GO FOR GOLD AT CCIC CAMPMEETING 2008

For Campmeeting Chief Hosts, Pastor Tunde & Victoria Joda, there is no doubt that this has been an eventful year. A year during which among other surprises, they were hosted to a reunion evening titled The Home-Coming by a large number of men and women who styled themselves as alumni of the Voice of Faith Ministries. These were people who went through the teaching and discipleship of the man we all love to call “the coach” and are grateful for his positive impact on their lives, ministries and careers. Indeed, if there is any incontrovertible truth in the annals of church development in Nigeria, it is that there is an ex-Chapelite in leadership position in virtually every major Pentecostal/charismatic ministry in the land. I am indeed blessed to be under the spiritual tutelage of such an icon of faith. I look forward to seeing you at Campmeeting!

Are you a man or woman of faith? Have you been standing firmly on the word of God? Have you refused to join the multitude to do evil in order to prosper, choosing instead to apply only the principles of the Word of faith? And have you sometimes found yourself wondering whether it’s worth it, since evil seems to be thriving and your success seem, at best, limited? If you are, if you belong in this category of Christian, I have news for you: “don’t give up; you will receive the reward of your faith”.

Yes, the word is out. A new season has come upon the household of faith. It’s a season of great and grand reward for the man and woman of faith; a season when the seeming glitter of darkness gives way, willy-nilly, to the enduring floodlight of godly success.

No, I am not the prophet. The prophet of God, the carrier of this message is none other than Rev Dr Chris Tunde Joda, Senior Founding Pastor (with his wife, Ebun), of Voice of Faith Ministries, more widely known as Christ Chapel International Ministries. Widely acknowledged as the loudest and most consistent voice of faith in the land, Dr Joda is so fully persuaded that the message is authentic that he has themed this year’s edition of his ministry’s annual convention, Campmeeting 2008 on it.

I have had occasion to say it somewhere before, but it can bear repetition, I think. It is difficult to say which event members of Christ Chapel International Churches prepare most feverishly for, campmeeting or Christmas! And that’s only a little exaggerated. Campmeeting, which has held every year since 1987 lasts only five days, but its impact lasts the whole year on Chapelites, as we the members of the church like to be identified and non-Chapelite Christians of the faith movement who keep an annual date with the event.

This year’s meeting which opens in Lagos this Wednesday (October 22) may be described as the coming-of-age edition if you see age 21 as such. Venue is NPA (Nigerian Ports Authority) Sports Ground located at 43 Bode Thomas Street in the Surulere area of mainland Lagos. It is one of the signs of the times that the National Gymnasium Hall of the Nigeria Institute of Sports on the grounds of the National Stadium which used to have the honour of hosting this great event cannot this year. Reason: official government policy! But, as someone has put it, stadium or no stadium, we will keep a date with our destiny in God!

In the event, Campmeeting 2008 promises to be a landmark event. With more than 40 ministers of God coming from several parts of the world, it promises to live up to its billing as the faith reward season opener.
Among the ministers expected are campmeeting veteran Clyde Oliver, Senior Pastor, Maranatha Christian Center, Melbourne, Florida in the United States. Pastor Oliver, a 1981 graduate of the Overcoming Faith Bible Training Center in Fort Worth, Texas emphasizes, like the Jodas, the development to maturity of the every believer who come under his wings. Licensed and ordained with Kenneth Copeland Ministries, he is a member of the International Convention of Faith Ministries, among others
Earlier in 1979, the Lord had instructed the young Oliver to move from Richmond, VA to Fort Worth, Texas. While there he served on the staff of Kenneth Copeland Ministries for 11 years as: Tape Production Supervisor, Crusade Sales Manager, and Prayer Minister. These years were to prove foundational training ground for hands-on opportunities for mentorship, scriptural principles of faithfulness, and servanthood.
His church, Maranatha Christian Center of Melbourne, Florida opened its doors on Easter Sunday, April 15, 2001 with the vision statement as "Preparing People for the Service of the Lord"..
Among the other ministers of the word coming from abroad are Rev Mike Moore and his wife, Anne who pastor Covenant Life Church, Summerville, South Carolina, USA, Maxwell Masakona, Stanley Moniki, Bosun Oke and Olu Ojobaro all from South Africa.

From the home-front are a number of widely-acclaimed anointed ministers of the word of faith: Rev Dr Lekan Babatunde, a campmeeting veteran from Ibadan, Dr John Idowu from Akure, and Rev Poju Oyemade, Pastor, Covenant Christian Centre, Lagos.

