Certain
members of the Deeper Life Bible Church, were seen attending other
churches yesterday, to partake in the Christmas celebration with other
Christians.
This may be as a result of
the position taken by the General Superintendent of the church, Pastor
William Kumuyi, on the celebration of Christmas.
Kumuyi
had caused a bit of a stir earlier this week when he reportedly
condemned the celebration of Christmas, describing it as idolatry.
However, his opinion has generated a number of reactions across all spheres of the Christian fold.
According to reports:
A
popular media personality and member of the church, who did not want
his name mentioned, was spotted at the St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Cathedral, Murtala Road, Ilorin, where he had gone to worship with
members of his family as a way of protesting the position of his General
Overseer.
Another member of the church
also told the newsmen that he worshiped for the first time in 20 years
at the Emmanuel Baptist Church, Sabo Oke in Ilorin, because of the
pronouncement of the Deeper Life Church general overseer, which he did
not agree with.
His words; “I was born
into Baptist Mission; I attended Baptist schools in my younger days and
got my childhood Christian upbringing as a Baptist. I feel bad that a
man of God that I so much revered could say such a thing about our Lord
Jesus Christ even in the open.
“If that position is not retracted, I may not say yet, what will be my decision as a member.”
Meanwhile
it was observed yesterday that doors to many Deeper Life Churches in
Ilorin, the state capital, were closed while the traditional campground
of the church at Eiyenkorin was deserted when it was visited.
Sources
revealed that the customary camping that used to spread to the early
hours of December 26, was suddenly cut short on Sunday and members were
instructed to go back home.
The
Christmas celebration was, however, very peaceful in Ilorin yesterday
though with the presence of armed security men in major churches.
Police
Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the state, Olufemi Fabode, while
speaking with journalists confirmed that the command increased the
presence of its personnel around the churches in town to ensure a smooth
and safe celebration.
According to
him, the combined men of the usual patrol vans and the newly inaugurated
‘Operation Harmony’ were drafted out to complement security arrangement
in the city while the number of patrols at night were also increased to
include several stop and search spots at many locations during the
night.
Leave a Reply