steps brings blessings. If Ajayi Crowther had not followed in the steps of Christ we would have remained in
darkness. If the missionaries had not followed in the steps of Christ we would have remained in slavery and unbelief. However,
the sacrifices of those who risked their lives and endured all forms of hardship to bring the gospel to us is no doubt a blessing for
us - but they also are more blessed because we are the fruit of their labours and this mutual benefit is our heritage and our joy.
We must never forget, indeed we must always remember, that as Christians we have a call and it is a single all-important call
equal to none other. Moreover, this call has eternal consequences. We will do well as individual Christians to answer this call
and invitation to be saved and become children of God by adoption and grace through faith.
Our call which makes us children of God also requires that we look like our father: we must walk in righteousness and holiness
as he does; we must do good works; we must bear good fruit and follow the example of Jesus Christ in his patience, endurance,
perseverance and single-mindedness in doing God’s will, and only God’s will. Doing the work of God in this manner is not
possible without the direct leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit works in us to do and to please God in all things.
The Holy Spirit’s power and presence in our lives will transform us and make us agents of transformation. Whoever does not
have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ (Rom. 8:9). Only through the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives can the people see
how much like Jesus we look and how much of Jesus’ example we are following. Our call that makes us children of God when we
respond to it is only effective when we take Jesus Christ as our example, and not philosophies, or great learnings of the world
from whatever generation. We must make Jesus Christ alone the sole standard for all of life and living, and we must make a
deliberate choice to follow in his steps. Only then can we change the world and become agents of transformation wherever we
are.
LOOKING AHEAD IN HIS STEPS
We must thank God continuously in Jos Diocese. We must thank God every day, everywhere, individually and as a people, for
there is undisputed evidence of the work of God and of his grace upon us in this diocese. We ask that a litany of gratitude be
the song of our lips at all church meetings. Two years before we came to Jos, God had already confirmed the call to missionary
growth and development by the division of the original Jos Diocese into the Dioceses of Jos, Makurdi and Yola. When we began
ministry here in 1992 we heard clearly from God that we must seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness amongst the
people. In our first sermon we set out clearly that which we believed was God's agenda for Jos Diocese. We noted that the
Kingdom of God refers to a setting or situation where everything is done under the rule of God. The kingdom of God therefore
means the rule of God. We continued:
In much of life and living, priorities are usually misplaced. True values are exchanged for the false in the struggle to make the
most out of life. This is almost normal because of our human frailty and nature. The text before us (Matthew 6: 24-33)) is a
summary of Jesus' teachings as recorded in St. Matthew's gospel chapters five to seven. He had taught about attitudes and right
relationships, love for our enemies, giving, prayer and fasting. He now goes further to reveal certain truths about heaven, about
light and darkness and about possessions. Finally he sums it up by stating the most important priority: "Seek first the Kingdom of
God ....."
The idea of needing to seek implies that somehow people have lost the Kingdom. Men and women have not discovered it in the
many things they have continually chased after. They have not even sought for it. So it remains missing in the daily affairs of
the world and in the routine of our mundane pursuits.
The Kingdom of God is both misunderstood and taken for granted. Therefore people quarrel, trying to assert themselves by
forming so-called majority groups which grapple for the power to dominate the so-called minority groups. In doing this, they
totally forget that it is God who should take pre-eminence and rule over everything that man seeks to acquire.
Seek first the Kingdom of God . . . .
In seeking first the Kingdom of God we are totally committing ourselves to the establishment of the rule of God Almighty.
We are not thereby committed to the rule of any puny man or government or bishop: we are absolutely committed to the rule of
God. We shall therefore seek to establish a Kingdom where Jesus will rule in the hearts and affairs of mankind.
. . . . and his righteousness
The idea of seeking after righteousness (and, all the more significantly, God's righteousness!) is totally alien to our secular
world. In our culture today the oppressor and the dictator are feared and honoured by our worldly system. Today some of the
most unjust men may be put in positions charged with the maintenance of justice, and some who are dishonest may be put in
charge of finances! Jesus says: Seek justice for all people, in all things, at all times.
In matters concerning the seeking of the Kingdom of God we can see that conditions today have not changed much from those
of the time of Jesus. If anything, we have added more things to our daily life which alienate us from that Kingdom.