Two song ministers make their encore at Campmeeting 2008, after the very profound impact they made on the congregation last year: Bobby Connors who runs a music ministry in the United States and Christine Joda, a lawyer in whose vein the gospel blood runs being daughter of Dr and Rev Mrs Tunde Joda.

ArtistDirect website has this to say about Connors: “Bobby Connors is a man of integrity and passion with a strong conviction and servant's heart…He does not imitate Christian Artistry, but delivers purity in worship and praise. He has been chosen for such a time as this, with an anointing that can best be described as "different". There is an old saying, "You can not lead others where you have not been." Bobby Connors has definitely been there. Bobby Connors is a unique and talented artist that gives a new definition to the words "gifted & anointed"! Bobby's music reflects a mighty move of God in his life and music ministry.”

Christine Joda has been described as “an authoritative, singing sensation with a strong unique voice, and a stage presence that is not only engaging but is one that emphasises a passion for God’s presence and for music. She is an up and coming singer, songwriter and at the age of 19 she has already sung some of her own songs which have blessed the hearts of many.”

She is an award winning song minister who was chosen to represent her university in the singing category of the annual battle of the universities’ talent competition where out of twelve contestants from other universities, she emerged the overall winner singing gospel. That was in February 2005. one month later, also ministering a gospel song, she took first place out of eight contestants in the Millennium Artistic Platform (MAP) showcase in Waltham Forest for which an article was featured in the local newspaper. In May 2005, she was a finalist in the UK’s annual gospel newcomer’s competition. In November 2005, she also took first place in the Ilford ‘Mall Stars’ a secular competition which she won singing a worship song. Christine is a truly godly example to her generation, ministering to both Christians and unbelievers with a true fervor for God.

Campmeeting 2008 is not restricted to Lagos. As has been the practice in the last several years, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Ibadan Abeokuta are among major cities in the Federal Republic that will receive the same visitation. London will follow four days after the Nigerian edition closes on Sunday, October 26.

For Campmeeting Chief Hosts, Pastor Tunde & Victoria Joda, there is no doubt that this has been an eventful year. A year during which among other surprises, they were hosted to a reunion evening titled The Home-Coming by a large number of men and women who styled themselves as alumni of the Voice of Faith Ministries. These were people who went through the teaching and discipleship of the man we all love to call “the coach” and are grateful for his positive impact on their lives, ministries and careers. Indeed, if there is any incontrovertible truth in the annals of church development in Nigeria, it is that there is an ex-Chapelite in leadership position in virtually every major Pentecostal/charismatic ministry in the land. I am indeed blessed to be under the spiritual tutelage of such an icon of faith. I look forward to seeing you at Campmeeting!

FOR OLUYEDE AT 50

Thank you for letting God grow my faith, and love me through you. As your days be, so shall every aspect of your life and ministry, in Jesus’ peerless name

I once described him as a man of the word who understands the world. That is why he has been and continues to be a great success as a pastor, a lawyer, a politician and business man. A man of great faith and patience, at 50, he counts among those in his sphere of influence, much older persons and even those who have held major public offices. Congratulations to my Centre Pastor, Richard Ajibola Oluyede on your birthday which coincides with the opening of Campmeeting 2008. on October 22. Thank you for letting God grow my faith, and love me through you. As your days be, so shall every aspect of your life and ministry, in Jesus’ peerless name.

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE PRICE OF FISH

The import of this story is that within the space of 43 years, homosexuality and same-sex marriages has transformed from being a sin, a crime and a mental illness, to become an orientation to which human rights apply, a social preference and is increasingly being de-listed as a sin in many parts of the United States of America.The whole point of this piece is to warn that homosexuality might fare better sooner in Nigeria, if Nigerians, particularly the Church do not move against it now! The best of economic strategies will flounder in a decaying social milieu. The current state of the world’s economy is clear evidence that everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and that only that which is built on righteousness will stand.

In “Obama, Goose Bumps and Nigeria (2)” (September 14, 2008), I made the point that extreme liberalism is not good for the United States and certainly not good for Nigeria either. That piece concluded in these words: “By the same token, the extreme liberalism of the Nigerian elite is not good for Nigeria. When all those so-called more serious matters have been dealt with, the issues being currently touted as unimportant would have become intractable…”

Incidentally, one of those issues being characterised as unimportant today, as noted in that article, is homosexuality. As someone would have put it, what has homosexuality or nudity got to do with the price of fish, or garri? For effect, he would have added, “make we hear word, jare” which is street lingo for, let’s get serious.

