Cleric gives scholarship to indigent students

Moved bypitiable condition of some members of the society, the General Overseer of Abundant Life Evangelical Mission (ALEM), Port Harcourt, Apostle Eugene Ogu has given scholarship to about 700 indigent students to enable them to pursue their desired disciplines in various higher institutions in the country.

Most of the beneficiaries of the scholarship are not members of his church. Rather, they cut across orthodox and Pentecostal churches.

Ogu, who made this known in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said he decided to shun ostentatious lifestyle which some men of God indulge in, to enable him to render some helps to indigent people.

Besides offering scholarships to needy students, Apostle Ogu, through his Arm of Hope World Outreach, a non-governmental organisation, has rendered assistance to thousands of orphans, the less-privileged people, widows and other needy persons across the country, not excluding victims of religious crises.

The cleric said: “I have chosen to live for others and derive my own joy from the happiness of others.” He also condemned the wrangling that reared its ugly head in the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the past few weeks, even as he said that the body should “to ensure that the family of Christ remains undivided to be able to speak with one voice against any issue of common interest. Such situation should not arise again.

Ogu, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rivers State branch, also noted that despite the various Christian denominations, the body of Christ remains one and should not allow internal strife and bickering.

Since Christians profess “one God, one baptism and one spirit, all Christians in the country should see the need to co-operate and see one another as brothers and sisters,” Ogu advised. He appealed that “the Catholic Church as the father of the big family, is supposed to be proud of the progress of his children (the Pentecostals) and rejoice for the steady growth of the branches of the Christian faith as all the appreciations still go to Him.”

He further condemned the idea of going to press over minor issues that ought to be settled in-house, stressing that threatening to pull out of the umbrella body should not have been contemplated as such could create a false notion of disunity and disaffection in CAN and expose the entire Christians to danger in the face of unprovoked attacks against them as witnessed in other parts of the country in the past.

“The focus,” Ogu noted, “should be righteousness and holy living and using our positions to advance the good news of salvation through good works, evangelism, church projects, helping the less-privileged and sacrificial giving.

“In heaven, it’s all this that will speak and testify for us and not which denomination, since there is no particular church in heaven.”Moved bypitiable condition of some members of the society, the General Overseer of Abundant Life Evangelical Mission (ALEM), Port Harcourt, Apostle Eugene Ogu has given scholarship to about 700 indigent students to enable them to pursue their desired disciplines in various higher institutions in the country.

Most of the beneficiaries of the scholarship are not members of his church. Rather, they cut across orthodox and Pentecostal churches.

Ogu, who made this known in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said he decided to shun ostentatious lifestyle which some men of God indulge in, to enable him to render some helps to indigent people.

Besides offering scholarships to needy students, Apostle Ogu, through his Arm of Hope World Outreach, a non-governmental organisation, has rendered assistance to thousands of orphans, the less-privileged people, widows and other needy persons across the country, not excluding victims of religious crises.

The cleric said: “I have chosen to live for others and derive my own joy from the happiness of others.” He also condemned the wrangling that reared its ugly head in the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the past few weeks, even as he said that the body should “to ensure that the family of Christ remains undivided to be able to speak with one voice against any issue of common interest. Such situation should not arise again.

Ogu, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rivers State branch, also noted that despite the various Christian denominations, the body of Christ remains one and should not allow internal strife and bickering.

Since Christians profess “one God, one baptism and one spirit, all Christians in the country should see the need to co-operate and see one another as brothers and sisters,” Ogu advised. He appealed that “the Catholic Church as the father of the big family, is supposed to be proud of the progress of his children (the Pentecostals) and rejoice for the steady growth of the branches of the Christian faith as all the appreciations still go to Him.”

He further condemned the idea of going to press over minor issues that ought to be settled in-house, stressing that threatening to pull out of the umbrella body should not have been contemplated as such could create a false notion of disunity and disaffection in CAN and expose the entire Christians to danger in the face of unprovoked attacks against them as witnessed in other parts of the country in the past.

“The focus,” Ogu noted, “should be righteousness and holy living and using our positions to advance the good news of salvation through good works, evangelism, church projects, helping the less-privileged and sacrificial giving.

“In heaven, it’s all this that will speak and testify for us and not which denomination, since there is no particular church in heaven.”