Our Task
Our first task in Jos Diocese is to find the Kingdom of God. Our second task is to find the Kingdom of God and his
righteousness.
I come to you as one seeking first of all this Kingdom. Therefore I shall resist every attempt to set up a Hausa kingdom, an Igbo
kingdom, a Yoruba kingdom or any other kingdom. For that matter I shall do all within me to insist on establishing the rule of God
in the hearts of people, and on furthering his righteousness in all places and at all times. Then, and only then, shall all other
blessings follow.
We then asked God to reveal to us his vision for our mission. He was gracious in blessing us with a vision which we made public
in what was popularly known as the “Blue Booklet”. The four distinct areas of mission where God asked us to invest our energies
and to concentrate our efforts, were revealed to us with the marks of footsteps. [We reproduce a page for you to see.] In
following these visionary steps the Lord directed us in our mission effort to the present Nasarawa State. In November 1999 this
area became Lafia Diocese. We continued the same vision for the next eight years and we now have Bukuru and Pankshin
Dioceses. What is clear in all this is that whenever you answer the call of God and follow in his steps, nothing on earth can stop
your mission.
During the course of following in the steps of Jesus Christ, the Lord himself opened our eyes to declare an all out war on three
things:
War on filth and dirt which has led to our commitment to a Clean and Safe Environment throughout our diocese.
The enthronement of truth in everything.
Dealing with the roots of sin and poverty.
The Lord showed us clearly that for us to successfully follow in his steps we must insist upon, stand upon and exercise the
power of the gospel which alone is able to save all people. Our commitment to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ is sharpened by
our listening to God and by walking wholeheartedly in his ways through a constant revelation of how to deal with those things
which stand in our way, or which try to deny us the access necessary for us to see clearly the example of Jesus Christ and to
follow in his steps.
No other generation will be held accountable - for good or for bad - for all that is happening in our time. We must stand up and
be counted like Joshua and Caleb, like the apostles and missionaries, like our grandparents and parents who stood in their time
and made a choice not only to make Jesus Christ their example and standard, but to follow in his steps - which sometimes means
to die. Let us not be cowards as we look ahead. Let us do away with all forms of compromise in matters of faith and practice and
let us look up unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, and -
follow in his steps.
NEW JOS DIOCESE
Our gratitude to God continues as in fifteen years we have become parents of three dioceses. We must give glory to God
because these dioceses were carved out purely because of the simple fact that our missionary efforts had borne fruit and grown
beyond our ability to cope. Now in our sixteenth year of episcopacy and in our First Session of the Tenth Synod we are meeting
as a smaller Jos Diocese, comprising of Jos North, Bassa, Jos East and some parts of Jos South Local Government Areas. The
population covering these areas is estimated at 1.5 million people. We are left with some 50 or so congregations, 43 clergy and
13 catechists.
Significantly, however, we are faced with a more difficult urban mission and ministry. The ministry now requires the efforts of
everybody and we are determined that in our life-time and in our generation the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ must be
preached in word and deed. The gospel must progress and prosper and the power of the gospel must establish the Kingdom of
God in the lives of people in offices, in schools, in the market, in the homes, in the church and everywhere. This commitment is
born out of the fact that there is no viable alternative to following in the steps of Jesus. Therefore every church member must be
involved: the professor in the university must win other professors and students to Jesus Christ; the businessman or woman in
the market must similarly win other businesspeople to Jesus Christ; the students, the civil servants, the public workers - all of us
must come under this conviction that we are here and we have been saved by Jesus Christ so that through us other people,
regardless of their nationality, age, status, sex or race, may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
There is no gospel if there is no transformation of lives, communities and people. There is no gospel if there is no salvation.
The gospel is the power of God. It is an explosive power, it is not passive; it is creative, it seeks approval from no-one, but it is
the power that destroys Satan and all his evil works. This gospel is universal; it is for everyone who believes. It is a gospel to the
people, for the people. It is a gospel of change from death to life, from hell to heaven, from darkness to light. The gospel is a
faith venture from start to finish. This makes it visionary, missionary, revolutionary, adventurous, exciting - and a risk. It is a
living and active gospel. It is worth living for and, believe me, it is worth dying for (Romans 1:16-17).
