As you all well know, I am not in the habit of eulogising people. But, please allow me to single out for special mention, recognition and appreciation our brother, friend and benefactor, the Governor of this State, Dr Peter Odili without whose pragmatic involvement and massive support, the atmosphere here would certainly have been very different. Dr Odili is one Christian leader who believes that whatever is in his possession is from God and must therefore be judiciously utilised to the honour and glory of God and the blessing of his people. This he has done consistently and most admirably.

People of God here assembled, if I were to make a list of his financial contributions to the work of our Church, it will be longer than your arm's length. Suffice it to say that, all the Christian denominations in this state owe much of their development in the last seven years to the huge financial donations from the people's government of Rivers state under the most humane leadership of our dear brother. Individuals: clergy, lay members and bishops alike benefit regularly in kind and in cash from the kind-hearted disposition of the governor. His listening and responsive character to the plight of the needy is now legendary.

His spread of help to the cause of Christianity is not restricted to the state. Only recently, he doled out #100m to the South- South CAN and in addition sent four vehicles to the national headquarters in Abuja. The Christian churches and dioceses in this state see him as their champion, but we also know that Dr Peter Odili has proven himself a national, caring, keenly supportive leader. We assure you, dear brother, in the name of the LORD that you will in no wise loose your reward. We are praying for you.

National Conference

Not too long after our last meeting in Ibadan, we held a very successful and well-attended National Conference with the theme "Seek ye the Welfare of the City/Nation". Our sincere thanks go to all the dioceses who were represented by their bishops and other high-ranking officials and to our numerous special guests drawn from all walks of life in the country. We remain indebted to the chairman and all members of the organising committee for their sense of duty and dedication. We are also grateful to all those who gave financial assistance towards the cost of the conference.

The reports and recommendations of the Conference have been sent through the diocesan bishops to be reproduced and made available to every parishioner throughout the length and breadth of this country. I appeal to all to ensure that this is faithfully carried out so that the labours and resources put behind the Conference are not in vain. Furthermore, it is important that all leaders at various levels of administration to diligently follow through the recommended action plan at the provincial, diocesan and parish levels to ensure that the desired objective of transformation of our society for needed accelerated development of Church and nation is achieved.

In my keynote address to the National Conference referred to above, I had said:

"The Scripture tells us "Seek peace and prosperity of the city; pray that it should prosper because if it prospers, you too will prosper" (Jer. 29.7) If Nigeria does not have peace no one will be at peace. If it does not prosper nothing will filter down to any of us. Therefore, it is important to seek the peace and prosperity of this country.

Nigeria today is passing through perilous times. Our dear country seems to go from one crisis to another. There is the phenomenon of youth restiveness. The poverty situation of the country in spite of well-publicized government efforts appears to be insoluble. It seems that the lofty vision of our founding fathers has been lost in a wilderness of greed, corruption, selfishness, and insensitivity to the plight of the common man. Men like Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Akanu Ibiam and Alvan Ikoku exemplified patriotism, vision, integrity and selfless service to our dear country.

Most of these men died without any legacy of a material empire to their name. In contrast our generation clearly has lost these enduring virtues. Politics today is regarded as an avenue to wealth rather than service to the nation. This probably explains the vicious methods by which people seek political office in today's Nigeria. It has been reported of some who say "give me political office for only three months and that is enough". The rest is left to your imagination as to what Nigerians do in political office".

This then is the backdrop scenario in our nation today. The situation in the Church is equally ugly, as shepherds and sheep have become more intensely and deeply conformed to worldly standards. Hence the theme for this meeting "We are on the Lord's Side"-an affirmation I hope we will wholeheartedly, unreservedly and continuously make in our Christian pilgrimage. (Church Hymnal: 595 (Exodus 32:26).

Who is on the Lord's side?

In everyday life situations, we are confronted by circumstances that require us to make choices and decisions. In the exercise of our freedom, sometimes we make wise choices but at other times, sadly, wrong ones. Good or bad, any choice we make has implications and often carries far reaching consequences.

Moses had been on the mountain to receive instructions from God for his people who had unfortunately grown impatient. Tired of waiting for their leader and in their characteristic seditious spirit asked Aaron to:

'make us gods which shall go before us' (Ex 32.1)

What they asked Aaron to do was a direct violation of the first two commandments and a rejection of the covenant and therefore of YHWH. More disturbing, they found in Aaron a spineless leader, who readily acceded to their rebellious demand. Well, they've made their choice; they must now face the consequences.

