PRESENTING…THE TELEIOS MAN

"The book published in the United States is set for release across the West coast of Africa in May. It will, in fact, be formally presented during the Kingdom Global Ministries African convention slated for Port Harcourt." 

You are forgiven if your reaction to the headline is: “The Teleios Man; what’s that?” So, let’s start this way. Teleios is a Greek word and it means “finished”. No, not finished as in ended etc. It is finished as in “finishing” school. You know, as in perfect, complete, the ultimate. It’s the same word that the Lord Jesus used on the cross when he proclaimed, “it is finished!”

The Teleios Man is therefore, the perfect man, the man of excellence and it is the title of a book for men who cherish Christlikeness. It is the title of a book by Larry Titus, pastor of Kingdom Global Ministries and quintessential minister to men and mentor directly to hundreds of men across the globe and thousands of others indirectly.

The book published in the United States is set for release across the West coast of Africa in May. It will, in fact, be formally presented during the Kingdom Global Ministries African convention slated for Port Harcourt. 

The West African edition is being published by KP Books  (www.kpbooksnigeria.com), an outfit of KINGDOMPeople where yours sincerely is a steward. I have read many books written to men and many of them are so good you’ll wonder what anyone else can add; until you read this! 

Put simply,  The Teleios Man is the most comprehensive single-volume to men available.

With foreword by no less a veteran as Pastor Jack Hayford, former International President of Foursquare Church Worldwide, Chancellor of The King’s University and Seminary and Founding Pastor, The Church On the Way, the book has received ringing endorsement across all denominational boundaries in the Church.

Dr Hayford’s had this to say about Teleios Man:

“It’s been twenty years since I heard one of my favorite quotes. Its appeal to me is the way it cuts to the core—being more than just clever, it’s Christ-like: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing!”

“I hope it doesn’t offend anyone that it isn’t a quote from the Bible, especially since I said I see it as very much “like” Jesus. But I’ll stand by it, because what Jesus modeled in the way he spent his time indicates “the main thing” as he saw it. Jesus’s ministry spent more time on “discipling men” than anything else.

“That’s what this book is about—discipleship. It’s about shaping, growing, mentoring, teaching, nurturing guys in ways that they become very real though not “very religious.” It’s about precisely the same thing Jesus did in laying the groundwork for establishing his church.

·         Yes, he died to provide salvation for humankind and birthed the possibility for his church.

·         Yes, he rose from the dead, and in verifying his cross did achieve #1; he gave the church a life-giving message.

·         Yes, he sent his Spirit, pouring out “power from on high” to enable the church—his people—to effectively “go into all the world” with his works as well as his Word (Luke 24:49, Mark 16:15).

“But Jesus focused on discipling men. There’s no reason to apologize for that as though he was or is indifferent to women. His ministry not only elevated the place of women in his day, but also timelessly opened doors of purpose and ministry for women, overthrowing ancient traditions of male chauvinism. But nonetheless, his first priority was discipling men. He invested an incredible amount of time enabling a group of men to find their way past the habits, syndromes, preoccupations, and patterns that tend to trap guys.

“This is the pattern the living church has employed from that day to this, and where leaders “get” this, they always welcome resources that help cultivate effective ministry to men. That’s why I’m so happy to intro­duce this book by Larry Titus.

“Larry has a plan for “springing the traps,” and I’ve seen the evidence of what happens when men open to the kind of “male liberation” his resources provide. Whether as a writer, as a pastor, as a teacher, as a one-to-one mentor, as a small-group or large-crowd speaker, as a counselor, or as an apostolic missionary to nations, Larry effectively communicates with and helps men become what real discipleship in Christ can make them.

This handbook may be his best condensation of those principles—a dynamic handbook you can use, sir—as a leader with others, as a buddy teaming with another to move forward in Christ together, or simply as a discipling plan to get started on your own.

“So make “the main thing the main thing.” Get into discipling men — beginning with the man God can bring you to be yourself. This book will help you use The Book to get there: It’s ‘the right stuff.’”

I particularly like Dr Hayford’s concluding declaration in the Foreword: “The Teleios Man is for God and for guys, because when husbands grow, wives win; and as men grow, women are freed.”  

May I add: our nation needs men, men, like Joseph, prime minister of ancient Egypt; this book will be of immense help in raising real men. I consider it a privilege to be used of God to bring it to our shores. Get ready.

AFROGUARD...OF WHOM THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY...

