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Bishop Okonkwo… At 65, ‘all I Ever Want To Do Is Serve And Serve - Religion - Nairaland

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Bishop Okonkwo… At 65, ‘all I Ever Want To Do Is Serve And Serve by AloyEmeka5: 4:47pm On Sep 08, 2010
Okonkwo… At 65, ‘All I ever want to do is serve and serve…'
SUNDAY, 05 SEPTEMBER 2010 00:00 BY CHRIS IREKAMBA, SEYE OLUMIDE AND FEMI ALABI ONIKEKU LIFE MAGAZINE - SPOTLIGHT


DR Mike Okonkwo is a very happy man. Tomorrow, he will be 65; but that is not the main source of happiness of the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) a.k.a. Power in the Word, which has over 150 parishes around the world.

At 65, he has impacted on humanity and has no regrets ever heeding the call to be a man of God. Since he encountered Jesus in November 1970, and for the first time, when he started attending Church services regularly in the United Church of Christ (UCC), which has its headquarters in Enugu, he has continued to radiate peace of mind. Well, he has Peace, as wife; sorry no pawns intended.

This afternoon, he is seated comfortably in his office, counselling and praying with his parishioners and those he is mentoring.

He was ordained into the ministry in 1971. He took up his first pastoral responsibility in Lagos in November 1972 with UCC. He was released as an Evangelist on June 20, 1976 and was instrumental to establishing most branches of the Church in Lagos. He served faithfully in UCC under the late Apostle Samuel Egbo from 1971 to 1980, but started his ministry, The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) on January 4, 1981.

“ I was so enthused with the call that I did not even consider resigning” — he was a banker with the defunct African Continental Bank (ACB). “I just bolted and left the work. It was people who told me: ‘Look, if that is what you want to do, why don’t you resign, so that in the future, it will not be like an albatross? People will think that you did something wrong and that was why you left’. My colleagues were surprised and shocked that I could leave such a lucrative job.”

Does he have regret with this choice of his? “None,” he says. He opens his Bible to read out a portion; after reading, he adds, “Serving God has made me in such a way that I don’t have regrets. You can’t serve God honestly and sincerely and regret anything. I am always looking into the future for the best.”

What was life before conversion?

“My parents were strict disciplinarians. So, we didn’t really have a rough life. They raised us up in the church. I was a member of the choir in St. Jude’s Church at Ebute Metta. My father made sure that I got involved. In those days, we used to have town development unions and he introduced me to them. So, we didn’t really have that type of life that is careless. In fact, my father was such that though we were comfortable, in those days… he was in a position where he could employ a lot of people or help in their promotion. At the end of the day, people want to come and show gratitude to him. They brought drinks and turkey. If you take those things, he would tell you to return them to whosoever brought them. He would not receive gratification from any. That was the atmosphere under which we grew. We grew with the understanding that you can help people without asking for anything in return.”

He adds, “let me say however, I did some little partying. I used to go to dance. I loved music a lot, ever before I gave my heart to Christ. I loved people like Roy Chicago, I.K. Dairo and Victor Olaiya. I always attended Olaiya’s musical outings. I liked Eddie Okonta and Rex Lawson. I had all their albums. I enjoyed them. There was a dance called jump, which we used to do. Before the war, I led a musical outfit called, The Fractions. I was the Road Manager.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22105:okonkwo-at-65-all-i-ever-want-to-do-is-serve-and-serve&catid=111:spotlight&Itemid=512
Re: Bishop Okonkwo… At 65, ‘all I Ever Want To Do Is Serve And Serve by zenatta: 9:05pm On Sep 08, 2010
Bishop Okonkwo, ''terror to the devil'', happy birthday. May God ''embarrass you'' with blessings

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