It is for this reason that the Lord has directed us to reshuffle, re-organise and delineate our new diocese for strategic and
effective mission purposes. We have created smaller units of districts in teams, and broken off the Archdeaconries into four
cardinal focal points for mission. This has been done prayerfully, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit with the aim of doubling
our current size of congregations and multiplying the seed of righteousness by our mission and evangelism within the shortest
possible time. In five years, should the Lord tarry, we hope to sing a new song. For us, mission and evangelism and indeed the
call of God on our lives is summed up in this mission. If we are not agents of transformation by the power of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, if we are not bringing people into the Kingdom, if we stop being a blessing to our communities by establishing the
Kingdom of God in righteousness, truth and justice, if in all this life we are not consumed by zeal, passion and compassion for the
lost - then this life is not worth living.
Far be it from us that soul winning, mission, evangelism and the call of God should be for any human achievement, competition
or the like. Let it be sown deep into our blood system, and let it be rooted in our DNA, as members of this diocese, that we are
saved in order to bring others to salvation, not out of duty, but out of conviction. So we charge you to get up and to get down to
work! It is worth it not only because we have an inheritance in heaven when we do this, but more than that - if it is worth it for
God, then it is worth it for us. God invested everything in saving the world, and if we are to appreciate and understand this at all,
then we too must invest everything in this mission right now.
Furthermore, the Lord showed us that in the next five years we should become involved in agriculture. To this end we reported
to you a donation of two tractors. These have been put to use and so far, so good; their report and the audit of their accounts
has been made available to us, and the future of this project in the hands of the Lord is bright. It is with joy that we announce the
appointment of Mr. Christopher Lamba Yilwada as the Project director of our newly formed Agro Technology and Rural Extension
Services. He is a graduate in agricultural sciences and has taken up the challenge to make this project a model for mission and
evangelism. We have also appointed another professional in this field, Mrs. Sarah Chuwang, as Consultant to this diocesan
department.
As a further part of the development of the new Jos Diocese we have also passed two canons, the first on Youth, and the
second on the environment:
CANON 1 YOUTH
It has been proved that most choices of career, style of life, vocations and various commitments are usually crystallized in the
human mind within the teen ages. The church does not seen to see the huge opportunity for youth outreach to this age range.
Jos Diocese must change its style of outreach in this regard and transform its mission focus to the teens and children. Our
schools are a multi-faced mission ground and a strategic unit for transformation of communities. We demand from all ministers of
the gospel and churches that they develop a strategic programme of making disciples of Jesus Christ of all our children who will
in turn become disciplers of their peers and thereby train missionaries for the church of God for the whole world. Failure in this
will open the flood gates for cultism, robberies, thuggery etc.. It is very obvious that those already involved in these practices
are within the age range under discussion. Jos Diocese must change.
CANON 2 TREE PLANTING
AND ENVIRONMENTAL BEAUTIFICATION
Jos Diocese must do its part in participating in changing the world for the better. It has been proven scientifically that the world
climate change is a result of human participation in carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere, as well as human destruction of
the environment. It was not so in the beginning! God put us on this planet to tend the environment, to look after it and till it, so
that the environment in return will be fruitful. It is a reciprocal relationship: we look after the environment and the environment
responds in being fruitful for our benefit.
Interestingly, the climate change is going to affect Africa most devastatingly. We are going to be most affected negatively.
Knowing this, as a Diocese, is not only for knowledge’s sake, but there is something we can do. Every pastor, catechist and
church worker must work very hard and encourage church members to plant fruit trees or economic trees and beautify their
surroundings by planting flowers, and also engage in backyard gardening. This will help us in our small way to arrest erosion
and drought and to keep the environment clean. This is a must for our Diocese! Your bathroom water is good for planting
bananas and other fruit trees. A cup of well water is good for your flowers, in fact you can brush your teeth on your flowers. Use
your water strategically to water flowers or keep your environment clean. We will watch this development in the diocese with keen
interest as we personally carry out inspections of our members’ houses, schools and churches.
