COME BROTHER, COME SISTER, THERE IS HOPE!

One thing that baffles the expatriate investor in Nigeria is why most Nigerians do not find fulfillment in their country. The Germans, English, Americans, Asians, all have good stories to tell. An expatriate in his sixties is proud to say that not only was he born in Nigeria, his mother was born in this country! To use the Nigerian slang, they make it here in this country!
In the Message of last year, we described Nigeria in the following words:
Nigeria, by any standard, is a very well endowed country. Nigeria’s oil, which makes her rank amongst the top ten producers in the world, is described as being like only a drop in the sea of gas when compared with the nation’s gas reserves. The solid minerals, which for decades were neglected, would, if properly harnessed, transform the economic environment of Nigeria. From the coastal swamps, Nigeria is capable of producing rice for all of Africa. With the considerable expanse and varieties of geographical/vegetation belts, Nigeria has no reason to import tropical, sub-tropical or even          temperate crops. Over and above these is the quality of the human      resource, which makes Nigerians stand out in any part of the world.
The big question therefore is why do Nigerians struggle to emigrate from this ‘Promised Land’ to other countries and slave to build up those economies? It has been said that an average Nigerian working in London could find himself at the same train platform in the same train station at 8.30am each day, Monday to Friday, over a ten-year period, going to the same direction. During those ten years, he could rise in the office from Officer to Supervisor, but not a Manager. He would have enough to pay his mortgage,  pay for his bus pass, pay other bills, but was unlikely to have one thousand pounds in his account at any particular time!
Last year, we turned our attention to our God and declared that He is a God who hears, cares and intervenes. We also saw Him as a God of bounty who is both willing and able to make us rich. The reality with us however, is that Nigerians, though citizens of a very well endowed and rich country, remain very poor, in-fact, she is rated amongst the countries with very low par capita income. Must this anomaly remain? Must we continue to be thirsty while we sit helplessly by the pool of water?
These are some of the issues we hope to address in the New Year as we explore the theme: THAT I MAY KEY INTO GOD’S ABUNDANCE. The average Nigerian wants to get out of the poverty line. Some, in desperation, cut corners, and get on the wrong side of the Law. For those in the church, you find a serious disconnect between their creed and their conduct, not only in the market place, but even in the church. Is there a way to ‘make it’ without doing it our own way? We shall attempt to address this questions at both the Bible Studies on Second Sundays and the Teaching Sermons on Fourth Sundays. The regulars which are well set out in The Calendar of Worship and Events for the year will also be related to the theme. We encourage you to please avail yourself of these programmes. We must again emphasize however, that these programmes are complementary and to benefit from them, you need to do more that attend only the Sunday programmes. We will specially like to commend the Wednesday Prayer Meetings and the Friday Bible Studies to all members as these are designed to build up and equip the individual.
Your Lord through your church is assuring you that He appreciates your situation and is very much aware of your aspirations. He is desirous to help you reach the goal He has set for you in Year 2014.
Have a year of abundance as you key into the God who is both willing  and able to make you great!

Your brother, Vicar &  Archdeacon,
S. Igein Isemede