By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Pastor Uche Aigbe who presides over a popular Pentecostal church, House on the Rock Abuja branch, has tendered apology for appearing in pulpit, hanging an AK-47, an action he said he never considered the consequences before taking in illustrating his message to congregants.
The cleric who caused a stir when he stormed the congregation to illustrate a sermon he titled, ‘Guarding the Faith,’ also announced his decision to take a break from his shepherding assignments.
“This morning, I stand before you with a deep sense of sobriety and contrition, as I humbly address the event of last Sunday at the second service which most of us were a part of, where I used an unloaded firearm to illustrate some texts from the Bible regarding the good fight of faith.
“Of course, like you all know, it has caused a lot of embarrassment and pain to the entire church family, to you House on the Rock (The Refuge), to my immediate family and, of course, to myself. The decision that I made to use that firearm was not thoughtful. It has left me disappointed in myself. My action has been very traumatic for me, my family and, I am sure, for many of us. And I trust that we will never ever experience such again,” the remorseful cleric told the church on Sunday.
Pastor Aigbe expressed gratitude to his family and the leadership of the church for the moral, physical and spiritual support offered him, since the action which attracted public condemnation started.
He said the decision to take a break from pastoral assignments is to reflect over past events and for healing, saying he will be present in church.
“I want to thank you all for your prayers, love, empathy, goodwill messages and emotional support during this traumatic period. As Christians, time is of such trial that I have presently experienced, learning opportunities to grow in grace. I appreciate the love of our Heavenly Father who never leaves us nor forsakes us. He has promised us that no matter what happens, He will always be with us.
“To this end, I have consulted as necessary and with acceptable guidance from the senior leadership of the church. And I would like to humbly ask for your permission to take some time to pray, meditate, reflect and also to heal from all of the things that happened and its consequence. Notwithstanding, I will always be in church on Sundays and Wednesdays to worship with you.
“Let me say that I bear no grudge against anybody in my heart. If I have offended you, please forgive me. God is God and He will always remain our Father.
“So, let’s remain resolute in our faith and trust in God. Let’s continue to labour in the house and not allow the enemies to deter us in any way. I also believe God for a peaceful election on Saturday and the weeks after that,” he urged.
The FCT Command had invited the preacher for questioning when the news broke out. Also, one Inspector Musa Audu, an official of the Nigerian police, who owns the the AK-47, was equally invited and tried.
