wfn.org | {ACNS] Ten new bishops consecrated for Church of Nigeria

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ACNS 3957     |     NIGERIA	|     15 MARCH 2005

Ten new bishops consecrated for Church of Nigeria

Ninety-one dioceses and more are still coming

>From Peter Onwubuariri in Abuja

The 3,500 capacity Cathedral Church of the Advent, Abuja, has a usual
spectacle of being about half-full on an ordinary Sunday.

But on 13 March, 2005, an 'unusual' human presence filled the once idle
pews and overflowed into white plastic seats stationed outside the
periphery of the church. The reason? Ten new bishops of the Church of
Nigeria (Anglican Communion) were being consecrated. And they came with
some of their parishioners from the length and breadth of the over
17-million Nigerian Anglican Congregation.

The new bishops and their dioceses are the Rt Revd Edafe Emamezi -
Elected Bishop of Warri, the Rt Revd Ezekiel Awosoga - Bishop of Ijebu,
the Rt Revd Matthew Osunade - Bishop of Ogbomosho and the Rt Revd Joseph
Adeyemi - Bishop of Badagary.

Others are the Rt Revd Duke Akamisoko - Bishop of Zonkwa, the Rt Revd
Samuel Chukuka - Bishop of Isikwuato, the Rt Revd Joseph Musa - Bishop
of Idah, the Rt Revd Solomon Gberegbara - Bishop of Ogoni, the Rt Revd
Johnson Onuoha - Bishop of Arochukwu/Ohafia and the Rt Revd Chigozirim
Onyegbule - Bishop of Ikwuano.

Nigerian Primate, the Most Revd Peter Akinola, presided at the service
that would be remembered for consecrating the largest number of bishops
in one sitting (since his presentation in 2000).

Radio Nigeria, with more than 50 radio stations on its network around
Nigeria ran a three-hour live broadcast of the event. Also Crowther
Radio, the Abuja-based radio station funded by the Church of Nigeria,
beamed the consecration service to listeners around Abuja, the Nigerian
capital, Lagos, and other satellite towns within its coverage.

Long and Colourful Procession

A Radio Nigeria commentator described as colourful the procession into
the Cathedral Church of the Advent, dedicated in 1999 by the former
Nigeria Primate, the Most Revd Joseph Adetiloye.

A 30-minute procession comprised the choir clad in red; the clergy in
white vestments, the legal luminaries and the grandeur of red cassocks
nestled in white richly embroidered garments announcing the bishops.

Interestingly the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, the Most Revd John
Olaiekan, processed into the Church with the bishops to the delight of
most Anglican faithful who described it "as good for the universal
church.'"

Three hymnals served their slow march to the altar including "Lift high
the cross! The cross of Christ proclaim", "Ye Servants of God" and Psalm
122, which ushered in the primatial procession led by the crucifer and
closely followed by the Bishops elect (attended by their chaplains). The
Bishops elect looked solemn in their black cassocks.

Archbishop Joseph Akinfenwa of Ibadan Province celebrated the Holy
Communion while Bishop Samuel Oke of Ekiti-West led the litany. The
Bishop on the Niger, the Rt Revd Ken Okeke, preached the sermon. The
presentation of the 10 bishops elect was done by 20 different bishops.

God's Hand

The homily entitled 'In God's hand', said by the Bishop on the Niger,
the Rt Revd Ken Okeke, was to a large extent directed at the new
bishops. Bishop Okeke focused his sermon on four pegs namely "Call,
Concentration, Continuity and Consequences."

Describing the call of God, he said "God's call is always definite and
many times when He calls someone He 'strips' the person bare. In the
case of Moses, from whom we shall learn a lot today, He took away all
the trappings and comforts of Egypt's one and only palace."

He used the analogy of Moses to explain the need for the new bishops to
concentrate on their ministry. "Moses sought God and found Him. He
desired an intimacy with God and God humored him. He spoke to God face
to face. The good news is that whenever we seek God, we shall find Him.
2 Chron. 15: 2 - If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you
forsake Him, He will forsake you."

On continuity, the preacher who spent one week with the bishops-elect as
their retreatant, charged them to seek the Lord always. "Moses always
sought the Lord's face in every situation. And the result was that he
always sat back and saw God take full control. God said to him - The
Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace - Exodus 14. That
was the experience of King Jehoshaphat many centuries later. It was also
the experience of other men of faith like Gideon, David arid Paul."

The preacher also warned on the consequences of choosing to obey or
disobey God. Using the experience of Saul he explained "Saul became
yesterday's man and degenerated to consulting a medium - one in a group
of people he zealously wiped out of Israel when his heart was in the
right place and he was following God faithfully. Who do you consult in
times of crisis or alienation?"

He warned the bishops elect: Beware that you do not return to
unwholesome methods you have previously rejected! Beware of the tyranny
of the urgent! Beware of the pomp and arrogance of office!

New missionary dioceses

The consecration ceremony in practice marked the beginning of nine new
missionary dioceses in the 26 year-old Church of Nigeria, bringing the
total number of dioceses to 91. On 12 March, the eve of the consecration
service, the Most Revd Peter Akinola presided at inauguration of one of
the missionary dioceses, Kubwa. Kubwa was carved out of the Diocese of
Abuja, where Archbishop Akinola doubles as Bishop. The new Bishop of
Kubwa is Simon Bala who was translated from the Diocese of Gusau. By 19
March 2005 the inauguration of other dioceses nationwide (involving a
road trip over 1500km) will have been completed.

Growing church

The creation of additional dioceses has been a major thrust of the
leadership of the church under Primate Peter Akinola. At the occasion of
his presentation in 2000, Archbishop Akinola described his tenure as a
timely opportunity to chart a new future for the church.

Having inherited three provinces, 76 dioceses and 76 bishops from the
former Primate, Archbishop Joseph Adetiloye in 2000, Archbishop Akinola
has gone ahead to create an additional 14 dioceses, five years into his
primacy.

The slogan "the Anglican Church shall be growing, spiritual, dynamic,
responsible, united, disciplined, and self-supporting" has become a
permanent emphasis on Bishops charge at synod meetings, church
gatherings and even youth outings. The dragnet of evangelism for the
bishops is the villages. The Primate has admitted that most of the
churches are located in urban settings with thousands of villages yet to
be reached by the gospel of salvation.

The juxtaposition justifies the creation of additional missionary
dioceses, which are mostly located in rural areas. Taking the gospel to
the villages will contend with raw paganism, Islamisation, syncretism
and spiritual shallowness, which have continued to threaten the Church
in Nigeria.

Missionary efforts have seen the planting of new dioceses in places
considered hostile and insecure for evangelism particularly in the
northern part of Nigeria. The present primate, at a recent public
gathering, hinted that the possibility of the dioceses swelling to 100
before he retires cannot be ruled out. Whatever the motive, most
Nigerians have welcomed the development as favourable to taking the
gospel to the un-reached.

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