Easter: CAN Asks Churches To Provide Relief Packages For Members Amid COVID-19

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged churches across the country to provide relief materials for their members to enable them to celebrate Easter amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.

CAN stated this in a statement sent to THE WHISTLER on Thursday by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the media assistant to the association’s president, Rev Dr Samson Ayokunle.

The Christian body, which noted that it was the first time in 100 years that Christians would be celebrating Easter in lockdown, said it was time for true Churches to separate themselves from “commercial outfits”.

CAN also expressed optimism that regardless of the challenges posed by COVID-19, the country would defeat the virus.

“Beloved and fellow Nigerians, we shall see the end of all evils challenging us in the name of Jesus including COVID-19. A writer has said ‘Tough times never last but tough people do.’ Even at this time, those who know their God shall wax strong and do exploits,” said Ayokunle.

“Let all local churches remember to make relief packages available to the poor among them at this time. This is the time we would know the true church of Christ and those that are just commercial outfits.

“We commend greatly both the Federal and State governments for rising up strongly to confront the evil called Coronavirus pandemic. We urge them not to deter in confronting it headlong until we kick out the evil from our nation completely. We further urge the governments to be transparent and inclusive of all regions and religious persuasions in the identification of the poor to which pandemic relief materials and payments are being made available. Even after the government has explained the mode by which they identified the beneficiaries, many Nigerians, including the National Assembly’s members are still really not convinced that the poor around us are the beneficiaries.

“We know the government cannot touch every poor in the society for lack of enough resources, but equal selection of the poor per state with balance in religious persuasions would have done better justice.

“We shall continue to pray for the government for right and inclusive decisions always for our general good,” said the CAN president.

Ayokunle further urged the citizens to be prayerful and believe that the country would surmount COVID-19.