Tunde Agbabiaka...a  day
 before  he slipped into a coma.

"In later life, he embraced Christianity and was a kind of associate member of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria, which I coordinate. In our various informal Bible studies, Tunde would return again and again to the theme of Christ’s meekness and humility. He would wonder how many of our leaders, church leaders not exempted, would tolerate their followers talk to them the way Jesus’ disciples did on at least two recorded occasions..."

I have been doing my very best to celebrate rather than mourn the sudden departure of one of the best friends any one can have, Tunde Agbabiaka, who passed on in the early hours of Monday December 17 last year. Yet, the plain truth is that I sorely miss him. He was one of my closest collaborators in the current phase of life.

...HIS Remains...going...

His voice still rings in my ears as he spoke down the scratchy line of the Airtel network on Wednesday, December 12. To my “hello Tunde”, I still can hear him say: “Remington! Are you out of the woods yet?” And when I answered, “not quite” and told him what part of an on-going KINGDOMPeople project was still being expected from him , he was quick to reply, ‘I’ll see you on Friday.”

He never did, and never will! Instead, I got a “call to prayer” from a mutual friend in the UK. Tunde, he was told, had slipped into a coma and even as efforts were afoot to get him to the hospital, I was requested to join in praying for his recovery.

Now, it is when it happens close to home, as in this case, that the state of affairs in our nation hits you beyond the momentary shock you get from reading newspaper reports. Arrangements were made to transport Tunde to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital at Idi-Araba not too far from his Falolu Road, Surulere residence. But, lo and behold, LUTH doctors were “on strike!” His minders were advised to head for the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital LASUTH in Ikeja. For those who know anything about the gridlock of December traffic in Lagos, that was like a death sentence!

...Going...

Head for Ikeja the party did. The siren of an ambulance notwithstanding the journey to Ikeja took quite a while. As they were making their way towards the hospital some family members and friends were not just praying, they were working the phones to see who knows who that can facilitate speedy attention to him, at what was now anticipated to be an overstretched facility. No dice! The one name that came up belonged to a soft-spoken doctor who was on vacation far away from base!

As was expected LASUTH was already a bedlam of sorts and patients were being directed to the Federal Medical Centre at Apapa Road, Ebute Metta. It took another hour or so to get Tunde to what was to be his last place abode on terra firma. Some 60 hours later, he passed on. He was buried two days ago.

I met Tunde in 1973 at the Times Journalism Institute (then Times Newspaper Training Centre). Although he was born into Islam, he was then an adherent of the Baha’i faith. He was always in search of man’s deeper essence and spirituality, a subject about which most of us, his colleagues were at best lukewarm. At our very best, most of us were humanists and anchored our journalism on its shifting ethics. Tunde operated at a different, deeper level. So while most of us were as concerned about the essence of governance vis-à-vis the human condition and the ends of justice and equity, as Tunde was, he seemed propelled by a higher force.

gone...going night, Afroguard

In later life, he embraced Christianity and was a kind of associate member of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria, which I coordinate. In our various informal Bible studies, Tunde would return again and again to the theme of Christ’s meekness and humility. He would wonder how many of our leaders, church leaders not exempted, would tolerate their followers talk to them the way Jesus’ disciples did on at least two recorded occasions. One was at the scene of the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, where Jesus asked the question, “who touched me?” The disciples’ retort was akin to: Haba, master, in this crowd? (see Luke 8:45). The other was at the calming of the storm.  

The other was at the calming of the storm in Mark 4. The sharp rebuke by his disciples: “Master, carest thou not that we perish? (verse 38) Tunde would contend would have earned the speaker a suspension or sack from work from many of today’s leaders.

It is a tribute to the “nothing by half” lifestyle of the man that he was at a deliverance service at the Cornelius House Christian Centre the day before he went into a coma. He was also deeply committed to the vision of publishing for the Kingdom of God, which found outlet in KINGDOMPeople magazine of which he was not just a Contributing Editor but a great source of encouragement.

All of that is in the past now. I must accept your departure as a reality! I must accept that this is not a nightmare from which I would wake up. I must live with the fact that you have translated to the other side of the divide, with all those lofty visions and missions interred with your bones.

That someone with your pedigree; someone with your nobility of heart, and acuity of mind; one irreversibly committed to not join the multitude to do evil and who did not let pass any opportunity to fight against it as often as was possible…that you could slip into anonymity and simply fizzle out, like the coma from which you never recovered, speak volumes about the depth of our socio-economic and moral abyss.

