The 11th edition of the Divine Commonwealth Conference (DIVCCON) organised by the Church of Nigeria under the coordination of the Most Rev ‘Tunde Adeleye, held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, with the theme: “Quit you like Men,” taken from 1Cor. 16:13.
Primate of the Church of Nigeria and convener, The Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, who welcomed over 10,000 participants, said DIVCCON is not just for Anglicans, but all believers in Christ. He noted that with the ACNN-TV broadcast and social media, the conference was obviously a global event and had more people participating virtually than those physically present.
Speaking on the theme, the Primate admonished Christians to be courageous amidst the challenges confronting them. He said Christians must not be spiritual weaklings that the least opposition will terrify and throw down. According to him, God demands that they be strong, spiritually mature with courage and fortitude.
Also, leader of the daily Bible sessions of the conference and Bishop of Jalingo, The Rt. Rev. Foreman Nedison, urged Christians to brace up and persevere to the end, against all odds.
He said: “Brethren, the Christian race is not for quitters, but those who follow doggedly to the very end. And to be able to follow to the end, courage is a necessary requirement. Why is courage a necessity to following to the end? It is because we are in very difficult times, where our faith is almost becoming illicit as it was before Emperor Constantine, so to speak. We are living in such a time where the Christian faith is a target of violent attacks globally.
“We are in a time Christians are losing their freedom and so many things. And the trend of the time is that people are quitting Christian faith to stay alive, live in peace and even get political appointments and positions. Brethren, to be able to stand in these trying times, courage is a necessary tool. You and I need courage to stand boldly and defend our faith – the faith of our fathers in the face of persecutions and intimidations.”
The conference attracted other key speakers such as the Archbishop of Bendel, The Most Rev. Dr Cyril Odutemu; Prof. Emmanuel Okoye; the Ven. Lekan Onanuga; Bishop of Evo, The Rt. Rev. Innocent Ordu; Archbishop of Owerri and DIVCCON Cordinator, The Most Rev. Dr David Onuoha and the Ven. Oliver Ofoegbu.
Other highlights of the programme included daily revivals/prayers; presentation of the Most Rev. Dr. Humphrey Olumakaiye, as the Archbishop of Lagos; the turning of the sod and laying of the foundation stone of the Senate building and administrative centre of the Anglican University of Technology, Kwaita, Abuja; the Commissioning of the Church of Nigeria pilgrimage committee/task force under the Chairmanship of The Most Rev. Dr Cyril Odutemu and Steering Committee of the Church of Nigeria’s national Christian Men’s Fellowship, as well as, launching of the Church of Nigeria Mobile Application (CON APP) and the CON shuttle service.
