By Zakariya Musa
The 67th TEKAN General Assembly has elected Joel S. Billi, president of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) as the TEKAN president. Three other executive committee members also were elected on Jan. 14 at Takum, Taraba State, Nigeria. Billi, who served as the TEKAN vice president, succeeds his former boss Caleb S. O. Ahima, who served two terms of six years.
The 2023 TEKAN assembly, titled “Christ’s Ambassadors in Challenging Times” (2 Corinthians 5:20) had Emmanuel Irmiya Egenebe, pastor of CRC-N, Nyanya, Abuja, as guest speaker.
TEKAN stands for the Fellowship of Christian Churches in Nigeria and is the largest Christian ecumenical body in Nigeria. TEKAN was established on Feb. 15, 1955, by six denominations; EYN, COCIN, LCCN, ERCC, UMCN, CRCN. Today, the fellowship has 15 denominations and two associates, blessed with over 30 million members.
The election officiated by the TEKAN Board of Trustees was regarded as free and fair, in which 141 delegates cast their votes by the grace of God. The president elect was not in attendance due to ill health.
Other TEKAN executives elected include Dave Denji, president of ERCC, as vice president; Benjamin Pokol, COCIN general secretary, as assistant general secretary; and Catherine John as treasurer.
The assembly also awarded the outgoing executives and the present general secretary: Caleb S. O. Ahima, Joel S. Billi, Amos N. Mohzo, Moses J. Ebuga (the present general secretary), and Biyaya Gila.
Please pray… For the leadership of EYN president Joel S. Billi in TEKAN.
Other key contents of the event included, but were not restricted to, report presentations, prayer offerings, introduction of newly elected denominational leaders, discussion on common challenges and prospects, etc. It was concluded with a church service where Holy Communion was served according to the tradition of the host church, CRC-N.
The next TEKAN assembly is scheduled to be held at UMCN, Jalingo, as announced by the president.
— Zakariya Musa is head of media for EYN.
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