By Damiete Braide

it was a day of accolades for the founder of Realm of Glory Church, Okota, Lagos, Pastor Abraham Sam Aiyedogbon, as he celebrated his birthday and marked the first anniversary of his Catalyst for Global Peace and Justice Initiative (CPJ). The event had in attendance friends, church members, human rights activists and members from tertiary institutions.

He said the idea to start the foundation was by divine inspiration: “It was like a seed planted in the soil of our hearts, but we did not fully comprehend all the potentials and the magnitude of what was packaged into that seed. As we birthed the vision and inauguration and with the input of the people who are well versed and experienced, when they began to speak, it was as if they were unveiling and packing the potentials that was contained in the seed.

“It is possible for you to carry a treasure without really knowing all that is in it. As the journey progressed, every activity or operation opens another vista in various forms. The further we moved, the clearer the vision became.”

He recalled that CPJ has been revealing, exciting and fulfilling though challenging and demanding: “It is bigger, challenging and demanding than what we thought, but I believe doing the right thing and seeing the relevance of it, is what is making the journey a very exciting one.”

Talking about how the foundation was established: “I was writing a column in one of the newspapers from 1996 to 2009 on religion where I addressed the challenges in the society. Excesses of the Pentecostal churches were part of what led to the formation of the foundation.

“As an individual, when you see a need or a problem and you are passionate about it, you pray, speak and have engagements in your conversations with people and obviously it will make God to birth something in you and that’s how the idea came up.

“There is now a purpose and focus which is not all but me but it translates into impacting the poor and downtrodden in the society. For me, it is a time of reflection that the remaining years on earth, what can I do? It is a time on what we can collectively focus on makes this celebration fulfilling. The less the attention is on me and it is geared towards the goal then it will impact and transform our society, so we will leave the society better than we met it, which is better.”

Guest speaker, Dr Otive Igbuzor, hinted that it is not actually only in Nigeria that is facing challenges but the world is also going through a lot of challenges: “If you look at world history and relate it to church history, you will notice that there are phases. In the first three centuries, the Church practically grew through persecution.

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But the point is that while the Church was improving, the spiritual aspect of it, the role of the church has been the salt and light of the world, which was clearly stated in the scriptures.

“What we are doing in CPJ is a global movement, for Christians especially Pentecostal Christians to return to the terms of the integrated mission for Jesus Christ whose mission was not only spiritual but social and material. And for Christians to take seriously the social dimensions of the church and this is not just a thing that we are doing, it is divine.

“Every period in life, there is a revelation for what is topical within that period. It is not by accident that all these years, there was no speaking in tongues or Holy Ghost baptism until the 20th century.

“The 21st century is the century where the Church returned to its fundamentals. That is what led to the birth of CPJ and today we are celebrating the first anniversary of CPJ.

Chairperson, Transition Monitoring Group, Dr. Abiola Akiyode Afolabi, said the Church should participate in transforming the society: “They have a key role to play. If you look at the population, there are different religions, which make it easier for Christians to have a direct access to communicate with the people.

“The society is passing through a phase and the church can intervene in national orientation, value orientation, and in pushing the society forward to a path that is safe and correct.

“Religious leaders have a role to play in the society. For the Church, they can intervene by making peace by calling on the government to order and condemn their actions when they make mistakes.  A Catholic priest, Emmanuel Ojeifo, said: “At this crucial moment in our national life, prayer will not save us unless we change and begin to live godly lives. In the midst of darkness that surrounds us, we must be that flicker of light that dispels darkness.

“The star shines the brightest when the night is darkest. Christians must summon fresh energy to become salt to the earth and light to the world, in keeping with the injunctions of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, we must never forget that the greatest honour that we can show to God is taking care of and showing love to suffering and marginalised people everywhere, recognising the image of God in them.

“Every one of us is called to be a force for good in the community in which we live. Don’t say ‘there is nothing that I can do, that no one will notice me,’ but your good deeds will be noticed.”