By Freda Lamini Cletus
Key Points:
- UMC Nigeria Reunites With 14 Year Breakaway Faction
- Joint Session Of 5 Annual Conferences Holds After 14 Years.
- Over 7,000 Clergy/Laity Attend Historic Conference.
- Nigeria to get second Episcopal Area in 2025
The joint session of the five (5) Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria (UMCN), and the Districts of Senegal and Cameroon began in Taraba State, Nigeria with a large turn-out of over seven thousand (7000) clergy and laity.
The event marks a historic turning point in the church, as the event officially reunited UMC Nigeria with the Southern Conference of the United Methodist Church (SCUMC), which broke away in the year 2012.
The conference was also joined by representatives from the Mission Districts of Cameroon and Senegal, which are part of the new additions to the Nigeria Episcopal Area.
The event began with a worship session at the Gym Hall of the Jolly Nyame Stadium, in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State. The hall which is one of the largest in the State was filled to capacity. The host Bishop, Ande Emmanuel of Nigeria and the Districts of Senegal and Cameroon presided over the opening worship session, he urged Christians to remain steadfast and seek divine guidance amidst global challenges threatening peace, security, and social stability
Bishop Samuel Jerome Quire of Liberia and the President of the West Africa Central Conference (WACC) College Of Bishops, and Bishop James Boye-Caulker of Sierra-Leone were also in Nigeria for the yearly event, which serves as one of the largest decisions making platforms for the church.
In his address, Bishop Quire said the General Conference has taken a decision to create a second Episcopal Area in Nigeria, and the committee on the demarcation will present it’s report at the joint conference.
He further explained that a special session for the West Africa Regional Conference will hold in 2026, where a new Bishop will be elected, for Nigeria’s new Episcopal Area.
The Guest Speaker, Bishop Boye-Caulker preaching on the theme ” Behold I’m doing a new thing ” said God loves it when we plan together, reminding the congregation that despite the persecution, challenges, and difficulty faced by the Church “God has a plan”.
Bishop Boye-Caulker said ” The Church in Nigeria recognizes God, and that will not change, because God is on the throne, so do not dwell on the past”.
The Guest Speaker further said the United Methodist Church in Nigeria is a recipient of what God is going to do, as he is taking the church out of the wilderness.
” When God wanted to take his people out of Egypt, not even pharaoh could stop it. When God is doing a new thing, it cannot be business as usual,
God is saying hold on for a moment, don’t you know that new things are coming up?”
The Bishop urged the congregation to always stop and have a moment with God, when things get tough.
Noting that “God is calling each one of us to work with him, he doesn’t see us as imperfect, but he perfects us for the purpose he called us”.
Highlights of the joint Annual conference include the presentation of The Good Shepherd Award by the youth in Nigeria Episcopal Area to Bishops Jerome Quire and James Boye-Caulker, also awarded was Mr. Edward Bakari, in recognition of his contribution to the growth of the local church in Nigeria.
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