They would be dead right, if the gay challenge wasn’t getting dead serious, as a recent newspaper report demonstrated. The report headlined: ‘Gay Church Arrives Nigeria’, had two riders: ‘Christian, Muslim clerics declare: it’s evil!’ ‘National Assembly must fight it.’
Published by Sunday Sun, it read in part like this: ”For the first time in Nigeria, men who openly declared themselves as homosexuals gathered penultimate weekend at a church in Ojodu, a Lagos suburb. Under the auspices of a yet-to-be registered church - House of Rainbow Metropolitan Community Church - the men held a seminar and night vigil. The heavily guarded event paraded men who wore necklaces, rings, conducted themselves and spoke softly like women”.
Continued the report: “Ironically, the homosexuals held the fiesta in the hall of United Bible University, Yakoyo Road, Ojudu, Lagos. The venue also serves as a place of worship for Christian Pentecostal Mission (CPM). The event, Sunday Sun learnt, was championed by a lawyer and theologian, Rev. Roland Babajide Macaulay. On the days of the event, a retinue of mean – looking, ill-tempered security men barred our reporter from entering the venue and meeting the men…”

”Sunday Sun investigation”, said the report, which carried the bylines of Jossy Idam and Paul Omo Obadan “reveals that the man is the son of the founder, president and director of studies of United Bible University, Rev. Dr. Augustus Olakunle Macaulay... “
The report quoted the Archdeacon of Oleh Diocese in Delta State, Venerable M.A.E Igri, as reacting to the existence of the gay church in these words: “the church is not biblical and out of tune with God’s plan. God created man and woman to be married to themselves. The situation where a man will be married to a man is wrong and unacceptable.”
A Moslem cleric, Abdurrahman Ahmad, identified as the National Missioner of the Ansar-u-deen Society of Nigeria, was also reported to have called on the National Assembly to legislate against homosexuality in Nigeria, saying: “All people of conscience and people of faith must rise to fight this evil.”
Apart from the spiritual angle, to which we shall return presently, the Sunday Sun report pointed out the health hazards of homosexuality. Drawing a nexus between the so-called sexual orientation and HIV/AIDS, the newspaper recalled that ” in a recent survey, Integrated Biological and Behaviour Surveillance ranks homosexuals second to female sex workers, as the group with the highest figure of HIV/AIDS. In fact, the survey puts the prevalence rate among men who have sex with men (MSM) at 13.5 percent.”
A Lagos lawyer, Mr Godwin Ewa also spoke to the newspaper on the development, which he saw as “a fad in Europe and America being imported into the country.” He said that “Nigeria is a dumping ground for all manner of products and perverted ideas and lifestyle” saying that “from this development, it won’t be long before we begin to hear of gay rights, same sex marriage and so on,” .

