WAD YEAR END MEETINGS 2013
Leaders of the 22-member countries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s West Central Africa Division meet in Babcock for the year-end council. This year’s programme held in the just completed Babcock University Guest House.
Babcock with its more than 9,000 student population is one of the denomination's largest universities globally.
The meeting which ended on Thursday November 7, 2013 also had in attendance, leaders from the General Conference Church headquarters, Berrien Springs, Maryland, USA.
The West Central Africa Division comprises 22 countries, right from central Africa in the East to Cape Verde. It is a policy making body.
Prior to the commencement of the executive committee meeting, the highest body of the division, pre-meetings held from October 28 to Sunday November 3, 2013. Among other key functions, the division also gives global plan and direction as policies and strategic plan on how to proclaim everlasting gospel of Jesus as well as disciple people for Jesus Christ and evangelism
The meeting also coincided with the Spiritual Life Division-led week-long revival programme Week of Spiritual Emphasis between October 25 and November 2, 2013 with the President of the Rivers Conference, Dr Dave Onyekwere, and Pastor Eddy Ewoh as facilitators.
Many, including WAD executives who attended the event, which held at both the main campus’s sports complex and Iperu campus’s main auditorium between the hours 6:30 - 7:45 in the morning and evening, summed it up as spirit-filled and awesome more so as one of the preachers Dr Dave Onyekwere, gave a good account of himself. He possessed deep knowledge about the world and bible, according to Professor Joseph Aina, Associate Dean School of Nursing. This is what he said about Onyekwere “when you hear people preach and use themselves as example then you will be sure that he can wins hearts to God.”
Interesting Babcock’s President/ Vice Chancellor, Professor J.A. Kayode Makinde, who along with other men of God officiated in the baptism of the over 50 students, described as a rare privilege for Babcock University organize the spiritual revival besides the annual conference of West Central Africa Division meeting.
Professor Makinde and his guests from the West Central Africa division spared time to give their impression about the university’s capacity to host the WAD, revival as individual understanding about the meaning of Sabbath among other issues.
To Makinde, he was overwhelmed with joy that WAD held for the first time in Nigeria and that Babcock University had the capacity to host it.”
This in effect means that ‘we are getting Babcock University closer to God’.
“Even though Babcock has successfully hosted the WAD, what is however missing is Africa’s leadership development. Notwithstanding, he said he was excited producing a place for people to meet with God. “As President/ Vice Chancellor I am only a duty post and not an ordained position but a call to service even though my primary assignment is teaching. I will follow what God has for us. When I sit down to pray I always ask God: where do you want us to lead our people to?
“I know when you follow Him he knows the best way to direct affairs and anybody who follows him will not get lost”.
Babcock University has grown so fast than people have ever imagined. I do not know where God will lead us. If Nigeria can follow Jesus, who is our leader, she would go places. To him, God is the one that has assembled the team while his job is to translate God’s plan, saying that “our plan in Babcock is to follow God’s leadership, ”he said.
To the vice president General Conference Washington, Artur Stele, coming to Babcock in person and to see many of the positive things he heard about the institution was a dream comes through.
“Babcock University is not only one of the biggest, it is a missionary institution and many have made decisions for Christ,” he said.
On what he thinks about Sabbath, he said it is more of God’s creation as well as a celebration of creation. “I want to encourage the students to be faithful not only to achieve intellectual knowledge but also in communion with their God. It is better than academic achievement,” he said.
Another officer from the General Conference in Washington, Myrom also had kind words about Babcock. He said he had also been forward to this day when he will set his foot in Babcock.
“I was very impressed seeing the commitment of the students especially looking back 100 years when the first Adventist missionary came step his foot here. I am equally impressed with the enthusiasm, commitment shown by the students,” he said.
Sabbath, to him, is a day God rested after creation. “God felt it was important for man to have rest and commune with him. His advice to the students is that they remain focus on completing their studies as well as how to make this world a better place.
According to the executive secretary West Central Africa Division, Pastor Onaolapo Ajibade, Babcock is a blessing to humanity and Nigeria.
