Recognizing the need to create a vibrant and spirit filled Church in meeting
the yearning of the membership and a very strong pillar in the repositioning
of the Methodist Church Nigeria, the Department of Evangelism, Diocese of
Lagos under the leadership of The Rev. J. O. B. Fatomilola – Minister -
Diocesan Methodist Evangelical Movement and Bro. Oluwatosin Olaniyan –
Coordinator - Diocesan Methodist Evangelical Movement organized a summit for
all categories of Church Officers viz: Ministers, Lay Preachers, Local
Church Stewards/Sides Ladies/Ushers, Sunday School Teachers, Prayer Group
Members and Intercessors, Follow-up Group Members, Bible Study Group
Members, Choristers, Instrumentalists, Praise and Worship Leaders.
The
training session was preceded by a Holy Communion Service in the Church. The
Resource persons include Rt. Rev. G. A. Bamgbose, Rev. Sanya Adepoju, Bro.
(Prof.) O. O. Amund, Bro. Oluwatosin Olaniyan, Bro. Tope Adebayo, Sis. Bose
Oluwagbemi, Sis. Jumoke Osunneye, Bro. Tunbosun Jaiyeola and Bro. Doyin
Adenekan. The following session thereafter broke into the groups enumerated
above.
At
the end of the summit, the following recommendations were agreed upon for
implementation at the Local, Circuit and Diocesan levels.
Ministers/Lay Preachers Group
That Ministers should preach the word and edify
the congregation.
That Ministers should teach the true word,
baptize and reflect the teaching of the New Testament
That evangelism be intensified and not left to
the Ministers i.e. each Church should have an evangelism committee and a
vote and submit quarterly report to the Diocese.
That visitation be given priority.
That there should be healthy evangelism.
That Church associations be overseen by
Ministers.
That more members be encouraged to go into
Priesthood and pay particular attention to comprehensive and in-depth study
of the Word.
That there should be communication between
members and Ministers.
That Ministers should not be abusive and
everyone to be involved in evangelism.
That interaction between the clergy across
Church lives should be highly encouraged.
Church Stewards
That Church stewards serve as pillar of support
for the ordained ministry by performing complementary roles.
That it is
therefore incumbent that only those who have accepted or willing to accept
Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour are the right candidates for
services in the Lord’s vineyard, who can be all their undertakings and bear
fruits of the Spirit such as Love,
Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith and Temperance.
That Church
officers and workers are leaders of service within the body of Christ who
should be a light unto others to follow in terms of good works and be
example in Preaching, Serving,
Teaching, Stimulating the faith in others, Giving, Wielding authority,
Sympathy etc.
That stewards eschew conduct that would not
glorify God in their dressing, home management, morality and general
discipline
That order of service should be adhered to in
order to maintain interest and encourage members.
That Church stewards also ensure that their
children worship regularly in Methodist Church to serve as example to others
and ensure the future of the Church.
That stewards should maintain regular contact
with members either through phone calls or visits.
That stewards should respect constituted
authorities.
That stewards should attend Church activities
and services punctually and have a proper sense of timing.
That an internet mast be erected at the
diocesan Office to network the whole circuits in the diocese of Lagos
That at least two Computer sets be purchased
for each local church Sunday school and training session be organized for
the children.
Sunday School
The children are the heritage of the Lord and
they are instruments in His hand, therefore the teacher teaching them must
have a personal encounter with Jesus so that the heart of God can be known
to them.
Since the children spend more time with parents
at home, the teacher should therefore have a forum with the parents where
they would be taught how they should train their children in the ways of the
Lord.
The mother Church should help this department
financially. Letters can be
Written to those who can help this department and sufficient amount
should be allotted to this department to purchase the teaching aids to
stimulate their reading and learning
It is also recommended that the teachers also
should go for training quarterly and also have an in-house training and the
members should be encourage to join the ministry.
That
Ministers should fellowship with the children in their department,
conducting the service.
Conclusively, train and teach these children in
the fear of God since they are the producers of tomorrow’s Church.
That proper preparation be made in carrying out
the in-depth study of the Bible in terms of outline, choice of topic, body,
conclusion, feedback and response.
That more interaction i.e. question and answer
session during Bible study be allowed.
Techniques of Good Singing
That the choir standard in the Diocese be
improved.
That Selfless workers who are committed and
disciplined be raised.
That each chorister develop himself/herself in
Sight reading (No waiting for Choirmaster, there must be independence)
That choristers should take interest in
attending Concerts to learn more and also organize concerts at various
church levels.
Intercession
There should be a commitment to prayer
individually.
There should be in-depth study of the word to
enhance personal growth as well as corporate growth.
That there should be special prayers on
intercessions in form of organized retreat.
