Development is an all inclusive. Meaning that development cannot be left to a single individual or institution to achieve it. It requires combined effort from all players and the church is one of those. The United Nations Foundation emphasises this by clearly stating that everyone has a role in improving the lives of people around the world.
The church therefore also has a duty not only to fulfil the spiritial needs of its congregations, but to also ensure development in all speheres of human life; from health, education, lifestyle, and much more. It has a role in development by providing the necessary knowhow and resources to enable the community around it reach its desired potential at both individual and community level. The Organization of African Instituted Churches- (OAIC) always advocates that its member churches strive to minister effectively to the needs of their members and their communities.
Christ Holy Church International, under the leadership of His Grace The Most Rev. Dr. Daniel Okoh who is also the International Chairman of the OAIC, is effectively playing its part by ensuring an improved state of life among its congregation. The church has set up maternity homes in many towns in Nigeria and in Accra, Ghana where mothers receive professional maternal healthcare at no cost. The church has taken up the responsibility of hiring trained nurses who tend to the mothers in the maternity homes. This is in an effort to ensure that mothers deliver safely.
Additionally, the church has schools that provides free elementary education sustained purely by the church. These two projects contribute to the global Millenium Goals that is, improved maternal health where the target is to reduce maternal deaths by two-thirds; and universal primary education whose aim is to see school going children successfully complete their primary education. These projects are fuelled by the church proving that Africans do not need donations and support from the west to develop and sustain themselves. According to Rev. Dr. Thomas Oduro of Christ Holy Church International, several other AICs are doing it big in the farming of commercial trees whose proceeds help them to become self reliant.
With the wave of youth unemployment striking many African countries Christ Holy Church Internaltional recognises that the youth are a great resource for any country. It is this realisation that has led the church to engaging the youth in enriching information sessions like seminars, conferences and other training programs that assist them in utilising the resources around them to eke a living. The need to obtain skilled form of education among the youth has also been emphasised.
Women have also taken up leadership roles in church missions and their impact felt in the community around. They recognise that Christ is not limited to any gender and have therefore dedicated their time and resources in evangelism, capacity building, health care provision and helping the poor. Development centers have been established to train women on entrepreneurship and also provide seed capital to boost start-up busineses to enable women become self sufficient.
Christ Holy Church International is among other AICs promoting development and making it known to its people that Africa’s problems can be solved by Africans.
No Comment