Seventh-day Adventist Church Commissions Redesigned Headquarters with Musical Concert

Mary Nnah

“Stay united”. This call topped the message as no fewer than 500 members turned up to celebrate the commissioning of the remodelled Western Nigeria Union conference administrative headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Maryland, Lagos with a musical concert.

The union, which is one of three in Nigeria making up the 23 countries of the West Central Africa Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, provided live streaming for members worldwide.

Expectedly, the church auditorium was a kaleidoscope of colours as different musical groups turned out to glorify God.

The occasion also provided a platform for honouring pioneers and other leaders. Among these were 101-year old Pastor Awoniyi and his wife, Vertibelle, as well as 96-year old Pastor Adeniji.

Also honoured for their contributions were late Pastor Caleb Adeogun, Pastor Tambaya Luka Daniel and Pastor J. M Adeoye.

Immediate past President, Pastor (Dr) Joseph Ola sent his congratulatory message from Texas, USA.

So did other church leaders from the West Central Africa Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church headquarters in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire and sister churches from Ghana.

Besides the host choir, other supporting singing groups turned out to grace the event. Among these were the Babcock University choir, Adventist Women’s Ministries and Adventist Men’s Ministries’ choirs. The Youth Ministries were not left out as they mounted a special guard of honours.

“Without doubt, God alone deserves all the praise and thanksgiving for the tremendous landmark accomplished so far,” said President of the WNUC, Pastor (Prof) Oyeleke Owolabi.

“Whatsoever we are celebrating today, kudos must be given to the dedicatory service of our pioneers who, through thick and thin, prepared the way before us.”

In his sermontte, Where Do We Go from Here? President of the Eastern Nigeria Union Conference of the Church, Pastor (Prof) Bassey Udoh, called on church members to stay united.

He said it was great to celebrate God’s leading thus far but reminded all of the need to form a united front against the enemy’s onslaught so the church could focus on soul winning.

For Secretary of the Union, Pastor Ezekiel Adeleye, the commissioning is a significant milestone. “We did not only conceive the idea, we also executed and commissioned it as planned. It also has a positive impact on ministry because it serves as an image maker for the church.”