C&S CHURCH: Owoeye installed as cathedral head, Ogungbangbe reads service lone text...sponsores robust novelty match in honour of inducted Minister and Chairman, Ijesa DCC

C&S CHURCH: Owoeye installed as cathedral head, Ogungbangbe reads service lone text

...sponsores robust novelty match in honour of inducted Minister and Chairman, Ijesa DCC._ 

By ISAAC OLUSESI

As politicians think of next election, statesmen think of next generation, news editors think of next production, so also the ministers of God think of the expansion of God's Kingdom on earth, going by the service held last weekend, at the Cherubim & Seraphim Church C&S (Nigeria and Overseas).

The event day, in Ilesa, Osun State, was initially drowsy a bit but soonest after, accompanied by refreshing sunshine. The warmth and brightness of the sun lit up the good part of the day in a blaze of glory. 

Greatly lowered on the fence of the church, a giant banner welcomed, and ushered guests to the service of the ordination and installation of Elder Apostle Timothy Owoeye (Rt. Hon.) as Minister-in-Charge of C&S Beulah, Oke-Iro Parish, Ilesa, and Chairman, Ijesa District Church Council, DCC. 

Before the bell ringer could let go the rope, pulling the clapper, the church was already full, and the ordination and installation service didn't permit any momentary halt of activities for any guests who came in after the service had started.

The church was full of top brass politicians of the mixed extractions of All Progressive Congress APC, People Democratic Party, PDP, and other political parties, with the church contents, splitting its contents in the church surroundings. 

And the atmosphere was peaceful that reflected the service comportment compliant  by the diversely shaded politicians with dignified smiles beamed, who had come in their vehicles and pulled up on the t-road junction access to the church. The traffic on the t-road trudged at a snail speed in long snaky rows of vehicles, inter paired in temporary discomfiture that didn't take time to vanish.

The politicians whose only companions were handphones and cool music, coming from car stereo, disembarked into the warm embrace of Owoeye, a four - term state parliamentarian and the church service principal beneficiary as main celebrator, and chief host.

And by the service souvenir, Senior Apostle Thomas Ogungbangbe Ph.D radiant looking, stepped forth from the epic front row, and stood behind the church pulpit with convincing insights of the oracle of the Bible and idiomatic relish. He read the Bible only lesson for the ordination and installation service, from the book of IITIMOTHY 4: 1-8. The sermon delivered by His Eminence Elder Apostle Samson Odesanmi, drove home the very essence of the Bible lone passage, read.

Indeed, Ogungbangbe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CITA ENERGIES, from the Ife/Ijesa axis of Osun, a devout Christian, known for his piety and priestly oracle, eagerly awaited, is entrenched also in the sanctity of democracy and progressive politics of APC. His robust spiritual belief and commitment to excellence and decency in the private and public walks, standing him out as a fountain of integrity, must have informed his choice for the reading of the only passage of the Bible for the ordination and installation service.

And the trunk of the passage fitted well into the fabrics of the ordination and installation service sermon as Elder Apostle Owoeye and the ordinated others, men and women were charged to swallow hook, line and sinkers the body text of the Bible read, for self edification and teachings for the body of Jesus Christ.

The ordination and installation done, with the affirmative questions and answers as part of the oath of office administered on Owoeye, under the power of the Holy Spirit. And Owoeye, the cynosure of all eyes who's the newly installed servant of the Most High God, immediately, signed up for the church unifying factor, forthwith. For the church, and the church's Ijesa District Coordinating Council, DCC.

Part of the highlights of the service was the pre-ordination and installation step by step movement of Owoeye the Minister and Chairman of the C & S Ijesa DCC and the ordinated others, in a ceremonial procession, in the church tradition, from the church threshold, straight course, through the church passage, the pilgrimage - like to the temple as divine essential of the covenant with the sanctuary, akin to the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem. While the ordinated underwent this seemingly tortuous journey, the entire church congregation remained standing, until the procession ended and that, itself completed the circle of ordination and installation service.

The special song ministrations by the host church was a complete manifestation of a genre of music in songs, soul lifting, in the spiritual creative mood, and offered to revitalize man's relationships with God. 

The reporter, from his angle, inside the church, assessed the array of choristers on bandstand and ascribed the striking uniqueness of the voices heard with mixed baritones in the background, to life driven into the maze of saxophone and its unique tunes, ranged from the solemn and the joyous to the pulsating. While the drummers breezed the authentic African sound that deployed _gangan,_ _omele,_ _iya ilu,_ _sekere,_ and _agogo,_ the Yoruba musical instruments. The synthesis, interestingly, didn't lose spiritual inclination.

The ordination and installation service was a 2-day event that took off with the Prince Ogungbangbe sponsored robust sport exhibition of a football match in honour of Owoeye, the service celebrator and had the APC leaders across the Ijesa zone of the state and others, sport enthusiasts as spectators. The one leg novelty match, in the football pitch of Ilesa Grammar  School was between the Ijesa Soccer Ambassadors and Ijesa Danamond Football Club, kicked open by Owoeye. 

The match, hinged on a 3-3 shared championship goal that came in torrents, had lots of guts and determination swiftly, deployed as neither side was cornered into any frenzy, pundits around the leather game told the reporter, describing the encounter as "thrilling, marked by fantastic and dribbling  runs." Both sides, a bunch of skilful players were reportedly in their elements. The sponsor, Ogungbangbe, euphoric, desired the clubs' handlers to improve further the players' conditioning level.

The pitch game heightened awareness of the church ordination and installation service that held the  day after the match. Both the football encounter and  church service were a  big pull up to the church's host community, with a ladder to prominence and bright prospects to  impact more on the community. 

The service and celebrations under the auspices of His Most Eminence  Most Elder Apostle Prophet Dr Solomon Ajao, were over with the heart of everyone filled with praises and thanksgivings to God. Owoeye, the newly inaugurated Minister & Chairman, C & S Ijesa DCC knows how to celebrate successes, as he put together a good reception after church ordination and installation service. And thanksgiving service held the following day. 

Thanksgiving? Quite in order as the fundraising season, at the ordination and installation service, lasted almost no time at all, raked in reasonable funds. Dr Ogungbangbe who had already made hushed range of generous cash donations for God's works in progress in the church, again donated handsomely. Others also did in their own way.

The event was well attended with the Hon. Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, represented by his wife; Rt. Hon. Adewale Olumide Egbedun, Speaker, OSHA, Sooko Hon. Tajudeen Lawal, Osun APC Chairman, Hon Bola Oyebanji & wife, Hon. Hon. Ajibola Famurewa, Dr Tunde Faleye, Hon. Wale Adedoyin and others, politicians and non-politicians, captains of politics and economy, culture and society, bureaucracy and religion, and law and the press. The check list too long. 

Traditional rulers in their beautiful beards including the Aragbiji of Iragbiji Oba Abdul Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi, HRM Oba Gboyega Famodun, Owa of Igbajo, and a few other royal highnesses, all added colours and uniqueness to the occasion. 

 *OLUSESI writes via*  zicfemol@gmail.com