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TELL MAGAZINE
March 29, 2010, pg 52 |
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A CHURCH FOR THE COMMUNITY |
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Through its skills acquisition program Dominion Faith
International Church, is giving back to people to its
community. |
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By: ARUKAINO UMUKORO |
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David Olatona has obviously taken the biblical
injunction that Christians should be the light
of the world to another level. As senior Pastor
Dominion Faith International Church, his church
has for some time now been providing street
lighting to Abiola Street, Ipaja, where it is
located. “Yes, we light Abiola Street from one
end to the other. |
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So
when we run our generator every evening service there would
be street lights”, said Olatona”, an obvious relief to
members of the community who are used to incessant
power |
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outages.
The street lighting is just a part of the church “Free
Economic Empowerment Development Strategy”, FEEDS,
initiative. It was developed as a means of empowering
members of the community and beyond three vocational skills
training in yoghurt, and |
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soap
making, computer literacy, adult education, catering, arts
and bead making, and adult education center as well as
providing for the members of the community every Friday.
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It started because we felt we needed to give
back to our society. I was in New York for a conference in
August, 2006. That conference was more like what we can do
to make a change and right there when I sat, I said Lord
what will I do when I get back to Ipaja?”
After a time of prayer,
Olatona said he received clear instruction from God to start
with feeding and then skills acquisition program
as well as giving financial assistance. |
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We started the feeding program in February 2007, giving free
lunch to people in and around the community. On the first
Friday we had about (100) one hundred people, then (200 and
300) two and three hundred people, its been on like that
since 2007. |
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The feeding (program) started in 2007 while the skills
acquisition program took off in November 2009. Right we have
students in various classes. By the time they are done by
the end of March we would have picked up the ones who have
done pretty good and give them some amount to start the
business that they have chosen to learn, said Olatona. |
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He emphasizes that preaching the gospel to people becomes
easier when they see practical examples of love. “I wouldn’t
need to grab the person I’m giving food every Friday
to get saved. |
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For instance we don’t preach to them when they come to eat
or learn the skills, we just leave them. If someone later
tells them about god they would want to respond because they
have seen the love expressed without condition need to grab
the person I’m giving food every Friday to get saved. |
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For instance we don’t preach to them when they come to eat
or learn the skills, we just leave them. If someone later
tells them about god they would want to respond because they
have seen the love expressed without conditions attached to
it he said. seven hundred is able to pull this FEEDS, One
wonders how a church with a congregation oscillates between
six and for three years running. “It is a huge budget
to run what we are doing, a raw estimate per annum is 2.4
million for what we are doing” Olatona confesses. |
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“God
has been using the people inside the church to meet it but,
we are looking forward to getting partners and sponsors that
would move it to the next level”, he added. |
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Eniola Adeola, a business administration under graduate of
Lagos state university would certainly want that. This is
because she has benefited from FEEDS having leant how to
make yoghurt in four weeks. “I’m selling it
already. People say its okay, but it would have to
make some adjustment. |
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That’s
why I came too see my boss about it so that he can teach me
more,” she said. The boss she is referring to
Lawrence titlayo who decided to move to Lagos to
further his trade. |
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“When
my pastor (Olatona) told me about the initiative, I was
happy to be a part it because information plus action is
transformation,” he said. Christiana Idehen, another
trainer in the catering angle, said she decided to be a part
of the program to contribute to people’s lives. |
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“You
know with the economy of the country, women should not just
sit down and not do anything. Apart from the domestic needs,
every woman can make ends means by having catering skills,”
she said. Unlike the trainers, most of the trainees like
Adeola are non-members of Olatona’s church. |
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“I’m
hoping that so many other churches would get on board and do
what we are doing, even more than what we are doing, for
their communities- giving light, water, food, clothing, may
be scholarship or doing something that will make a
positive impact in the society. |
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If all the churches will take responsibility for
their communities, Nigeria as a whole would be a good place
to stay. For me, the blessings that we have received
just giving to the poor cannot be quantified. This is a new
face and concept of a church we are presenting,” said
Olatona |
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END |
