Pastoring, to some people, is just about preaching the Word of God. However, some Gospel ministers have taken the notch higher, by ministering to the material needs of their immediate communities. This they do through many ways, including empowerment programmes geared towards lifting them from penury.
One of such ministers is Bishop Tom Samson of Christ Royal Family International Church. Through The Tom Samson Foundation, the cleric and his wife, Apostle Lanre Tom Samson, have been able to affect positively the lives of the less-privileged within their community.
The programme, which is specially for women, may be described as a child of circumstance. According to the Bishop, “Towards the end of the first quarter of this year 2015, I was in Royal City, Iyesi Ota, supervising projects when some women within the community came to me pleading that I should assist them with a job, so they could earn a living to support their spouses in paying the bills, because what their husbands earned was not enough. Some even explained that their husbands had nothing doing, while others said they did not even have a husband or anybody they could look up to.
“I shared this with my wife when I got home and we agreed to teach them how to fish, instead of giving them a fish. We agreed on an empowerment programme, so that they would be on their own and even become employers of labour.
“Machinery was quickly set in motion, as I put together a team and worked out the modus operandi.”
For the programme to kick off, experts were recruited as instructors in different trades, such as bead making, soap making, pastry, as well as tie and dye.
A three-day programme commenced, with all training materials and equipment made available by the foundation for each participant. It was purely practical.
No doubt, the good news went round, as the women turned out in their hundreds. In the end, each participant was generously mobilised financially with a take-home grant, and certificates were issued. It was a successful programme.
“The programme was, however, not limited to Iyesi Ota community, but extended to everywhere our parish is situated such as Ijoko, AIT, Ojokoro, Ikorodu and Egbeda.
“Response and testimonies keep pouring in everyday. It has been tremendous. Some have written appreciating the gesture; some have come personally to show me their products; some are suppliers of their products to schools and offices. Some said their names have changed to Soap-Maker, Mama Chin-Chin Seller as a result of what they produce and sell within their communities,” he added.
In Iyesi, about 500 women were in attendance, while in Egbeda and Ijoko, about 300 women were empowered. Similar large turn-outs were recorded in the other centres.
The organisers told TheNiche that there is no end to this vision to affect lives, as they hope to extend the empowerment programme beyond the shores of this country to countries like The Republic of Benin, United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada.
Among the beneficiaries are Muslims.
Most of the beneficiaries spoke glowingly about the programme. Miss Victoria Pius said her life has not been the same since the programme, as she has become financially-independent through making pastries.
Another participant, a Muslim who does not want her name in print, said she was initially sceptical when she heard that the programme was being organised by a Christian organisation, but she went because she could not afford about N20,000 fee demanded by regular trainers in bead making, for two weeks.
She, however, was grateful to the organisers for the opportunity to fulfil her dream.