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Taraba state Governor, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku has commended the Christian Reformed Church- Nigeria CRC-N number one Takum for putting together the history of the Church for future reference.
Governor Darius Ishaku made the commendation on Saturday during the Gospel Centenary celebration; dedication of a new parsonage for the residents pastor and the launching of a book titled “The Brief History of CRC-N No1 Takum, saying that putting all the records right from the time of Sudan Mission to the present day church is an invaluable contribution to the growth of the Church.
The Governor said he was gladdened in his heart to be part of the Centenary celebration because his grandfather was part of the historic journey of the Gospel in the Wukari Federation and challenged the present leadership of the Church to use the book as a springboard for a comprehensive research that would be a reference point for upcoming Church leaders.
He also used the opportunity to call on all sons and daughters as well as friends of CRC-N to launch into this Project, as a way of contributing to the mission work and assured the Church that he will support it maximally to enhance the growth of the Church through the gift that God has given him and encouraged all not to relent in contributing for the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaking further, Governor Darius Ishaku decried the attitude of Christians towards evangelism, stressing that Christians must key into evangelism. He also pointed out that the Church is passing through a turbulent period, and most Christians are weak and call for change in attitude, emphasizing that, there is the urgent need to be reawakened and make evangelism the front burner in our lives.
Accordingly, he emphasized on the need for the Church to take education seriously asserting that education is the bedrock of development and transformation and encouraged the Church to establish qualitative schools from nursery to university level and added that, the Church should also look into areas like rural development, health, and empowerment.
The Governor praised the charisma of Dr. Rev. Caleb Ahima the present CRC-N president and Rev. Yakubu Shamaki, former president of Reformed Church of Christ in Nigeria RCCN for working together and resolving issues that hitherto put the two churches at loggerheads in the past with a renewed understanding and stated that he was happy and proud of them and frowned at low turnout of CRC-N family to the Centenary celebration.
In his speech as the Chairman of the occasion, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha assessed the Centenary celebration into three different but related perspectives, with first hundred years as a sum total of our yesterday as history which could be bitter or sweet, where we got it right or wrong and how to move forward bearing in mind these pertinent questions of what we achieved, what we have done well and if we can be rewarded by our master Jesus Christ for a job well done.
Senator Bwacha maintained that the second perspective of the one hundred years represents our today, yesterday is history; then today is a gift from the Almighty.
Represented by Dr. Yakubu Yusuf, who noted that gift is a blessing from God which is without sorrow and stressed that gift is a heritage for those who are alive today, positing that the Centenary celebration is a rich collection and experience of late grandfathers and fathers in the faith and it is a gift that must not be jettisoned because it is a reward for their sweat and doggedness in the faith.
Dr. Yakubu Yusuf further said it is no longer time to sit in our comfort zones, but time to stretch out into the friendly and the unfriendly realm, and added that it is not time to ask but to give out for the sake of the Gospel, while the third perspective dwells on the mystery because it is not known what tomorrow shall be and painted a picture of how the Church of Christ has been subjected to demonic attack using the Democratic institution to hamper the growth of the Church.
He challenged the congregation to focus on genuine salvation during this Centenary by fine tuning ways to engender sound Christian values by organizing revival and crusade.
Delivering his sermon to mark the Centenary celebration, the CRC-N president Rev. Dr. Caleb Ahima said to celebrate the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ we need to understand where we started from and where we are today, saying that his grace and mercies kept the Church moving.
Caleb Ahima who read from the book of Isaiah 9:2, said the church is celebrating the revolution of the Gospel with the intent to save souls, give joy to our hearts, celebrating light and new identity that separated us from darkness and titled his message, ‘celebrating the lengthen cord,’ saying that the Gospel of Jesus Christ started from Jerusalem to Samaria to Judea and ends of the world.
Gov. Ishaku and Wife During Gospel Centenary Celebration
He Maintained the celebration is to thank the Almighty God for the grace that came to Takum 100 years ago using different people and stated that Africa as at that time was referred to as dark continent virtually no social amenity and survival of the fittest was the order of the day with many kinds of killer diseases.
The preacher who quoted variously from Bible averred that the coming of Gospel to Takum also came with responsibility, which teaches you to love God above all things and to love your neighbour like you love yourself and to let your light shine before men so that your father in heaven will also glorify you, but said the world today is characterised by hatred, wickedness and other forms of evil acts.
Dr. Caleb Ahima challenged the congregation whether their attitude truly reflects people that have accepted Jesus Christ and said whether our children just like we are celebrating our fathers and grandfathers today would celebrate us in the next 100 years and added that they persevered in the face of resistance occasioned by paganism.
The CRC-N President emphasized that if we live correctly we will never regret and we will bequeath a life of blessings to our children and children’s children and tasks the gathering to make choices that will lengthen the cord and bring life, not pains and sorrows.
Highpoint of the celebration was:
1.) The cutting of the Centenary cake,
2.) Presentation of awards to some pastors that contributed immeasurably for the propagation of Gospel in Takum and beyond, among them was the grandfather of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, late Istifanus Yaku whose award was presented to the Governor on behalf of the family,
3.) Launching of a 113 page book written by five Elders of the Church titled, A brief history of CRC-N No1 Takum reviewed by Rev. David S. Fashanu,
4.) commissioning of the pastor’s parsonage and rendition of songs by various groups in the Church.
