By Sunday Ani
Chairman of the Scripture Union Nigeria, Lagos Area, Ogonna Uzodike, has said that part of the programmes of the Christian body this year is to camp about 5000 primary and secondary school children, in a programme tagged, ‘Students’ camp.’
He made this known in a chat with our correspondent after the body’s 2023 Ministers/Supporters’ Forum breakfast prayer session on Saturday in Lagos
He said about 5000 children would be taken to the camps spread across the 10 zones of the Scripture Union Lagos Area alone, with an estimated budget of N26 million to ensure that they are adequately fed three times per day.
“Last year, we spent over N18 million on over 4000 children to run the camps in 10 zones under the Scripture Union Nigeria, Lagos Area. But this year, we are planning to take about 5000 children to the camp and our budget is over N26 million. This is to ensure that we can adequately feed them thrice a day for four days, where we babysit, train and nurture them. And that is our discipleship programme and project upon these children during the long vacation period,” he stated.
He also stated that in November, they would equally organize what he called schools’ rally for the children. He said the rally which is a follow-up to the students’ camp is specifically meant for students who may not be able to follow them to the camps. “Though it is a one day programme, we provide refreshment for them, and organize school teachers that we have trained, so that they will join us in school evangelism. Our aim is to catch them young for Christ. We believe it is better to catch them young than to catch them when they have had a lot of bruises,” he said.
On what the age bracket of the children that go to the camps should be, Uzodike said: “Actually, it is mainly for those in primary and secondary schools, but our major target when it comes to students’ camp is the students in secondary school between the ages of 11 to 18.”
On what they teach the children while in the camps and the mode of selection, he also said: “We teach them to know Christ early in their lives. We also prepare them for the coming of the Lord and to be servants of the world they need. We know how Nigeria is today; it is our aim that we are going to rebuild Nigeria, and that can only be done by rebuilding the youths. We select those who go to the camps from their schools, churches and also from our neighbourhood Bible Clubs.”
Speaking about the Saturday event, he said: “This is our supporters’ forum; a time we gather our supporters to showcase what we are doing. Sometimes, we do that once every two years. Today, we have gathered them to tell them how far we have gone, where we intend to get to and what we actually want to achieve within a given time frame before we gather them again. It is a time to render an account of what we have done because of the support they gave us the previous time. It is not necessarily financial support and we must have to say this. Prayer support is very important.”
He reiterated that the ministry stands on a tripod of intercession, involvement and investment. Expounding the tripod, he said: “First is intercession. We need prayers in the time we are in; these are the last days. Then after prayers, we need investment in this work. We also need involvement. Now, everybody is involved. Where you cannot be involved, you can deploy your resources and where you cannot deploy your resources, you can bend your knees in prayers. That is what will move and propel this work and that is what we are thinking of.”
On the just concluded general elections in Nigeria, he said although the Scripture Union does not have an official position, it is the prayer of the Christian body that there would be peace in Nigeria. “We pray that people will be free to choose the kind of leaders they want; that is our prayers and our focus,” he added.
On his part, the guest speaker, Pastor Tunde Fowe, took his message from the book of Revelations, chapter one from verse seven, where he noted that the second coming of Jesus Christ had been associated with so many theories. He noted that while some keep wondering if the rapture would take place in the morning or night, others are still confused as to whether the second coming of Christ is the same thing as rapture.
He, however, stressed that it does not matter which side one belongs to, rather what matters is that one is with Christ. He went ahead to illustrate what being with Christ when He comes the second time meant with the story of the thief who met Jesus at the crucifixion cross and was saved.
He stressed that the manner of his second coming would be in glory. “The first time he came, he came with utmost humility. He was despised. But in His second coming, He will come in glory, shining like a sun. He won’t come as a lamb; he will come as a lion,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “Then, the medium of his coming will be with clouds, according to the bible. Then finally, the multitude that is coming is going to be every eye. In his first coming, only very few eyes saw him, but this time around, every eye will see Him.”