 As I reflect upon your activities, especially in the last five years, a Biblical passage in the book of Hebrews kept coming strongly to my mind. It’s from the chapter widely accepted as the Faith Hall of Fame or, if you like, the Gallery of Faith Heroes. It reads thus:

 “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:36-38; emphasise added). 

Nigeria is not worthy of you, Tunde. Rest now, Afroguard. Rest, my friend, my brother, my collaborator, my associate, my chief cheer-leader; till we meet again.

CELEBRATING KOLADE @ EIGHTY

 "I am personally grateful to God for granting me the privilege of interacting relatively closely with Dr Kolade in the recent past. My prayer and I know it’s that of so many others, is that his godly deposits in me, such as they are, through his words and actions will continue to bear fruits in my life; the selfsame fruits that have stood him  out as an exemplary leader"

Yesterday, Dr Christopher Agbolade Kolade, a Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) turned eighty. Appropriately, a birthday seminar held in honour of the cerebral, technocrat, boardroom icon, man of integrity and an exemplary witness of Christ. Professor (Pastor) Yemi Osinbajo, a former Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice spoke on the topic, “Teach Us To Number Our Days – A Legacy of Accountability” at the strictly by invitation event. Venue was Freedom Park on Lagos Island.

Yes indeed, his is a legacy of accountability. His character, his integrity, as I have had occasion to say before, is one of the very few consensuses among us Nigerians. That is a feat, given the paucity of trust in our land caused by the almost hourly incidences of betrayal of trust by leaders who turned out to be clay-footed giants.

I join members of his nuclear family, the Managing Business For Christ (MBFC) and his many other families to wish this man of God all the joy that his heart can carry, continued peace and rest in God and continued excellent health, physical and spiritual as he begins the last third of the Biblically promised minimum of 120 years on this side – if the Lord tarries.

I am personally grateful to God for granting me the privilege of interacting relatively closely with Dr Kolade in the recent past. My prayer and I know it’s that of so many others, is that his godly deposits in me, such as they are, through his words and actions will continue to bear fruits in my life; the selfsame fruits that have stood him  out as an exemplary leader.

Incidentally, one of the things I have learnt from this great man of God is his total and complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. That is what all Christians ought to do, but because we’ve had year and years of self-dependence through secular education, we not only fail to do it; we virtually deny that it is possible. To those of that school of thought, here are a few examples from the book, “He Made The Difference, The Dynamic Story of Ambassador Christopher Kolade in Britain” written by Pamela Chinekwe and published in Nigeria by KP Books.

Why he allowed the book to be written

“I walked into the large office and the first thing that struck me was how a room can tell so much about the person who inhabits it. The simple, neat and elegant furnishing carefully devoid of any frills, stated a lot about my host.

“‘Welcome Pamela, what do you have to show me?’…I dug into my folder and came up with it. Taking a deep breath, I placed it in his hands, and then waited in anticipation. He looked at the contents of the folder I had given him.  As he glanced up at me, my heart lurched wickedly in my chest. What is he going to say? His face had this look of total disbelief. He said nothing for a moment. The quiet humming of the computer on his desk sounded louder than my grandma’s old clock in my tense mind. I wanted this so much... He finally spoke, ‘I do not think I should be allowing this. Everything I have done here has been my job, nothing out of the ordinary. ‘

“‘No, it is not.’  I looked around for where that had come from and saw no one. Somehow, I had opened my mouth to speak my thought out loud!

“‘I beg your pardon?’  he asked. I am sure he could not imagine he had heard right as well.

“I cleared my throat, took a gasp of air and blurted with all the passion I could muster, ‘Sir, if I may say so, you did your job. But your job is a job no one was ready to do. You did something no one had dared to, until now. This is not something we should just brush under the carpet, but something that must be documented so that others can learn from your experiences and techniques. I have carried out my research, all I need is your approval to publish the truth, and I hope you will let me…’ I waited for him to say something and finally after two minutes he looked at me again and said, ‘Go ahead and do it, let me know if you need anything from me.’ My jaw actually dropped wide open. No words could come out of my mouth.

“He continued by way of explaining his change of mind, saying, ‘I asked the Holy Spirit what to tell you and He said to me, if she says she wants to do this, let her. Although I would never have approved this ordinarily, you can go ahead. Only stick to the facts.’”

