Archbishop Akinola Commissions CSS/Omega Savings Estate.

Archbishop Akinola Commissions CSS/Omega Savings Estate.

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Port Harcourt, Sept. 12, 2006- The Most Rev Peter Akinola, Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has commended the CSS bookshop and Omega Savings and Loans on the completion of a new estate located in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State.

The Primate assisted by some other Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) attending the Standing Committee of the Church in Port Harcourt commissioned the ultra-modern estate located at 50, hospital road, today.

“If you knew this place three years ago you would not want to enter this area at all. Many of you from Lagos know about the ‘area boys’- the street urchins-, this was how this place was”, he said. According to him, the CSS bookshops limited in conjunction with Omega Savings and Loans moved into the area, cleaned it- up and under three years, the Cliff-top CSS-Omega Estate was completed.

Archbishop Akinola extolled the achievement of the team led by Chairman of Omega Savings and Loans and Anglican Priest, the Rev Canon Segun Agbetuyi.
He said the team worked for the church ‘absolutely free of charge’ and he prayed God to crown their efforts with success.
Furthermore, the Primate challenged the team to go all out and look for the right kind of potential owners for the properties.

The CSS-Omega Estate design is a terrace type with a minimum of 2 units in a block, others have 3-4 units in a block and there are 8 blocks in all. Each unit is an ultra-modern 4 bedroom luxury house.

Commenting on the project, Canon Agbetuyi noted that there was a huge gap between the demand for and the supply of housing in the country.
“To make matters worse cases of building collapses in our crowded cities nationwide has only heightened the fear of the average Nigerian on where to go for shelter,” he said.
He commended the vision of Archbishop Akinola in identifying this gap and repositioning the CSS Bookshops Limited, to meet the housing needs of the nation through her subsidiary, CSS properties.

Agbetuyi said the management of the joint venture has created a moderate finance opportunity to accommodate those with initially insufficient capital to own a home.
CSS bookshop Limited, one of the oldest printing and publishing houses in Nigeria, was established by the Church Missionary Society in 1869 as C.M.S Bookshops, Lagos.
In 2003, the company which has strong links with the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) was repositioned into three divisions: CSS Bookshop, CSS Press and CSS Properties.

Standing Committee meeting opens Tuesday in Port Harcourt

Standing Committee meeting opens Tuesday in Port Harcourt.
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Abuja, Sept. 11, 2006 - A meeting of over 400 Anglican delegates begins Tuesday at St Paul’s Cathedral Church, Diobu- Port Harcourt.
The meeting, otherwise known as the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), is being hosted by the Diocese of Niger-Delta North.
It is normally held twice each year. The last meeting was hosted in February by the Diocese of Ibadan-North at the Cathedral of St Peter Aremo, Ibadan North Diocese.
With ‘We are on the Lord’s Side’, (Exodus 32:36) as it’s theme, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Rev Peter Akinola is expected to deliver his presidential address Thursday.
The meeting will combine a political awareness seminar, plenary sessions, a presentation on 'Religious Virus', bible studies, group discussions, Provincial Women’s work meetings, audit report and financial budget for year 2007.
Expected speakers at the political awareness seminar include Prof. Maurice Iwu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Sunday Ehindero, Inspector General of Police, Alh. Idi Farouk, Director General of the National Orientation Agency and Hon. Austin Opara, Deputy Speaker, National Assembly.
Another prelude to the Standing Committee meeting is an evaluation of progress in the Church’s evangelism programme. Archbishops, visitation panels and the Church of Nigeria Missionary Society (CNMS) will meet to do the evaluation, and also chart further steps towards achieving the Church’s goals.
A pastoral letter and message to the nation is expected at the end of the meeting.

STATEMENT FROM THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL OF ANGLICAN PROVINCES OF AFRICA (CAPA) NAIROBI KENYA

STATEMENT FROM THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE
COUNCIL OF ANGLICAN PROVINCES OF AFRICA (CAPA)
NAIROBI KENYA, SEPTEMBER 5TH 2006