“It is also Nigeria’s gateway to heaven. I congratulate students that have chosen Babcock University. As you can see many of the students have given their lives to Christ. In Babcock students are educated holistically and anybody who comes here is blessed.
To him, Sabbath is a day of rest after God created the world in six days and that all Christians believed this but not all of them keep the Sabbath day.
“All Christians agree that the Saturday is Sabbath and Seventh Day Adventist is a bible believing church so we keep the day. It is the righteousness of Jesus that saves the believers.”
Pastor Oyeleke Owolabi, Western Union Conference secretary and Pro Chancellor Babcock University, said his joy knows no limit hosting the West Central Africa division conference in Babcock University.
Ascribing it is a sign of development, collaboration, togetherness; he said he would continually praise God for the provision of the facilities in the university to host the historical conference.
On what Sabbath means to him, he said when God created the heaven and earth he rested after the sixth day and that when Christ came to redeem us he also rested on Sabbath therefore it is a day of redemption and it is a sign of the Lordship.
His advice to students is never to lose focus of their creator because “we are here for a mission and will not be here for long and should therefore be prepared to meet Jesus in his glory.”
Shedding more light as to what informed the hosting of the conference in Babcock Nigeria, the education director and executive secretary board of education, Professor Chiemela Ikonne, said though the meeting was originally slated to hold at the Western Nigeria Union Conference headquarters in Lagos but it was moved to Babcock University Guest House for want of a befitting facility at the moment
According to him, it was customary of West Central Africa division to move its meeting round member countries outside Abidjan every five years.
One of the high points of the meeting of the WAD is the participation of the member countries and that the election of new officers in some of unions in Ghana informed the high attendance.
It was understood that during the meeting, the North Ghana Union, Sahel East Union, Sahel West Union of the West Central Africa division had new officers elected to run their affairs.
Speaking specifically about the role of the education committee, he said: “We make plan to improve, strengthen the scripture. We want to use the core values our lifestyles to lead other people to ask a rhetoric question: Why Adventists are caring people, healthy and always ready show the love of God in them?
In addition, the education committee strategically plans on how to increase the effectiveness of educational institutions in offering quality and holistic education as well as how to develop students spiritually, academically, socially and physically.
“The ultimate goal of the meeting was to re-affirm faith in Jesus and to improve our love for people as God witnesses and ultimately lead more people to Jesus Christ,” he said.
The highlight of the meeting was the final approval of the new unions missions of the West African Division, which went from 6 to 10 new unions.
Their names of the unions and their leaders are :
Northern Ghana Union Mission ,Kumasi Ghana. The teritor is northern and central part of Ghana. NGUM,
President Kwame Boakye Kwanin
Secretary Kwame Annor Boahen.
Tresurer Dickson Sarfo Marfo.
East Sahel Union Mission: with headquarters inLome Togo. This union covers Benin Togo, Cote d'Ivore ,Burkina Faso and Niger.
The president is Salomon Grah Assienin ,
Secretary Selom Kwasi Sessou ,
Treasurer,Agabus Metenga,
Western Sahel Union Mission WSUM with headquaters in Dakar Senegal ,teritories Senegal ,Gambia, Gun Bissau Mauritania Mali and Cape Verde island.
President: Guy Roger
Secretary/tresurer: Domingo Sanchez
Central Africa union mission CAUM, Head Quarter: central Africa Republic. Bangui. Territories Central Africa Republic: Congo, Equatorial Guinea.
President: IDE
Secretary/Treasurer: Luc Sanda
More news, more blessings!
When we share good news, It makes other people happy, safe and more confident in God and in his Church. The good news can be a blessing to the whole world!
With the goal of motivating our Unions to share more news, we presented gifts to those who sent more news this year.
First of all was the Union of Cameroon, with the Elder Bakari, sending 15 news this year, he received a new Laptop, Dell, with touchscren, delivered to President of Union,PR. Valere. Next, was the Valley View University , Ms. Dollar Bill sent 9 news items in the year, they received a Cannon camera, digital, full HD, delivered to the institution's Director, Prof. Daniel Buor.
The goal is to motivate each of ten new Unions to send more news because the world wants to know what is happening in this part of Africa.