Why he accepted the job as High Commissioner to Britain

“When I asked him what had been running through his mind during this period (when he was appointed), the High Commissioner answered, ‘Well, I told myself that if there are truly problems of this magnitude happening in our High Commission, someone had to try to solve it. If the Lord has called us to go there, we might as well obey.’”

Dichotomy between his work and his faith?

“…I asked him how he managed to balance his faith and life as a man of God with his secular job as a High Commissioner. He gave me that smile that I had now gotten quite accustomed to and he replied and said, ‘My starting position is that there is nothing that I am involved in that God didn’t lead me into. I took up this role as High Commissioner because God indicated to me that he wanted me to take it… He would give me an assignment or permit me to take it because He knows that I will do my best to be faithful to him. In my day to day decision making, my day opens with the conviction that whatever opportunities come to me that day must be used to serve God. I must not assume that there are certain times of the day that I work for myself or I am working for someone else because God is interested in everything I do; He can give me an opportunity to serve Him through anything.’”

Happy Birthday sir.

PS: I seize this opportunity to say Happy Birthday tom y wife,  my Treasure, whose day it is today. LOVE YOU LOADS.

THIS PHILIPPINES-BASED NIGERIAN MISSIONARY NEEDS HELP

Kanayo Uchime on the mission field
in the Philippines

Kanayo Success Uchime is a Philippines-based Nigerian missionary. He keeps in constant touch with his Nigerian ministry friends associates and partners on a regular bases through on-line despatches giving updates on his (and his team’s) kingdom activities. His last mission report came in on December 1. I confess that I was yet to read when I received an email from him on Monday. It was a distress call and I am publishing it virtually in full, in the hope that somebody out there may be led to join us to lend a helping hand. Here goes:

“I just felt I’ll let you know this, although I never intended to go so personal but am compelled due to circumstances. Am sure you must have heard about the last typhoon Pablo that devastated parts of the Philippines on Tuesday?

“I and my family are seriously affected by it. Our home was shattered as the roof went off with branches of mango tree in our compound falling on our apartment and the heavy rain that followed helped in destroying all our items. In fact as am writing now we’re all in a make-shift house in a church compound without any hope of where to go next. All our household items were destroyed, in fact we could recover only but a few items from our house, even all our clothing were destroyed by the rain/flood.

“That’s why am sending this distress message to all our friends, in case anyone can offer any level of help to us in order to get rehabilitated. Since last Tuesday, no light, water and communication as everything is grounded in the whole city and environ as a result of the devastating effect of the typhoon. It’s really too bad and critical to say the least. But the good thing is that God enabled us to escape before the havoc started all is testimony today!

“Actually I’ve to travel over 250 kilos away from our home today Saturday to be able to send out this message to a few friends and relations. So please at whatever level you can help us or get other people to assist us, we’ll appreciate it. Our kids are not finding it easy at all as they may not be resuming school by Monday as we don’t have any house yet to stay.

“In case you or anyone wants to support, our Nigeria Naira account is available...

“Thanks so much and please and please remember us also in your prayer and encourage others around you to pray for us, as that’s the only solution now to all our predicaments”.  

For the avoidance of any doubts, this is not an on-line scam as a few people, as a few people I forwarded the mail to earlier thought. The Uchimes are real. KINGDOMPeople, the magazine I have the privilege of stewarding, featured the mission he runs with his wife Ngozi in our “Fertile Soil” column last year. And we were at the thanksgiving service held earlier this year when he came home briefly. That service held at the House of Prayer in Ogba, Lagos and had in attendance, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Chairman, Pfizer Plc, Pastor Wole Oladiyun of Christ Livingspring Apostolic Ministry (CLAM) and Lekan Otufodunrin, Coordinator, Journalists For Christ, among many other people of character.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the KINGDOMPeople piece on him, headlined, “Come Over to the Philippines and Help Us”:

The Ministry
God’s Presence Fellowship, as it’s named, is a ministry under their registered mission agency, Kingdom Missions Outreach International Inc, which is registered with the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the Philippines.

Why the Philippines?
According to Uchime, they decided to be involved in this pioneering work in the Philippines because they believe that the nation has not got enough churches to match the growing population rate. He is therefore grateful to God for the opportunity to contribute to the work being done by a handful of indigenous and foreign outfits to complement what is already on ground.

