Members of the Anioma Delta Baptist Conference of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, have pledged greater commitment to the overall development of the Conference as they prepare for their 7th anniversary in June.
This was part of the resolutions adopted at their second annual mini-conference held on Saturday, 16th January, 2020, at the Ozioma Baptist Church, Ekpon, Edo State.
The mini-conference which is the business session of the Anioma Delta Baptist conference was attended by over 600 leaders of Local Baptist Churches within Delta North region of Delta State, under the leadership of the Rev’d Dr. Paul Anyasi, the Conference President.
Rev, Monday Opone was also at the gathering for the first time as the Conference Chairman with his vice, Rev’d Johnbull Atamhenwan, other new Executives of the Conference as well as Moderators of the various Baptist Associations.
Presenting his 2020 report of stewardship, the Conference President and Spiritual Leader, the Rev’d Dr. P. F. Anyasi appreciated God for his faithfulness to the Conference as a whole, affirming that despite the challenges of the year 2020, occasioned by the Covid-19 global pandemic and the EndSars protects in Nigeria, the Lord God almighty led the conference through the year successfully.
“God deserves all the praise, we are grateful to him that in all these, we were more than conquerors,” he stated and quoted Psalm 65:8: “the whole world stands in awe of you for the great things that you have done. Your deeds bring shouts of joy from one end of the earth to the other.”
The CP articulated the accomplishments of the Conference as well as the challenges that confronted it in the year under review while noting that greater things will be achieved in the New Year if members of the Conference will commit themselves to the cooperative agreement as enshrined in the Nigerian Baptist Convention.
The renowned Baptist Priest spoke extensively with great passion, on the urgent need for members to be fervent and commit a part of their resources toward the physical development of the Conference, saying that nobody succeeds in life without being passionate.
“If we don’t build the Anioma Delta Conference, nobody will build it for us. When we come together we take a look at ourselves and say we are Baptist, so we feel that when we are asked to pull our resources together to develop, they are forcing us, but my dear Brethren, they are not forcing us.
“You know every Church begins with where two or three are gathered, but when a Church remains where two or three are gathered, even the two or three will leave. Beginning is exciting, but when people begin to watch you and see that you are not adding value, they begin to leave your Church.
“Most times, our slow pace in doing things is even discouraging our younger children. Let us build Anioma Delta Baptist Conference so that it does not become stagnant,” the CP pleaded while noting that some conferences are stagnated for the fact that members derive joy in celebrating mediocrity.
“I am appealing to all Pastors, all Deacons, all Church Members, to show cooperation. Let us build Anioma Conference. We can do it. Remember it is a universal philosophy; unity is straight, unity is power. It is all about how united we are. We can build the Conference in such a way that it will begin to take care of the burden of the local Churches.
“We never can tell where the Anioma Delta Conference will be in the next ten years, but where there is no pain, there is no gain. You must understand that in the process of pain that we emerge victorious. There is no hero without a scar. If you see a hero without a scar, that hero is a cosmetic hero,” Rev’d Dr. Anyasi pleaded further and listed critical hindrance to unprecedented achievements in the Conference to include the lack of will among cooperative members.
“Where there is a will, there is a way. The only thing that makes you not to achieve is when you don’t have a will.
“The Church owns the Conference; the Conference doesn’t own the Church. The Conference is a baby of the Church and not the Church a baby of the Conference,” he stated and emphasized that the Church being the Mother of the Conference should do everything within its powers to nurture the Conference with a view to helping the Church in times of need.
“The Church gave birth to the Conference and if the Conference must help the Church, the Church must first nurture the Conference and that is what we are trying to do in the Anioma Delta Baptist Conference, “The Conference President concluded.
Earlier in his devotional Message taken from the theme of the Mini-Conference: “Kingdom People: God Will Take Care of You”, Rev Macfide Fidelis assured that in as much as members are willing to support the Conference, God in his mercy will continue to care, provide and protect them, saying that God who they serve is a custodian of wealth.
“If we must achieve our kingdom mandate as a Conference, we must be ready to support the kingdom work. We should help to support the Conference, the Leadership and the Vision,” he said and noted that the grace to support and help has been bestowed on members of the Conference by God Almighty, even as he admonished them to live for God and be committed to Him.
The House later adopted the Conference resolutions in a unanimous vote as was presented by the resolution Committee led by Rev. Dike Uti.
Highlights of the conference included; presentation of the financial report, the auditor’s report, 2021 budget, organizational reports, as well as reports from Association Moderators and the adoption of all the reports.
The Conference was later treated to a beautiful rendition of classical hymns by the Choir of Ozioma Baptist Church, Ekpon.
Deacon Chijioke Ugbolue
Public Relations Officer
Anioma Delta Baptist Conference.
