DEEP REFLECTIONS AFTER FESTIVAL OF BAPTISM

 

Pastor Prince Ajoku with baptismal candidate in a pool

By Ekpor Temple

Did ENUC really baptize 10,000 souls? Let us get the record straight.

The centenary year, which many Adventists in the South-South and South-East region of Nigeria had long anticipated, is now in its second month (February). On Sunday, January 22, 2023, during the festival of baptism jointly held with the annual one Day Prayer Conference in Aba, Abia State, visible and unbelievable number of souls were won from the two weeks public evangelism Christened "Almost Home" with over 650 centers across Eastern Nigeria Union Conference (ENUC).

Although many of our preachers delivered erudite and prophetic message with biblical truth with the locals who three three months before the soul reaping campaign were affected by the floods that left more than 25,000 Adventists homeless, destitute and beggars.  The outcome was astounding, as numerous unreached villages welcomed the Adventist message. This extraordinary event culminated in the establishment of numerous companies and branch Sabbath schools of the church.

Pastor Prof. Bassey Udoh, the President of the Eastern Nigeria Conference, confirmed that the prayer conference typically draws a maximum of 20,000 people at the start of the year. However, on that particular day, considerably in excess of 80,000 members had assembled at the secretariat, the venue of the celebration.  "From what we see, we can't determine the number". He said with excitement.

We want to give God 100,000 souls by the end of 2023 for these 100 years, the energetic clergy stated as part of his vision strategy. He can also rely on the support of our clergy and laity.

However, despite these immeasurable accomplishments, there has been much debate regarding the precise number of souls baptized during the festival of baptism, which marks the centennial year.

So, is it true that we dipped over 10,000 souls in water that day, can the record speaks for itself?

 

According to the ENUC Pentecost 2023 coordinator Elder Azukoye Amadi, “It is true that in the beginning, we were expecting about 1,500 souls to be immersed in water judging from our quota and statistics even though we planned for 2,000. But when I heard on the day that two out of the 16 Conferences have reached 3,520 souls, I had no doubt that we can get above 5,000 but not sure about the 10,000 souls announced.

How come we can't get the facts straight, where did we get the statistics wrong, or was it purposefully over hyped, and who should be held accountable?  A-Media PHC gathered that many of our Pastors baptized the candidates in the 34 mobile baptisteries donated by the various fields.

Meanwhile, Pastor Robert Osei-Bonsu, President of the West-Central Africa Division (WAD), who was part of the two weeks exchange of Pulpit evangelism as a guest speaker at Mboshimini, Port Harcourt District in Port Harcourt conference expressed his gratitude to God for the success recorded.

"We thank God for this well-organized day of prayer and fasting, which culminated in a phenomenal mass baptism of over 10,000 souls. The attendance was overwhelming and beyond expectations."

In his exhortation adopted from of John 14:1–3, Pastor Osei-Bonsu encouraged the congregation "May the Lord motivate us for the mission by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are almost home. I can feel it. Let not your heart be troubled. He called the people of God to be ready to go home.

He further commended the leadership of the union for setting the pace in Nigeria: "I would like to commend the leadership of ENUC for their visionary and innovative leadership. It is wonderful in our eyes, and we have every cause to say ‘Thank you’ to God.”

The mass baptism, in Pastor Osei-opinion, Bonsu's strongly signaled to the congregation that everyone must gain a soul by the end of the year. “The response from members is positive, and if we all work together, I think we can reach our goal of 100,000 members by the end of the year. He orated.

It is crucial to note that, along with ENUC, the WAD departmental directors were among the preachers sent to the 650 campaign sites.

Similarly, Pastor Ted Wilson, the president of the General Conference will in November 2023, attend the centennial celebration.

The Eastern Nigeria Union Conference estimates it will baptize at least 90,000 people before the year ends, I have no doubt, but first, have we learnt from the documentation errors noticeable in January?