The President of Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC), International, Very Reverend Dave Denji revealed that the church has planned to empower its clergy with entrepreneurship skills in a bid to promote self-sufficiency and economic growth.
The ERCC President made the disclosure in a briefing with journalists on Tuesday at the headquarters of the church in Alushi near Akwanga, Nasarawa State.
According to him, the initiative was part of his administration’s efforts to equip the clergy with the necessary skills and knowledge to establish and manage their businesses for self reliant.
He said that it is aimed to strategically empower them to reduce dependence on the church for every financial support.
Rev. Dave explained that the current economic situation in the country necessitated the plan, with the goal of ensuring that the clergy can live a comfortable life and provide for their families.
He added that in addition to the entrepreneurship training programme, the church has implemented a viable retirement plan for retiring Reverends and Pastors.
“Every retired Reverend and Pastor is to get their gratuities immediately to enable them to start new ventures and enjoy their retirement.
“We have also ensured timely payment of pension to the retired clergy, with payments made on the 24th of every month,” he said.
He further said that the church under his leadership has strengthened its evangelism efforts to win more souls for God, amidst rising vices, immorality, and crime in the society.
“Under my tenure also, we have ordained over 260 Pastors to ensure that the gospel spread to all parts of the world. We will continue to build the capacity of our clergy through training,” he said.
He highlighted the church’s efforts to transform its health facilities and academic institutions to make them functional and beneficial to both the community and the church, inline with acceptable global medical practices.
The Church President said when he assumed office in 2019, the church declared a state of emergency at the Madam Hills Secondary School and Medical Centre Alushi, an earmarked the sum of N50 million intervention fund.
He said that they have also constructed a shopping mall in Lafia to improve its revenue base, with plans to build more in other local government areas of Nasarawa and Kaduna States.
On the current economic hardship in Nigeria, Rev. Dave urged the government to re-assess its policies, which have impacted negatively on the economy and the lives of the citizens.
He commended the Federal and
Nasarawa State Governments for the recent gains made by security agencies in the area of banditry and Boko Haram and appealed for sustained efforts to defeat bandits, terrorists, and other criminals. (Www.krestnews.com).