Pastor Bakare Decries Clerics Asking For Reopening Of Places Of Worship , Donates Churches As Isolation Centers
The general overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has offered some of his church and private facilities to Lagos and Ogun Governments to be used as isolation centres for the treatment of coronavirus patients.
Pastor Bakare made this known in a video broadcast shared by his church on their official Twitter page.
The former vice presidential candidate announced that his church has donated its church facilities to the Lagos state government, and its private residences in Abeokuta to the Ogun state government.
While announcing contributions in the fight against coronavirus, Pastor Bakare also addressed recent comments from prominent church leaders speaking against the continuous closure of churches in the country.
Few days ago, Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church Worldwide had criticized the Federal Government for allowing markets and hospitals to reopen, while churches remain closed despite lockdown ease.
Pastor Bakare in his video has now indirectly described this utterance as ‘lamentations.’
He said;
This morning, I would like to bring ethical correction to some of the lamentations of certain people within the church over the ban of congregational worship in churches across the land, while markets and hospitals are allowed to operate.
I am so glad that not only churches are prevented now from congregating, the mosques are also on lockdown. The government’s order to open the markets to operate for a few days is to prevent hunger, especially in the life of daily earners because the palliatives from the government cannot go to every citizen in their homes right now.
The clergyman also called on other churches with multiple facilities to donate their buildings as isolation centers saying;
Those churches with multiple facilities, rather than their leaders criticizing the government, they should collaborate with them. They must be prepared to offer some of their halls to governmental authorities as isolation centres in support of the efforts of the government.
After all, it was to the safe custody of the Inn Keeper that the good Samaritan in the parable of The Good Samaritan kept the wounded man left for dead on the way to Jericho. The Inn Keeper is the pastor, the Inn is the church, the wounded man is the sick world, and the two denarii are wages for two years because a day with the lord is like a thousand years.
In addition, the Pastor said;
I recommend that our church halls be made available to the government as isolation centres, and those of us who could afford it should be there to support the government.
I am not suggesting what we are not prepared to do. We have already done that in our church. We have offered two of our facilities to the Lagos state government and the private residences we have in Abeokuta we have offered also to the Ogun state government.
Brothers and sisters, we should all thank God that there is no distance in the spirit–lockdown or no lockdown and that the church is not the building but the saints of God, that is the body of Christ.
Pastor Bakare concluded saying;
So if we cannot congregate because of the present lockdown, we can be very effective in our neighborhoods as our brothers’ keepers and our various workplaces, for those involved in essential services and other daily earners that are permitted for now to go about their trade or business for a few hours of the day.
Nigeria, as at May 10, has now recorded 4,399 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 778 recoveries and 143 deaths.
Watch video of Pastor Bakare below;
The CGCC is offering the LASG parts of our current Church facilities at Akilo Road, Ogba, to be used as an isolation center for Covid-19 cases. The CGCC Medical Missions will onboard LASG officials to ensure the best utilization of this space #Thread #MyBrothersKeeper pic.twitter.com/QyDLOF2mx5
— The Citadel Global Community Church (@TheCitadelGCC) May 10, 2020
We commend the LASG and well meaning individuals and corporate bodies for their efforts at controlling the spread of this pandemic in Lagos and by extension Nigeria. We pray for divine health, wisdom and energy for the leadership of Lagos State and frontline healthcare workers pic.twitter.com/OyAlpUZAW6
— The Citadel Global Community Church (@TheCitadelGCC) May 10, 2020
