From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Bishop on the Niger, Anglican Communion, Anambra State, Rt. Rev. (Dr) Owen Chidozie Nwokolo, has inaugurated the Omagba Archdeaconry and installed Venerable Israel Felix Okechukwu Odita as the pioneer Archdeacon.
The new Omagba Archdeaconry was under the Onitsha Archdeaconry before now and had seven parishes. The parishes are St. Marks, St. Barnabas, SS Peter and Paul, St. John the Baptist, St. Mathew, St. Margaret and SS Simon and Jude.
In a well attended service for the inauguration and installation of the new archdeacon, Bishop Nwokolo charged them to take the gospel to the hinterland, as well as try to win more souls for God.
In his sermon entitled: “The Gospel minister, Paul’s example,” Bishop Nwokolo described Apostle Paul as a serious missionary who was determined to take the work of God as business, which made God to arrest him after he persecuted the Christians for many years.
“Paul was determined that the gospel must be preached. He started preaching the gospel in Damascus where he persecuted Christians. So, we must get things done well, we should not look back, God will do a great thing in this archdeaconry just like Paul did in his time. If people sit at the fence the gospel will not move forward but if there are people like Paul, the gospel will be stronger,” he said
While installing the new archdeacon, Bishop Nwokolo said: “We beseech you brethren to know them that labour among you, and we hand you over to the Lord. Be at peace among yourselves. I charge and exhort you, brethren and representatives of the parishes in this archdeaconry, to pray continually for this your archdeacon, who is set over you in the Lord and to help him move forward in all the duties of his holy calling. Bear he one another’s burdens, and so fulfilled the law of Christ.
“We install you, brother into the chair of your archdeaconry. The Lord preserves your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever more, Amen. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit bless thee in thy work and in thy worship now and for evermore.”
In a chat with Oriental News, the bishop said: “I feel excited and encouraged that the work of God is going on not minding challenges and obstacles here and there, the baton has been transferred from one person to another and the rest keep going. The journey still be progressing and the mission of God begins to be accomplished, it gives joy that the work of God is progressing here.
“The charge for the new archdeacon is what the word of God said ‘do the work of an evangelist and fulfill your ministry.’ The Lord has called every one of us to work in the mission and the work of winning soul, the work of enlarging the kingdom. That is what every one of us should do to fulfill his ministry and that is what I encourage the new archdeacon to do to continue this work and God will bless him.
“I am not surprised in his emergence as the new archdeacon because I know that God called him and he is doing the work the Lord has called him to do and he is doing it with zeal, with seriousness, with commitment and with truth, I am not surprised at all because the Lord has been blessing his ministry,” he said.
Chairman, Inauguration Planning Committee, Sir. Azubuike Umunna, thanked Bishop Nwokolo for expanding the church and preaching the gospel to the people.