How The Church Made Us – Petty Traders

Traders around churches in Abuja are counting their blessings despite the economic situation of the country.

Some of those who spoke to THE WHISTLER recently narrate how their lives have changed after just months or years of selling their wares to worshippers at the Dunamis International Gospel Center, Glory Dome and at Living Faith Church, Jahi, Abuja.

A photographer at the Living Faith Church Jahi, Wisdom Emegu (Wisdom Photo-world Media) recalled how things was not going well with him but now has a land of his own and a family.

He added that the contacts he makes every church service has given him opportunities to cover events in so many places.

“I know how I started from this church; when I came here it was not really well but I really thank this church; they have made me what I am today because they have really contributed to my welfare.

“Members of this church have been patronising me; I have been covering weddings, naming ceremony, and other events.

“When I did not have a camera, someone from this church bought one for me; today I have plots of land and I am married and I don’t do any other work apart from this in-house photography,” he said.

Zion Nkem, a book vendor at the Glory Dome said that the population boom in the church has in no small way imparted his business.

“My business has been helped a lot in the sense that we have a lot of population here and most of them resolve to buy things after church service because we sell things cheap.

“Since I started selling books here, I have made a lot of money from patronage by members,” he said.

Furthermore, the chairman of Traders Union, around the Glory Dome, Israel Utakanu, said that there are over eighty traders stationed around the church and they make a living from what they are selling.

He also said that the church should keep growing as that would translate to more profitable opportunities for them.

“We are praying for the church to grow, because when it grows, we will have more people to patronising us.

“Most of us started from nothing, and today, at least we can get our daily bread through what we are selling.

“The church made a provision for us to stay here; normally here was a forest until the church came and we partner with the church by obeying its rules and regulations regarding the usage of this space allocated to us.”

On his part, the secretary of LFC Jahi, Prince Daniel, stressed that “the church is boosting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through making spots available for people to sell their goods as well as create platforms for people to gather.”

“Wherever people gather, there will always be the need to buy and sell so as to satisfy some necessary demands.

“The church leadership knows that people who come to worship God may have needs to drink water and buy other things, hence it allocated a space where church members can sell,” he said.

He also added that “the office through the resident pastor is trying to alleviate poverty by offering help to genuine church members who want to start small scale businesses but don’t have enough funds,” he said.