The gateway international church has on Sunday November 24,2024 conducted a mass wedding for some members of the church, especially those who could not have the funds to do weddings and as well for non members of the church.
Speaking at the mass wedding ceremony, the pastor in- charge of family life in gateway international church, Pastor Mrs Tariah Ojoko said that the essence why gateway international church embarked on the Mass weddings is to help some church members and non members who have been co- habiting for a long time without properly getting married or legitimately married to each other.
Mrs Ojoko who is Lawyer by training said that gateway international church does Mass weddings for it’s members and non members of the church every year to help them marry legitimately.
According to her, the church usually take it upon itself to meet the parents of both couples and bargain on the dowries, pointing out that after bargaining, the church through the family life department goes further to pay for the dowries before joining the couples.
She explained that gateway international church cannot embark on wedding any couple without proper negotiations, pointing out that the 24 couples so far wedded on November 24,2024 were in agreement with the church.
She affirmed that what gateway international church is doing is inline with the marriage act and or is done under the marriage act, adding that at the end of the marriage ceremony, couples are issued with married certificates.
Mrs Ojoko explained that gateway international church has so far spent the sum of 3 million naira to pay dowries for the couples, in addition to the sum of 1, oooo.ooo million naira to organize a wedding reception for the couples and their in-laws, relations and friends.
The gateway international church family Doctor opined that some of the couples that were wedded are already old in marriage without wedding and have had children who have graduated from the University, but had no money to formalize their marriages and or to pay dowries.
She used the opportunity to advise the newly couples to see the wedding ceremony as a new beginning, while urging the couples to go out there and dominate and also make impact on the lives of others by being a blessing to other families.
On the sustainability of the Mass weddings, Mrs Ojoko said that gateway international church has been on with the Mass weddings for over 10 years, pointing out that gateway international church did not only wedd couples, but they also took care of their wedding gowns, rings, dowries,receptions and every other thing that is required for a successful wedding ceremony, adding that God who started the program would also sustain it..
On where and how gateway international church got funds for the Mass weddings, Mrs Ojoko maintained that the resources came from the church members.
Responding on behalf of the newly wedded couples, Mr Okechuwu Idika expressed joy and gratitude to gateway international church, especially the Lead Pastor George Izunwa for organizing such an amazing Mass weddings for them.
Okechuwu said that over the years, he has been thinking on how to raise the funds to do wedding, pointing out that gateway international church has made everything very simple and easy for them that could not raise enough money to do weddings.
He said that today, pastor George Izunwa has fulfilled his dreams and expectations.
He therefore promised to be committed to kingdom service even as he urged gateway international church to extend same gestures to others who cannot on their own raise money to do weddings.
Meanwhile,Lead Pastor George Izunwa has said that the essence of the Mass weddings for church members and even non members was to discourage people, especially Members from cohabitation and that gateway international church is doing it to help people who cannot do weddings or who do not have the resources to do weddings.
In a similar development, the gateway international church women also did a thanks giving to mark end of the gateway women convention that comes every November.
The theme of this year’s gateway women convention is,’ woman Emerge, featuring lectures,dramas and cultural display to mark end of the week’s gateway women convention.