(BY NGOZI ADIGHIBE)

The Primate of all Nigeria, Anglican Communion, The Most Rev. Nicholas D. Okoh has termed it irresponsible thinking for a person to leave a church that has fed and nurtured him or her, because of a problem that he or she could fix. He said many individuals are fed, clothed, educated by a church and then when they grow up enough to give back, they decide that the church is no longer good for them.

He said “This is foolishness and it doesn’t show responsible thinking; and can be known as disinheriting your inheritance.”

Primate Okoh made this known during a press interview organized ahead of the 2019 Divine Commonwealth Conference (DIVCCON), a programme of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion that takes place every year and attracts delegates from all over the world.

He drew a comparison between the family and the church, pointing out that one cannot renounce one’s family because one notices a problem, rather one tries to fix it through discussions and other methods. Therefore, he urged anyone with a grievance against the church to seek solutions within and try to remedy the situation rather than abandoning the church.

The head of the Anglican Church explained that the conference was born out of the need to provide an avenue for all and sundry in the church to gather together to pray, study the word, learn from and interact with one another, as opposed to the regular administrative gatherings of the church.

Speaking on the theme for this year’s DIVCCON, “O God our help in ages past”, Primate Okoh shared that after the outcome of the elections, there was need to reassure Christians who felt left out of the governance of the country and who were discouraged because of the happenings in the nation, that the God of the past, is still the God of today and He will remain God forever. Hence, he urged all attending the conference to come prepared to receive and prepared to give to the church, their presence, training, money, knowledge and carry the idea back to their dioceses to make the church more vibrant.

This year’s Divine Commonwealth Conference (DIVCCON) starts on Monday, 11^th of November and will end on Thursday, 14^th of November. The venue is the National Christian Centre, CBD, Abuja, Nigeria.