By Zakariya Musa
“EYN is regarded as a wounded healer,” said Ekklesiyar ‘Yan’uwa a Nigeria vice president Anthony Addu’a Ndamsai. The statement was made while addressing staff members at the EYN Headquarters at Kwarhi, Adamawa State, Nigeria. He was one of a group of EYN leaders who have just returned from the United States, encouraging members to sustain the peaceful heritage of the church which Ndamsai considered has helped the church survived the difficulties imposed by Boko Haram terrorists.
“If the church had encouraged retaliations, the damage would have been more than what we have experienced,” he said. “The church as the light and the salt of the world shouldn’t conform to the pattern of the world.”
Our being patient has had great impact on EYN’s growth in numbers of churches established, from 50 districts in 2014 to now about 70 District Church Councils today. “Boko Haram has succeeded in destroying church buildings thinking that they will stop Christianity,” he said. “We ran away with our faith and Christ was with us because he promised he will never leave us nor forsake us. Our people (members) who ran away formed themselves into churches wherever they went.”
Please pray… For Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), its leadership, its church members, and its congregations and districts across Nigeria and in mission points in neighboring countries.
He reiterated that in Jesus, the strategy of managing crisis is the best. If EYN were to retaliate, he said, “I think by now we would be counting undergrowth as a church, which was left with only 7 districts not directly affected” after Boko Haram overran the EYN Headquarters and surrounding area of northeast Nigeria in 2014.
“Sometimes, we make mistakes with utterances that ‘enough is enough’ or ‘we are pushed to the wall’ or ‘both cheeks have been slapped.’ These are not Christian words because Jesus has not taught that way. He categorically narrated that the world will hate us and will do all kinds of evil to us. For sure, the world will continue to be the world and only our approach in Christ-like manner can change the world.
“When the Bible says we should seek peace and pursue it, it means peace on a daily basis disappearing from our communities because of our activities. Therefore, it is our responsibility to do something for peace as long as we live.”
— Zakariya Musa is head of Media for EYN in Nigeria.
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