Daudu, Nigeria—UPF-Nigeria sponsored a Marriage and Family Peace Blessing Festival that attracted 1,337 couples representing different denominations and ethnic backgrounds. The event was accomplished in collaboration with the FFWPU Nigeria chapter of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, with the support of traditional rulers and religious leaders in the Daudu community as part of efforts to promote a culture of peace and strengthen the fundamental structure for peace.
The event was organized in response to the fact that the area has witnessed a large presence of internally displaced persons caused by frequent militant attacks in the state. Rev. Jeffrey Dogo, a UPF volunteer in Benue State, coordinated the mobilization with other faith-based leaders and traditional rulers.
The event was held at the NKST [Universal Reformed Christian Church of Nigeria] premises, opposite the Divisional Police Office in Daudu. Seventeen volunteers from the community worked to mobilize the couples for the blessing festival. The blessing began with opening prayers and the national anthem, followed by introduction of community leaders and some local dignitaries nominated to receive the Ambassador for Peace certificate for their peace-making roles in the community.
The traditional ruler of the community, Chief Oliver Chado, gave the opening/welcome remarks and expressed his gratitude to God and the UPF founders for offering this community the opportunity to participate in the peace blessing festival. “With this festival in our community being massively attended, peace shall surely return to our community, and our families shall become blessed families,” he said before the large crowd that gathered. Pastor Donald Yahemba, of the NKST Church in Daudu that hosted the event, spoke passionately about the importance that their church attaches to marriage and family building and encouraged all participants to take the blessing program very seriously as a unique opportunity to bring healing and revival to the families and the entire community.
UPF-Nigeria Secretary General Dr. Raphael Ogar Oko gave a talk about the blessing and explained the steps of the blessing festival. At the end of the lecture, Reverend and Mrs. Dallis of the Living Faith Church, who were blessed in June 2018, officiated the blessing and was assisted by 12 other ministers who have been working with us to expand the blessing movement to many communities. One thousand three hundred thirty-seven couples successfully participated in the blessing festival and all pledged to become peaceful couples who will work to create peaceful tribes.
The Family Peace Blessing Festival featured sharing of the holy juice by couples and was followed by the holy water ceremony for sanctification of the couples and the environment. The officiator thereafter read the Blessing Festival vows, which were affirmed by the couples confirming their commitment to marital fidelity. The participants, in expressing their appreciation, sang a song titled “I Have a Very Good Spouse Who Is Always by My Side” to end the ceremony.
Several couples who heard about what was going on at the venue rushed to the program to participate but could not attend due to the large crowd. We suggested that they should preregister for the next phase of the World Peace Blessing in the community, and we announced that more blessing programs will be held in the community for others who could not attend.
We thereafter had a review meeting to discuss the program and also developed follow-up plans on ensuring that we continue to educate the couples and plan for other blessing programs in the community. The local volunteers were also informed that the 1,337 couples will be formed into tribes of 430 couples for international couples that requested our assistance to raise their peace tribes of 430 couples in Nigeria. The participating couples were assigned to the following for their family programs based on their request: Eiji and Naoko Hiraki, Hiroyuki and Masayo Endo, Werner Fehlberg and Michiko Fehlberg, and David and Hanna Kyung-Ja Hanna.
We are hopeful that more peace tribes will be formed in the community as we continue to expand the Family Peace Blessing Festival.