1. We urge all Christians in Africa and the world at large to be more loyal and dedicated to the Word of God. In the situation we find ourselves in today’s world we remind all Christian people of the need to be faithful, diligent, and prayerful and never to allow materialism and any pseudo religion to overshadow Christianity. We urge the CAPA Primates to soldier on this loyalty by ensuring sound theological and biblical teachings in all our Provinces.
2. We are committed to and reaffirm that Africa has come of age. We need to empower our people economically and we commend those Provinces that have already employed their Economic Officers. Those who are yet to do so are implored to do so quickly.
3. We note with gratitude the commendable work being done by our HIV/AIDS TB & Malaria Board through its Programme Coordinator.
4. We commend the fight against corruption and call on African governments not to relent in its effort until this cankerworm is defeated.
5. We note that General Elections are being held and will be held between now and the end of year 2007 in several African Countries. We urge political leadership in these countries to ensure level playing grounds for all participants, eschew bitterness, and avoid violence and blood shed. We pray that peace will prevail during the electioneering and outcome of the elections will be free and fair.

Signed
The Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola
ON BEHALF OF CAPA STANDING COMMITTEE

Sermon -Contend for the faith.

Sermon -Contend for the faith.
A sermon delivered by the Most Rev. Nicholas O. Okoh, Bishop of Asaba and Archbishop of Bendel Province at the Consecration Service for for new Bishops in Abuja on Sunday 20th August, 2006.
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Text : Jude verse 3: ‘Dear friends, although I was very eager to write you about the salvation we share: I felt I have to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.’

INTRODUCTION This short epistle was written by Jude identified out of the five people bearing that name in the New Testament to be the brother of the Apostle James and Jesus. It was written about A.D 65. From as early as the first century A.D; the church has been threatened by major or minor heresies and false teachings.
It noteworthy that there was one type of warning or reference to false teaching in many books of the New Testament. You find it in the Gospels, in the Acts of the Apostles, Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, 2nd Peter, 2nd John and Jude.
Long ago, Jude realized the important connection between right belief and right practice. He realized the importance of maintaining orthodoxy and using the faith handed down by the apostles as a doctrinal guideline. Jude’s letter therefore was a clarion call to summon the church to maintain vigilance and keep the faith pure and strong, to defend the faith and oppose false teaching.
HERESY DENOUNCED BY JUDE The letter of Jude denounced the heresy, which has three parts.
The first part has to do with turning the grace of God into an excuse for immoral living. If you look at Romans 6:1, there is a reflection of it there, in other words: perverted grace. These were antinomians, for them the law is dead, you can do what you like, the grace of God can forgive any sin, so no matter what you do, it is okay. For them, the more you sin, the more the opportunity for grace to abound. When you sin, you give the grace of God opportunity to do its work is their emphasis. What matters according to them, is the inward part of man. Consequently, they practice all manners of sin. In verse 4 of that book, Jude wrote; “..they are godless men, who changed the grace of God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ, our only Sovereign and Lord.”
They even practiced homosexuality as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah did. These antinomians and their doctrine appeared in a fresh way again in the 17th century in a group known as the Ranters. The Ranters were pantheists, who believed that God is everything. John Wesley accused them of preaching a gospel of the flesh. For them adultery, drunkenness, theft are not sinful unless the person guilty of them understand them to be so, they lived filthy lives.
The second aspect of the heresy has to do with the Gnostics. The Gnostics denied the oneness of God and they taught that the God of creation is different from the God of redemption. The God of the Old Testament to them is different from the God of the New Testament. But Jude countered and insisted that we have only one God and that is why in verse 25 he wrote about the only God. These heretics also denied the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, they regarded Jesus Christ as one of the aeons or reincarnation and that he was in no way unique. But Jude countered them and insisted that Jesus Christ is our only master and Lord as you can find in verse 4.
The third aspect of this heresy Jude addressed was that they spoke ill of the angels. They denied and despised the angels and discouraged people from honoring or having anything to do with angels. Jude, the man of God spoke of them as spiritually careless as Cain motivated by material gain as Balaam and rebellious to authority as Korah. Jude in verses 5-7 concluded that these false teachers would be punished by God like disobedient Israelites in the desert, falling angels, the city of Sodom and Gomorrah and other towns who had their influence.
Brothers and sisters, new Bishops, men and women, boys and girls who have assembled in this edifice; how does Jude’s teachings concern our Christian ministry and us today? The church of Nigeria under whose umbrella you are going to serve is emphatically Bible-based and evangelical and I make no apology for that position.
There are many false teachers today everywhere within and outside our denomination, in Warri you will find them, in Bauchi you will find them, in Lagos you will find them, in the United States of America you will find them, where you are going to serve, you will find them.
It is known that one of our prominent leaders no longer believe in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. Today it is very easy to find Bishops who believe less and less and less. They are more known for what they disbelieve than what they believe making one to wonder whether they were forced into the ministry of the church of God
These false teachers seek to destroy the credibility of God’s work, in everything they do. They try to destroy the credibility of the word of God. They do it through their false interpretations; they rationalize everything and apply the principle of relativism. They make their culture and experience superior to the Word of God instead of allowing it to act as a judge and to transform culture. With sophistry, they subtly minimize the sinfulness of sin. They indulge the grace of God, continuing in sin, living immoral lives yet expecting the grace of God to abound contrary to scriptures. They cleverly undermine obedience to the Lord Jesus in their daily lives.
Brothers, like Jude, I urge you to contend for the faith of the saints: Bishops-elect Christian Ide, Musa Tula, Adebayo Akinde and Martyn Minns; contend for the faith of the saints; be the Jude in Warri, be the Jude in Bauchi, be the Jude in Lagos and be the Jude in the United States. You should have nothing to do with the heresy and the lifestyle inspired by it. Instead with humility and love, rebuke them and correct their errors with the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, there are some among us who have the attitude of the heretics in 1st Timothy 6: 5-10. They believe that religion is all about gain? This is the mercenary motive in the church ministry that is so clear in the church today. What was the end of those people? 1st Timothy 6 : 10 says:“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