Examining the legal angle, Ewa was reported to have declared that homosexuality is an infringement and a complete assault on the nation’s core values and blamed it on the lax law and lenient punishment for offenders. According to him, the law classifies it as “unnatural offences” under Section 214 and “indecent practices between males” under Section 217 of the Criminal Code.” He however noted that the Criminal Code criminalizes homosexual, gay marriages, lesbianism and sodomy, whereby a convicted offender could be jailed for up to 14 years.
House of Rainbow Metropolitan Community Church is reported to have been in existence since 2006 and is said to be affiliated to other metropolitan community churches in America and Europe. Its “mission and vision”, according to the Sunday Sun report, quoting a public statement by Rev. Roland Macaulay is “to transform hearts, lives and history and especially, to help people reconcile their sexuality and spirituality.”
Yours sincerely first heard about this so-called church about two months ago in a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) news report. In the report, a man said to be the pastor of the church spoke about how fast expanding his church is, saying that they were offering homosexuals the love that the rest of the church was denying them.
I have quoted the newspaper report copiously simply to show one thing: the international gay movement is gaining inroads into our nation while we “get serious” with those seemingly urgent issues “that has to do with the price of fish and garri.”
The experience of the United States of America is instructive in this grave matter. It is graphically illustrated in a beautiful CNN (Cable News Network) report by Jonathan Mandell, posted on their website June last year.
Mandell traced the progress of gay rights over the years through the lives and times of Sharon and Tanya Dillards, who, according to him “describe themselves as ‘a typical family with soccer, brand new puppies, church, choir and not enough time in the day.’” Permit me to quote a bit of the story by Jonathan Mandell:
“When Sharon was born in 1962, homosexuality was treated in the country as a sin, a crime and a mental illness. It was only in 1974 -- the year after Tanya was born -- that the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its manual of mental disorders.
“In 2003, the year Sharon and Tanya became a couple, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the laws in states that singled out same-sex relations for criminal prosecution.”
“Is homosexuality still viewed as a sin? A recent Gallup Poll found Americans nearly evenly split between those who saw homosexual relations as "morally acceptable" (47 percent) and those who saw them as "morally wrong" (49 percent).
“Some religious denominations now welcome gay parishioners and accept openly gay members of the clergy. The Episcopal Church in America has even consecrated an openly gay bishop. But some of those same denominations, including the Episcopalians, are now threatened with schism as a result. Sharon, who grew up in Stillwater, Oklahoma, has a saying about the reaction of the religious in her home state: "In Oklahoma, I have more people praying for me than with me."
“In one instance, the couple applied for membership in a Lutheran church in Oklahoma. Though they were eventually accepted, it was only after much debate and an unprecedented vote by the elders of the church.
“A couple of years after they met in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Sharon and Tanya decided to make a big move to Massachusetts, which since 2004 has been the only one of 50 states to permit same-sex couples to get married legally. More than 8,500 couples have done so, including at least one couple from Oklahoma.
“They did so for at least three reasons. First, both wanted to adopt the son and daughter that Sharon had adopted as a single parent. Second, Tanya was a police officer and says she started having problems on the job because of her sexual orientation. Third, the couple say they wanted to "validate" their relationship…
“The were legally married on January 21, 2005, in a small ceremony at the courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts, at which time Sharon took Tanya's last name of Dillard…”
The import of this story is that within the space of 43 years, homosexuality and same-sex marriages has transformed from being a sin, a crime and a mental illness, to become an orientation to which human rights apply, a social preference and is increasingly being de-listed as a sin in many parts of the United States of America.
The whole point of this piece is to warn that homosexuality might fare better sooner in Nigeria, if Nigerians, particularly the Church do not move against it now! The best of economic strategies will flounder in a decaying social milieu. The current state of the world’s economy is clear evidence that everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and that only that which is built on right

CHRISTIAN JOURNALISTS MUST BE PEACEMAKERS

In closing we drew attention to the situation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta where violence has been raging. The truth out there is clear: the resources of the people have been seized; being used to develop other parts f the country. And they are living in dehumanizing conditions. The truth is that under a just federal system, they should have the first call on the resources located on their soil. So what is the journalist- peacemaker’s role in the Niger Delta? Propagate this truth in season and out of season. Anything short of the truth may bring tenuous peace, the type in Kenya and the type being cobbled together in Zimbabwe, but not enduring peace. Only the Prince of peace’s methods can bring enduring peace and that method is one of truth.

Tomorrow, Christian journalists from across the globe will gather in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss the place of journalists in peace making. The forum, which will be the fourth congress of the World Association of Christians in Communication (WACC), holds October 6-10, 2008 and has the theme, “Communication is Peace: Building Viable Communities.”

The congress, according to its organisers, will focus on the role of communicators in conflict situations and offers participants the opportunity to learn more about how they can contribute to creating conditions which lead to sustainable peace in their communities.
WACC states among its objectives, the promotion of communication for social change. It posits “that communication is a basic human right that defines people’s common humanity, strengthens cultures, enables participation, creates community and challenges tyranny and oppression.” The association states on its website that its “key concerns, are media diversity, equal and affordable access to communication and knowledge, media and gender justice, and the relationship between communication and power”. It listed “advocacy, education, training, and the creation and sharing of knowledge” as among its means of pursuing these objectives. WACC partners worldwide “with faith-based and secular partners at grassroots, regional and global levels, giving preference to the needs of the poor, marginalised and dispossessed.” Being WACC, it emphasises “means ‘taking sides’”.
Preparatory to the congress at which Mr Lekan Otufodunrin, Editor, Sunday Nation, would be one of Africa’s delegates, Journalists for Christ (JFC) which he also coordinates held a pre-Congress seminar on Saturday, September 20, 2008. The seminar had its theme as “Journalists as Peacemakers” and saw yours sincerely as one of the speakers. And that is where today’s piece developed from.

Before, I continue, however, I wish to place on record my very sincere appreciation to Lekan and the rest of his team at Journalists for Christ, not just for the opportunity to speak at the seminar, but the clever packaging of my presence at that gathering as a kind of 60th birthday gift! It was touching to listen to so many professional colleagues sing the “birthday song” in my honour. Thanks a million, gentlemen.

