ALLEN TIMILEHIN OLATUNDE
30TH SEPTEMBER
2011
REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF
JUNE 2011
Every man wants to lead the church. They only read any
scripture, explain plainly and pray. Church planting has become a
business, where some boast of ownership. Church leadership among Eguns in
Sasse is ineffective. The leaders have many wives, drink and sell ogogoro
as I was told; boasting of their gifts and abilities. Unfortunately, there are
no materials in their language to use. Most church members are
illiterate. They cannot read even in François, Yoruba or Egun. They
enter church with nothing, bare hands. Church leaders spent money as they want.
They somehow rely on external fund but now I encourage them to do their best.
They operate Presbyterianism form of government. Women are nobody in the
church, but entertainer, singers and dancers. These lay leaders come to
church late; yet want to sit in the front. There is need for laymen
training among the Eguns.
Their women are nursing mothers till menopause. They are
always with small children sucking, with uncovered breast which might cause
diseases for them and their children. There is no provision for the
children in the church. I discovered that they have no family planning
programme in the land. They procreate anyhow, yet at the expense of
mother’s health. I discovered constant and consisted record of infant’s
death in the land in which I was told of children that died recently. I
perceived by what I saw that they believe the cause to be spiritual mostly, but
it is more than that; unhygienic lifestyle, dirty motherhood and careless
taking of herbs etc. Their women mostly wear armless blouse and something goes
half nude. It means nothing to them. I observed that most ladies
suffer from early motherhood, in which I witnessed. In the church, dirtiness is
not seen as immoral such as spitting inside the church and all such. I rebuked
them.
My visit to Tshito village, I discovered some errors in their
worship. There is no starting time for service, anytime of the leader is the
time. The worship service is casual to them. The leader did not
have any preparation for the Sunday school, but few minutes to the class, he
checked through the Bible for anything. The leader goes out anyhow to
answer call, even during service. I could not attend this. The Sunday school
started from 10.00a.m and ended 12.14p.m. It was frustrating. The leader read a
whole chapter and explained from verse 1 till 22. It is their tradition
even in Sasse and Hessa church, because there is no Sunday School booklet to
use. The worship service ended around 2.15p.m. Everyone was tired - sleeping,
dozing and deeply slept. The worship was like social gathering - no
sacredness. The leadership causes the lukewarmness of the worship. During
Sunday school, the leader will pause, meditate, ask another fellow beside him
before he can say something.
In Sasse, the church is without a pastor, but Rev Salami advised
the church to build Pastorium. I encouraged them but they dragged it, yet I
refused to be discouraged. I did what I could do manually with teenagers
around me. The men of the church are not encouraging but I kept encouraging
them in God’s word. Church leadership had led many members to quit, stop or
change membership. There is conflict on lifestyle of leaders and what
they preach. Therefore, for this month, I preach salvation, and
salvation. I led prayers to ignite their spiritual life. I educated teenagers
to read Yoruba Bible as church future leaders.
REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2011
The commitment of Sasse church members fell a bit, especially
the leaders. Many did not come to church again. One of them told me that, “He
is on holiday.” I discovered that the presence of any minister became threat to
their leadership in terms of preaching, intellectuality, charisma and
coordination. However, I daily charged and encouraged during visitation or
along the street. They waited for my exit as their point again into the church.
Again, the commitment of my interpreter dropped due to her work
in this season. She did give her best this time as she confessed. Most time she
left her work half done to attend to me. Sincerely she needs to be compensated
if she will continue well.
I discovered that their Bible study is not consistent as it
should be. Whenever I visited Hessa village, goats and sheep would have
defeated, slept deep inside the church even at the Bible study time. Their
leader only attended the class once when I was there. Also in Sasse, the
leaders never attended once. Most time, Bible study is cancelled or delayed due
to market day transactions. This is clear because they are all farmers.
