T.B. Joshua, perhaps Nigeria’s most
unconventional cleric, posted a heart-warming
story on his official Facebook Page about an
elderly lady who came to his church with an
unusual gift.
unconventional cleric, posted a heart-warming
story on his official Facebook Page about an
elderly lady who came to his church with an
unusual gift.
A retired teacher named Caroline Orugude had
come to The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations
(SCOAN) in Lagos, Nigeria to share a curious
testimony.
After retiring from her job in June, 2012,
Caroline was forced to wait almost two years
for the gratuity that she was supposed to
receive. “There was nothing much we could do
except pray because the pension system is so
unreliable,” she narrated to the congregation.
After visiting various churches for prayer
without any visible change, she was
introduced to Emmanuel TV, the popular
Christian television station broadcasting the
activities at The SCOAN, and began praying
along with T.B. Joshua.
Within two weeks, she received a call from the
treasury, asking her to go to Abuja to collect
her pension money. “I decided that when I got
the money, I would come to The SCOAN to
appreciate the Lord,” she joyfully said. “I am
here with the small sum of 500,000 naira, to
give to the man of God and The SCOAN, as my
tithe.”
It was an unexpected declaration but the
response of Joshua was equally surprising as
he insisted he could not collect the gift.
“Yes, it is written in the Bible that we should
pay tithe but how can we collect tithe from
widows and the aged who are supposed to be
under our care,” he questioned the
congregation.
“Remember, she has stopped working. She
needs our care for the rest of her life. These
are the women we should be feeding and
taking care of. She is our mother; she is my
mother too.”
The cleric, who is well known for his
philanthropic gestures, then announced that
instead of taking Mrs. Orugude’s tithe, he
would support her with an additional 500,000
naira.
“When God calls a man or woman, what they
will eat, what they will use and everything they
need for their journey will be provided
abundantly by God,” T.B. Joshua then
explained, noting the attributes of genuine
ministers of God.
“When a minister begins to depend on tithes,
you know he is not a minister of God,” he
added. “This is a message to ministers of God
all over the world. When we collect tithes, we
should know those whom we collect them
from. Don’t force anybody – it is between
them and God. Let us worship the Giver of
money, not money,” he concluded.
The post on Joshua’s Facebook page,
followed by 1.5 million people, ended with a
poignant question. “Where are your elderly?
Care for them and you shall reach old age.”
A video recently surfaced of Joshua refusing a
$1,000 offering from a Swiss lady who
received healing during his crusade in
Colombia. Several weeks ago, he spoke
scathingly of ‘money-hungry’ pastors,
insisting that ministers of God should not
force members to give offerings or tithes as it
was a thing of the heart.