Now, I found the topic of journalists as peacemaker a bit ironic at that particular point in time. I rather thought, journalists as peace-receivers, as professionals needing a peaceful atmosphere to operate, would have been more current, against the background of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s recent invasion of Channels Television on account of a certain report it found unpalatable. I did say that I disagreed with the indecent haste with which Channels went to town with an unconfirmed story, but I pointed out that unless the Gestapo tactics of the government was firmly and legally resisted, this may well be the beginning of fang-bearing by the rule-of-law touting administration.

I could not stay away from the theme, however, and so had to contend with the subject of the peace making journalist. Strictly in context, one noted that a genre of journalism, known as peace journalism was already being developed. Revolving around a book of the same title written and published in 2005 by Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick, this genre will probably develop into a full fledged branch of Advocacy Journalism in no distant time. And why not, we asked. If many acclaimed journalists made their names as War Correspondents and, peace is sometimes seen as the absence of war, there is no earthly reason why we cannot soon be having peace correspondents in our media houses! Don’t laugh, although my audience did, particularly when I publicly applied to be considered for such an opening.

But, I wasn’t led to discuss the role of the journalist in making peace in such troubled zones of the world as Iraq or Afghanistan or even Darfur. My thesis was that the journalist, particularly, Christian journalists, who constituted my audience, had no business being anything but peace journalists!

And I began like this. To be a Christian anything, lawyer, medical practitioner, anything at all, is to be that thing in a Christ-like manner. In other words, A Christian journalist is supposed to practise journalism in a Christ-like manner. In this context, the most important attribute of the Lord Jesus can be gleaned from the prophesy about him in the book of Isaiah Chapter 9. It reads in verses 6-7 like this: “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this”.

These verses of scripture say Jesus symbolizes peace, a peace that will endure forever. So, for a journalist to be Christ-like, he or she has to stand for peace; that is he/she has to be a peacemaker. And, so enamoured of peace and peacemaking was Jesus that he declared: “Blessed are the peacemakers! For, they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

The questions that followed were, what is peace; what is the peacemaking process practiced or endorsed by the Lord Jesus; how might a journalist go about being a Christ-like peacemaker? We turned to the scriptures for guidance. Declaring has become recognized as his manifesto; Jesus opened to the book of Isaiah and read to a Sabbath day audience in one of the synagogues like this: "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).

Standing out from this manifesto is freedom: free the captives; set at liberty those ensnared, proclaim jubilee. In other words, freedom is a major tool of the prince of peace. This is because at the root of most wars is deprivation of one kind of freedom or the other. There is no doubt that Jesus took the subject of freedom seriously, such that you could liken him to a freedom fighter! But this was not your ‘all is fair in war’ kind of fighter. He wasn’t a guerilla hiding in the shadows to snipe at the unwary foe. This was a fighter who proclaimed and displayed his weapon for all to see. In the book of John chapter 8, verse 32, he presented his freedom fighting weapon in these words: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.

Flowing from all of these, we posited that propagating the truth is a critical assignment of the journalist, if he is to enhance freedom, which is a non-negotiable condition for peace.

Of course, we noted that the question would be asked, what is truth? After all didn’t Pilate ask the same question of the Lord? As it was then, so it is today. The truth is under attack; it is subjected to the concept of relativity, such that there are shades of truth! But it doesn’t matter how much verbiage and philosophies we try to bury the truth under, the truth is the truth. Jesus defined it like this in one of his parting prayers for his disciples and the rest of us: “Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth. (John 17:17). Put simply, the only truth there is, is the word of God. So, if anything runs counter to the word of God, it is untrue. If it is untrue, it is incapable of bringing freedom; if it cannot set free, it cannot bring enduring peace. So, the Christian journalist desirous of being a peacemaker must not propagate it.

In closing we drew attention to the situation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta where violence has been raging. The truth out there is clear: the resources of the people have been seized; being used to develop other parts f the country. And they are living in dehumanizing conditions. The truth is that under a just federal system, they should have the first call on the resources located on their soil. So what is the journalist- peacemaker’s role in the Niger Delta? Propagate this truth in season and out of season. Anything short of the truth may bring tenuous peace, the type in Kenya and the type being cobbled together in Zimbabwe, but not enduring peace. Only the Prince of peace’s methods can bring enduring peace and that method is one of truth.