It’s been almost 10 years since I last stepped foot on the convention grounds of The Apostolic Church Nigeria. Over those years, I will just occasionally pass through the rotunda-style edifice on Oworonshoki-Ibadan Expressway but last week, I suddenly developed the intense desire to be at Olorunda-Ketu, and I was there last Sunday. Hallelujah!
I was born a church boy and I will remain one all my life, nothing will shift my base. Amen!!
This church denomination, The Apostolic Church, is where it all began. This is where I learned to go to ‘morning prayers’ 5 AM everyday to read the Bible according to a yearly calendar plan. This is where I first stood in public to read my memory verse – Matthew 11:28 – come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. KJV, that’s what I read!
This is where I was enlisted into the choir and after a couple of years, I systematically eased myself out under the guise of ‘I need a new choir uniform’. I realized the choir wasn’t for me, I could make a better use of my talent elsewhere. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to offend anybody and God prepared for me a good excuse!
This is where I got the audacity to argue with a church elder over my low punk haircut. The Church has a tough, conservative stance on issues pertaining to fashion, trends, et al. But me, I used to love various hairstyles. I will take my sister for a Bob Marley’s while I wear a Tyson with the trademark parting or a low punk, however, there is one hairstyle I didn’t like at all – Mohawk. I couldn’t make sense of how there will be hair in the middle of my head while either sides will be shaved off, that’s too weird. So I had a heated argument with the elder and I think I said something like ‘baba, se o wa ninu Bible; elder is it written in the Bible’. How that baba did not report me to my Dad surprised me!
What a wonderful way to reflect on The Apostolic Church and its impact on my life. I wrote quite robustly about the Church in my unpublished memoir.
#YeahMomentsWithYO