On his return to the camp, and seeing the golden calf and the debauchery of his people Moses was absolutely furious, smashed the two tablets of Testimony in his hand, destroyed the idol, decided to separate the sheep from the goats.

He threw a challenge:

who is on the Lord's side? Let him come to me.

In this clarion call, Moses gave the Israelites a chance to make a choice, to repent and be forgiven, or to remain in their rebellion and be damned; to be on Lord's side and live or maintain their allegiance to idols, work of human hands and perish.

By their action, (not precepts or word of mouth) the Levites declared 'We are on the LORD's side'. By this declaration, they were promptly conscripted into YHWH's army with a matching order to slay all (even closest relatives) who had elected to continue in rebellion against God and when given an opportunity for repentance, remained adamant. In the ensuing battle, 3000 were slain, (Ex 32 27-28)

The problem of syncretism, religious amalgamation and of apostasy (which as rightly interpreted by the prophets was tantamount to the rejection of their Creator, Redeemer and Covenant God) continued to be the major obstacle in the life of Israel for the actualisation of the covenant promises.

Thus from time to time the prophets called them to repentance, reminding them of YHWH's saving acts and the fact that they had no ontological relationship to the land they now occupied-it was a gift of God in fulfilment of his gracious promise to Abraham. (cp. Joshua 24:14-16) and Elijah on mount Carmel, (1Kings 18. 21ff)

The golden calf episode has become a classic example of human ingratitude but also of man's instability in matters of trust in the immortal, invisible God of the universe who chooses not to have any physical representation. Israel here depicts the human preoccupation with walking by sight and not by faith. It is regrettable that Israel did not see YHWH's saving acts all through the wilderness wanderings beyond the personality of Moses.

And this immediately highlights the inherent danger of making too much of religious structures or institutions, be they places, buildings, positions or personalities. When these are accorded undue importance, the understanding and recognition of the Almighty God as the true Lord and Leader of his people is inhibited; then of course the same temptation to ingratitude and apostasy begins to rear their ugly head.

That the people could so easily and so quickly forget the numerous manifestations of divine love and power both in Egypt and on the way to Sinai baffles human imagination-but then the same is sadly true of much of our contemporary attitude towards God and his Word. We (the Church) are too quick to forget "the ancient paths" and "the Rock from which we were hewn". In the face of the clamour for modernism and liberalism, we are quick to acquiesce and throw away our long-standing and well-tested heritage and identity in the name of cultural and political correctness.

The voice of the people is not always the voice of God, thus the need for some time-tested and universal reference points like the revealed and written Word of God. To toy with these in the name of cultural accommodation or contextualization can only lead to the worship of pseudo gods and the inevitable attendant confusion and disharmony, as is the case in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Dear friends, this saga is a great lesson for today's Church. At such times of real danger of sliding into syncretism, apostasy and the inevitable divine judgement, what is needed is nothing short of the call by Moses: "Who is on the Lord's side?" And those on the Lord's side must not hesitate, whatever the cost, to make their position clearly known. They must resist every attempt from any quarters to be muddled or messed up with those of contrary disposition in any unholy alliance; lest like Israel they get their fingers burnt. God is merciful; his loving-kindness surpasses all we can fathom. But

'today when you his voice, harden not your hearts as in

the provocation and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness'

Global Anglican Relations

Sadly, the vexed issues of human sexuality still occupy significant prominence even after the General Convention of the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUSA) and the General Synod of the Church of England both of which were held recently. Canterbury is now proposing a two-tier level of relationship as the way forward for the communion in response to the recommendation of the Windsor Report's call for some sort of 'covenant' to bind membership. The Episcopal Synod has already given an initial response to this proposal

"Synod is satisfied with the move by the Global South to continue with its veritable project of defending the historic faith committed to us against present onslaught from ECUSA, Canada, England and their allies. The need therefore, to redefine and/or re-determine those who are truly Anglicans becomes urgent, imperative and compelling. Synod therefore empowers the leadership of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) to give assent to the Anglican Covenant".

And at this meeting, a group is to focus on comprehensive review of all the statements and documentations prepared, and to recommend appropriate position for the Church into the future on the matter. Also, on the issue of the 'covenant', the Global South has taken the initiative to prepare a response. The group will also come up with our position after a thorough review.

