By Danjuma Auta
Newly elected ECWA Trustee, Rev. Prof. Sunday Agang, and the Treasurer, Elder. Haruna Danjuma, have been installed in accordance with the constitution and guidelines of the church.
The occasion, which took place at the conference hall of the ECWA International Headquarters in Jos, the Plateau State capital, was followed by goodwill messages to the outgoing and incoming officers.
ECWA President, Rev. Dr. Stephen Baba Panya, while administering the oath of office, charged them to appreciate the trust reposed in them by the General Church Council of ECWA by electing them in their various offices.
According to him, the choice and subsequent election of the two officers were clear indications that God was bringing them to fulfill the work He had for them and must always listen and do God’s biding while discharging their responsibilities.
Rev. Baba also enjoined them to lean on the shoulders of their predecessors so that their work on earth would attract God’s blessings and reward.
He disclosed that election into ECWA leadership was a call to serve the people and should not be misused for personal gain as everyone would give account of their stewardship.
He added, “I believe that Prof. Agang and Elder Haruna will all bring to bear their wide experiences in the academia and the financial sector respectively to ensure that ECWA as a denomination continues to wax stronger and move higher in the kingdom work here on earth.’’
Guest preacher at the occasion, Rev. Dr. James Igbul, in a message on the topic, ‘Building on the Shoulders of One Another’, stressed that Christians must accept the fact that they’re all dwarfs in need of God’s grace to grow.
Taking his text from 1Corinthians 3:10-15, Rev. Igbul observed that remaining connected to the source of Christian power, Jesus Christ, leads to the manifestation of unquenchable revival, miracles, pulling down Satan’s strongholds and redemption of souls.
He added that leaders and Christendom needs each another’s shoulders to grow and make an impact and urged all believers to learn from each other and help each other positively.
According to him, ECWA is what it is today because its leaders had continued to learn and lean on one another’s shoulders and humbled themselves by working in the interest and unity of the church.
He called on the new officers to continue in the vision of the founding fathers and ensure that they do away with bitterness, divisions and any other tendencies that may set members against each other.
The immediate past treasurer, Dr. Kalu Umeh, thanked God for the opportunity ECWA gave him to serve in God’s vineyard which would remain with him for the rest of his life.
He said, “It is good to start and finish well, and thank God for the grace to end successfully.’’
He disclosed that he was able to work with his team to initiate the ECWA Treasurers’ Summit and the Finance Board Business Summit which would last for a long time.
He explained that the treasurers’ summit was a peer review platform for DCC treasurers that was in its third year and already generating funds to support missions.
He listed some of the achievements recorded during his time to include rebooting all ECWA business units, centralization of pastors’ salaries, recreating wealth for ECWA staff investment through real estate development, building digitalized shopping malls in Kaduna, Port-Harcourt and Lagos and the actualizing of ECWA TV, amongst others.
In separate responses, the newly installed trustee and treasurer thanked God for the opportunity given them to contribute their quota in moving ECWA forward, adding that they would do their best to build on the foundations of the founding fathers and called for prayers, cooperation and support from the leaders and members. The occasion was attended by guests from many parts of the country and conducted under strict adherence of COVID-19 guidelines and regulations.