A Port Harcourt based Pastor, Essa Ogorry, who refused to wed a couple for coming to church late, has died.
According to Punch newspaper, Ogorry died yesterday, February 16 after a brief illness.
Ogorry is the founder and lead pastor of Fulfilling Word Foundation Church, Rivers state.
The PUNCH newspaper quoted a source close to the clergyman who revealed that after the cancellation of the wedding two weeks ago, Ogorry wasn’t looking so strong the following Sunday when he preached.
“My pastor has gone on to be with the Lord. He had health issues even before the wedding saga. We took him to the hospital and he had to come from Lagos to attend the wedding,” the source, a church staff, was quoted as saying.
“He tried to preach the Sunday after the wedding but he was not in his normal strength. He went back to the hospital and he gave up yesterday (Tuesday) morning.
“He celebrated his 55th birthday on February 9. He lost his wife last year, on February 16, 2020, the same date.”
Ogorry was in the news two weeks ago after he reportedly cancelled a wedding because the couple came late to the wedding service.
“He (Ogorry) came that day and waited for five minutes. Before the day, he did interviews with the intending couple and he told them not to allow him to look bad in the face of the congregation,
“That thing had happened before when intending couples come late and all the members will be waiting for them. There are document every to-be couple signs that the pastor has the right to cancel their wedding if they are late.
“The to-be couple in question signed it. They came more than five minutes late, they came over 15 minutes late and the pastor had already gone into his office as he was not feeling well. The bride came to the pastor and pleaded.
“Pastor considered going on with the wedding. He requested that he join them in his office as he wasn’t feeling well but the groom and his family rained insults on him. Then, an uproar ensued and the pastor left the church.”