We continue to participate in the work of the Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations through representation at the 50th Session with the status of Women and Empowerment. Our participation has been highly commended by the outgoing Anglican Observer at the United Nations - Archdeacon Taimalelagi Fagamalama Tuatapaloa-Matalavea. We hope to participate in the 51st Session next year focusing on "The Elimination of all forms of Discriminations and Violence against the Girl child and the Evaluation of progress made on the role of Men and Boys in achieving Gender Equality (as resolved in 2004).

Episcopal Succession

Pursuant to the implementation of the decision of the Standing Committee in February at Ibadan, with regard to the timeframe for the election of Episcopal successors to incumbent bishops and archbishops, a group will be looking at the work already done by the Committee of Reference on proposed Constitutional amendments and recommend to the Plenary what to present to the General Synod for ratification.

Niger Delta Conflict

The unwholesome and restive situation in the Niger Delta where violence, kidnapping of foreign and local nationals and other vices has become the order of the day calls for urgent action. It is incumbent upon the Church of Nigeria with six dioceses in the region to find a solution, restore calm and lasting peace. I have therefore on your behalf constituted a Committee with the Registrar as Chairman to wade into the issues, make necessary interface with all stakeholders and make appropriate recommendations. This Committee has done some work and their initial report will form the basis of the work of a group at this meeting. The group will after their review, recommend to the Standing Committee line of action our Church must take in this matter.

Nigerian Political Terrain

The Nigerian political environment is precarious and deadly. Already, high profile murder of gubernatorial aspirants have taken place in Lagos and Ekiti, whilst another candidate in Abia State was savagely assaulted, dispossessed and warned to back-down from contesting. There has also been wanton destruction of property and some deaths in Osun State. Onitsha has been on the boil in the past few months, with several deaths. It is common knowledge that politicians use the media to canvass personal interests with threats and innuendos of mayhem. The welfare of the nation and its developmental needs are relegated to the background completely. The Church has a responsibility and must seek ways of impacting very positively in the whole stretch of the political programme for 2007 elections.

In this regard, a seminar was held yesterday to sensitize all bishops to the imperatives of the programmes and the responsibility of the polity. The Chairman of INEC, the Inspector-General of Police and the Chairman/Chief Executive, National Orientation Agency were all here as resource persons to address us at the one-day Seminar. The idea is that the bishops will then go back to the dioceses and enlighten their parishioners through a well-co-ordinated series of events and programmes aimed at giving in-depth education of how they are to exercise their democratic right to bring about a responsible and responsive governance come 2007. A group will also at this meeting, review the situation and work done so far and recommend godly guidelines for the electorate and the political gladiators. Corruption

Seven years ago, the President at his inaugural speech declared a fight to finish war against indiscipline and corruption. He vowed that there would be no sacred cows and it is no longer business as usual. We in the church of God are happy that the war is now truly raging. We appeal to all stakeholders to give maximum support and cooperation to the initiative. We must eradicate corruption from our national psyche. We must sanitise the polity. We have laid our hands on the plough, for God's sake, there must be no reason to want to look back.

Mission and Evangelism

With grateful heart to God I am glad to be able to report that the bishop we sent to Congo as missionary has now fully settled down to work in the area assigned to him-Mbujimayi, within the Church of the Province of Congo. This is the beginning of a new phase of support for the Church in Africa.

We also report that the Nomadic mission you kindly approved last February in Ibadan has also fully taken off. The Bishop is in residence at the co-ordinating headquarters in Jos. We have recruited; trained and equipped 12 Evangelists with new motorcycles.

Also, last month, with the consecration of the Bishop, Rt. Revd. Martyn Minns, the much needed Episcopal oversight for our Mission Initiative in the United States of America (CANA) commenced in earnest. It is important that we all give this godly enterprise our best support. Let charity abound that God's glory may glow as we together nurture this worthy and timely intervention for the sake of the Gospel and the historic faith once delivered to the saints.

Let me use this opportunity to thank all dioceses that responded to our clarion call for the special fund to support this and other mission work. Specifically, we offer gratitude to the Dioceses of Awka, Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Kaduna, Orlu, Enugu, On the Niger, Lagos West, Niger Delta North, Ilesa, and Umuahia, for agreeing to contribute N600, 000 per annum for three years and for promptly paying the first instalment. We welcome others who are mission-minded and so led to join these worthy compatriots by subscribing to this special mission fund.

