STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING HELD AT THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST PETER, AREMO, IBADAN

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2006

PASTORAL LETTER TO THE CHURCH

My dear people of God,

Mercy, Peace and Love be multiplied to you all – Amen.

This comes with greetings from the Standing Committee Meeting at the Cathedral Church of St Peter, Aremo, Ibadan, from Wednesday, 22nd – Friday, 25th February 2006.

Stewardship of Time and Money:

The theme – Stewardship of time and money engaged our attention using Luke 19:11-26 as the basic text.

In giving out the talents to the stewards, the master gave clear instructions that the talents were to be invested within a period.  Matthew’s version adds the idea that the master knew the stewards personally as well as their capabilities. We therefore ought to be aware of the fact that God has a foreknowledge of who we are and has endowed each one of us accordingly.  Whatever gift(s) we have should be seen as a trust, to be used purposefully, responsibly, and also promptly.  We will eventually be called to account.  Worthy stewards will be honoured. Time and resource wasters will be dishonoured.

Endowment Fund:

This word should guide our response to both our conversion and resources to serve the Church and the world.  We need to give ourselves first and fully to the Lord, and then proceed to give our talents.

We must get rid of such jests as, ‘I have given my widow’s mite’; “Anglicans are not willing givers to the Church”; “Tithing is un-Anglican”, etc. because these confessions are false, and have serious consequences on us as Christians who desire to obey God.  Repentance from these false confessions should impact more positively on our response to the Church of Nigeria Endowment Fund allocation and other responsibilities entrusted to us at both the local, national and international levels in the areas of missions.

The Anglican World Today:

These times are perilous for our Communion world-wide, resulting from the continuing obstinate revisionist agenda, master-minded by ECUSA and her allies. We must intensify our prayers for the truth of the word of God to be the guiding light for the Church.  We will also do more by ensuring that we do not associate with ECUSA in any official capacity.  We have already taken a decision to train our clergy and church staff within our own environment and in partnership only with those who hold similar biblical views of God and human sexuality with us.  The emergence of Church of Nigeria Mission to America, known and called, ‘Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), registered Charity Trust in U.S.A., is a serious step to put into action our bible-based convictions.  We solicit your prayers for God to guide our future, especially with our being called upon to offer leadership both to the Global South and CAPA.  We remain committed to the orthodox faith rooted in sound doctrines about Jesus Christ and the purity of the Gospel as a sure way of gaining our true economic emancipation and presenting a holistic mission now being threatened by some churches in Europe, North America and Canada.

Mission and Evangelism:

In pursuance of our calling as a Church for our generation, we must keep the flame of mission and evangelism burning through creation of more Dioceses for the sole aim of reaching the Mission 1:1:3 goal.  We need to intensify our prayer and mission commitment to the Fulani and other nomadic herdsmen in various parts of the country.  We also need to bring before you for prayers and assistance, the foreign missions in far away countries like the Republic of Congo, where we are responsible for our Bishop’s missionary work.  Many of you have already identified with this vision, and are supporting same.  Our prayer is that God will reward you bountifully.

Our Empathy:

We are all witnesses of the recent religious/civil disturbances in some parts of the country which claimed hundreds of lives.  Some of you may have lost your dear ones while the conflict lasted. We identify with you at this moment of grief, and pray for the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Do continue to lift our leaders in prayer for wisdom to solve the vexing problem of religious riots in our land.

Lenten Season:

Finally, the Lenten season is here again.  I urge you all to make maximum use of the Lenten period for promotion of both self and Christian community holiness, and pray for national repentance.  Let us begin from this Lenten season to offer prayer each day at noon for our nation, that the moral decadence, HIV/AIDS pandemic, natural disasters and accidents, as well as the killer bird flu disease may be minimized.  We must create more time to meditate on the Word of God, carry our cross daily, and walking with Him by faith to Golgotha, being crucified with Him, that we may rise to newness of life.

The Grace of God be with you.

+Peter Akinola

(Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria).