By UPF Africa
Written by UPF-Africa
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Calabar,Nigeria-IAPD-Africa held the second edition of Africa Spiritual Day (ASD) on April 16, 2023, at Christian Central Chapel International in Calabar, Nigeria. This edition was held in the West African sub-region and was capped by IAPD West Africa. The event began at 9:00 am GMT and was attended by a live audience, as well as online participants through the Zoom platform and social networks such as Facebook and Youtube. The event reached a social impact of more than 45,273 views on the IAPD social media platforms. Live participation in the event was recorded from churches across Africa, including all the FFWPU branches in the continent, branches of The Revelation Spiritual Home (TRSH), Blessed families, IAPD church leaders, and participants from America, Europe, and Asia. Approximately 30,000 participants attended the event at their respective branches.
The event was co-moderated by Rev Imo Nkanta, President of FFWPU-Nigeria, and Pastor Dr Kate Elemi. The ceremony began with invocations by Preacher Thulami M. Koyona of TRSH, South Africa, and Rev. Sodji Gossou, National President of the Assembly of God from Benin.
Dr Taj Hamad, Vice-president of UPF International and Coordinator of IAPD International, gave the welcoming remarks. He stated that the real treasures of Africa are not underground but above the ground. He also highlighted the teachings of Rev Moon and Mme Moon, which emphasized that the family is the smallest unit where we can learn and practice true love. Since the family is the place where the individual is well-formed, Dr Hamad stressed the need to work on restoring or renewing families to pave the way for more peace.
Imboni Dr. uZwi-Lezwe Radebe, Chairman of IAPD-Africa, then delivered his special remarks. Dr Radebe believes that Africa is the mother of Humanity and the mother of spirituality. He stressed that throughout Africa, family is very important, and families, not individuals, are the building blocks of African society. According to Dr Radebe, Africa is losing itself because African people are forgetting and giving up on African spirituality, and he advocated a return to our roots, our spiritual roots as Africans, to save our continent and secure its future. He concluded by saying, "It is only through introspection that we will truly identify the truth about Africa's problems and find solutions."
Rev. George Ogurie, the Coordinator of IAPD-Africa, delivered a special reflection on the search for righteous people in Africa who can lead the world towards Godliness and spirituality. He highlighted the contributions of religious leaders such as Prophet Radebe and Cheikh Mansour Diouf, who joined IAPD and are working towards peace in Africa. Rev. Ogurie emphasized the significance of IAPD as a platform that empowers leaders to be more effective in their calling, with the Africa Spiritual Day serving as a unifying force for this journey towards the promised land.
The event also featured guest speakers such as El Hadj Habib Kane, the Director of Religious Affairs from Mali, who spoke about family values from an Islamic perspective. He stressed the importance of family as a precious institution, created by the Creator to establish a special connection between related beings in all of humanity.
Father Louison Emerick Bissila Mbila, the Chaplain at AU Ethiopia, discussed family values from a Christian perspective. He explained that the family is not only the basic cell of society, but also an institution established by God Himself, and should be considered a fundamental value. He highlighted the teachings from the holy bible on the value of family and called for action to defend and unite to protect this institution.
Venerable Dr Ilukpitiye Panasekara, the Chief Monk of Buddhist S. A. in Tanzania, presented on family values from a Buddhist perspective. He focused on a Sutra that explains the principles governing six groups of relationships, including parent and child, teacher and student, husband and wife, friend to friend, master and servant, and in the clergy. The Venerable emphasized that society can prosper when these principles are respected.
As the final speaker, Bishop Dr. Emmah Gospel Isong, Presiding Bishop of CCCI Nigeria, made a valuable contribution to the theme of the event. Prior to delivering his message on Ideal Family Relationships, Bishop Isong commenced with a series of recognitions and gift sharing with high-ranking personalities in attendance. Mother Moon's gift was presented to Rev Bakary Camara, the Cheon Wui Won co-chair of Shin-Africa, as her representative.
Bishop Isong expounded on the four original intentions of God in the creation to explain his message on Ideal Family Relationships. He emphasized that family was created by God long before any other institution, and that it is superior to religion and anything else. Furthermore, he explained that God's original plan was for Adam and Eve to replenish and dominate the earth. He highlighted that true blessings of God run through the family, and that acknowledging and receiving messiah Jesus as the Lord and Savior is the only way to achieve peace in the family.
The event was also enhanced by various performances, including the Christian Central Chapel International Choir, the International Sufi School Choir from Senegal, the artist from South Africa, Sevovoh, and the CCCI dance group. These performances contributed to the vibrancy of the second edition of the African Spiritual Day.
Finally, the closing invocation was delivered by Imam Mallam Mohammed Aboubakar from Cameroon and Ven. Srivas Das, Hare Krishna from Ghana.