So as you go, you will find people like these whose main interest in the ministry of God and the church is gain. Rebuke them; correct them in humility so that they do not destroy the faith handed over by the saints.
Another heresy that you need to contend with in our midst is nominal Christianity. Nominal Christianity is a heresy because it presents a deformed Jesus, it represents the type of Jesus that is incapable of doing anything supernatural or living an upright life. These people misrepresent Christ and his Church to the world.
They have Christianity that lack moral powers like the 8th century B.C Israelites in the days of Amos, Micah and Isaiah. They were very good at coming to worship, they paid their tithes and offered fabulous offerings. They observed religious feasts, sang religious songs and danced very well; they offered sacrifices yet they took bribes, oppressed the poor, perverted justice and lived immoral lives. In your dioceses contend against these heresies.
Yet another heresy, the power of ethnic factor in the church. The power of ethnic factor in the church has grown to the proportion of becoming a heresy.
When you understand ethnicity to mean only my tribe is good and capable. Right or wrong, only my tribesman or woman is good. No good can come from another tribe. When you become inconsiderable toward people of other tribes then it has become your doctrine, a heresy which you proclaim. There is need for repentance, otherwise we present a wrong Jesus to the world. This tendency has grown to a proportion of heresy that distorts the truth of Holy Scripture. As Jude did, we must rebuke the teachers and correct this heresy, we must continue to remind ourselves that in Christ, different tribes and languages met on the Pentecost day, white, black, brown, yellow, red and so on, Jews and Gentiles, Greeks, Romans, men and women, slaves and masters, the rich and the poor, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Nupe, Ijaw, Edo, Uruobo, Isoko, all meet to become one tribe in Jesus.
HOW DO YOU CONTEND FOR THE FAITH? How do you contend with faith in the place you are going to?1. Maintain a good prophetic ministry, preach, teach, write the truth of God. If you preach and teach and write the truth of God, then you will refute the ignorance of people who are spreading falsehood. Study to show yourself approved unto God a workman that needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. You are to monitor through what you teach, through what you preach and through your proclamation, the truth of the Gospel.
Your Diocese must be Bible-based, we are taught that all Scripture was inspired by God and it is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So rely on the Holy Scripture, do not allow people to ridicule you out of the bible, because when they take the bible from you, they will give you something that can not stand and they lead you into destruction. No amount of pretence to knowledge by people who do that should ridicule you to abandon your scriptures. Hold it, teach it, preach it and then you will save yourself and those who hear you from error.
2. Live it out in your deadly life. The truth of the Gospel must reflect in your own personal life with you showing examples in personal scarifies and self denial.
Do not live as if the purpose of the Episcopacy is to make money, you have to contradict that notion from the way you conduct yourself and from the way you live your life by the standard you set and everything around you and in your family.
By so doing you will be contending for the faith that has been entrusted to you, because if you live and give the impression that the Episcopacy is all about money, is about success, etc, you will prove right the worldly heretics who think that religion is gain. Those who followed this idea in the past made shipwreck of their faith with eternal consequences.
3. You will promote evangelism. Evangelism is very important for you to spread the faith and contend with the faith that has been handed over to us. Operation 1-1-3 is a double edged sword, one for increasing our members and two for deepening the faith and quality of our members. Inculcating in them christian virtues of honesty, trust worthiness, accountability and social justice so they can stand for the Lord. When you promote evangelism at this level, you will be countering all false notions about the church of Nigeria.
4. Get involve in the ministry of caring and sharing in order to present a holistic gospel to the world. If you do this, you will be contending in a very serious way for the faith that is entrusted to us.
5. Administer your dioceses well, honestly, trusty rigorously and in the self-denial of the Christian leader. Be fair to all parts of the diocese and do not allow any narrow-mindness to block your view because it will lead to evil.
These tasks, my brothers, you must admit is great, but note according to Jude, God is able to keep you from failing. ( verse 24). So if you rely on him, you will not fall. You will be able to carry it out and be able to rebuke the devil and any form of teaching and establish the glory of God in your Diocese. You should also remember 1st Thessalonians 5: 24 God who calls you is faithful he will do it if you rely on him. He who has called you will not let you down but do not let yourself down for our God will keep his own part of the deal.Remember also Jesus’ promise in Matthew 28:20, “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of age.” To do what? To protect you. You may be going to places where you are like sheep among wolves and you need to be careful but the Lord says, I will protect you and I am with you always and he says again, I am with you always to overcome difficulties and to fight your battles.
If you bear all these things in mind, you will be a good servant and a successful minister of the lord Jesus.

