Over the years, I have always been thrilled by the beauty of The Church of Pentecost Easter Conventions. This year’s brings much more nostalgia because it’s our first in 2 years after COVID-19 of having the event outside the Church walls. Glory to God.
I am therefore writing this piece from the perspective of a reflector who has pieced many things together as a Sunday school child, member, officer, an academic and now as a minister serving in the Church.
Let me at this juncture add that the thoughts shared here are personal observations made over a period of more than 20 years of attending annual Easter Conventions in this great church.
Thus it may not be based on empirical outcomes but from a deeply reflective look at many factors and the great euphoria that greet this beautiful occasion in the Church and leaves one inspired at the amazing understanding and enthusiasm with which we approach this festive occasion.
Indeed the efforts of our founding fathers have left our great Church, lasting legacies that ought to be highlighted and drum home as we endeavour to ensure continuity in our contemporary times.
Five of such legacies are humbly identified and shared below:
1.0 EASTER CONVENTION THEMES
Look at the various unique themes that underpinned the various conventions: from – It is finished, Jesus, the horn of salvation, the power of his resurrection, The Sacrificial Lamb is Crucified, Jesus Christ, the Mediator, He is Indeed the Saviour, Christ our passover lamb among others which are all in a way strengthening our Pentecostal foundation captured in the foursquare gospel: Jesus the Saviour, Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Baptiser of the Holy Spirit and Jesus, the Soon Coming King. Indeed, our classical pentecostal ideology of projecting Christ, our glorified risen Lord and making him the blessed trophy of our faith cannot be overemphasised and our Easter Convention themes truly reveal this observation. Christ is the priceless treasure of our Pentecostal heritage and we should not lose that.
2.0 OUR SONGS OF THE CROSS
The second lasting legacy that should be sustained is our strongly worded and lyrically dressed songs of the cross. The Church of Pentecost, I dare say is a doyen of spirited songs of the cross that bring out and tell the crucifixion story with such precision. Acknowledged with the rare gift of prophetic songs, our founding fathers drew from divine wells, living waters of inspiring music. Songs that were baked from Heaven and served on trays of brokeness. If indeed every denomination sings its theology then it can be concluded that the theology of the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ is really at home in the Church of Pentecost. As a student of the spirituality and theology of Pentecostal Songs, I am always mermerised by the deep sense of understanding and revelation that our founding fathers had of Christ that strongly informed their reflections revealed in the insightful lyrics and sweet melodies of our songs.
3.0 THE USE OF THE TAMBOURINE AND OUR DANCE
One striking observation of any Church of Pentecost Convention is the use of the tambourine during praises time. The Church over the years have carved a unique niche for itself in how women and some selected men gather round in circles to skillfully play the tambourine during the time of choruses. The rhythmic sound of that musical piece coupled with the uniformity and dexterity with which the players express themselves is a sight one would not want to overlook as it adds an attractive colour to the whole event.
The other bit of the service is our orderly, well calculated dance steps in response to the scintillating choruses. We are so disciplined in the expression of our joy and like an army, everyone falls in line and glides majestically to hallel the Sovereign majesty with our perfect dance moves.
4.0 ATTITUDE OF VOLUNTEERISM & FREE WILL GIVING
I think that Pentecost is synonymous with the attitude of volunteerism and free will giving. This spirit is really manifested during conventions such as the Easter Conventions. This volunteerism spirit is seen in how members and officers willingly offer themselves to set up the convention grounds, spend time and resources to plan and execute the event, aggregate all the relevant materials for the programme without necessarily putting all the obligations on the Church. It is so beautiful to hear how members out of their own volition contribute and give donations to support the event, offer their vehicles and fuel them to convey Convention accessories like chairs, canopies, instruments and the like. Not to talk about the spirit of free-will offerings. It is awe-striking to watch how members joyfully offer their Thanksgiving offerings the moment songs are raised without any coercion or triggering. The spontaneous response that drives such move to give leaves one spell-bound and dumb-founded. For me, this is a treasured and priceless culture that ought to be guarded and guided and intentionally imparted from generation to generation.
5.0 PASSION & LOYALTY
One cannot talk about Easter Conventions in the COP without talking about the passion and loyalty of the membership. This is expressed in many and diverse ways. For example, this year’s convention has coincided with the rains and yet I have seen videos circulating of patrons defying the rains to participate in the conventions to the latter. Our fathers have shared with us how congregants used to travel from afar and even walked more than 50 miles to be part of General conventions. What would account for this if not for loyalty and passion. In those days, conventions were held four times in the day and yet the members would fully participate in them all. Isn’t it a wonder how people willingly would travel from far and near to gather at one place to commemorate a glorious occasion like Easter. This spirit can only ride on the wheels of passion and loyalty and this is so ingrained in the hearts of the people – a gem that must be jealously guarded.
CONCLUSION
This treatise has been musings that sparked like fire in my heart as I left the convention grounds this evening. It stemmed from the spirit of gratitude knowing how much God has blessed us as a church whiles highlighting some of these legacies so our generation will pick the baton, hold it firmly and safely pass on as our fathers did for us.
COP Easter Conventions are beautiful – let us continue this legacy
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