Ark Bearers

In 2008, I graduated from the University 
and decided I was going to spend my 
NYSC year serving the Lord in a church. 
I was moving to a new city and all so 
I didn't make the decision based on 
any form of sentiment 
I just wanted to please the Lord and 
serve him with all my heart
I was posted to Kano for the NYSC but
i knew since 2007 that I was not going
to serve Nigeria in any capacity
As soon as i got to Lagos my elder sister 
told me about a "Man of God" who needed 
a Personal Assistant at Anthony Village 
She said the money may not be much 
but it will be better than sitting down 
at home 
The local church I joined around my 
house also needed a Sunday School 
teacher and a vibrant youth president 
The pastor in charge of the parish took 
a look at me and said "I have been praying 
to God to send me one man who can 
transform the youth church and as soon 
as I saw you God told me you are the one" 
The youth had a very anointed pastor 
who was leaving the church because he 
had gained admission into the University 
of Jos
The vacuum his big feet will leave was 
giving the Pastor some concern 
As soon as she saw me she made up 
her mind I will be the minister in charge 
of the youth church but there was a 
caveat 
The youth church leadership was run 
in a democratic form 
The Executives of the youth fellowship 
were all elected 
The young man leaving the church was 
the youth president and youth pastor 
He was an altar minister in the adult 
church and the main minister in the 
youth church 
He was very anointed 
He had a vice-president 
There was a treasurer 
The Secretary was the daughter of the 
Pastor in Charge of Parish and so on 
The pastor cannot impose me on the 
youth church 
I was a stranger and they had a process 
So she called the executives and told 
them she wanted me to be the new 
youth president and pastor 
The youth executives saw it as an 
imposition 
They told her they had heard her 
They dissolved the executive immediately 
and told her they will hold an election for 
the new executives in a month 
The parish pastor agreed 
A month flew by in no time
After the first Sunday Service of the 
month of November 2010 
An election was conducted between me 
and the former vice-president 
It was a tight election 
As tight as the American sham we were 
all dragged through recently 
I lost brother Warren won 
When the pastor heard, she almost
started convulsing 
It was the will of the people 
It cannot be subverted 
I didn't take it badly 
I continued teaching my Sunday School 
class and attending the adult church 
Three months went by, the youth church 
population started dwindling 
They didn't have special meetings and
events like before 
Prayer meeting and other activities stopped 
The Pastor sent for the executives 
"What is happening with the youth church" 
The executives looked one at the other 
and couldn't say a word 
The pastor called the youth President 
and Pastor 
What is happening? 
The youth president explained that he 
was working towards his wedding and 
needed to work harder 
(He was a computer buff and had a 
shop in computer village) 
"Why then did you contest for the post 
of the president when you know you 
will not be able to carry out the duties 
of the president" asked the pastor
He said three other members of the 
executive approached him and asked 
him to contest because they didn't 
want the pastor to impose an outsider 
on them 
So he contested and with their backing, 
he won but Youth Presidency will not 
put food on the table or pay the bills 
for his wedding
The pastor sent for me immediately
When i got to her office, she asked for 
my opinion 
I said "If people decide by themselves 
to elect anybody of their choice and 
free will as their president, no one 
should subvert their will or veto their 
decision. 
The tenure of the youth presidency is 
two years. 
Wait until it expires ma'am" 
Hmmm!!
The next Sunday, the pastor preached 
for about thirty minutes, then she 
announced to the church that she had 
been mulling over an issue for a while 
and after praying the Holy Spirit had 
finally given her a solution to the problem 
She called out the youth President and 
introduced him to the adult church 
Everybody clapped 
He was well accepted 
Then she called me out and told me to 
stand before the church 
She said "The office of the youth president 
and the office of the youth pastor will 
henceforth be separated! 
Brother Gbenga will be the youth pastor 
and he will work hand in glove with the 
youth executives and the youth president 
to run the youth church 
The whole church roared their approval 
That was how she solved the problem 
I became best friends with the youth 
president and we had the most successful 
tenure as youth leaders that season 
The youth President and I got married one 
month apart in 2010 
He relocated with his dear wife to Abuja 
a year later I was able to hand over the 
youth church to another and served in 
the church until I became the assistant 
parish pastor of the parish in 2014