Explaining his choice of the Philippines for his mission field, Uchime, who has spent most of his ministerial life as a missionary, stressed: “Philippines, a country located in the Southeast Asia, like most other nations in Asia is still a harvest field. Mind you the country is located among the 10/40 Window nations, identified by missionaries as the needy countries in the world”.These, he said, are the parts of the world truly in need of missions and missionaries…  

Church Planting
With God’s Presence Fellowship, which started off as a Sunday evening affair, and under the unction of the Holy Spirit, commenced morning services by first week of January this year, Uchime has added church planting to his portfolio of kingdom activities. This, he said, is challenging…” The challenges notwithstanding, Uchime remains optimistic, stating that it takes a lot of patience and courage to plant and grow a church there, “but as for taking root, the church is doing that already and it is budding and one day it must grow. We must be able to surmount that challenge by God’s special grace”.

Funding Required
It takes a lot of patience. We’ve started teaching the people the principles of seed sowing and it’s making a whole lot of sense to them. But that does not mean we still do not need money for the pioneer work, more so when you’re ministering to a peculiar people like ours – the Badjao tribal people, noted as the poorest of the poor in the Philippines”.

He admitted that in spite of all they have done to increase the support level for the church, it has remained very low. But he is hopeful that one day the Lord will answer their prayers. “This is the reason why we’re making this clarion call to all well-meaning Christian donors to come to our rescue. Our major predicament here is that the nationals are always looking up to us for money. Being foreigners, they believe that every foreigner has money, irrespective of where he/she comes from. They always assume we’re black Americans and as such came with thousands of dollars...” Back then, the plea was strictly for mission’s aid; now family survival is added! Won’t you please help?  Check them online at www.kmointer.webs.com or for more information, please call me on 0805 252 0369. Thank you.

SEE WHO’S COMING TO CAMPMEETING 2012! (2)

Campmeeting 2012, this year’s edition of the convention of Christ Chapel International Churches takes off in Lagos, Abuja, Calabar, Ibadan and Port Harcourt on Wednesday.  It will end next Sunday. With the theme ‘Fulfilling Destiny’, it promises to be life-changing as the Word of Faith takes centre stage for five days, with signs, wonders and miracles following in an unprecedented manner throughout.

To make this happen, God has drawn to the meeting a company of pulpit princes drawn from the host nation, Nigeria, the United States of America and South Africa, to join chief hosts, Rev Dr Tunde & Rev Mrs Victoria Joda to speak the heart of God into the lives of the people.

Among the new ones as we saw last week were Rev Dr Ronald Merthie and his wife Patricia and Rev Mrs Germaine Wright. Here are a few more – to whet your appetite the sumptuous meal the Lord has prepared for us all.

Bishop John Adebayo Alagbala Osa-Oni is the Presiding minister of Vineyard Church International Incorporated. He is well respected for his commitment at preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus, which he had preached at every part of the country.

Bishop Osa-Oni is one of the spiritual sons of the late father of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, Archbishop Benson Idahosa, founder of Church of God Mission. He is also an alumnus of Christ Chapel International Churches (CCIC) and a teacher of the word whose teaching ministry has brought hope to the hopeless, salvation to the lost and healing to the sick.

Bishop Osa-Oni, a trained accountant was a part-time minister of God until 1986, when he surrendered all to become a full-time pastor in CCIC under Rev. Dr. Tunde Joda. He preaches the good news of hope and faith in Jesus Christ with signs and wonder following.

Osa-Oni shepherds a Bible believing church with headquarters at Osolo Way in Lagos. The ministry has branches in different parts of the country with God-fearing members who rely on God’s Word. He is married to Enitan, a former Chief Accountant with John Holt Plc.

Another great Nigerian minister, one of our nation’s gifts to the world in general is Apostle Sunny Aiyemo, a man of God whose apostolic calling has touched many lives. He operates in the office of an apostle. Apostle Aiyemo started working for God quiet early in life, serving in different departments of the church he attended with his parents as a child.

The church later ordained him as an evangelist. And after his education, he proceeded to the church’s Bible School in Lagos under the leadership of his mentor and senior pastor of the church.

In 1997, he alongside his wife Bukky obeyed God’s calling to begin Jubilee For All Nation Ministries and later founded Jubilee Life Christian Church in Lagos. The ministry is a non-denominational ministry that carter for the spiritual needs of the people while the church is not interested in church planting but building unity across religious and denominational divides as well as proclaiming JUBILEE to both believers and unsaved.

