We’re going international to possess our Bethel Convention Ground — Bro. Amaechi

As the year comes to an end, Christians all over the world are reminded about the birth of Jesus Christ. The Church maintains a focal point for reflection on His royal birth. In this interview with Mr. Ihuoma Okoronkwo Amaike, the Chairman, Planning Committee of the Methodist Church, Nigeria, Diocese of D-Line Annual Bethel Convention, Bro. Chris Amaechi speaks on the just concluded 2021 Convention.

Could you please, introduce yourself?

My name is Brother Christopher Amaechi. I am the Chairman of the just concluded Bethel 2021 D-Line Methodist Church Diocesan Convention.

The Bethel programme was held in 2019, 2020 and 2021. What is the idea behind this annual event?

Okay. The convention was actually conceived in 2018 which was the inaugural event. God spoke to us, and there was the need for us to gather in His presence. When we prayed and discussed it, it came very strongly to us that God was seeking His presence, and we were referred to what happened to Jacob when he was fleeing from his elder brother, Esau and at night God, met him. Even before that, his father Abraham also encountered God when he raised a pillar and eventually Jacob promised that he was going to come back there. He said, “Truly the presence of God is here,” and the place was named Bethel. So that scripture came to us and we were inspired to title that convention ‘Bethel.’ That is how that name came to be, and since then, it was obvious that the hand of God is with us and that is how that programme became an annual event. Honestly speaking it has been growing each year; every year seems to be better than the other year. We just bless the name of the Lord. The successes we recorded in 2020 cannot be compared to what we saw in this just concluded 2021 event.

What led to the theme of the convention?

Honestly speaking, that theme took us a very long time for it to come. The conference theme that came was “watch and pray,” and we started praying and talking to ourselves on what was going to be our theme. Was it going to be watch and pray? And somehow, because of recent events in the church and our society, it became very clear to us that we are asleep. The way things are happening, it is only somebody that is asleep that will witness what is going on. Even in the church, the church is no longer speaking. God appears not to be talking so much to the church again because we are no longer watching and no longer on the alert, and if we are no longer watching we are not at alert what  it means is that we are asleep. And so there was a need for us to wake up from our slumber and that is what brought about that theme “while men slept.” Thank God for that theme, it actually opened us up on why we must be awake and be watchful, and look out so as to avoid more danger and disaster ahead of us.

We noticed that since 2019, Bethel Convention has been a camping event. In 2021, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was assumed that the camping pattern would change. How were you able to observe COVID-19 protocols, especially with respect to the newly discovered variant called Omicron?

COVID-19 protocols were observed. We made sure that we examined the people coming, maintained good hygiene. And within the environment, we tried as much as possible to avoid physical contact. That is why it is an outdoor event. We fix our programmes outdoors where the compound is very large and the sitting arrangement, we allow people to sit giving distances to one another. So those things were observed. Even the rooms where we lodged, the hostels where we kept people, we made sure that the conditions were met. So those protocols we tried to observe. We are also trusting God that He will take away this COVID from us because it is not something that we would wish to continue.

Considering that Bethel 2021 was successful, what promises do you have for your congregation in Bethel 2022?

Thank you very much. One of the themes that has been propelling us is what God dropped in our heart, which is, “Simply trusting Him even as the moment goes by.” As a matter of fact, this has helped us in the place of faith. Most times, we start planning these programmes with zero naira. In fact, this programme is being sponsored by a few individuals. We don’t have any grant or a pool where we draw money from; we just discovered that God’s hand and provisions have been on the programme. We cannot explain the way and manner the provisions come.

In 2019, as it was coming to an end, God placed in our hearts that we will not have continue to have this Bethel convention in D/Line Cathedral. God said that He wanted us to have a place for Himself where we will all gather outside the church environment, which would be a Bethel Convention Ground. It came casually, but we know that God is not casual about things. So we began to pray, trusting Him for what He was going to do.

Initially, in our hearts, we said, “Let’s see if we are going to get like 20 plots or at most 30 plots which we can begin to develop for that purpose.” But God was speaking beyond that; God was bringing to us 50 plots of land. In 2020 we were able to secure 50 plots of land, but we did not have the money that was required to secure the land. By the time we went further out of faith, we surveyed the land, and after surveying, we started praying and trusting God. Before we knew it, we started making some commitments, and as I speak, we have very little left to complete the payment and take possession of that land.

We trust God that as we have just concluded this programme, we will raise enough money to complete our payment. And while we were praying before the programme, God told us that He wants the next convention to hold in that proposed Bethel Convention Ground. We don’t know how He is going to do it, but we will simply trust Him.

So in 2022, we trust that the Lord is going to take us to that land where the entire Methodist, including non-Methodists and every other person within Port Harcourt, will gather in His Presence to have a grand and wonderful convention. We are trusting that it is going to be more successful having more crowds than ever. More than a thousand people participated, but we are trusting God that that number will double in 2022, and the Lord has promised that he is going to do it for us.

From the publicity and coverage of the convention, do you think it might become an archdiocesan or even a conference programme in the future?

Honestly, we are looking beyond national to international from the way things are going. The hand of God truly is with us, and one of the things we are certain about is that by the time we move into that proposed land ‘Bethel Convention Ground,’ the entire conference area will be interested in that place. What it means is, whenever we are holding that convention, we will invite people to the conference, and they will respond and participate. We have been going to places like the stadium, renting event centres for some of our programmes, and urging some of our local churches with big spaces to allow us hold such programmes there.

Just this year, we had a national convention in Enugu at Okpara Square. We chose that venue because we felt we had such a space at Okpara square. So, once we acquire that land and we hold our Bethel Convention which is going to be a national programme, this will help to develop the place to an international venue because we also plan to be inviting international speakers and artistes. That venue will be a place where programmes would be held throughout the conference area. Aside the Bethel Convention, other programmes will also take place there.