Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviours Jesus Christ. You have been in our thoughts and prayers. I hope you are staying safe. My primary aim in this email is to acknowledge, with deep appreciation a receipt of all of your magnanimous contributions to our welfare during these very challenging times in the history of our modern world. For instance, the coronavirus pandemic has created a situation of extraordinary economic uncertainty and unexplainable hardships. In my country, Nigeria, the coronavirus pandemic has added insult to injury. We have been struggling with an economic situation that was not trekling down to the grassroots, the poorest of the poor, a context of enormous social and political injustices. As a result, the floodgates of violence, war, murder and killings of the vulnerable have been thrown open. Our youths, who are capable of working and earning a dignified living wage are denied such opportunities because the country is badly governed. Many of them are agitated and frustrated to the extent of becoming drug addicts.
Thus, without mincing words, I can say that your enthusiastic and compassionate contributions have played a significant role in helping me provide palliatives to the marginalised and oppressed in my community and beyond. In sharing your contributions and meeting the needs of the needy, I have been able to demonstrate to a divided society that Christians can collapse the walls of partition and create a new narrative: a civilisation of love and inclusiveness, in a social context of ethnic and tribal divisions.
Basically, you have profoundly thrilled my heart! For it is in the midst of the current situation of extraordinary economic uncertainty, a time when many people across the globe are overwhelmingly afraid; and lack compassion that you have shown me you care for my welfare and the welfare of the people God has called me to serve, to teach them how to be obedient to Christ. Since April 2020 to date, I have watched with tremendous admiration how your ardent love, compassion, kindness and generosity have evident your strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is your strong faith in Christ that has enabled you to overcome the temptation to allow fear to numb you and cause you to lack compassion. Your ministry of giving during these hard times has taught us, in clear terms, that you have recognised beyond any reasonable doubt that "God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.” (Ephesians 1:12) You have helped us to realise, afresh, God’s intent in creating us: “God’s purpose was that we…who…trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.” (Ephesians 1:22)
Therefore, I want you to know that I deeply appreciate all of your concrete act of giving to the praise and glory of God. In so doing, you have enabled us to serve the saints through meeting our financial obligations even as schools continue to remain closed. From March to July, our needs for foodstuff, staff and faculty's salaries and wages, medical needs and so on have been met by your wonderful expression of Christ’s love to us.
As Paul puts, “Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy peoples who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:15-18 NLT) It may interest you to know that all the people that you have enabled us to show the love and compassion of God to are also praying this prayer for you.
I must say that you have taught us, afresh, what Paul means when he said, “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.” (Ephesians 1:22) The reason: “He did this so we would praise and glory him.” (Ephesians 1:14). As the author of, Praying Through the Psalm, Yohanna Katanacho points out, “When I praise you [God], I see the walls of evil falls, with all humanity witnessing the miracle (Joshua 6)…. When we exalt the Lord, righteousness spreads, and sin flees.” (p. 195). Your continuous support since April 2020 to date have multiplied thanksgiving and praise to God.
As schools continue to remain closed and with no school fees coming in to meet our financial, foodstuff and medical needs, I would like you to stand with us in praying that God will open new doors of support for us to enable us pay our salaries and wages, and generally cushion the devastating effect of COVID-19, which is ravaging the entire globe. We need regular givers to survive as a theological seminary that is in the volatile region of Nigeria.
Thank you so very much for all of your partnership in the gospel. All of your contributions have been deeply appreciated by my family, our institution's faculty, staff, students and our needy neighbours at our home town in Kafanchan. “So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” (Ephesians 1:6) May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you and all yours grace and peace during these trying times. Amen
Your Brother,
Sunday Bobai Agang