BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH OF

                                   NIGERIA (CRCN): KAPYE CHURCH, DONGA

CRCN KAPYE DONGA

                                                              INTRODUCTION

    “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).

                           IN THE BEGINNING..........

When the CRCN Local Church Council (LCC) of Donga, at that time, under the leadership of Rev. Ezekiel M. Nungala, noticed much growth in the numerical strength of her membership, she decided that a new congregation be created out of her, especially that many of her members (the aged for example) were finding it difficult to trek to the Church due to distance. At that point ion time, Donga was still part of the Takum Local Government Council, and the Chairman of the LGC was Hon. Yakubu Tuktur. The Donga Local Church Council then applied to the Local Government for land to build the proposed new place of worship.

Hon. Tuktur gave a quick and positive response to this application, thus granting the plot of land where the present Kapye Church is situated. Work on the place of worship commenced with the construction of a simple shade. It should be known that at this time, some of the writers of this brief history – Elder Jonathan D. Manga and Elder Andrew B. Shingwa – were in their time of rest as elders, vis-à-vis the CRCN Constitutional provision regarding serving as an elder. The duo were called upon to lead worship at the new place, which then was still a worship centre.

Elders Manga and Shingwa accepted the challenge to lead the new place. A few other people – Mr. Daniel T. Zanvali, Mr. Daniel Kuni Datsen (now an ordained pastor of the CRCN), and Mr. Gideon Dogonlamba, were installed as deacons at the Kapye Church. Mrs. Saraya G. Bilbonga and Mama Rhoda Barau were also installed as temporary leaders of the Women’s Fellowship. The first worship service was held on the 26^th day of October, 1990, at 9.00am.

        Since Kapye worship centre was still under the Donga congregation at that time, in December 1990, elders were elected to lead the centre. They included:

Hon. J.D Manga

Elder Andrew Shingwa

Elder Daniel Zanvali

The following persons, Mr. Gideon Dogonlamba and Mr. Daniel Kuni Datsen were also elected as deacons to serve at Kapye.

CARETAKER DEACONS

Deacon Gideon DogoLammba

Rev. Daniel Kuni

           







      FORMAL INSTALLATION

The deacons were officially installed on 30/12/90 while the elders were installed on 1/1/91 but yet under the leadership of the Donga congregation. They all resumed their leadership responsibilities in July 1991. 

ELECTION OF LEADERS IN PREPARATION FOR ORGANIZATION OF CRCN  KAPYE CONGREGATION

Now that it was obvious that the new congregation of Kapye would be organized, the Local Church Council of Donga resolved that permanent elders, deacons and others  be elected for the anticipated new Church of Kapye. The following were elected elders:

Hon. JD Manga

Elder Andrew Shingwa

Elder Daniel Zanvali

Stephen Johnson

Elder Stephen Mijinyawa

Elder Nuhu Dinshiya

Elder Moses D Ahmadu

                               ELECTED DEACONS

Deacon Haruna Musaga

Deacon Ezekiel Nyimui

Deacon Gideon Dogolamba

  ESTABLISHMENT OF CRCN KAPYE CHURCH, DONGA
       The Kapye congregation was organized on 2/8/91 at 10am. At that time, the Church had 180 communicant members. The Church was established during the presidency of Late Rev. Ezra Maiyanga Gangum. He installed the new elders, deacons and women leaders. The preacher at that occasion was Late Rev. Javan Shamaki.

In the Council of elders, Hon. Jonathan D. Manga was elected the Chairman; Elder Andrew B. Shingwa as the Vice Chairman and Elder Daniel T. Zanvali as the Church’s Secretary.

SUB GROUPS

The sub groups established during the establishment of the Church were:

1.           Choir group

2.           Women Fellowship Choir

3.           Fellowship of Christian Children

VILLAGES UNDER THE NEW CHURCH

1.           Gidan Maimagani

2.           Kubande (Tudun Haske)

3.           Kafin Sambo 2. This village has vanished because of the Tiv-Jukun crisis

BUILDING OF NEW PLACE OF WORSHIP

Under the leadership of Elder Jonathan D. Manga, the foundation for this structure was laid on 24/9/92 and the building was completed in 1993. The Donga Church set up a structure – two bedroom house- to house the Pastor. This was later pulled down in order to build a more befitting one.

ADDITION OF ELDERS

Later in the life of the new Church, there arose the need to increase the number of elders. Mr. Stephen Zanlomi Gana was elected as an elder and installed on 1/1/93. He had once served as a deacon in the Donga Church.

LCC KAPYE LETTER TO LCC DONGA ON ASSETS OWNED JOINTLY

On 1/9/94, the Local Church Council of Kapye wrote a letter to her mother Church on ownership of certain asstes before the creation of the Kapye Church. This was an issue which generated much anger and over which some people rejected the decision of the Executive Committee of CRCN and left to join an entirely different Church denomination (See appendix i).

ADDITION OF ELDERS

On 1/1/95, the following persons were elected as additional elders in the Kapye Church:

Elder Obadiah

Elder Samaila Tanko

The Kapye Church has reached a point in her life that she saw the need to have someone to pastor the Church. This was when CRCN had not yet switched over to posting and transfer of her staff. Three pastors  were selected and presented to the congregation to pray over them in preparation for selection of one. Finally, Rev. Adamu Eyab was chosen and thus called. He accepted the call and on 29/3/96, he was jubilantly moved from the Veenstra Seminary to the Kapye Church compound.

INSTALLATION OF REV. EYAB AS A PASTOR

On 12/4/96, by 10am, Rev. adam Eyab was installed as the pastor of the Kapye Church as required by the CRCN constitution. The preacher that day was Mr. Abe Vreeke (SUM-CRC Mission leader). This happened to be the first the Kapye Church was having her own pastor. It was during his time that the foundation for a more befitting pastor’s house was laid. Rev. Eyab planted many trees in the Church compound. During his leadership, two evangelists were hired – Eavng. Moses Danladi for the Gidan Maimagani church and Adonijah Mamman for Kubande (Tudun Haske).

                                             

                 THE LEADERSHIP OF REV. YUNANA T. ELISHA

To be continued..........................