Annual Convention

The past week we have not traveled to any water project areas. Monday and Tuesday was the annual pastors conference at Demsa Church. Wednesday through Sunday was the Annual Lutheran Church of Christ Convention. The church has a permanent convention grounds at Demsa. On Tuesday I stopped at the Pastor Conference to take some pictures of the Bishops that the Minneapolis Synod wanted. On Wednesday I went to the opening day of the Convention, then did office work on Thursday and Friday. Trying to stay out of the dust that has settled in my sinuses. Saturday I returned to the conference for the Bazaar and Sunday I came for the Consecration of the new Shall Holma Bishop and ordination of new pastors.  I will try to be brief and mostly give you pictures. If you double click on the pictures they will be shown larger.

Pastor Conference

The Pastors Conference was held at LCCN Demsa 1. Demsa is a town and also a Local Government Area (Similar to our county but it is the lowest level of official government.) It is located near Numan where the LCCN Headquarters is located. (Numan is also an LGA). It is about a 45 minute drive from Yola/Jimeta the Adamawa State Capital. I stay in an house in Jimeta on an LCCN Compound adjacent to the Jimeta Cathedral.

Bishop Ben of Abuja and Bishop John of Gongola.

I noticed that the Bishops were in a back room with their feet in tubs of water some kind of electric belt around their mid sections, another wire connected to their wrist and their feet in a tub of water with a bubbling electrode. I asked if they were electrocuting bishops or was this a new form of feet washing. It turns out that there is a company here doing Quantum Magnetic Resonance Body Analysis. They charge 1,500 Naira ( $9.55).  You hold a little device in your hand that is connected to the analyzer. After a few minutes the computer prints out the analysis. Then you go and they connect you to the detoxifier where the electrodes cause the toxics in your bodies to come out into the water from your feet.

In the old church building there was three more Analyzers working the Pastors. The one page of a print out that I looked at, showed that the Pastor's Liver Fat levels were high, Lysine levels high, Left Ventricular Pump Power was low, Coronary Perfusion Pressure high, Small Intestine Absorption Coefficient low, Gall Bladder Functions were low, and the Brain Nerve - Memory Index was half of normal. This was page 2 of a three page report. I did not ask if the detoxify foot washing cost extra or was include. I got to stand on a scale and see my weight. I prefer the scale at the old church it showed that I have lost almost 10 pounds. To calibrate they Quantum Analyzer they take your weight and height.

When I went to the Convention these snake oil salesmen were there and making a lot of money. I had laughed at their sales pitch and they told me with a straight face that the computer is powerful and the data is real. The problem is that some people believe that this is real technology. Just like the people that believe what they read on the internet. (Like my blog.)

My main purpose of going to the Pastor Conference was to get pictures of the Bishops for the Minneapolis Area Synod Companion Congregation website. After we finished at the Conference Yakubu had books to take over to the Convention Grounds where the Annual Convention would start the next day.

Annual Convention

The picture on the right  was taken the day before the convention and the one below it from a similar position was taken the morning of the first day. People continue to arrive for on Wednesday and Thursday. By Thursday night the population of Demsa is more than doubled.  One of Yakubu's jobs is to work with publications of the church. At the Convention his van becomes a bookstore. His daughter is taking a couple days off of her University Study to help sell out the the back of the van.

The stage is the center of activities. To the right of the stage is the youth band tent that provides music during breaks and for the various hymns.






 One of the speakers on the first day of the convention was the Speaker of the House of Assembly for Adamawa State. I did not get a picture of him but did photograph his license plate. D SPEAKer.

Security was high for this event. The Boys Bridge had their older "boys" stationed around the main stage area and there was a cadre of young men and one young lady in black suits with ear pieces standing in front of the pastors and guest area. Two young men followed the Archbishop where ever he went. The all looked very stern and were probably very hot in their black suits and thankful when the sun moved to the west and their assigned positions became shaded. In addition there were Nigerian police walking about both in uniform and in civilian dress. When the Speaker and other high ranking officials came to the Convention they were accompanied by an escort of heavily armed police officers.



 

Behind the stage is the stadium style seating for pastors and guests. Four women for the Lutheran Deaf Church in Denmark. Lily a former missionary who speaks many languages and several sign languages including Danish, American, Ugandan and French sign is on the right. Pastor Lida Lotte Kjaer is on the other end. The two young ladies are from the Deaf Church. They have come to see the ordination of the first deaf pastor for the LCCN.




 To the right and both sides of the stage are temporary shade shelters are set up each year. View of the main stage is limited from the back of the shade structures but speaker are located so people can hear what is happening at the stage and open area in front of the stage.

