The Unfading Beauty
...Ogba/Agege Women Workshop

“The word ‘beauty’ is synonymous with women. A world without women is dead, boring and musicless because women are uniquely made. God’s creation was not complete until the woman was made and mandated to be a suitable helpmate for Adam – the man.” These were the words of Mrs. Augusta Obasa, Regional Women Coordinator for Ogba/Agege Region of the International Church of Christ, Lagos. The occasion was a special workshop organized for the Ogba/Agege women with the theme, “The Unfading Beauty”.

Mrs. Obasa in her address called the women “to live out the life intended for us as women by God.” The Text of the workshop taken from 1 Peter 3: 1 – 6 and 1Timothy 2: 9 – 10 explicitly provided great insight into God’s view of what unfading beauty in a woman is all about.

Mrs. Obasa cheerfully and sternly took the women through the indices of beauty from the outward (physical appearance) to the inner (spiritual manifestation) as Christians. She explained that even though it is important we care for our physical bodies, it should not be at the detriment of our spiritual nurture. In an emotion-laden voice, she quizzed rhetorically: “To what length are we willing to go to look good? How many hours do we spend each day to pamper our bodies instead of nurturing our spirits by studying the Bible? Sisters, what differentiates us from the world?” She admonished that paying more attention to our outward appearance would amount to investing our treasures in the flesh and this corrupt and depraved generation which God commanded us in Acts 2: 40 to save ourselves from. Quoting Proverbs 31: 30, she enjoined the women to focus on building a solid relationship with God because physical beauty is fleeting.

Narrating the importance of feeding our “inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight,” the women leader implored sisters to emulate Sarah and other holy women of God who put their trust in God. “As Christian women, let us cultivate the character of a gentle and quiet spirit. Shun the worldly value that is gradually creeping into the Church. This will enable us to understand our roles as women in the Church, homes and society.” Mrs. Obasa pleaded with the women to be good ambassadors of Jesus Christ through good works reflective of the way they conduct themselves, adding that guarding their hearts with all diligence would help them actualize God’s purpose for them: “suitable helpmate.”

The women were also treated to an enlightening class on healthy living and cancer presentation in women by Miss. Lola Olorunda. The class was an eye-opener to many sisters as they were educated on how to avoid cancer outright or possibly detect it early for easier management and a longer life.

Miss. Olorunda noted that “usually it is you who will notice the changes first.” She therefore counseled women to do routine self examination five to ten days after their monthly menstruation for best results. She explained that factors like having first menstruation before the age of 13 years, pills, injectibles, no child-bearing, first child after 30 years, early menopause (before 50 years) and hormone inducement therapy are catalysts for cancer in women. She enjoined the participants to reduce their intake of fat, meat, sugar, bread, nuts and rather increase their fruits and water consumption, to be able to stay away from cancer.

In order to meet specific needs of the women, split classes for marrieds and singles were organized. Dr. Aruna Erinle shared her life experiences with the married women. The single sisters were taught a class titled “Dignified Relationship” by Mrs. Esther Ogbokri and Mrs. Favour Ojiabor.

At the end of the workshop, the sisters expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Church for giving them the opportunity to learn from this life-changing programme. Mrs. Eugenia Irobiegbulam said the workshop was “long overdue” and will really transform the women ministry. She also suggested that the workshop be organized every three months.

Bunmi Adefolu saw the workshop as an in-depth analysis of life-changing situations. “I have learnt to focus more on my inner self to be able to attain the level God wants me as a Christian woman, wife and mother.” For Evelyn Edim, “it has given me the opportunity to reaffirm my faith and values as a disciple of Jesus Christ.”

The women ministry in Ogba/Agege Region is in for a great transformation as Mrs. Obasa is planning to organize more workshops soon.



Contribution by Favour Ojiabor (Mrs)