Rt. Rev. Chikwendu Igwe, Bishop of the Methodist Church, Diocese of Kubwa, has tasked Christians to awake and pray to redeem the country from the challenges of insecurity.
Igwe made the call in Abuja on Saturday at the plenary of the 9th Annual Synod of the Methodist Church Nigeria with the theme “Watch and Pray’’.
He said that the church and every Christian citizen had responsibility in the building a better country through persistent prayers.
Igwe, who took the Bible reference from Matthew 26:41, said the church must begin to awake from its spiritual slumber and dormancy which made the enemy to sow tares among the wheat in the society.
According to him, a sleepy and dormant church can never create positive impact in the society.
He said that every nation faces challenges of insecurity, adding that there was need for Christians to arise and stand in the gap to pray for the security of the country.
“The call of God on every Christian is a call to service and this involves each using his or her talent or ability for the service of the kingdom of God.
“While acknowledging some efforts of the government in the first against corruption, I call on every well-meaning Nigerian to get involved in the fight against corruption and the increasing rate of insecurity.
“This insecurity and criminality in the country has affected the education system, especially in the northern region and direct investments from outside into Nigeria,” he said.
The Chairman of the synod, Mr John Onoja, said that in spite of challenges the country was faced with there was need to consistently thank God for sustaining it, especially during the height of COVID-19 pandemic.
Onoja said that many countries of the world still looked for ways to stem the pandemic but God had helped the country in minimising the effect on the people.
Lady Offon Akpabio, a member of the church, in a keynote address titled: “Watch for the Legacy of the Church’’ said investing in today’s youth was necessary in growing the body of Christ.
Akpabio said giving room for the youth to serve would prepare them to become future leaders, who would in turn translate to growth and development of the nation.
She, therefore, charged parents to leave good legacies of life skills and faith for their children.
“The power of youth is commonwealth for the entire world. The faces of young people are the faces of our past, present and future.
“No segment of the society, church included can match with the power, idealism, enthusiasm and courage of the young people.
“We cannot ignore that the Christian formation of young people is changing. This means that it is unarguable that we need not only to pray but must watch for the legacy of the church,” she said.