The women of Aguata Anglican Diocese, their friends and well wishers, will from Thursday, 29th June, 2023, converge on Eziagu under Ezira Archdeaconry for their four-day annual conference. The conference which is being hosted by Eziagu Anglican community will take place at Saint Matthews’ Anglican Church, Eziagu, Orumba South Local Government Area. With the theme, ‘Divine Principles of Transformation: Stewardship’, the women conference is organized to equip delegates and other participants with effective leadership roles as true Christians.
According to the Secretary of Aguata Diocesan Women’s Ministry, Mrs Unoma Ekwueme, the order of activities for the conference include: presentation and launching of the Presidential Address on Friday, 30th June by 11 am while on Saturday 1st July, 2023 by 12 noon, the Christian Life Magazine and 2024 calendar will be launched and the Profile Mother honoured. The conference will come to an end on Sunday, 2nd July, 2023 by 10am with a special thanksgiving service and cutting of the conference cake.
The Women’s Conference is under the presidency of Mrs Chinyere Hulder Ezeofor, Nnechukwunyere (Mama Aguata), and the fatherly guidance of the Anglican Bishop of Aguata Diocese, Right Reverend Samuel Chukwudi Ezeofor, JP, PhD, Ambassador of peace who is also the patron of the Diocesan Women’s Ministry.
Since the inauguration of Aguata Diocese in 2005, Aguata Diocesan Women have been at the forefront of evangelism and infrastructural development. They have continued to maintain the diocesan hospital and maternity at Igboukwu which they built and furnished. They have also put in place the Lampada Community Children’s Home in the area.
The women equally contributed to the construction of a laboratory and dining hall at All Saints’ Seminary, Ekwulobia and a dining, examination hall, and a standard kitchen at the Saint Mary the Virgin Convent, Ufuma, in Orumba North Local
Government Area. The Women of Aguata Diocese also acquired a large expanse of land at Ufuma for the cultivation of different crops in addition to a garri processing factory at Okpeze both in Orumba North Local Government Area.
As part of efforts aimed at assisting the government to reduce unemployment rate, they also established Lampada table and bottled water at Aguluezechukwu, just as plans are in top gear to erect an ultramodern hostel at Umunze to help ease the accommodation problem faced by students of Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze.
The women are currently handling a two-storey building project at the Diocesan Retreat Centre, Ndikelionwu which is at the first decking stage. They are also handling the perimetre fencing at the Aguata Diocesan Annex Hospital, Ikenga. They are also engaging in the production of Yorghout and training of women and girls with different skills to make them self reliant.
For the spiritual upliftment of women in the Diocese, the Women Ministry introduced monthly prayer meetings which is different from the annual prayer conference.
Like their forerunners, women in Aguata Diocese have played critical roles in the growth and development of the church. As they prepare for the 18th Aguata Diocesan Women’s Conference, expectations are high that far reaching policies will be made for the socio-religious transformation of the area.
The host community, Eziagu, embraced Christianity in 1917 through Messrs Josiah Nkamnebe and Luke Umeh who were the first Eziagu indigenes to attend church service at Ezi Okereke Nwanya where Saint Augustine’s Church, Umunze originated. Later, that same year, Warrant Chief Emenike gave accommodation in his palace for Church service to commence in Eziagu. These men with Kanu of Ndikelionwu engaged in active evangelization of the community.
By 1931, the compound of the warrant chief could no longer contain the worshippers and this led to the construction of the first Church building at the present site of Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church, Eziagu through the instrumentality of Warrant Chief Emenike who helped to secure a land at the centre of two main villages of Eziagu-Amuhia and Amoba.
Today, Eziagu community has produced seventeen priests serving in different Dioceses in Nigeria. The growth of evangelism in Eziagu community gave birth to Christ Anglican Church, Eziagu.
The Vicar, Saint Matthew’s Church Ezira, Reverend Ebenezer Okpalaotubelu and the Chairman, Conference Planning Committee, Lady Ngozi Ike, welcome the delegates, Bishop’s Wife’s nominees, and diocesan officials to the Conference. The wife of the Governor of Anambra State, Mrs Nonye Soludo is expected to attend as the guest of honour.
18th Aguata Diocesan Women’s Conference here we come.
Aguata Diocese, Lampada Christi!
Written by ABUCHI NWOZOR
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