*As Ibadan North Diocese holds maiden media retreat
By Adeyinka Adeniran
The Archbishop of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province and the Bishop of Ibadan North Anglican Diocese, Most Rev’d Williams Aladekugbe has advocated for the needed support for Nigeria media practitioners for them to perform excellently and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria unity, progress and development
Aladekugbe message was contained in a statement signed by Diocesan Communicator, Olugbemiga Ayoade at the maiden Diocesan Media Department retreat which held at the Cathedral of St Peter, Aremo Ibadan, Ibadan at the weekend.
The cleric maintained that given the roles and responsibilities the media plays in the society, they deserve more support and encouragement by all relevant government and non governmental organisations.
He lauded members of the media department of the Diocese for the bringing on board their skills and ability for the development and progress of the Diocese, especially in the spread of the gospel.
He said, “On our part as Ibadan North Anglican Diocese, we are fully prepared to empower our media department for the body to perform optimally particularly in the spread of Christ gospel and adequate coverage of the church activities.”
Speaking earlier on the theme of the retreat tagged, “Church Media as a Ministry”, Rev’d Canon Felix Adeoye from Christ Anglican Church, Akinfenwa, Ibadan said the services of journalists are priceless considering the risks they bear in performing their duties which include insecurity of their lives and poor renumeration
With reference to Hebrew 1:1, he describing God as first and foremost a Communicator. He encouraged journalists to go about their duties not laying much emphasis on financial reward but instead waiting on the Lord for His compensation and provision which is beyond the expectation of any man
In his lecture during retreat titled: “Media Ethics, Discipline and Service flow”, the Coordinator of the media department, Rev’d Peter Oluwatayo disclosed that the department is an integral part of the church not only to perform technical duties alone but a ministry entrusted with a sacred responsibility of supporting the gospel, communicating the gospel clearly and enhancing the spiritual atmosphere of the church.
He said, “Every media worker is a minister of God called to serve God with skill, discipline, humility and reverence.”
In his presentation at the retreat, the Chairman, Correspondent Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, Yinka Adeniran charged members of the unit to see themselves as gatekeepers between the Church and the outside world.
Speaking on the topic, “Sermon Uploading and Online Publishing”, Adeniran who is the Oyo State Correspondent of The Nation Newspapers maintained that members of the unit must not be carried away in the discharge of their duties and not be blessed by the sermon or messages at every spiritual event where they might be expected to be on duty.
“Before uploading sermon online, let it first and foremost minister to you. The fact that you are on duty during Church service is not an excuse not to be blessed or ministerd to during the service.
“A message that does not minister to you may not make any sense to you and you may not see the importance or power of God therein to minister to others.
“Be a gatekeeper. Be careful and mindful of the messages that you allow online. Not messages that can cause trouble or problem either for the Speaker, the people, the society or even the Church as a whole.
“We must also be mindful of our audiences. Those receiving our messages are important to us and we must always be conscious of how what we publish gets to or affect them.”
He assures that the ongoing effort of the media team to develop an online news platform for the Diocese will soon see the light of the day and give a new direction to how Church news are spread within and beyond the Diocese.
The retreat was sponsored by the Archbishop Aladekugbe and attracted members from across all the parishes innthe Diocese.
The retreat featured bible study, lectures, practical workshop, prayers among others.
Other clerics in attendance at the retreat include: Provost of Cathedral Church of St Peters, Aremo, Ibadan who doubles as the Patron of the media department, Very Rev’d Samuel Olawoyin, Rev’d Oguntimehin among other dignitaries