We started the foundation bricks laying in this month. To my
surprise, the leader of the church did not come to oversee the project. I have
to go their everyday to manage the project. I drew architectural plan of the
house and I acted as the foreman also. However, their morale jumped up when
they say what has been done within in short time. Therefore, they contributed
labour and cash towards the work.
I observed that most leaders have more than one wife. My
interpreter told me that it is a taboo to remain on one wife as they believed.
The leaders are immoral as the outside world sees them. Many refused to attend
because of leadership. In Sasse, the leader sits with drunkards as they enjoy
ogogoro. The leader never preached on these subjects of immoral. Some members
left the church because of half-baked leaders and their shallow messages. With
all these, I was able to do what I could do as the Lord helped me.
What I did during the Mission trip to Sassegbonou
1. I led
six weeks Bible studies in Sassegbonou church.
2. I led
also five times Bible studies in Hessa church.
3. I
preached in Sassegbonou, Hessa and Tshito village.
4. I
organized language tutorial class for the teenagers during their holiday.
Purposely to help them to read Yoruba Bible.
5. I
visited families to read Bible and pray with them.
6. I went
to villages for visitations and prayers - Sassegbonou, Hessa, Sebenou, Gbedji,
Chiata and Tshito.
7. I
championed and fashioned out the project of building Pastorium for the church.
Rev Salami raised the idea. I drew architectural plan and acted as foreman too.
8. I
counseled everyone that visited me or I visited at home or on the street.
9. I
conducted four night vigils both at Sassegbonou and Hessa villages.
10. I led
the church, especially the teens and few elders around on the humanitarian
service to one another.
11. I
restructured the church government system.
12. I
visited church members in their farms, prayed with them.
13. I was
able to settle dispute in the land as God helped me.
14. I
taught teenagers around morals through children Bible reading.
15. I
strengthened their morning devotions since the day I came. We met 5.30am
everyday. I woke them up for the service. I encouraged continuity.
16. I
taught Sunday school lessons for four times in Sassegbonou in Yoruba language.
17. I did
street and market evangelism, not all the time.
18. I
mobilized church members in packing sands, gravel and bricks for the church
Pastorium.
19. In all
these, God is my Director and Help. I return all glory, power and praise back
to Him alone.
What I observed they need as a church
1. The
church need spiritual leader, an indigene of the land or anyone that can speak
without interpreters.
2. They
need good and spiritual discipleship materials in François or Egun languages
such as Sunday school materials, discipleship booklets and children books. They
also need Bible in François.
3. They
need financial assistance in completing the new church Pastorium. Their thirst
for good leadership will be half-solved if the house is completed. They still
need 80 bags of cement, labour bills, metals, roofing sheets, planks, windows,
doors etc.
4. They
need constant visitation in order to supervise the work and to encourage the
members and the leaders.
5. They
need orientation and aid on health matters.
6. They
are farmers; therefore they need help in getting updated information, seedlings
and management of crops.
7. They
need adult literacy education programme in the church.
Recommendations for Sassegbonou Mission Fields
1. There
is need to prepare the missionary coming to this land with handful information
relevant to the field.
2. Anyone
coming to Sassegbonou should have good knowledge of French and Yoruba language.
3. Missionary
on field should enjoy health scheme because of any emergence that is First Aid
etc.
4. Leadership
orientation programme should be organized for the present laymen leaders in the
area.
5. Baptist
Union in Benin Republic should me made responsible on the welfare of the
churches in Sasse.
6. Indigene
of this area should be trained as their pastor.
7. GNBC
should know the health history of any sent missionary into the land.
8. It is
recommended that the interpreters be compensated minimally.
9. There
is need to Provide mobility for the missionary such as Bicycle.
10. Medical
experts can visit the land for medical outreach.
11. It is
recommended that teachings or expository documentary be shown on danger of
smoking and alcohol in the land.
12. All
these recommendations are useful and relevant to Sassegbonou land.
Reported by
Allen Olatunde
7th August 2011
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