****As Methodist Men’s Fellowship in Port Harcourt Archdiocese Held Retreat
Men have been called upon to invest consciously towards their old age during their prime rather than living in frivolities.
The Archbishop of Methodist Church Nigeria, Port Harcourt Archdiocese, Most Rev. Dr. Effiong A. Esedeke, who made the call over the weekend during a one-day retreat of the Archdiocesan Men’s Fellowship in Oyigbo Circuit, Diocese of Ndoki-Asa challenged men to think of old age even while performing their God given roles of providing for their families, “they must also plan for the old age where their legs and hands would be weak to work.”
The Archbishop also used the occasion to call on men to work to fulfil their God-given roles and to see that they remain the priests of their homes to feed the church, to serve as guardians and protectors of their homes and communities, and providers and stewards wherever they find themselves.
Most Revd Esedeke also charged men to always see themselves as evangelisers and warriors in prayers, models of integrity and holiness, encouraging them to be silent in panic but active in obedience, saying that if men continue to do these and work hard to provide for their families and the church, and to stand in the gap in the society, then God Almighty will Himself fight for them.
In his address of welcome, the Bishop of Ndoki/Asa Diocese, Rt. Rev. (Dr.) Okechukwu Ogba said that when men rise, everything changes for the better, urging men never to relegate their roles to others, saying that every church where men have risen, there is evidential growth in all facets of life.
The Bishop, who represented by the Synod Secretary of the Diocese, Very Rev. Israel Ekeh Nwachukwu, admonished “men never to allow their gatherings to remain coloured in archaic methods but should exhibit dynamism so as to attract more men to the fellowship and to create more vibrant approaches for evangelism and Bible studies.”
In his remarks, the President of Port Harcourt Archdiocesan Men’s Fellowship of Methodist Church Nigeria, Elder Opriye Mission Gabriel, called on members of the fellowship to be more zealous and committed in arising to serve the Lord.
He also thanked the Archbishop and other guests for attending the retreat.
The retreat featured Bible study, exhortation, singing, and prayers.
