INTRODUCTION
Our Saviour’s Church Counselling Ministry engages in the business of counselling the young adults who are about to marry, on the importance of working on their marriages to make them Christ-based, harmonious, peaceful and successful.
They are normally counselled by using the Word of God, to make them understand that marriages are successful when God’s Principles concerning a Christian marriage are strictly adhered to. For marriages to be successful, couples must conscientiously work at them. God instituted marriage and has designed the pattern and principles to follow.
The Counsellees as they prepare to tie the knot, are also made to understand early, that divorce is not an option, that God hates divorce and therefore they must strive to make it work.
Marriage is a bed of Roses though with thorns which must be handled carefully before they puncture a hitherto prospective happy marriage. Thorns in marriages can either be managed, completely avoided, eliminated or by God’s grace, couples manage to cope with them without allowing their marriages to collapse.
OUR OBJECTIVES
Our goals and objectives include the following among others:
- To counsel young adults who are about-to-wed and help bring to the fore, those areas or issues that could constitute problems like, unhealthy arguments, unwarranted rivalries, unsubstantiated suspicion, envy, infidelity, lack of mutual respect, mistrust and their likes in the course of their marital relationships.
- To brainstorm with them during interactive sessions with Counsellors, on these possible problems and prayerfully guide them to profer solutions to them, if they should ever come up.
- To as much as possible, encourage the Counsellees to strive for those things that could strengthen their love for each other, encourage friendship, togetherness, bonding and as a result would make their marriages successful, enjoyable instead of endurable.
- To help them understand that any marriage without Christ as the foundation and Head is bound to crumble; Godly marriages produce Godly children, homes and such glorify God.
- To follow up on the couples we counselled by asking after their welfare, how they are coping with their marital experiences and how they are meeting up with their expectations, after they had tied the knot. We also encourage them to reach out to us whenever it becomes.
COMMITMENT TO DUTIES
We give thanks to the Lord for keeping our Ministry and thank members for their unflinching support and commitment during the year, in spite of the many challenges encountered, along the line in 2023.
The year 2023 was quite eventful both from the positive and negative perspective. We still thank God for his mercies, grace, protection and blessings on our members and their respective families. We deeply appreciate the members for their seamless dedication to all duties and engagements in the course of the year.
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Membership Growth
The Ministry maintained its membership population of 30 registered members which included members in diaspora who interestingly served equally well, courtesy virtual participations.
We look forward to growth in membership in the course of the new year 2024.
2. Counselling Guide Book
The Ministry is happy to announce that our New Guide Book under restructuring is near completion and should be presented and launched this year 2024 by God’s grace.
We want to use this opportunity to appreciate the Counsellors, who have contributed immensely to the contents, restructuring and vetting of this Study Guide Manual. It is work in progress until the Manual is ready for use.
3. Counselling Sessions
We have in place, quarterly Counselling sessions of 12 weeks per Quarter, where Counsellees are encouraged to key into any Quarter, which suits them and corresponds with their wedding dates and plans.
These 4 quarterly Counselling Sessions run from January through December each year.
They are mostly Virtual Sessions with intermittent hybrid ones, instead of full physical participation, whenever we have Counsellees who reside outside Lagos or in diaspora. The Hybrid Counselling will be consolidated in 2024 for the same reason.
The Ministry appreciates the commitment of the Counsellors who spent their time, talent and resources on these free, selfless services to God and humanity.
4. Annual Couple’s Seminar/Thanksgiving/Re-dedication of members
The Ministry’s Annual Couples’ Seminar was successfully held on 18th November 2023 and it was a virtual event to attract robust attendance and participation.
The Topic was “The Plight of The Youths in the 21st Century: Key Issues and Interventions.
We had a Keynote Speaker, Engr. Chukwudifu Onianwa, ably supported by our distingushed Vice President, Barrister Mrs. Ayotola Ayodeji. We were also privileged to have Dr. Mrs Ifeyinwa Nwakwesi to present a paper on “Building Blissful relationships and Marriages through the Integrative Lifestyle.”
The virtual event had successful interactive sessions of Questions and Answers from the audience. We subsequently held our Thanksgiving Service and Re-dedication of members on Sunday, November 2023 at the 9 am service, with the full suppport and permission of our new Vicar and Archdeacon, Venerable OreOluwa Agbelusi.
