By Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
ABUJA NIGERIA – The new Bishop of the United Methodist Church for Nigeria, Cameroon and Senegal Bishop Emmanuel Ande has vowed to use his Episcopal office to bring lasting unity and peace in the Church.
Bishop Ande, who hails from Taraba State made the vow on Wednesday night during a service to welcome him back from Ghana where he was elected and ordained as the Bishop early this week.
He countered the allegation of same-sex marriage and homosexuality against the church in some quarters, describing it as a misinformation, emphasizing that the UMCN is built on biblical principles, and obedient to the law and the Nigerian constitution.
Ande further called on Reverend Micah Dopa, the Dean of the Southern Conference of the UMC and all it’s members, to return to their home: the UMCN and appealed to the brethren in the Global Methodist Church breakaway faction, that a church cannot be instituted on conflict, and cannot be established by seizing the property of another church.
The Chief servant of the Church also appealed to Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas to open up the Church’s property that have been sealed as a result of the issues that engulfed the church, so that members can celebrate Christmas in their churches.
“I come to you as a servant and not a Lord or King who sees himself above you. I am aware of the crisis that have plagued our Church for long and I can not exonerate myself of all blame. I ask you to forgive me. We have to mend the broken cracks. We would treat every one justly and fairly without discrimination.
“I call on our brothers of the Southern leadership that time has come for us to put our differences aside and unite to create a better future. Let me also call on our brothers of the Global Methodist Church to rethink their actions. You can not establish a Church by taking the property of another Church.
“It is also very important to clarify that we are not a gay Church. The Church does not, in any way, support homosexuality. That is total misinformation. We are founded on strong Biblical principles and we stand steadfast on them” the Bishop submitted.