One busy area is the Clinic which is set up located in a tin building behind the shade structures. There is a continuous line of people, mostly women coming to see the free doctor at the clinic. Many of the people coming to the conference are from remote villages which do not have any medical facilities.

On Sunday the main two events are the consecration of new bishops and the ordination of new pastors. The Archbishop presided over the Sunday morning service and had a long sermon which seemed to center on that Nigeria needs to stay together as one people and everyone respect each other and

Consecration of the new Shall Holma Diocese Bishop, Rt. Rev. Dimga Jones Kadabiyu.

The consecration of  started after the church service with the Todi Dicoese Bishop, Rt. Rev. Clement Dago introducing Rev. Kadabiyu and reviewing all his history, education and assignments. He was then asked a series of questions to which he answered "I will with the help of God." Next his wife came to the stage and she was asked a series of question to which she also answered "I will with the help of God." Then, the rest of the Bishops came up and assisted in placing on the Bishop Stole and other emblems of his office. Once fully clothed as a Bishop he knelt and the Bishops prayed over him to complete the Consecration. 

Rt. Rev. Kadabiyu was just finishing his first year in his Masters program at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria when his Diocese called him to be their Bishop. The former Bishop of the Yola Diocese was working on his PhD in South Africa when he was called. Bishop Kadabiyu will have a little easier time as his school is only a 5 or 6 hour drive away from his Diocese in Jos. It will still be hard to finish his program.



 Ordination of Pastors

The last event for Sunday Morning was the ordination of new pastors. Including Ruth Ulea the first Deaf pastor to be ordained in the LCCN. She competed Seminary 20 years ago and her ordination has been delayed until the church was ready. Of the 21 or so pastors being ordained three are women. Adama Isa Raymond shown in the back row completed her Masters at Lutheran Seminary in 2012. She will be called to be a teacher at Bronnum Lutheran Seminary. Ruth's call is from the Jimeta Cathedral Church as a pastor for the Deaf Community and to continue her work as the Director of the LCCN Deaf Centre.




The ordination was officiated by Archbishop Babba. He first explained that they were ordaining the first Deaf Pastor and that as he spoke Rev. PhD. Sakinwa Moses will interpret Hausa to English for the Pastor Lisa Lotte Kjaer or the Danish Deaf Church to interpret into Sign.

After his opening remarks the Archbishop then asked the pastor candidates a series of questions to which the responded "I will, with the help of God." The their spouses were summoned and asked that they will support their spouses in their ministries, with the same response. The Bishops came forward and placed pastors stoles on each pastor and then the many of the pastors from the crowd came forward and placed their hand on the new pastors and blessed them in their future work.

Pastors Ruth and Adama with their husbands

After the Ordination I drove back to Jimeta in a Toyota Prado that we have borrowed from the mechanic that is working of the various vehicles that Yakubu drives. What I did not know is that you have to stop every 50 kilometers and add water. The radiator cap does not have a pressure valve so the system is not pressurized and boils the water out as you drive. I was giving a Deaf couple who teaches at the Remi School for the disabled a ride back to Jimeta and over to Pastor Ruth's house for a reception. I stopped within sight of the gates to Jimeta at the last village. There a garlic tonic seller gave us water for the engine. After about an hour the engine had cooled and we refilled it with water and slowly drove on to Pastor Adama's house for her reception.


When I went to bring them some water, we had used all our drinking water in the radiator,  Pastor Adama's husband said no bring them into the reception. I was hoping for some cool water and maybe a little cake. Instead we were brought Malta drinks, water and a large plate of rice, salad and chicken. I tried to get a smaller plate of food the thought of giving a guest less food was not acceptable.

We drove on to Pastor Ruth's home at the Federal University of Technology of Yola. Her husband is the director of IT at the University and has staff housing. His career had gone from operating radio systems to overseeing the fiber optic network being installed at the University.

At Ruth's house they had tents set up outside on two sides of the house with family and friends. Inside were more people a mixture of deaf, family, pastors, university associates and friends. The brought us another large plate of rice, salad, chicken and fish. We tried to tell them we had eaten at Pastor Adama's but they wanted us to ear again. We agreed to take away food. My plate made my Monday night dinner and will also be my Tuesday dinner.

The group of women from the Danish Deaf Church arrived and presented presents from the from the Danish Church and their own. One of the women had been here before on one the the Interpreter training programs that have been financed by the Danish Lutheran Church.

Before leaving the deaf got together for a picture and asked me to join them. I take a lot of pictures and I am always telling people to smile. But when I am in the picture I find it hard to produce a smile.

The picture to the right did not fit into a the story line. The lady in the middle and her husband are parents to triplets. They were sitting on the front of the pastors and guest area after the ordination. I stopped and asked them about their children and then drew a crowd of people taking pictures. The triplets are two boys and a girl. They were really small.