By Emmanuel Udodinma
An Anglican clergy, Ven Samuel Onwudiwe has challenged Christians to keep trusting God amidst prevailing challenges of life.
He also enjoined them to continue to obey God’s commandments while expecting His blessings at the appropriate time.
Onwudiwe spoke at St Mary’s Cathedral, Diocese of Nnewi, Anglican Communion shortly after his collation and induction by Bishop of Diocese of Nnewi, His Lordship, Rt Revd Ndubisi Obi.
He was collated and inducted together with other six Archdeacons and six Canons.
Onwudiwe who is in charge of St Philip’s Church, Okofia Otolo, Nnewi in Otolo Nnewi Central Archdeaconry, said he did not just wake up to become a priest, but discovered he was called by God to be a priest to serve him.
He said, “I was ordained priest in 2006, preferred Canon in 2019, and later elevated to a Venerable before my current status as an Archdeacon.
“I didn’t just wake up to say I want to become a priest. I discovered that God called me to be a priest, to serve Him.
“My father was a priest, so it runs in our family. When I learnt that God had called me, I had no other alternative than to surrender to Jesus, to work in His vineyard. I joined the ministry in the 2000.”
On his challenges as a priest, Onwudiwe said it was not easy dealing with all kinds of human being.
“At some points, people do not understand what you are doing. But you have to forge ahead with the wisdom of God, and you have to make yourself understood. People’s understanding differ.
“I urge Christians to keep trusting God, and to continue to do his commandments while expecting His blessings at the appropriate time,” he added.
Earlier in his sermon, Venerable Marcel Emeh of the Diocese on the Niger urged Christians to be always hungry to worship God.
He declared that the closer you were to God, the better for you.
“You cannot know the reality of God unless there’s hunger to know him. There’s liberty in the presence of God and the secret thing belongs to Him.
“The Bible says that righteousness exalts the nation but sin is a reproach. Submit yourself to God and receive His power. Don’t forget that Jesus is coming back soon. You should have the desire to be His son or daughter, “he said.
The newly inducted priests took their oath, promising to live up to expectations. They also declared they belonged to no secret society or had anything to do with homosexuality or other similar things.
Onwudiwe, a native of Nnewichi with Church of Transfiguration Mbanakwu as his home church is the son of a priest, Revd Alphonsus Onwudiwe of blessed memory.
