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…As He Marks 59th Birthday Amidst Pomp And Pageantry In Uyo
By Saviour Ekpe
Prominent and outstanding gospel ministers across the globe have identified with a selfless, dedicated, philanthropic Christian leader of the time, Dr. Bright Tom Ekerendu as he marked the 59th Anniversary of his sojourn on the planet earth.
In his tribute, the leader of Seongnam International Mission Church John Tribe Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony South Korea, noted, “Dr. Tom Ekerendu, We wholeheartedly congratulate you on your 59th birthday today. Although we are far away physically, we are thankful and joyful to celebrate this auspicious day with you. On this special day, we pray you have a blessed time with your loved ones. May God’s blessings and grace be with you in all that you do. We are One! With you in prayer each moment”.
Also from Africa Team, Southern Seoul and Gyeonggi Branch, HWPL wrote, “Dr. Tom Ekerendu, we are very happy to celebrate this special day with you. Let us continue to work together for peace in Nigeria and sow the seeds of peace together everywhere”.
In a well-attended ceremony in Uyo, South South, Nigeria held at Insight Bible Church to mark the 59th Birth day Anniversary on the theme, “Jesus Noble Service” with Chief Magistrate Helen Umana; Elder Ndueso Jackson; Comrade Emmanuel Atteh; Apostle Barak & Mrs. B. Ebong; Prophet Michael Jonah and Rev. I. Alfred. Others are Citizen M.K.O; Barr. (Mrs.) Pheela Hart; Representative of the State Commander, NDLEA (Mrs. Obot Bassey); Representative of the National Coordinator, Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community, ( Barr. Clifford Thomas) and Dr. Kevin Akai among others made the event colourful.
In her homily, the wife of the celebrant who also the pastor with the Church of God Mission International, Idohosa World Outreach, Rev. (Mrs.) Mfonobong Tom Ekerendu spoke on the topic, “The Mind of Christ”, drew her texts from Matthew gospel chapter 9 vs 36 and Luke 10 vs 27 spoke extensively on the need for participants to bear the burdens of others, noted that Christ while on his earthly ministry saw the aspect of caring for the people as priority hence, the ‘compassion’ He had on the people.
Rev. (Mrs.) Ekerendu called on all to extend their hands of fellowship to those in need as according to her, this tantamount to, ‘laying treasure in heaven’, explaining that a life that is dedicated to the service of God receives a hundred per cent blessing on earth while in heaven stands to gain eternal life.
Earlier in his welcome address, the chairman on the occasion, Chief Superintendent of Corrections (SCC) N. N. Uyire of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) eulogizes the life and times of the celebrant, added that the life of Dr. Tom Ekerendu has been characterized by what he termed as, ‘living for others’. Uyire called on all to emulate the exemplary life of Dr. Ekerendu of adding value to the disadvantaged people in the society, he concluded.
Dr. Tom Ekerendu, the Commandant General of Bright International Chaplain Corps (BRICC), a platform he uses to reach out to uniformed men as well as empower many Nigerians in different skills; for the record, Dr. Tom Ekerendu has created many other innovative platforms to enable him reach out to people and touch lives within his available means possible.
In his quest to harness resources for effective reach out, Dr. Tom Ekerendu ventured into the political scene when he contested for the House of Representatives to represent Oron Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, though that effort did not yield positive fruit, he forged ahead with his humanitarian services. A former Travelling Secretary of the Scripture Union, Nigeria, Ikot Ekpene Area.
In his response, the chief celebrant, Dr. Bright Tom Ekerendu who was filled with praises, thanked God for the Gift of life in Christ especially for raising committed people to work with him in the Humanity Trust Service. Dr. Ekerendu paid Special tribute to his wife for having a “sense of direction under God to stand by him for a fruitful, selfless service so far”. He also thanked God for Dr. Sylvanus Ukafia of Insight Bible Church for being a co-host of the 2022 birth day celebration. He called on people to key into his humanitarian platform by donating skills, materials, services, time and even money for the propagation of the gospel and support for the needy in the society across the state and beyond.
The event featured special melodious rendition by Apostle/Mrs. Barrack Ebong; goodwill messages; the constitution of book launch committee; endowment funds launch for humanity foundation; cutting of birth day cake, among others.