Apostle Aiyemo was ordained Prophet by an international ministry in Ghana, Word Miracle Church International. He is passionate about preaching the saving grace and tender loving of Jesus Christ to both believers and those without. He is anointed to proclaim liberty in the name of Jesus in all nations of the earth and his ministry has recorded lots of mind-blowing testimonies of signs and wonders following. His ministry has brought salvation to hundreds of lost souls. He is well respected and sought after speaker in many crusades and conferences within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

He runs a television programme “All Things Are Possible” which is beamed to millions of homes. He is a prolific writer and has published many books on different topics.

Apostle Aiyemo is leading a Spirit-filled church where Jesus is the centre, discipling of people to preach the gospel to believers and non-believers, alike is the focus and building unity across religious and denomination divides is a major pursuit.  He and his wife Pastor Bukky have five beautiful children.

Also billed to arrive in Nigeria for Campmeeting 2012 in a matter of hours is Eddie Tucker, a Psalmist with an impressive resume. At 19, he left his hometown in Petersburg, Virginia, US to serve as a Minister of Music at Bethel Apostolic Church during which he wrote his song “Worthy of All the Praise”. The song endeared and paved way for him to work with the likes of Keith Staten of Commission, Cedric Ford, Michael Speaks, MC Hammer and Common Unity, Douglas Miller, R. Kelly among other notable artists.

Since then, his fame has continued to rise, as he was to later become the Musical Director for the hit stage production “Rise”, written by Christopher Play Martin and Cheryl Salt Wray of Salt and Pepa fame.

In 2004, Eddie also surprised many when he showed his passion also for Television Outreach. That year, he became the pioneer Musical Director for Emmy Award winning Christian Reality TV Show “Inspiration Sensation, where he tirelessly led aspiring artists and musicians through over 100 songs in the course of the 10-week live TV show. He returned for the next two seasons as both an audition judge and Musical Director.

As a philanthropist, this 2006 nominee of Emmy Award for Best Composer and Musical Director has through his non-profit organization, Joshua Project, trained and still training underprivileged children all they need to know to succeed in music industry. He partnered Dan Willis, the creator of “Inspiration Sensation” to start an independent record label, Asone Sound Music Group.

In 2005, Eddie released his R & B debut eight-tracker album titled Day and Night, a masterpiece that rock airwaves all over the world. The album speaks from Christian perspective (Day) and night perspective – people that are yet to come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Space does not permit me to tell you about some others who are going to be the Lord’s tool to bless the people in all six centres of the convention. But I assure you that none of them come behind any others in the giftings of God in which they are sure to move. See you there. 

SEE WHO’S COMING TO CAMPMEETING 2012!

October heralds two major anniversaries in my world – the national independence anniversary, and the annual convention of the church where I get my spiritual nurture, Christ Chapel International Churches.

With so much already said and written about Nigeria at 52, all I can add is a little prayer: may the tiny population of the righteous among us increase in unprecedented quantum so that righteousness may exalt Nigeria, in the mighty name of Jesus.

On our annual convention, the 25^th this year, I have a lot more to tell you. I have tons and tons of information to download, but of course, there is always the tyranny of space. So, I have chosen to simply focus on what you a kind of who’s who at Campmeeting 2012, which opens Wednesday October 17 at the Gymnasium Hall, National Stadium Complex in the Surulere area of Lagos mainland and in Abuja, Calabar, Ibadan and Port Harcourt. It ends on Sunday October 22.

Among the guest ministers drawn from home and three other nations of the world are Rev Dr Ronald & Rev Mrs Patricia Merthie. Campmeeting debutants, though they are, Pastor Ronald was guest of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria three years ago, when at the invitation of network president Rev Dr Tunde Joda, he ministered at Men’s Summit 2009.

He is the founder and Senior Pastor of New Life Word Centre, Texas. He was a teacher and basketball coach when he got born again on February 14, 1975 in Houston, Texas.  He made Jesus Christ his and master after years of involvement with drugs and wayward living. He had begun his professional teaching career two year earlier, right after receiving a Bachelor’ degree from Southern University in the same city.  

The same year, he received the Call to the Ministry, but did not begin until he received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit under the tutelage of Kenneth E. Hagin, Sr. in 1978. Under the influence of Dr. Hagin, he was introduced to Kenneth Copeland, John Osteen and Dr. Frederick K.C. Price who had a great impact on his spiritual and ministerial growth. Under the mentorship of Apostle Frederick K.C. Price, Dr Merthie was ordained and became a member of the Fellowship of International Word of Faith Ministries (FICWFM).  He has been a member since 1991 and presently serves as an FICWFM Area Director.

