The Annual Age Group Congress of Yaounde 2019: the closing speech of the The Pastor

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The Pastor doubling as the Honourable President and the General Coordinator of the Age Groups also had a right to a speech that was indispensable. As a pastor and old Shepard, from his words flowed maturity, experience, mastery, wisdom and blessings. He began by making allusion to the story of a man who despite fervent prayers could not still get what he desired or obtain his ambitious. But he later realized after listening to the soft voice of God in his heart telling him “I have closed the way to your ambitions and desires so that My Will may be done in your life”.  This was a consolation and lesson to many as he led them sing the song “let the Will of God be done in their lives though they may be contrary to their ambitions and desires”. The perfect will of God is security to our body and soul. We therefore have to love and cherish His Perfect Will in our lives. He acknowledged the difficulties involved in physical and spiritual youthfulness but encouraged Christians to endure tribulations, trials, frustrations, and they shall become stronger and firm in the faith. He praised Brother Bernard Bouenguegni, his assistant in the Voice Of God Yaounde for all the work he is realizing in his absence in upholding the activities of the Voice Of God such as Christians Camp, Quiet Time,  evangelization and others. He is happy the church has come back to their old pastor, William Marrion Branham.

Basing his thought on Acts 2:42-47, he talked

of brotherly love and fellowship that characterised the old church. From that he talked of fellowship meals(agap) that we usually share in church( in restaurants in the time of the prophet)and  church counsels. He has also experienced in Canada with Brother Ferguson with what they call “Brotherliness” where they come together, eat and children play. Ask concerns the segmentation of the church into age groups, he said this is also inspired from the Bible as it talks of children, youths, adults, and old as each group have similar preoccupations.

Under the theme “Togetherness”,  he was inspired by the wise words of the famous Nigeria writer Chinua Achebe “A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast do not do so to redeem them from starving. They all have food in their own  houses. When we gather together in the moonlight village ground, it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. Therefore, let us continue with the team spirit and enjoy the power of Togetherness. Let’s smile not because we don’t have problems but because we are stronger than the problems.

In the beginning of his Christian movements, home visits reinforced brotherly love and fellowship. Weekly meetings were full and any one to absent send notice to the church and was prayed for. A brother’s problem was everybody’s problem, and those working helped others to get jobs. Selfishness and egoism will not enter heaven but only perfect love. Christians should overcome pride, egoism, and accept discipline for it is the principal strength of the military.

Some are absent from the celebration due to work, financial shortages, others because they have not yet caught the vision and others because of heavy hearts. He promised to put in efforts to make the upcoming celebrations toll free in order to eliminate the absence of those that are affected by finances basing on the fact that the Bible says, the abundance of some completed the lacks of others. Apostles Paul even says, good will is acceptable to in relations to what it has and not to what it does not have. It has to take the format of fellowship meals but it depends on our offering habits. He advised that the age groups program not be too charged in order not to create another church in the church. There are many other church and private programs.

Slowly getting to the end of his speech, he congratulated Yahshua Hamashia Tabernacle for the successful organization of the Evangelization Campaign,congratulated the artists and young brothers and sisters who have been animating the day.  He advised the youths to get married but young men before courtship, they must fulfill the condition laid by the prophet by having a job and a home of his own. He ended his speech by appreciating the organization of the AAGC in Douala in the open air and that of Yaounde full of innovations and wished a blessed year 2020 to all. GOD BLESS YOU.

Celestine CHENWI