NIGERIAN POLITICAL SITUATION
In this national edifice, we can not forget our all important project for 2007, the general elections. Some politicians have tasted the privileges of being in power and like to remain there. Some others feel left out of power and would like to come in, some who have seen in the corridors of power would like to move in to the sitting room of power to take over.
May God help Nigeria?
As a church, we call upon all Nigerians to support with their prayers, the project of 2007. God has always heard our prayers, when things are very difficult, when we pray, when Nigerians cry and come down on their kneels, he hears our prayers. Please pray for Nigeria, pray for 2007.
Let it be known that sincere leadership is spiritual, calling for virtues of self sacrifice, self denial, total commitment and justice. This is why, nobody can really be a statesman or serve the people very well who has no God in him.
If you want to be a leader, then you have to first of all submit yourself, your will, your ambition, your understanding of life to the power of God.
Then God will lead you before you lead the people. You must avoid the struggle and indeed the intense rivalry in this political dispensation we are about entering. We must avoid violence. Power belongs to God and he gives it to who he wants. We must avoid a situation where people like Bola Ige, Dikibo, Funsho Williams , etc have lost their lives.
It is not normal, God will judge because all lives belong to God.
Whatever you do in other to get into power, if God is not with you, you will not get there. If you like rig the election, you will not be there, if you like spend heavy amounts of money you will not be there, if you like kill your opponents, you will not be there, if you like, change your parties, you will not be there.
Without God you can not make it. For the scripture tells us except the Lord builds the house, the labourers labour in vain. Except the lord keep the city, the watchman is awake in vain. So brothers and sisters, fellow people of God, we have a duty to our country. Our Christian lives must be brought to bear upon the 2007 project and when we do this, then we will be helping our country to move forward.
But we will be a people practicing worthless religion if our moral lives continued to be a scandal to the people.So I challenge you this day, to go home and contend for the true faith that was entrusted to us. As you do that, as I do that, may the Lord bless us and hear our prayer.

