Evangelism: Missionary diocese of Western Izon maps out 117 communities for church planting
CONN/781205
Abuja, Dec.6, 2005- The Anglican Communion, which has an ambitious project to double its size to 36 million by 2007, has mapped out 117 riverine communities in Bayelsa and Delta States, for church planting beginning from 2006.
Bishop of the Missionary Diocese of Western Izon, the Rt. Rev Edafe Emamezi announced this during his maiden Episcopal tour to Isampou Archdeaconry located in Bayelsa state.
The Bishop also disclosed that by December 2006, the diocese was targeting the ordination of 35 clergy to support the enormous work in the 4-month old diocese.
Western Izon, the 92nd Diocese of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has only 4 priests and 20 church workers supervising services and pastoring the present 41 churches.
The Bishop said the identified 117 communities are located within riverine communities of Bayelsa and Delta states.
“There are no Anglican churches in these areas and these are serious areas that need urgent evangelization,” he said.
The Church of Nigeria since the presentation of Archbishop Peter Akinola as Primate in 2000, has been pursuing an aggressive establishment of more churches under the mission project tagged Mission 1-1-3.
At the core of the project is multiplication of membership and planting of more churches at the grassroots level. It is hoped that the growth will also reflect in the spirituality of members.
In other words, the Diocese of Western Izon which inherited 41 churches from the ‘mother’ Diocese of Warri is expected to grow to 82 dioceses by 2007 or even more.
According to the 54-year old Bishop ‘the work in Western Izon is enormous and indigenes of the area and others who have a genuine call to work in Ijaw-land (Izon means Ijaw) have been invited to come forward and register their interest’.
The 2-day Episcopal tour, which took the Bishop, his wife and members of his pastoral team around 12 riverine communities provided an opportunity for the church to appreciate the realities of the Niger Delta communities and the extent of ecological disaster resulting from oil exploration activities.
For instance, at the Holy Trinity Church Bulu-Ndoro in Bayelsa State, the missionaries and the indigenes gathered under a wooden Church building staked on a dangerous swampy ground for worship.
“When it rains it is difficult to imagine how people worship here with a massive river located 50 meters away from it,” said one of the visitors.
Similarly, in Agboro community, where the Bishop and his entourage passed a night, the officials of the community complained that some children died recently of complications resulting from drinking polluted water.
While pledging his commitment to forward the communities complaints to the appropriate quarters, Bishop Emamezi urged the faithful not to loose hope as “God is able to restore the fortunes and resources of the Niger Delta community.”
Other communities visited by the Cleric were St Luke's Isampou, St Peters Ekeremo, St Michael's Peretorugbere, St Philips Ogbotogbo, and St. James Agboro.
Also visited were the Holy Trinity Anglican Church Bolou Ndoro, St Philips Church Toru-Ndoro, Our Redeemers Church Akorugbene, Anglican Church Ojobo, St Peters Torugbene, St Barnabas Tanugbe and St Paul's Tuomo.