At a special session yesterday, the Archbishops met with the CNMS Board to receive the reports and recommendations of the Primatial visitation panels on missionary initiatives. Our concern arising from the vision goals of Church is to ensure that

strong Anglican presence is established wherever there is none. And wherever we are but weak, our effort is geared towards giving the church formidable Anglican presence.

The recommendations will be shared out shortly.

Ecumenism and Interfaith Dialogue

We continue actively in the pursuit of making the Christian Association of Nigeria focused and result-oriented by proactively interfacing with the government and stakeholders. This has yielded handsomely, we now boast of a more harmonious, constructive and consistent engagement with attendant positive results.

The Most Revd. Josiah Idowu-Fearon led our team to the 9th World Council of Churches (WCC) Assembly from February 14 - 23, 2006 at Port Alegre in Brazil, and he was elected into the Central Working Committee of the body.

It is pertinent to report that our Church played a leading role in the inauguration of the African Forum on Religion and Covenant (AFREG), which involves all Christian Heads of State across the Continent of Africa. The vision of the body is "Transparency and Accountability in Governance". The first consultation took place from July 25-28, 2006 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, with delegation from all over the world in attendance. Our Director of Ecumenism and Interfaith is the Secretary of AFREG.

Our Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission continues to hold regular dialogue as they meet bi-annually. The last consultation held at Ilesa in the month of July, 2006.

HIV/AIDS PROGRAMME

In furtherance of the implementation of our 5 - year HIV/AIDS Strategic Policy and Plans, a debriefing of Bishops was held in June. This was sponsored by ENHANSE Projects and attended by other donor agencies. I urge us all to make the best use of this in moving forward the HIV/AIDS Initiative in our respective Dioceses. Standing in the gap

At the global level, we are beginning to take a hard and critical look at some of the issues we have hitherto taken for granted in our Christian –Moslem relations especially as it affects the growth of the Church around the world. The UK, Europe and America we used to know as Christian centres are been gradually taken over by Islam and materialism.

I know you will be surprised to learn that some northern cities in the UK now have Moslem mayors and are already asking for the introduction of the Shari'a. London metropolitan Moslem police want to wear turban. Plans are fast afoot to build a 40,000 capacity Mosque near the Olympic Stadium in London! Both the site and timing tells the whole story. France is said to have 7 million French born-Moslems! In Belgium, you don't drink coffee in public during Ramadan, as that'll offend Moslems. Whichever way you look at it, Islam is determined to take over the western world. Allowing Islam to take over Europe, America and the United Kingdom will surely have a negative impact and unsavoury implications for Africa.

We have identified four broad lines of action to stem this tide

· Strong Christian political office holders

· Christians in Media

· Regular publications

· Wake up call on all Christian preachers

Initial work has already begun on this assignment both in the United States of American and the United Kingdom. Consultation with identified personalities would take place before the end of the year and during the first quarter of next year.

IBRU CENTRE PROJECT

What was meant to be a one-year project is still yet to be completed. We continue to thank the dioceses that have paid their contributions to the project and appeal to the others who are yet to pay to do so to enable us complete the outstanding work which consists of installation of fittings and fixture and external works.

Finally, beloved in Christ let us rise up at the end of this meeting determined and with greater resolve to employ all our God-given talents in the pursuit of everything that reflects His glory. This is the only way we can unequivocally demonstrate the affirmation "We are on the Lord's Side".

"Who is on the LORD's side

Who will serve the King?

Who will be His helpers,

Other lives to bring?

Who will leave the world's side?

Who will face the foe?

Who is on the Lord's side?

Who for Him will go?

By thy call of mercy,

By thy grace Divine,

We are on the Lord's side!

Saviour, we are Thine.

Fierce may be the conflict,

Strong may be the foe,

But the King's own army

None can overthrow;

Round His standard ranging,

Victory is secure,

For His truth unchanging

Makes the triumph sure.

Joyfully enlisting

By Thy grace divine

We are on the Lord's side!

Saviour, we are Thine.

+ Peter Abuja

--THE MOST REV. PETER J. AKINOLA, D.D. is Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria.