Bishop of the Diocese of Ibadan, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Joseph Akinfenwa, has charged newly-ordained archdeacon and 10 priests to be faithful disciples of the gospel and exercise their prophetic and priestly duties.
Akinfenwa stated this during the ordination of the priests and the induction of Venerable Johnson Faleye as the archdeacon of Molete Archdeaconry and Vicar of St. Anne’s Church, Molete, Ibadan.
Those ordained as priests were Aranju Abolanle; Akinwale Akinbanji; Folayan Abayomi; Ojo Oluwadrare; Adekoya Adegboyega; Osofisan Ibitola; Olaniyan Sunday; Olaogun Emmanuel; Edegbal Ehigbai and Aluko Adeyemi.
Akinfenwa charged the clerics to fashion their lifestyles according to the tenets of Jesus Christ, love and serve the people faithfully.
He also urged them to care for the young, old, strong, weak, the rich and the poor, preach as well as declare God’s forgiveness to penitent sinners.
“In all that you do, you are to nourish Christ’s people from the riches of His grace and strengthen them to glorify God in this life and in the life to come.
“This is because you cannot bear the weight of this ministry in your own strength but only by the grace and power of God. Pray earnestly for His Holy spirit,” he said.
Earlier in his sermon, the Provost, Cathedral of St. James, Oke Bola, Ibadan, Very Reverend David Olagbaju, urged the clerics to make the presence of God a priority in their ministry and urged them to be honest and faithful in their daily activities.
“Without divine presence, you cannot do anything. Divine presence is a pre-requisite for a viable ministry. Change your lifestyles and be transformed. We are living in a period when Christianity is being branded with different names,” he said.
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