At Rhema’s convention, ministers task women on nation building

By Bimbola Oyesola

Nigerian women have been charged to take up the responsibility of nation building, at this period of social and economic challenges in the country.

‎Female ministers at the just-concluded 2017 Women Aglow International Convention of the Rhema Christian Church and Towers, Sango Ota, Ogun State, said women should not see themselves as weaker vessels and mere instruments for procreation, insisting that such were misleading descriptions of women.

Wife of the general overseer and president of Women Aglow International, Pastor (Mrs.) Ireti Akinola, said women should rather plan and work to leave their footprints in the sands of time.

Speaking on the convention’s theme, “The Deborah of Our Time,” she said women should emulate Deborah in the Bible who played the role of a wife, mother and judge in the land of Israel, adding that Deborah was not just a cheerleader for the men but a chief strategist who outlined the strategy for the battle confronting the children of Israel in her day.

“Not just that, she also got in the thick of the action by partnering Barak, and gave him courage to accomplish God’s purpose. Just like Deborah, every redeemed woman is saved to serve,” she said.

Pastor Akinola said, to achieve this, women must maintain a close relationship with God, display an unflinching faith in Him, and make the world better than they met it.

Chairperson of the convention, Deaconess Abimbola Oyesola, said the theme of the convention was very apt, bearing in mind the important role women were called to play as daughters of Zion.

“As women in this generation, there are valuable lessons we need to learn from the life of Deborah. This is a woman who used her abilities to serve and allowed no selfishness in the use of her God-given abilities to judge Israel. Deborah offers a bold and powerful role model for women today,” she said.

Noting that women, more than ever, must serve as agents of encouragement to bring light to those in darkness and succour to those in despair, she advised women in leadership positions to learn from Deborah’s leadership style.

“Learning further from Deborah, as leaders, we must be team players and acknowledge the efforts of others, rather than blow personal trumpets,” she said.

Dr. Dorcas Seun-David said there was no gender disparity in God’s agenda as He has destined every creature to fulfil a purpose. She stressed that the most important thing was to discover God’s embedded abilities deposited in them.

Advising women to be humble to their husbands so that they would win the husbands’ full support in realising their goals and visions in life, Seun-David noted that many women erroneously believed that their only purpose in life was to give birth and raise children.

Earlier, nutrition expert, Mr. Adedoyinn Kolawole, enlightened the participants on the implication of unhealthy eating and taught them how they could make their food, such as vegetables and fruits, their drugs. 

According to him, the present generation suffered from many deadly diseases as a result of junk food.

“In the olden days, most of these diseases were unheard of. In actual fact, they are unAfrican. Our forefathers in those days were not using all these cancerous, technology-induced things like microwave ovens. All their foods were natural, straight from the farm,” he said.

The convention also honoured some members of the society in recognition of their contribution to the advancement of God’s work. They include the national president, National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees, Lateef Oyelekan; national president, Association of Senior Staff of Banks Insurance and Financial Institutions, Oyinkan Olasanoye; and the Mardebra Comforter Foundation, a non-governmental organisation promoted by Evangelist Tope Alabi. 

‎The three-day event commenced with a cooking competition that was sponsored by Promasidor Nigeria Limited, under its culinary brand, Onga.

The competition, comprising the seven women groups in the church, saw the women showing off their expertise in Nigerian cuisine and food such as pounded yam and edikainkong, efo riro, efo elegusi, and others.

The coordinator of the Women Aglow International, Deaconess Folasade Sanusi, said the cooking competition, an annual event in the convention calendar, was organised to further improve the women’s cooking skills.

“We know that they can cook, but our church members cut across every region in Nigeria, so it is an opportunity for the women to learn different things,” she said.

The convention was well attended by members from Nigeria and across the world. It featured, among others, community evangelism, empowerment, praise-worship, medical check-up, Bible competition and word feast.

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