Therefore, no church is permitted to fell trees on church land or to clear shrubs on any church land without our express
permission. This is by Canon of the Bishop of Jos on this second day of February in the year of our Lord two thousand and
seven and in the fifteenth year of our Episcopacy.
These developments are not just idle talk: they are God’s revelations and exhortations. When we take them seriously and make
them a part of our lives, we will soon find that in our various communities and homes we are living out what it means to be
children of God who have chosen to follow the example of Christ and are
following in his steps.
MISSION AND EVANGELISM
We have a life-changing message. We have a message that can change the world. This message cannot be horded, stored or
even kept in a safe place. It must be shared. The message has no meaning until it is shared. When we ourselves came in to
contact with this great message of salvation our life was changed and transformed. It was a real experience to the extent that we
ourselves could not keep the message, we had to tell people what had happened to us. Evangelism starts there: it is simply
telling your salvation story. It is as simple as giving a testimony. You may wish to answer the question, “who is Jesus to you?”
because it is only as Jesus takes his place significantly in your life that you can see clearly his example and
follow in his steps.
We thank God for the Church of Nigeria and for our Primate the Most Rev. Peter Jasper Akinola, who has laid down his life for
mission and evangelism not only in Nigeria but to the whole world. This example has been passed down to the Bishops of the
Church of Nigeria and the Anglican Dioceses of Nigeria. We make note of this so that no member of our church should make the
mistake of shifting focus from this critical heavenly assignment passed down to us once and for all for the salvation of the whole
world.
We ourselves are fully committed to this call and are determined to spend the rest of our lives doing just this. We wish to raise
men ad women who will succeed us as missionaries, teachers and evangelists, who are fully converted to Christ, on fire for the
Lord with zeal, passion and commitment, filled with the Holy Sprit and ready to spread the good news. It is our desire and prayer
to build and leave behind us a vibrant, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, numerically and financially strong diocese that will carry on the
missionary enterprise and the spread of the gospel internationally. We are confident in the Lord as we see the signs of God’s
mighty hand of blessing in enabling us even now in the sending and receiving of short term missionaries, both locally and
internationally.
The Christian life has no meaning if it has no gospel to proclaim. It must give testimony and bear witness to the power of God in
forgiving sins and transforming a believer to live in righteousness and holiness. Similarly, the church is no church if it has no
message of the good news of salvation. If it is not proclaiming forgiveness of sins, and the need for righteousness and holiness
of living, it is anything but a church.
At the first one day P.C.C. Conference held on 24th February this year, we spoke extensively on this subject. Our desire for
mission is based on our conviction that -
It’s all about the Kingdom.
It’s all about victory.
It’s not about what we can get.
It’s about God doing his work, building his Kingdom, his people, who will go out in power to prepare a people, a bride for his
return.
It’s about being fruitful in the task of building the Kingdom so that the Kingdom will be fruitful and bear much fruit.
It’s about participation; not being a spectator, but being actively involved, propelled by love, demonstrating God’s hatred for sin,
but offering salvation for sinners.
It’s about changing lives, communities and peoples of every race and nationality.
You cannot follow in the steps of Jesus without those steps leading you into mission and evangelism. We have given clear
directions for operation to each Archdeaconry and each District team. We have high hopes that God who has led us before will
lead us again. We believe with our whole heart that we will sing a new song on this subject at the next synod. We encourage our
Diocesan Mission Team to resume their assignment with new zeal and vigour until our diocese comes totally under the
sovereignty and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
POLITICS
We give praise and glory to the Lord for a successful completion of our process in electing a new government for another four
years. We thank each voting member who took time to pray and to act on exercising their franchise. It has proved to be a
worthy venture as the election results show. We encourage those who lost to take the exercise in good faith and to look forward
to another day - after all, it’s only four years! To those who won we congratulate you all. We especially congratulate our
Governor elect, Air Commodore Jonah David Jang, his Deputy, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, Senators elect, members of the House of
Representatives and members of the State Assembly. The Lord has raised you up at this time only because he wants to bless
the people. You can measure your success in political leadership by the level of improvement in the life and conditions of the
people you lead, and in the condition of their living and environment. The health of the people, their educational level, their
physical, intellectual, spiritual and moral development speaks more about the leadership than it does about the people
themselves. Therefore we make a passionate call to those coming into office not to ignore the suffering of the poor, the
pensioners, orphans, widows and the physically challenged. We warn that no community or nation that ignores the suffering of
these will ever prosper. Ignoring the conditions of these people no matter how long it takes will invite and ignite the wrath of God.
