This past week was indeed eventful and in this edition of Sunday Round Up, I will be bringing up my thoughts on polygamy in the church, the video regarding the singing of hymn 203 and Ketu’s decision not to pay cash palliatives to church workers whose parish do not pay returns consistently.






After months of waiting for the promised covid19 cash palliatives, we finally now have a valid reason why the delay in paying these cash palliatives by the only faction that has promised to pay its church workers. According to the Head of Administration in the Pastor’s office in Ketu, Assistant Venerable Superior Evangelist Stephen Adeniyi, the Finance/treasury office has not provided the office of the pastor with the list of parishes who are consistent with returns (ipin) to Ketu.

The decision of Ketu to use the consistency in the payment of returns as a criteria for the cash palliatives is the best decision Reverend Emmanuel’s team will be making this year. This is because this decision will expose the rots in the payments of returns, as it is known that these returns are often not paid directly to Ketu, but paid to most provincial heads and general superintendents who may not have delivered them to Ketu or may have shortchanged Ketu while paying the returns. This may be the reason, the Finance/treasury office is finding it difficult to quickly produce the accurate data needed to pay our church workers. Most parishes and transfer shepherds are aware of this but they grumble in silence.


Additionally, the most precious way to actively become a member of any organisation is when one is a financial member. The data of parishes who are consistent with the payments of returns, will surely show that Ketu is mostly innocent of many accusations, but certain individuals working with or close to Ketu may be the one helping to give Ketu a bad name. Therefore, it is imperative that these data is made public, so that members can ascertain if the parishes they worship in do pay returns or not, hence accountability is demanded from their shepherds, parochial or church management committees.

I urge Reverend Emmanuel’s team to be bold enough to use this opportunity to reform the process in which returns are paid. At this age and time, parishes should directly pay returns to Ketu via dedicated online platforms rather than going through middlemen.

Moving forward, there are questions regarding hymn 203 (Jesu ti j’oba). A video showing members of a parish sing the hymn while welcoming Most Superior Evangelist Deji Nunayon became controversial on Celestial Sphere as members believed the song is meant specifically for the spiritual head of the Church. The truth is most small parishes treat every representative of the pastor as the pastor. Most provincial head and general superintendents gladly allow the hymn to be rendered to them while visiting any parish. Therefore, there should be no noise regarding this, as parishes should be bold enough to avoid rendering this hymn for anyone except the pastor they are loyal to.

As a Christian organisation, our Church should be strict in ensuring that all members, either clergies or laity and irrespective of status should dutifully be virtuous and godly so as to serve as worthy examples to other members and non members of the Church. In this light, it is important for the church to be vocal in establishing known facts about certain principles Christianity frowns at.






One of these principles, is that of polygamy and the Church. Although we all know that the Church would want to shy away from this discussion because the founder and current senior members of the Church are right on this table. In Reverend Samuel Bilewu Oshoffa’s case, we all know he was already polygamous before he was called and no one can accuse God for calling SBJ with multiple wives to lead a mission God has ordained. What should be said of other members of the Church who are also practicing and publicly defending polygamy?

As a Church, we often appeal that members of marriageable age should find their spouses within the fold. Let it be known that we all do not have the moral right to appeal to our young ones, especially our bachelorettes to marry from within Church, as we may also be the ones to lure and support their young Celestian husbands to get married to additional wives, if we do not put pressure on the leadership irrespective of factions to stop the subtle support for polygamy and speak against the act now.

SundayRoundUp is a weekly column written by Anjuwon Oluwole.

Vacancy: Interested writers who want to feature as columnists, should write to the editor via the email address celestialchurchblog@gmail.com

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