In 1976, Dr. Merthie married his childhood sweetheart Ruth Lawson and two years later began a Home Bible Study that was to become New Life Word Center Church in 1983. The two of them traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally, establishing churches and conducting crusades and seminars with the power of the Word of God.

Dr. Merthie ministers the Word of God throughout Central Florida on The Lifestyle of Faith program, which is broadcast weekly on WACX.  In 1995, Pastor Merthie founded New Life Christian Academy, which serves students from K-12.  He supports local Pastors, serves on many community boards and is very active in City and County government. In 2008, Pastor and Mrs Merthie received their doctorate degrees from Friends International in Merced, California.

But in 2009, Dr. Ruth Merthie unexpectedly went to be with the Lord after a very happy marriage for 33 years. This left a huge void in the Merthie family and the New Life Word Center's Church family.  They were blessed to have four wonderful children and four grandchildren. 

In 2011, the Lord prepared an awesome woman of God who was more than competent to bring healing to Dr. Merthie, his family and the New Life Word Center's Church family.  He met and married Mrs. Patricia Mozee of Kansas City, Missouri, on September 3, 2011, who also experienced the death of her husband after being married for 33 years.  Mrs. Mozee was a long-time member and leader at Harvest Church of Kansas City under the leadership of Dr. Merthie's close friends Drs. Steve and Donna Houpe. 

Together, Dr. and Lady Merthie are continuing the work God has called him to ... "Building Families One Man at a Time."  A strong anointing rests upon Lady Merthie to minister to women and build strong team support in the Helps Ministry. Lady Merthie also brings an uplifting, fresh and innovative presence to the New Life family. Together, the Merthies remain committed to their assignment to take the Gospel world-wide and to empower men and women to Love God and Bless Their Children.

Another first-timer at Campmeeting is Pastor Mrs Germaine Wright. She is a co-founder and Pastor of Covenant Love Christian Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas which she began with her husband Nicholas. She is an experienced youth minister, teacher, conference speaker and intercessor.

Germaine began her service in the Lord’s vineyard as early as 1977, working with a number of youth ministries in the News York/New Jersey area of United States of America (USA). Apart from ministering to the youth, she had also served in various ministries as an intercessor, speaker and teacher.

In 1981, she alongside her husband moved from New York to Fort Worth, Texas and served as Secretary and intercessor in the Prayer Department of Kenneth Copeland Ministries. She also assisted the ministry of her husband’s associate pastor, Pastor Douglas Dye in Mansfield, Texas.

Six years after, Pastor Germaine and her husband Nicholas left for Nanuet, New York and served as Youth/Intercessory Prayer Directors in Pastors Clinton and Sarah Utterbach’s Redeeming Love Christian Centre. In June 1988, the Wrights returned to Texas to continue their service in Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

The following month, the couple obeyed the voice of God and began Covenant Love Christian Centre began in their sitting room in Fort Worth, Texas. The couple did not begin full-time pastorate immediately until January 1995.

 Pastor Germaine’s teachings inspire, empower, minister deliverance and healing. She teaches believers to recognize the authority they have in Jesus and how to apply it to live victorious in their daily lives. She and husband Pastor Nicholas have been married since 1978 and have three wonderful children. (CONTINUED NEXT WEEK)

LIVEPRAYER’S BILL KELLER NEEDS YOUR HELP!

 “I am at a crossroads. God has always taken care of us over these 13 years. Without any support, I have to begin thinking that God is shutting the door, I have been wrong all along in simply telling the truth while those who compromise, sell false hope, were correct. I REFUSE to believe selling out is the answer!!! In our greatest need, those who believe in the truth have rallied to keep us moving forward. NOW IS THE TIME!!! Without your help, Liveprayer will become dark!

We were rounding off editorial work on another edition of KINGDOMPeople when it dawned on me that one of my favourite columns, FERTILE SOIL was being left out. So, I decided to quickly put together a piece on Bill Keller, the internet evangelist whose Liveprayer website has and continues to bless hundreds of thousands of people all over the world.

