Nnewi Anglican Diocese Denies Banning Public Donations In Churches

Anglican Diocese of Nnewi has refuted the report making the round on social media that the Diocese has banned public donations in churches within the Diocese.

In a press release made available to Anaedoonline.ng, the Clerical Synod Secretary of Diocese of Nnewi, Ven. Dr Godfrey C. Mortanya, stated that the news came as a rude shock to the Diocese.

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Below is the press release;

Ban Of Public Donations In Churches

– A Refute

The attention of Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) has been drawn to news circulating around purporting that our dear Bishop, Rt. Rev’d Ndubuisi Chukwuka Obi has banned public donations in our Churches.

Some captions to that effect in the news media are; “Anglican Communion Bans Public Donation in Churches”, “Nnewi Diocese Bans Public Donations”, “Anglican Communion Bans Public Donations in Churches in Anambra” et cetera.

Of a truth, the news came to us as a rude shock and it has propelled us to put record straight and clear. Hence, we want to state categorically, the following;

1. In as much as we acknowledge the correct and accurate reports in the tabloids of the massive spiritual, infrastructural and economic thrusts of Bishop Ndubuisi Obi since his enthronement as Bishop of Nnewi in 2019, as well as, his wonderful consolidation of his predecessor achievements are undoubtedly exceptional, yet we shall not be caged in the euphoria of the report and fail to underscore the fallacies attached therein.

2. We do not annul the obvious that, in order to make headlines striking and catchy, journalists tend to blow facts out of proportions, but in the body of stories factual suppose to emerge. Unfortunately, this was not the case of this news afore cited.

3. The use of the words “ban of public donations” is in all entireties unacceptable and mischievous. Going by the meaning of the words – ban, public and donations.

Ban, by its definition, means to prohibit something especially by legal means. In religious parlance, ban means to anathematize. As an ordered Church, when an Anglican Diocesan Bishop wishes to ban or anathematize a matter like this, they follow due process. The Bishop shall, during Synod, either read it in his Charge (Presidential Address) or bring it for discussion at Synod. The Synod shall rectify it and it forms part of the Synod Resolution and Bishop’s Pastoral letter. Synod may also publish it as part of the Synod Session’s Communiqué. In case of emergent situation, Bishop shall bring the matter to Diocesan Board and cause it to be discussed and ratified. In this case, there was no such and our amiable Bishop has never for once acted as a military dictator that dish out decrees.

On public giving, it is glaring that our Bishop is an acclaimed Scripture adherent and heaven conscious prelate; he is so versed in Scripture and knows too well that God accepts both secret and public donations as well as proper documentation of them. What Jesus condemns is hypocritical giving and prayers (Matthew 5:2 and 5). So, to say that Bishop Ndubuisi Obi who we know too well his meticulousness in dealing with biblical principles and norms to suddenly anathematize public giving has traumatized the entire Diocese because never at any time has the Bishop done so.

Looking at donation by it’s definition, donation is freewill contribution or making of gift to charity or public instruction without compulsion.

Commonsensically, how can one write that Bishop is deterring people from giving back to God and His Church freely what he or she received from same God, whether by secret means or in the open. Most public donations are often attached with testimonies. Do those new peddlers mean that if moved by God, one builds a Church, school, hospital, hall or workers’ house and donate same to Church; the Church will reject the gift because he gives it publicly?
4. Let us sound it loud and clear to all that what our Bishop vehemently abhors are ungodly, unscriptural and wanton means of siphoning money and materials from congregants as well as multiple collections during Church services.

5. Unlike what may be obtainable elsewhere, where there are multiple forms of levies and exorbitant assessment quotas to fund the Diocese, Bishop Ndubuisi Obi has devised that the major means of funding for the running of our Diocese is through fundraising at the yearly Synods. If that is so, is it not via donations by friends, well wishers, sons and daughters of the Diocese that such funds are to be sourced? Will such not be done publicly?

Again, does it mean that if a Church is sourcing money for her projects, will they not call on their members for support?

However, our Diocesan stand on public donations in our Churches is that, it shall be done infrequently but only in dire necessity and should be agreed upon by the Church Committee.

6. For those that captioned it, Anglican Communion or Anglican Communion in Anambra State, we wish to state that Rt. Rev’d Ndubuisi Chukwuka Obi is not (at least for now) the Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), neither is he currently the Archbishop of Province of the Niger (Dioceses in Anambra State). He is not the mouth-piece of both. He is Bishop of Nnewi and is very mindful of his Episcopal jurisdictional enclave.

So, it is quite embarrassing to us that some tabloids have decided to be playing pranks with sensitive issues of this magnitude.

7. We plead with our revered journalists and media people to strictly dwell within their interviewees’ responses and consciously engage the rule of engagement in disseminating information, in order not to misinform the innocent public and upheaval uproars.

We are not ignorant of the importance of mass media to the society, but we are not in any way comfortable when they are used as tools for misinformation and confusion with the way some information are blown out of context and proportion.

Thank you.

Ven. Dr Godfrey C. Mortanya
Clerical Synod Secretary
Diocese of Nnewi.

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