Nigerian Church

 Today we went to a Nigerian church for the first time.  Pamela picked us up at 9:30 this morning to take us to the ECWA Plateau Church (EPC) on the outskirts of the city where we finally met her husband Musa, a lecturer at the University of Jos.  On the way we passed many Muslims going to the praying ground for the end of Ramadan celebrations.  There has been a bit of tension among the communities as we wondered if there would be any unrest but so far the day has gone smoothly. Perhaps it’s because there were so many more checkpoints and the roads past major church headquarters were closed but the large number of people praying for peace might also have had something to do with it.  Today was the first time I’ve been swept by a security wand and had my handbag checked before entering a church though.

ECWA Plateau Church

The EPC is a large and airy building.  Typically the congregation is about 800 adults and 400 children.  There was a ladies’ choir dressed in long white traditional clothes with red headties, a praise group with piano and drumkit and screens to show the words of the songs.  It was a good service.  The sounds of African worship reverberated through the building and through my body at volumes more reminiscent of a rock concert but with the rhythm, enthusiasm and tunefulness that’d you’d expect.  The bags for the offering were big enough to be used as sleeping bags for small children and the men present were told in no uncertain terms that they needed to attend the men’s fellowship meetings as research among the women showed that wives whose husbands did not go wished they would.

Sunday School Building

The special emphasis of this service was on caring for widows and orphans.  Instead of a sermon a panel consisting of a widow, a widower, a remarried widow, a remarried widower and an orphan were invited to talk about their experiences.  All were very open and said their main requirement was not money but the love and support of people they knew: that was the best way the church could minister to those in their position.  All gave testimony to the fact that whatever they experienced (in the case of the orphan this often included going without food for the day) God was always with them.  After each person had spoken a thirteen-point list of ways to prepare your family for the event of your death was put up on the screens.  If only our churches would offer such practical advice sometimes.

Musa & Pamela (in blue) coming out of church

We enjoyed the service.  The gorgeous African outfits (on men and women) mingled with more European-style clothes.  The concept of “Sunday best” has not been lost in Nigeria and, although we’ll wait until we’re out in Bukuru before we properly settle in a local church, we look forward to many more colourful and lively services.