Coming Over to America to Help

Coming Over to America to Help
A Background to the Nigerian Mission to America.
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Thousands of Anglicans in North America have long watched with dismay as their much loved Churches slid from the known teachings of the Bible to that which seems to conform more to the ideas of civil society groups.
Questionable doctrines include teachings that;
Imply the Creator God is unable to decide whether he wanted to make a person male or female.
Portray Jesus the Christ as only 'a way' out of 'many paths' to God instead of THE WAY. John 14:6
Love of a person means acceptance and love of the person's sins.
The Holy Spirit stopped convincing of sin (John 19: 8 ) and became a dispensable adviser.
The Holy Scriptures lost relevance as the 'developed industrialized world' could respond to many human problems.
Different people could propound any new teaching as long as it makes the listeners feel good. 2Tim 3:3-4
Heaven and hell are figurative languages used in the bible as it is wrong to frighten people with such old ideas in the modern world.
Mission and ministry assumed new meanings.
Many Nigerians in the US found it increasingly difficult to identify with the Anglican communities, and thus found themselves worshiping in other denominations.
When a Canadian diocese approved church ceremonies to allow homosexuals exchange marital vows and The Episcopal Church in the USA (ECUSA) followed by consecrating a practicing homosexual as a bishop, the spiritual life of many got threatened, and the Church of Nigeria became concerned.
"For us it is crucial and most urgent that we find ways of providing alternative avenues for the thousands of Nigerian Anglicans who live and work beyond our shores,'' said Archbishop Peter Akinola, at the Standing Committee meeting of the Church in Ilesa, March 2004.
What started as an outreach to provide a safe harbour for Nigerians soon became overwhelmed with requests for participation and the Convocation for Anglicans in North America (CANA) was born. Announcing the formation of the Convocation in April 2005, Archbishop Akinola wrote:
“Our intention is not to challenge or intervene in the churches of ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada but rather to provide safe harbour for those who can no longer find their spiritual home in those churches”
In September 2005 at the 8th General Synod of the Church of Nigeria, the necessary constitutional changes were made to permit the formal establishment of the Convocation in the USA and by November the necessary legal framework to establish CANA as a recognized Anglican Church structure in the USA was completed. Abraham N. Yisa, Esq., Registrar of the Church of Nigeria was appointed chairman of the board of trustees, Chief Gboyega Delano of Chicago, the secretary and Mrs. Patience Oruh of Maryland, the treasurer for CANA. The Rev. Canon Nathan Kanu was appointed the interim communicator, and some Nigerian bishops were delegated to give Episcopal oversight.
In November, the Church of Nigeria entered into a covenant agreement with the Reformed Episcopal Church and the Anglican Province of America. These are two Churches spread over the US that had also separated from ECUSA on doctrinal issues. Though their bishops and some other faithful bishops in the US continued to be very supportive of the Nigerian initiative, the need to have a US- based Bishop for the growing convocation became more apparent over time, as the ECUSA remained unwilling to change course.
In June 2006, the House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria met to among other things, elect bishops to fill vacant Sees after which the names of four new bishops-elect including that of the first CANA bishop was announced. Also a committee led by the Rt. Rev Benjamin Kwashi, Bishop of Jos and including the Rt. Rev Segun Okubadejo, bishop of Ibadan North and the Rt. Rev Ikechi Nwosu, bishop of Umuahia, was appointed to supervise the CANA mission.
The consecration service for the Rev. Canon Martyn Minns as Bishop in the Church of God for the CANA is on Sunday, 20th August 2006.

Consecration: ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP CHARGES CHRISTIANS TO DEFEND THE FAITH

Consecration: ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP CHARGES CHRISTIANS TO DEFEND THE FAITH
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Abuja, August 20, 2006, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh (pictured left) of the Anglican Ecclesiastical Province of Bendel today in Abuja called on Christians the world over to defend the faith against the onslaught arising from heretic teachings and practices.
He made the charge at the consecration of four new bishops by the Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) at the National Christian centre Abuja.
Making reference to the book of Jude, Archbishop Okoh said that today, the church was being threatened by those who profess heresy as a doctrine. He said this was the same situation, which led to Saint Jude’s call on Christians of old to stand fast and defend the doctrine.
He reiterated the same call to Christians in today’s world, especially the newly consecrated bishops, asking them to defend the faith handed over to “us by our Christian forefathers and be the Jude of today, wherever you find yourselves.’’ He reminded them that the love of money was the root of all evils and asked them to seek the common good, be humble in correcting their flocks and to tend them with love.
The Archbishop made the distinction between the right beliefs and right practice, stressing the new bishops would in the course of their ministry find various groups of persons with conflicting doctrines. He urged them not to be swayed but to defend their faith and gently correct those who go astray with love.
He said there were various categories of heresy- induced doctrines. He cited those who believed in constantly sinning because they believed the grace of God was abundant and that God would always forgive them. Some others do not believe in God at all while still another set of people do not believe in the existence of angels.
He quoted copiously from the bible to support the Anglican church’s stand that there was one and only one loving, righteous, holy, and true God and that He demanded purity in Christian living.
Archbishop Okoh asked politicians , who had tasted power and wanted to remain in power, those who want to taste power as well as “those in the corridors of power, who want to move on into the sitting rooms of power” to learn to acknowledge God in their lives.
“Except a man acknowledges God, is taught by God and is spirit filled, he cannot rule well.’’
He asked all Christians to reflect the teachings of Christ in their personal lives and to support the nation with their prayers so that God will be a part of next year’s election.
He reminded everyone that “ALL POWERS BELONG TO GOD”, who gives whomever he wishes to give and admonished politicians interested in Nigeria’s coming election; “no matter what you do, if God does not want you to rule, you will not!’’
After the sermon, came the consecration proper. This segment of the event started with a procession of the bishops-elect, who were each led in by two presenting bishops.
They came in with their hands held high, supported by their presenters who then presented them to the primate. After the presentation, they proceeded to take the oaths before the legal team led by the Registrar of the Church.

