Ademola Aderemi
It was an exciting moment for over 3,000 widows and indigent people in, Lagos recently. Members of Club Five Loaves (CFL), the humanitarian arm of the Joy Cometh Ministries, Ikorodu, Lagos, distributed assorted gifts freely to less privileged folks.
Many of the widows, who had no idea what they were going to feed their children with during the festive Christmas and New Year season, went home with various gift items like bags of rice, chicken, vegetable oil, noodles, salt and clothing.
Speaking on the gesture, founder and senior pastor of Joy Comet Ministries, Pastor Olaitan Aromolaran, said the idea was part of the many initiatives of the church. He said the project was conceived two years ago, adding that it has since then impacted on thousands of widows and other indigent people positively in Ikorodu and its environs.
“What Club Five Loaves is doing is not ordinary. It was a calling from God, especially, in this season of love and sharing. Last year, we were able to cater for 1000 people. But this year, we are taking care of over 3000 people. This is marvelous considering the economic situation in the country.
“The church is growing in leaps and bounds, and the best way to express the goodness of the Lord over us is to extend our hands of generosity and goodness by making the people happy. It is not once-in- a-year thing; we do this almost every month. God will not eat rice; it must be given to some people. So we need to continue the work that God has commissioned us to do. Apart from this, we usually give financial assistance to petty traders and small scale business owners for them to boost their trades and businesses.
“Many of these widows are not members of this ministry. Many of them are not even Christians. But in as much as we can identify them as widows, we need to take care of their needs. We look beyond church or religion. And the more God enlarges our coast, the more we’ll continue to share and distribute wealth to the people at the grassroots and make them happy,” he said.
Chairman of the club, Mr. Sopade Olakunle, expressed joy that the club was fulfilling its dreams. He informed that since its establishment in 2017, Club Five Loaves had empowered over 1000 people by equipping them with various skills like hairdressing, catering, arts and crafts,detergent and soap making, and tailoring.
Lamenting the level of poverty in the country, he said the group was committed to wiping away the tears of widows. He urged donors and organisations to support the club’s humanitarian initiatives.
“Apart from giving out the little we give out, we also give little loan facilities to some of them. This is to empower them and make them independent. Members of the club contribute voluntarily and the little we contribute on a monthly basis goes a long way in alleviating the suffering of the poor and the needy. Our Welfare Department takes care of their domestic needs and we get support from members of the club.”
Secretary of the club, Mrs. Anne Ogundare, said the concept of using the CFL as a platform to bless the needy was conceived by the ministry’s founder, Pastor Aromolaran.
“When Club Five Loaves began its humanitarian services, we started solely on the vision and template handed down to us by God through our father, Pastor Aromolaran. And since then, we have been growing and expanding. It has been exciting impacting the lives of the poor and the needy.
“The number of widows we are taking care of this year is much higher than that of last year. Rice and other items are really expensive now that Nigeria’s borders are closed. The Federal Government must provide palliatives to reduce the sufferings of the people.”
Vice President of the club, Mrs. Olaniyan Rotimi, said government must find a way of catering to the needs of the poor and the needy during festive periods.
“Nigerians are hungry,” she noted. “The poverty level in the country is alarming. That is why the church is doing this to alleviate the suffering of the people.”
One of the widows, Mrs Janet Ajayi expressed joy that the church had contributed immensely to raising her standard of living. She told a story of how the JCM sponsored her youngest daughter’s university education, adding that the church also empowered her financially and started a small business for her. In her words, if all churches could emulate the JCM, the poor would live a better life.
“It takes the grace of God to listen to the cries of the needy, especially widows. This church did not ignore our cries. The church listens and puts smiles on our faces by reducing our suffering and making us happy. I thank the pastor and members of Club Five Loaves for making the Yuletide memorable for us. May the Almighty God enrich their pockets,” she prayed.