{"id":22403,"date":"2023-08-12T19:15:10","date_gmt":"2023-08-12T19:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/?p=22403"},"modified":"2023-08-12T19:16:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-12T19:16:13","slug":"eyn-a-wounded-healer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2023\/eyn-a-wounded-healer\/","title":{"rendered":"EYN: A wounded healer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Zakariya Musa<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEYN is regarded as a wounded healer,\u201d said Ekklesiyar \u2018Yan\u2019uwa a Nigeria vice president Anthony Addu\u2019a 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the church had encouraged retaliations, the damage would have been more than what we have experienced,\u201d he said. \u201cThe church as the light and the salt of the world shouldn\u2019t conform to the pattern of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our being patient has had great impact on EYN\u2019s growth in numbers of churches established, from 50 districts in 2014 to now about 70 District Church Councils today. \u201cBoko Haram has succeeded in destroying church buildings thinking that they will stop Christianity,\u201d he said. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The EYN headquarters in Kwarhi, Adamawa State, Nigeria. Photo by Zakariya Musa<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Please pray… <\/strong>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.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

He reiterated that in Jesus, the strategy of managing crisis is the best. If EYN were to retaliate, he said, \u201cI think by now we would be counting undergrowth as a church, which was left with only 7 districts not directly affected\u201d after Boko Haram overran the EYN Headquarters and surrounding area of northeast Nigeria in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes, we make mistakes with utterances that \u2018enough is enough\u2019 or \u2018we are pushed to the wall\u2019 or \u2018both cheeks have been slapped.\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— Zakariya Musa is head of Media for EYN in Nigeria.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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