…Challenges Priests To Uphold The Anglican tradition
…Priest warns Against Theft of Church funds, Wife beating
Diocese on the Niger (Anglican Communion), made a historic landmark on Sunday, with six Archdeacons and eight others, canons preferred.
Among those preferred Archdeacons include Rev. Canon David Ajaefobi, Rev. Canon Chinedu Nnakwue and Rev. Canon Kperechukwu Nwankwo.
Others are Rev. Canon Chigozie Anieto, Rev. Canon Marcel Emeh and Rev. Canon Dan Uche.
The eight preferred Canons are: Rev Wilfred Umeagugugesi, Rev Gabriel Nwabuobi, Rev Ugochukwu Nweke, and Rev Benjamin Obodo.
The rest include: Rev Ifeanyi Azubike, Rev Chukwudi J. B. Okafor, Rev Matthew Chukwuneme and Rev Sunday Achebe
They were charged to always uphold sound Anglican tradition as well as watch selves and congregation against abuses and eventual spiritual slips.
They were also adhere to standard and stop copying outsiders in order not to make God angry.
Making the challenge in the homily preceding the collation, at the All Saints’ Cathedral, Onitsha, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Nike, the Rt Rev Christian Onyia, expressed disgust the way he said some Anglican priests copy practices he said are very alien to Anglicanism.
In the sermon which he tagged, “Three persons to watch”, the bishop enjioned the priests to always conduct themselves in very respectfully manner.
“If you are able to conquer your self and pride you have conquered all.
“Until you abuse your self no one can, for no man can abuse any pastor until he abuses himself,” Onyia said.
While he warned priests against stealing God’s money, he explained that training children with stolen money makes the children useless and also warned priests against beating their wives.
“Any pastor that beats his wife is an animal and cannot have anointing,” he said.
Onyia rather advised pastors to love their wives and make them friends, saying that the measurement of one’s dignity is one’s wife and children.
He also said that another person the pastors should watch is their bishop.
“Watch your congregation and don’t be too familiar with your bishop otherwise you abuse him and turn him a household object,” Onyia said.
While admonishing the bishop, he said, “You know your ministers can provoke you anytime, when they do, please forgive them always so that they don’t draw you to sin.
The Bishop on the Niger, the Rt Rev. Owen Nwokolo conducted the oath of cononical obedience and the oath of alliance to God on the candidates.
He emphasized the importance of the oath to which each of the ministers swore.
“I do swear by Almighty God that I will pay true canonical obedience to the Bishop on the Niger (Anglican Communion) and his successors in all things lawful and honest.
“And hereby undertake to accept and immediately submit to any sentence depriving me of any or all the rights and emoluments appertaining to the office of … which may at any time be passed upon me after due examination by the bishop, acting under the Constitution of the Diocese on the Niger…
“I confess before God and His Church that I am not a member of any secret cult…” the candidates had in part wowed.
Nwokolo also admitted two Deputy Chancellors for the diocese. They are Barristers Ben Uzuegbu and Chijioke Emeka (SAN).