I’ve been reflecting on last Sunday and honestly, I’m flummoxed. Is it not the same church? Is it not the same God we all serve? So why is our own way of doing things so different? By the way how una dey?
For the past three weekends, I haven’t left my house. I had a medical emergency and needed to catch up on my thesis, as I had a tight deadline. On Saturday, my son came to me and said, “Aunty Primrose” yes, that is what he calls me and said my friend invited me to her church.” I asked for the name of the church so I could do some research before giving my consent. I asked him a few more questions and eventually said he couldn’t go. But then he told his friend, “My mum said I couldn't come.” (Yes, I know, I’m fussy like that. With all these new religious cults springing up left, right, and centre, you can’t be too careful)
The friend called and asked to speak to me. Long story short, I eventually said yes. On Sunday morning, my son came to my room and asked if I could drop him at the bus stop. I said yes, and then I turned to my daughter and said, “Since this church is nearby, let’s go with him and see what they’re about.” She agreed. (Normally, when we’re not physically in church, we join an online service.) By the way it is an oyinbo church.
If you know me, you know I’m very observant, especially when I’m in a new place. What I observed made me wonder: Why do we make church so complicated? Why is our way of doing things so different? We arrived at the church at exactly 10:10 a.m. right on time. (I deliberately observed the time and wrote it down) When we got inside, they spent about 10 minutes networking and exchanging pleasantries before entering the main hall.
Here’s how the service went:
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10:00–10:20 a.m. – Networking
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10:20–10:30 a.m. – Opening prayer (Very Christocentric)
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10:30–11:00 a.m. – Praise and worship (So beautiful! Praise the Lord, O my soul!)
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11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. – The Word (Christ-centred, straight to the point)
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12:00–12:10 p.m. – Announcements: “If you have your offering, please scan the code. You can also donate outside or on our website.” They also invited people to stay for refreshments, get to know the pastor, and ask questions about the message or the church.
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12:10–12:30 p.m. – Closing prayer
Here’s what shocked me: This was a Protestant church with a mix of Nubians and Caucasians, black and white people worshipping together. The pastor was incredible, I found myself thinking, Whoa. The sermon was exactly one hour on the dot no endless storytelling to distract from the message just a few jokes here and there, during the preaching, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The message was insightful, impactful, and deeply rooted in sound teaching.
The only thing that stood out to me (in a slightly uncomfortable way) was that no one mentioned tithing, I guess that’s the Nigerian in me talking 😅. The choir was amazing, but I did miss my Nigerian praise.
Also, I noticed that no one spoke in tongues, honestly, I don’t have an issue with that, not everyone will speak in tongues, and speaking in tongues won’t take anyone to heaven.
Now, why am I writing all this? I am not judging oo na story I dey yan una before una use bad eye finish me there
It is because I was struck by how seamless the service was. We finished on time, the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming, and there was no judgment or pressure, no posturing, just peace. Honestly, I’ve always believed that Christianity and living in Christ isn’t rocket science. It’s not supposed to be hard or scary and complicated, but it should be joyful and life-giving and life changing.
African pastors really need to reflect and re-evaluate. Too often, they make Christianity tiring, complicated, and even scary. It’s 2025 times are changing, we should evolve too.
Will I attend again? Yes, I will, I like the fact they are time conscious
Okay una bye ooo!! see you in my next post chai I miss writing and storytelling, if you are new here feel free to explore 🥰 Hunger wan kpai my enemy shaaa
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