As was my wont, I decided to check the site to update my file on his ministry. As has become inevitable for a while now, Bill was calling upon beneficiaries of his work to come to his aid as bills for the previous months were outstanding and needs to be paid urgently. It is precisely for that reason that I thought to use the pages of KINGDOMPeople to join the campaign for ensuring adequate funding for what is clearly a unique fearless and fiercely uncompromisingly biblical ministry.

As I read the posting for Thursday, I saw the urgency of the needs and concluded that our “Fertile Soil” may be too little, too late. So, with my current, temporary “silver and gold have I none” situation, I thought to use this medium to join Bill’s save our souls campaign.

I am yielding the rest of this space to him in a random selection of excerpt from that posting titled: “WILL YOU HELP ME??? LIVEPRAYER DEPENDS UPON YOUR HELP!”

Bill Keller wrote as follows: “Praise God! We have finally covered the final amount of our August shortfall and now must work hard over the next 2 days to take care of our $40,000 September operations. $25,000 of that is weeks past due. I am praying for 5 friends of Liveprayer who can immediately send a special one-time gift of $5,000 to cover that amount, and if everyone else will send what you are able to send, in the next 2 days we can end this month with all of our obligations taken care of. Please take a moment today and pray about what the Lord is calling you to do to help me insure over the next 4 days our ENTIRE September budget is taken care of. GOD IS ABLE!!!

“TO GIVE A GIFT TO LIVEPRAYER, you can use your major credit card on our secure server at: www.liveprayer.com under the "Donation" link, you can give using your PayPal account using my email address: bkeller@liveprayer.com,or you can mail your gift to: Liveprayer, 6660 46th Ave. North, St.Petersburg, FL 33709. All gifts to Liveprayer are 100% tax deductible”.

If he stopped there, perhaps I wouldn’t be writing this, but he went on this way: “I am at a crossroads. God has always taken care of us over these 13 years. Without any support, I have to begin thinking that God is shutting the door, I have been wrong all along in simply telling the truth while those who compromise, sell false hope, were correct. I REFUSE to believe selling out is the answer!!! In our greatest need, those who believe in the truth have rallied to keep us moving forward. NOW IS THE TIME!!! Without your help, Liveprayer will become dark! We have to bring in at least $25,000 in the next day just to continue!!!! This is no longer about me, it about YOU and what will YOU do to preserve one of the only places people can come to hear the TRUTH!!!

“For those who have given, forgive me, since if we don't bring in the minimal amount we need to continue, we will have to close down!!!

In 2007, I wrote a Devotional stating that 2008 would be a monumental year, a year of great change. It was. We saw the financial crisis that has impacted tens of millions of people in this nation and hundreds of millions around the world...  

“While over 12,000 churches have shut down, 120,000 non-profit organizations closed their doors, and with the property of nearly 40,000 churches in foreclosure, Liveprayer has continued to press forward despite seeing a 67% drop in donations from 2008 and losing 29 of our core group of 30 people who had the ability in times of financial difficulty to be able to overnight or wire $10,000-$30,000 to help us over a rough edge.

“That is why over the past years I have had to come to you more often than I would like to ask you to pray about supporting His work here. During the first 9 years of Liveprayer, we only had to share our needs 3-4 times a month. With the economic downturn in the nation, we now have to share our needs 11-12 times each month, though it is still less than 3% of the content we produce each month.

“Due to our extreme financial crisis at Liveprayer, I have cut my personal salary from $36,000 to just $12,000 for the past 2 years, and that is only in order to pay the most basic needs to survive each month. I have poured my heart, soul, life, and even blood at times into God's work here the past 12 years to reach the lost and see HIS Truth declared in the marketplace…to be a rare bold, uncompromised voice for Biblical Truth in this lost age.

“As I type these words tonight, I am at the end. Simply sustaining our daily operations is now a daily task. Simply paying for basic personal needs is becoming more difficult. For nearly 20 years, I have literally sacrificed my life, my time, my talent, and my treasure to bring the lost to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and HIS Truth boldly and without compromise into the marketplace, as very few are doing, virtually none at a national level in the secular media

“Don't think for a second I am not of flesh and blood and think about how I could have simply fallen into line like the rest. Gone on Christian TV, brought false hope into people's lives, never talked about sin or the hell that awaits those who reject Jesus, compromise and take the money from cult members, and totally sold out the faith in order to be politically correct and generate tens of millions annually to live like a rock star…”

Dear reader, are you able to help Bill Keller sustain this wonderful ministry? Please do. If not, at least, join me to pray that despondency does not get the better of him. Thank you.