By Polycarp Onwubiko
The end of the year usually witnesses a flurry of activities in Christian religious denominations ranging from annual thanksgiving services, bazaar, Christian men’s and women’s annual activities, launching of church projects and what have you. It is in the conventional tradition that the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries [MFM], Amenyi-Awka branch celebrated one of the end-of-the year’s activities.
The Women’s Wing of the Amenyi-Awka branch of MFM has acquired the enviable reputation of doing things in an articulated and marvelous style as attested to by many pastors who have been shepherds in the branch. This end of the year activity took some days of intense preparation for the show-casing of the interesting displays ranging from concert plays, sing-song, awards and other sundry presentations that thrilled the members and the invitees.
The end of the year Sunday Women Day held on November 26, 2017 followed the accustomed pattern whereby all the church programmes ranging from search the scriptures, testimony rendering, Bible reading, ushering, offering taking and sermon were exclusively undertaken by the women members. Thus the Sunday’s Women’s Day sermon was delivered by one of the energetic women activists, Mrs. Josephine Ani, a senior civil servant in the state civil service.
Drawing the Sunday’s sermon exclusively from the Book of Proverbs chapter 12: 4, Mrs. Ani demonstrated her knowledge of the old and new scriptures as she threw lucid light on the sundry solemn expectations of married women in the family.
She said: “Woman is a precious creature of God. She is creative as her maker. The wife of Adam, Eve demonstrated stupendous creative ability and wisdom as she was naming the animals God had created in the Garden of Eden.
“As God watched Adam and perceived that he needed a companion, He demonstrated dexterity by designing a woman to be highly appreciated by man and to serve as a help-mate. When Adam woke up from slumber induced by God and beheld Eve, he was highly elated and embraced her with stupendous love.”
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Mrs. Ani contended that a man without a wife could be likened to a mansion without a fence because a wife performs roles that make the husband feel a sense of security and confidence in going about the affairs of life.
She said: “Behind any self-contented and happy man is a wise, articulate and wise wife whom the Bible aptly described as “a virtuous woman”; a virtuous woman is a crown of her husband.”
She argued that a man who loves his wife loves his body and exhorted men to explain uncomfortable situations to their spouse especially in this economic recession so as to maintain that mutual trust and confidence in running the home.
In an exclusive chart with Orient Daily, the shepherd of Amenyi branch of MFM, which has been elevated to a zonal headquarter, Pastor Ik Uloka said that the annual Women’s Day is always exhilarating when women show-case certain things that thrill the congregation and use the singular opportunity to reaffirm their faith in God pertaining to their marriage, rearing of children and adroit management of the home economy.
He said: “Women’s Day could be described as a wonderful day to enable women to demonstrate their preparedness to abide by the word of God in their daily activities and in the running of their homes. It is a time that women want to prove that they are important in the Lord’s vine yard.
“It is a time they want to show that they have dignity; apart from being house wife, they have something to contribute to the society in general and the church in particular. It is a time to sort of reconcile with God to really appreciate the sublime role in the home so that the will of God will prevail in their lives which substantially affects their husbands and children.
Pastor Uloka, who is witnessing his first Women’s Day this time, as he is barely nine months in the branch, expressed immense joy at the marvelous performance of the women in terms of their cooperation and comportment. She particularly commended the women leader, Mrs. Ngozi Onwubiko, a staff of Anambra Post Primary Schools Commission for her organisational prowess and excellence.
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In her remarks, the ‘mother’ of women and wife of the pastor, Mrs. Gloria Uloka, expressed gratitude to the Almighty God for polishing the women in terms of their cooperation since they were posted to the zone.
She said: “Today, women of this church are thanking God for what God has done in their respective families. We want to use this opportunity to remind ourselves that women have roles to play as the Bible recorded it in the Book of Proverbs Chapter 31 where it talks about a virtuous woman.
“We want to remind ourselves the roles women must play as Christian mothers in order to make a peaceful and godly family. We have the issue of submission to our husbands, being truthful, being honest and prayerful as a family that prays together stays together.
“Any woman that is faithful to God, that woman whenever she calls on God will receive answers to her prayers. So, during Women’s Day, we remind ourselves about certain things we have been neglecting as Christian mothers and to avoid things which unbelievers are indulging in like adultery, fornication, waywardness, disrespect to their husbands and neglect of the children. The virtuous woman, according to the Bible is a hard working woman who is frugal and applies a sense of responsibility in the running of home.”
In her remarks, Mrs. Josephine Ani thanked God for His goodness and mercy for members’ lives. She advised fellow women to be humble and submit to their husbands and make sure that the family is in peace; that they take due care of the children to avoid being wayward and follow the bad conducts of children of darkness. Their godly conduct will move the church and even the country foreword.
Also speaking, the Glorious Women Leader, Mrs. Ngozi Onwubiko said that the women’s thrust is to remind women on the sacred roles in the household; to demonstrate that Bible admonitions to be a perfect example in marriage in order to demonstrate that the word of God in the Bible pertaining to marriage is feasible and enjoyable, ostensibly to fulfill the will of God in creation.
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On the women contributions to the Lord’s vine yard and improving the facilities in the church, the women leader said: “Women have been forthcoming in helping the pastor to provide necessary facilities that make the premises lovable and to attract more membership.
In her remarks, Mrs. Uju Udemezue expressed immense joy for the year’s celebration and thanked God for His marvelous mercy in the lives of the members of the church.
Also speaking, some men made comments and thanked the women for the marvelous preparation for the eventful day. Joseph Ifeanyichukwume advised women to be conscious of their sacred roles by honouring their husband and assist in training children to be of good behavior. For Mr. Michael Ani he thanked the women for their contributions to the uplift of the church.
Mr. Jerome Isaac Jerome equally commended the women and testified that they were striving to live up to the billings of the word of God hence the marvelous testimonies in the church.
In her remarks, Mrs. Uchenna Okeke expressed joy for the success of this year’s women’s day. She said that we benefit a lot in the women’s day as the sermon helps us in making virtuous women possible in our conducts which make our husbands to be at peace with us.
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