We hosted a unique Round Table Discussion as introduced by our Vicar, with a keynote presentation by Omo- Oba Deji Irawo and other distinguished panelists in the person of our President, Mrs. Mercy Okoye and the Webinar Chairman Dr. (Mrs.) Phil Okoye who made invaluable contributions on the same Topic “ Exemplary Parenting.”
OUR 2023 LOSS
On a sad note, we mourned the unexpected and shocking Home Call of Builder Felix Olurotimi Fadamiro, the husband of our dear sister, Mrs Olubunmi Fadamiro.
We pray that the Lord will comfort and uphold our sister, her children and entire family members left behind, in Jesus Name. May his gentle soul find eternal peace and rest in God’s bosom Amen!
LANDMARK BIRTHDAY
- Madgalene Adegoke celebrated her 50th birthday Anniversary to the glory of God.
APPRECIATION
- We appreciate our Vicar, and Daddy in the Lord, Venerable OreOluwa Agbelusi for his prayers, his unflinching support, commitment and numerous contributions to our Ministry, the Church and much more. His love and solidarity are not taken for granted.
We must also not forget to appreciate the support of our Chaplain Venerable Uchechukwu Ekwensi who has also been a pillar in all our engagements. His prayers and support are not taken for granted.
The last and not the least is the Church Admin Manager, Mr. Mike Ipadeola who had remained so faithful over the years with things that concern the Counselling Ministry most especially all secretarial jobs as they concerned our engagements. He was always willing to assist even at very short notice. We bless God for his commitment and resilience in His Vineyard.
The Counselling Ministry does not take all these unflinching supports and solidarity, morally and financially, both from the Clergy and Laity for granted. God bless you all.
We also wish to use this medium to appreciate all and sundry in Our Saviour’s Church, who has supported the Counselling Ministry in one way or the other. May God Almighty continue to reward your labour of Love in His Vineyard abundantly in Jesus Name, Amen!
PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR 2024
- In-house/Professional Trainings for members
In line with one of the Ministry’s goals of training and retraining members, an In-House Training will be organised so that members will be well groomed and informed on the necessary skills and procedures for effective Counselling.
Secondly, we appeal to our dear Vicar Ven. OreOluwa Folorunsho Adegbusi to kindly add to his Agenda, and budget a Professional Training for Counsellors, both new and old to enable the Ministry be in tune with new, and current IT-compliant ways, techniques, skills of Counselling for the digital generation of Youths.
- Retreat
The Ministry intends to also go on a Retreat, especially as it pertains to our new Restructured Study Book in view, in addition to any other organised by the Church in the course of the new year. Our goal will be to equip Counsellors, as we intend to adopt/use the New Study Guide book upon completion and publication this 2024, by God’s grace.
- Couple Night
Plans are on the way this 2024, to organise a “Couples Night” Get Together in the Church, where Parishioners will be hosted to an event where deserving Exemplary Couples will be honoured to encourage others to see Godly, harmonious and successful marriages as God’s intentions and the way to go in Christian marriages and relationships.
This event also intends to encourage the new generation and make them appreciate the merits of living happily with their spouses, making their marriages successful, inorder to avert the prevalent divorces among young couples.
We hope and pray that by God’s grace, our Ministry will continue to impact lives positively with the series of Trainings, Seminars, Webinars, Programmes, lined up in 2024, and supported by our Vicar, Venerable OreOluwa Agbelusi , our Chaplain, Ven. Uche Ekwensi, the Church and all members of the Ministry.
It is also our prayer that when activities are scheduled for the Church, past and present Counsellees, and all others, we would have a large turnout of guests, who will benefit from such Programmes.
Members of the Executive
Mrs Mercy Okoye – President
Mrs Ayotola Ayodeji – Vice President
Mrs. Bolaji Ajayi – Secretary
Mr. Oku Oku – Asst. Secretary
Mrs. Bidemi Ogunleye – Treasurer
Mrs. Uche Obodoekwe – Assistant Treasurer
Dame Ijeoma Chuks-Okoye – Financial Secretary
Standing Committee Chairmen
Dr. (Mrs.) Phil Okoye – Annual Seminar
Lady Nkoli Moka – Ministry Library
Mrs. Funke Adesuyi – Media and Publicity
Mr. Oku Oku – ICT
Dame Princess Karenate-Egbuson – Social Welfare
Mrs. Chinyere Nwigwe – Protocol