The responsibility of seeking, establishing and building the Kingdom of God in this life is squarely and exclusively the duty of the
children of God. You are the salt and the light of this world, Jesus says. So wherever a Christian finds himself or herself, in
whatever capacity, vocation and ministry, it is such a Christian who must be the agent of change and transformation and who
must create a distinction which will make him/her the salt and light in that place. Children of God are builders, not destroyers.
We know unbelievers and agents of Satan by their capacity to destroy material things, spiritual things and people, whereas God
puts his children in the world to be agents of development, sustainability, creation and the building of communities, structures
and people.
We are worried as clergy when we see truth and justice being trampled upon. We appeal in the name of the Lord to the
incoming leadership to uphold truth and justice and to stand fervently against corruption because this is the only way to attract
the blessing of God and the prosperity of the people. That you have won political office in elections does not make you a
lawbreaker and a super-human being! Rather, leaders in politics, leaders of the clergy and judiciary are set up by God as
models to enable the people to see living examples of what it means to
follow in the steps of Jesus Christ.
DIOCESAN MERIT AWARD
In the course of the year we laid the foundation stone of St. Peter’s Anglican School, Bukuru, before Bukuru became a diocese.
We were moved by the labours and sacrifice of its founding principal Mrs. Joy Onubogu. Her testimony is written all over the
school. She has won the admiration of her staff, her management and parents. Her determination, dedication and zeal for the
Lord Jesus Christ speak loud and clear. We felt moved by God to honour this woman by awarding her the highest diocesan
award, the Diocesan Award of Merit.
Hon. Justice M. O. Oyetunde: We wish to honour this man who has faithfully served God and humanity as a Justice of the High
Court. He is known to be an incorruptible and upright judge; all his judgements were passed dispassionately, honestly and in the
fear of God. He has shown himself to be a disciple of God in the church: he has carried his faith not only as a student of the
Bible (B.S.F.), but he has applied his faith to the wider society. He continues to serve the church as Chancellor of the Diocese of
Jos, and has offered himself to serve God at no cost to the church. I offered to pay him one naira a year to do all that he does,
but rather he, in his retirement as a pensioner, contributes to the work of mission in this Diocese. We are humbled by his
example of love and dedication. While his wife serves as the Chancellor of Ogbomoso Diocese, he travels all the way from
Ibadan to serve the Lord in Jos as our Chancellor. We are honoured to have them as supporters and models. We offer Justice
M.O. Oyetunde our Diocesan Merit Award.
CONCLUSION
Christ Jesus has gone before us and we are called to follow. We must always keep him in sight, never lagging so far behind
that we lose sight of him, and never pushing ourselves forward ahead of him. We are to follow in his steps, wherever he goes
and by whatever way he goes, not trying to push him onto a path of our choice, but with a total commitment following in his way
and copying his example of character, of behaviour, of speech, and of daily living. The way in which he leads us may sometimes
be rough and it may sometimes be smooth, it may be difficult or easy, we may or we may not actually want to go that way, but the
way is his, he knows the reason for going that way, and we are called to follow. We therefore move in faith, not knowing in
advance the details of the journey, but trusting in him, relying on his vision, his strength and his presence. So it is that as day by
day we commit ourselves to this way of living, increasing multitudes will see and hear and will join us, as together we move
towards the Kingdom of God.
God has led us this far as individuals and as a diocese, but he has not finished with us yet. There is a way ahead of us: it is
exciting, challenging, full of hope and promise. It may involve suffering, but it will lead to joy. One thing is certain: the One who
leads us knows the way, he is the way and he will never fail us; if we follow him will shall not get lost and we shall arrive at our
correct destination. Let us therefore arise with new vigour, new zeal, new determination and
follow in his steps.
Your friend and pastor.
+Rt. Rev. Dr. Benjamin A. Kwashi
Bishop of Jos
May 2007