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Reason Why I Invited Pasuma, Portable – Lagos Cleric

Published

3 years ago

December 8, 2023

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Reason Why I Invited Pasuma, Portable – Lagos Cleric

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The founder of a Celestial Church of Christ branch in Lagos State, Aderemi Dabiri, clarified that the invitation of Fuji singer, Alabi Pasuma, and street-hop artiste, Portable, was aimed at gaining new converts.

In a video, he explained that the decision to bring in secular artistes was part of a strategy to attract individuals who may not typically engage with the church.

Dabiri emphasized that this unconventional pattern of evangelism had proven successful over the years, contributing to the growth of his church membership.

The move sparked criticism, but the cleric defended it as a means of reaching out to those who might not otherwise be exposed to the church.

He said, “It is not our first time inviting guest artistes. We have been doing it without a problem and I can give you a series of instances. We cannot go where they sell palm wine or alcoholic drinks and ask them to accept Jesus Christ. If I don’t apply wisdom, they will hit a bottle on my head. That was why I thought of a way to bring them into the church.

“I also noticed that there are some notorious boys who cause trouble in the community, disturbing the authorities and engaging in cultism. I wondered how can we draw their attention so that they would have a change of heart. We have gone to places where they are and they ended up beating us. Most of the members of my church are new converts and it was through that pattern that I converted them.”

Dabiri, who criticised some gospel ministers for being disrespectful said he preferred to invite secular musicians.

“Some gospel ministers are rude. If you talk to some of them, they respond rudely, but the day I called Pasuma, he sounded respectful on the phone and also agreed with my stance,” he said.

Addressing concerns raised by the task force team regarding the controversy surrounding the invitation of secular artistes, Aderemi Dabiri, the founder of the Celestial Church of Christ branch in Lagos State, stated that he had no intentions of canceling the invitation.

However, he acknowledged the need to manage the excesses of the artistes, particularly Portable, during the event. Dabiri’s response indicated a commitment to balancing the cultural and religious aspects of the praise night while maintaining the goal of attracting new converts through the unconventional approach.

He said, “We will tell Portable not to dye his hair and he should not sing vulgar songs but to sing gospel music. We will also caution him not to dress inappropriately or climb the speakers.

“We will also warn him not to allow his boys to smoke here. We have invited close to 30 military personnel to man the event.”

The cleric also appealed to the Celestial Church worldwide to support his vision, as he would use his style of evangelism to make the church proud.