Lucky Obukohwo ReportingÂ
United Baptist Mission of Nigeria, Benin, has ordained Robert Osama Usuanlele as the first Archbishop of the church.
The ordination minister, Archbishop John Osa Oni while administering the consecration oath, said Archbishop Usuanlele has been found worthy spiritually and in character and in knowledge of the Holy world of God”I now declare that you are now His Eminence, the Most Rev. Dr. Osama Usuanlele, the Archbishop of the United Baptist Mission of Nigeria in the name of the Father, the son and of the Holy Spirit”
Speaking on the topic “Stewardship”, taken from 1Corinthians 4:1-2, the immediate past President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev. Felix Omobude, said that he (Usuanlele) has been called to serve the flock of Christ.
He said stewardship demands accountability as God rewards faithfulness and not the office.
The former PFN president therefore urged the congregants to be faithful in whatever duty that has been assigned to them by God.
On the part of the newly ordained Archbishop, Usuanlele, he said his ordination is a call to serve the body of Christ.
“To everyone of you, let me reaffirm my commitments to you and to God Almighty. As your new Archbishop, I am here to listen, to dialogue with you, to work with you, to lead by example and exhortation and to minister true service and sacrifice.
“My slogan shall be, let my light so shine before men, that they will see my good works and glorify the father who is in heaven”, Archbishop Usuanlele said.
He said in his 11 years as a Prelate, the church grew in leaps and bounds and also in the areas of infrastructure.
“Having lived a life of a Prelate for eleven and a half years, you will agree with me that we have indeed made tremendous progress spiritually, structurally in development as far as United Baptist Mission of Nigeria is concerned.
“We have built new churches, renovated and given a facelift to existing ones and operating a government approved primary and secondary schools and also recently, opened an event centre”, Usuanlele said.
Archbishop Usuanlele was born in 1957 and was ordained as a pastor in 1999.
He served as officer in charge of Administration in the Edo/Delta district of the United Baptist Mission, Oligie-Igbanke, both in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State.
Present at the ceremony were the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Osarodion Ogie, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, Senator Roland Owie, Senator Ehigie Ozamere and others.