Pastor Oye Baruwa of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Talitakumi parish in Ijoko, Ogun State, speaks with AJIBADE OMAPE on what prompted his decision to discontinue the collection of offerings within his congregation.
Could you share the reason behind your recent decision to cease the collection of offerings within your congregation?
My name is Prophet Dr Emmanuel Baruwa (JP) popularly known as Baba Talitakumi. I’m the pastor at the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church Talitakumi model parish based in Ijoko Otta, Ogun State. I have some reasons for taking the decision.
First, during the time immediate period after the fuel subsidy was removed, many people could not come to church because they did not have money. Also, with the situation in the country right now with the cost of foodstuffs, it became clear to me that people are suffering. Food is now expensive. Let’s forget about me, I think all of us should put ourselves in the position of these church members. If we put ourselves in the position of a church member, we will know the problems a lot of them are facing. When somebody is coming from a far place to worship at the church, and he is to spend N2,000 on transportation. And that person has just N3,000 and will still want to pay the Church offering from that money, How will he survive? If I stop the offering, it doesn’t mean I will not eat. If I stop the tithes, it doesn’t mean God will not send a helper to me. So, I have to be considerate. Many people believe the Bible says we should pay for offerings in Church, and it is when we pay for offerings that God will bless us. But when somebody doesn’t have the money to pay the offering, is God not going to bless that person?, of course, God will bless the person.
We are more or less forcing people who have no money to pay offerings. God will not accept that offering. That is my opinion for now. So, we are not collecting the offerings in our church. Also, to help our members during this period, we are distributing food to those who need it every first Sunday of the month.
I started this last year, and I’m doing it every first Sunday of the month to all my members. Also, on the 22nd of June, I’m selling a bag of rice worth N80,000 for N20,000. All the Church members, people in the community, and even Muslims that come for our programme can get it. We would also sell garri and other food items at lower prices to everyone that attends the programme. This is to help people with the high cost of living because times are tough.
So, as a pastor, I am against those who believe that if Church members don’t pay tithe or offerings, then God will not open the way for them. I’m not collecting offerings and tithe in my church and I’m doing the church project.
Do you believe that your call for other pastors to adopt a similar stance has been heeded by some churches?
Many of them are not doing so. There are a lot of pastors who are richer than me, but they are refusing to do it because they want to get richer while the poor will continue to be poorer. I think they don’t have mercy for poor people. But for us at INRI Evangelical Church, we have stopped collecting offerings until the economy improves. We still stand on our point. Also, every first Sunday of the month, we shall continue to distribute food to members.
They (other pastors) cannot do it because they don’t believe that God called them, if God called you, if he called you, He will provide for your needs. These members are struggling. Some of them don’t have money for their children’s school fees. I’m paying for some of them in my church. I pay for WAEC JAMB for the children of my Church members.
Let me use this one as an example, when the synagogue Pastor (TB Joshua) was alive, the place was always full of people, but when you go past that place now, there are no people there again. There are no people in that place because the Pastor offering them food is no more but his record of helping people remains.
A lot of pastors, and a lot of prophets, are thinking about their pockets, they are thinking about their children, but they should remember, that the child they spend so much money on might end up not being useful to them in the future and that is life.
I’m doing as God directed me, and I’m still on my point, and I will never change my point. I don’t care what people say about me. I don’t have as much money as some people have but they cannot do what I am doing because they don’t want to do it.
Is this the first time you have stopped the collection of offerings in your church or has it happened during any other time?
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