…as Owodunni lays claim to church headship
Authorities in the Celestial Church of Christ have stepped up measures to cleanse some of their branches, believed to be involved in fetish practices.
The church, while marking its 70th anniversary, said it had been overwhelmed with complaints from members of the public that some of its branches had taken to occult practices, stressing that bad eggs among the clergy would soon be flushed out.
Addressing a world press conference in Lagos, to mark the anniversary, the General Leader of the CCC, Right Rev. Josiah Kayode Joseph Owodunni, maintained that the church, known for its purity, would not in any way tolerate impunity among its members.
Owodunni, citing pride as the major problem besetting most workers in the vineyard these days, said the Celestial Council Committee was a disciplinary body that would not tolerate anything that could drag the name of the church through the mud.
“Every society and church have bad eggs and our church is not an exemption. But, having taken notice of this, we have been trying to flush out the bad eggs who have been dragging our good names through the mud. This church was created by a saint, and we cannot afford not to toe the path which he bequeathed on us before he departed for eternity,” he stressed.
The General Leader, however, called on every member of the church across the world not to relent in their stewardship in Christ’s vineyard.
“If not for the grace of God, this church would have gone down. That is why I said our 70th anniversary is not for total celebration, but a time of reflection and correction of our ways,” he said.
Asked on his relationship with the family of the late Bilehou Oshoffa, founder of the church, Owodunni said, “We always pray for the family. We are together in this ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ that the founder bestowed on us.”
According to him, the major problem that led to the crisis in the Church was pride, stressing that some church members wanted to go against the will of God.
He, however, advised members of the church to always give in to the will of God, against pride, in any situation.
Meanwhile, one of the clerics, Mathew Oloko, at the conference, had said the raging crisis in the church had been laid to rest by the Supreme Court in March 2016, having declared that Owodunni had the locus standi to claim the right to the leadership of the church.
He averred that the only recognised leader of the ministry across the world is Rev. Owodunni.
“The court had settled the case for us in 2016 when the son of the founder was nullified. The court followed the church’s constitution which says the founder alone has the power to appoint his successor, which the late Pa Oshoffa did, by choosing Owodunni before he died.
“For this, the leader of the church throughout the world is now known as Rev. Joseph Owodunni,” he said.
Oloko also called on members of the church across the nation to imbibe the spirit of oneness, especially in the current time that Nigeria is battling unity challenge.