Thereafter, they were examined by the dean of the Church before the litany was sung with the bishops-elect lying flat on their faces in total surrender to God after reaffirming their allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ as the primate invited the congregation to pray that the Holy Spirit descend on them afresh.
All the serving bishops present, including Nigeria’s nine serving archbishops (tenth retired in June) joined the primate in laying hands on the new bishops as the consecration prayers were led by Archbishop Akinola.
After praying, the primate presented each of them with a staff of office and a bible.

He charged them to make the bible their guide, saying “here are the words of eternal life.” Presenting the staff, he admonished; “Be a shepherd, not a wolf, seek the lost, uphold the weak,……. lift the downtrodden. Ensure discipline but forget not mercy…... May the spirit of the chief shepherd guide you!’’
The 8,000 capacity worship centre loudly applauded the newly consecrated Bishops Christian Ide, Musa Tula, Adebayo Akinde and Martyn Minns as they were presented along with their wives.

Four Bishops for First Consecration Service in National Christian Centre

Four Bishops for First Consecration Service in National Christian Centre
As Anglicans consecrate new Bishops for Warri, Bauchi, and Lagos Mainland and for America
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Abuja, August 12, 2006, The imposing National Christian Centre (formerly National Ecumenical Centre) in Abuja will on August 20, host its first consecration service as the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) consecrates four new bishops including English-born US based clergy, the Revd Canon Martyn Minns as bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA).
Canon Minns, 63, Rector of Truro Church, Virginia USA, will be consecrated along with three other bishops-elect in a service to be presided over by the Most Rev Peter Akinola. Primate of All Nigeria (Anglican Communion).
The three other bishops-elect are The Revd Canon Christian Ide, 47, bishop of Warri, The Venerable Musa Tula, 44, bishop of Bauchi and the Very Revd Adebayo Akinde, 60, bishop of the newly created diocese of Lagos Mainland.
The consecration service is significant in the sense that it signals the commissioning of new mission to America initiated by the Church of Nigeria. It also marks the beginning of a new bishopric for the newly created diocese of Lagos mainland, a new bishop for the diocese of Warri; and a new bishop for Bauchi who succeeds the Rt. Rev Laudmaus Ereaku who died in an auto accident in December 2005.
The mission to America-CANA- was established in April 2005 as part of Church of Nigeria’s response to the lingering crisis in the US Anglican Churches brought about by controversial teachings regarding human sexuality and the bible. The Convocation is expected to provide a ‘safe spiritual harbour’ for millions of Anglicans affected by the teachings of the Anglican branch in the US. Some Anglicans from the convocation and other churches in the US still in communion with Nigeria will be attending the consecration in Abuja. Already CANA, duly registered for worship in the US has also registered her presence in the information superhighway with the release of a website, www.canaconvocation.org.
The Registrar of the Church of Nigeria, Mr. Abraham Yisa and Chairman CANA Board of Trustees said even though the Convocation was promoted by the Church of Nigeria, it applies to everybody that shares the same biblical faith with the Nigerian Church. Canon Minns like other network affirming Episcopalians remained in communion with the Church of Nigeria despite the impairment of relations with ECUSA over its revisionist teachings.
With the creation of an additional diocese, the Lagos Mainland Diocese, the Anglican Church will now have 95 dioceses in Nigeria with 3 other Episcopal missionary initiatives to Congo, North America (CANA) and a non-geographic nomadic mission focused on reaching the nomadic tribes in Nigeria and beyond.