A total of forty persons have been conferred with various honours and awards by Methodist Church Nigeria, Adadia diocese, for their contributions to humanity and service to God.
The conferment took place last Sunday at the Diocesian Headquarters, Pritchard memorial Methodist church Nigeria, Adadia.
The award service, second in the series was presided over by the Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Rev. Dr. Etim U . Ekong.
A break down of the recipients shows that (12) twelve were honoured as ‘Etieka’ translated as ‘good-mother’, (16) sixteen ordained elders, (3) three bagged Christ Ambassador titles while (9) nine were specially recognized.
While the recipients of Etieka, Ambassador for Christ and eldership awards were drawn from circuits that make up Adadia diocese, the special awardees were picked from Methodist Church Nigeria outside the diocese.
Ekong,who presented each of the honorees with a bible and certificate said the two items were given to them as a mark of dedication and urged them to read the bible every day for their salvation. He also charged them to do their best to present themselves as work men for God.
Drawing his text from the book of Jeremiah, Dr. Ekong whose homily was entitled ‘The christian Life or Good conversion’ admonished the awardees not to be complacent simply because they have been rewarded and thereby end up their race like a rich fool in the bible.
To other Christians, he advised them not to allow hard times to cause them to abandon their faith in God, pointing out that Christianity was not a passive religion.
He congratulated the awardees on their well deserved honor,describing the edition as the last to be held after two years while the subsequent ones would hold every five years.
Among those who were honored were wife of the pioneer lay president of the diocese, Affiong Edem Ntah as Etieka from MCN, Ibesikpo circuit, Bro. Iboro Udo Ekpe as Ambassador for Christ from Uruan Circuit and Gabriel Ekpenyong Udoeyop from Ibesikpo circuit as one of the sixteen elders.
Others were sir Justice Umoekeyo Essang (KJW) - MCN, Udoumana, Uyo and sir Edet Amana (kjw)- MCN, Oyubia Diocese under the distinguished leadership award (DLA).
Responding on behalf of his wife, Diocesan lay president, Elder Edem Ntah described the Etieka on his wife as well deserved.
“If you come to our house you will see one or two children who are not her biological children and you can not differentiate them from her biological children because she takes care of them equally”, he said.
For Bro. Iboro Ukpe, a teacher at Adiaha Obong sec. School, Uruan, one of the three recipients of Ambassador for Christ award and Elder Gabriel Udoeyo, newly ordained elder,who spoke separately saw the honor done them as a call for greater service. To this end, both promised not to relent in their effort to continue to contribute their quota to the betterment and development of humanity and service to God, the creator of mankind.
Iboro, an indigene of Ukana Ikot Ntuen, Essien Udim is a graduate of university of Calabar
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