By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa.
It was an atmosphere saturated with joy, gratitude, nostalgia and reflection , as family members, associates and creme de creme gathered to testify to the power of God and to celebrate the 7Oth birthday of a retired gallant officer cum business man, Elder Sunday Isibor, who many poured ecomiums on him and applauded him as an epitome of humility and generousity and worthy of emulation by the society.
As prayers were offered to God to continue to protect and preserve him to enable him contribute more to humanity.
To add more pep to the occasion, many Christian groups were not left out, they sang and danced to the admiration and appreciation not only to celebrant, Elder Sunday Isibor and the entire enthusiastic audience, as well as ribs cracking jokes by the Master of ceremony making the ambience a joyful and memorable day devoid of any dull moment.
Earlier the man of the moment,Elder Sunday Isibor , who was dressed in his native attire ( blue agbada with a cap to match ) depicting Igbanke tribe from Delta,boundary community with Edo state on alighting from a car was ushered into the arena with a melodoius christian song ,beaming with smiles and waved cheerfully to the admiration of the audience before he took his special seat.
There was enough food and drinks, as the MC had earlier announced to the audience that there was enough to eat, drink and of course to take away and souvenirs were freely distributed as none of the guests left without something to remember the day with.The ceremony took place at Udeme Hotel,Opolo,Yenagoa,the Bayelsa state capital.
Pastor Jackson Uzuaegbe of the Redeem Christian Church had earlier said ten years ago,when Elder Sunday Isibor marked his 60th birthday they prophesied and prayed for his 70th birthday and thanked God for it’s manifestation,and prayed for more years upon his life and those present at the auspicious event.
Elder Isibor Sunday, a retired Senior Police Officer was full of joy as he celebrated the goodness of God in his life for the past 70 years.
Speaking with journalists after the ceremony, the joyous celebrant said he was so elated and grateful that God kept him alive for this 70 years and still waxing strong,Saying he never felt as if he has clocked that number of age in his life.
According to him, “it was not easy as a single father to have raised all my children by myself since I lost my wife over 30 years ago. I will always be thankful to God for my life, strength and the grace to carry through”.
“Whatever am today and my family, I owed it to God who directed the affairs of life and that of family. Before now I was helping myself with a walking stick, but as you can see at 70 I can walk, dance and do things freely without being assisted. All this cannot be possible without God.
“It’s because of all this great things that God has done in my life that also help me to train up my children in a Godly way for them to have for God and respect for humanity”.
In his sermon, Evang. Miracle Chris Nnawulhe who took his text from 1 Corinthian 1v8-9 said, the faithfulness of God is not judged by human expectations, Saying God faithfulness is beyond what a man is thinking.
The sermon which he titled: God Will Keep You, he said it is one thing to be old and another thing is to be strong. ” There are some certain things that happened to us that we will want to questions the faithfulness of God and we have come to celebrate the faithfulness of God”.
According to the evangelist, one must be at one with God and by so doing, He will keep your spirit, soul and body and every other things that concerns you.
Elder Isibor Sunday is a pioneer members of Glorious Christian Church of God in Kpansia Yenagoa bayelsa state and he also a Trustee of the church.While,the General Overseer of Glorious Christian Church, Kpansia, pastor Nnawulhe testified to the resilience and unwavering commitment of Elder Sunday Isibor,who has vowed to remain steadfast to the church ,even when members deserted the church due to relocation and promised to continue to worship there till eternity ” Elder Sunday Isibor had been with this church through think and thin” he said .
He was described as a lover of truth, humble, with the fair of God and not a noise maker.
Also speaking, one of Elder Isibor Sunday son, Mr Bethel Isibor described his father as a great man, saying he has done a lot for them as children.
“Been a single dad of over thirty years when we lost our mother, he has been there being a mother and a father to us. I say he is a great man because it’s only a great men that stand their ground and say I must train this children to a greater height. He also trained us to a principled in life, whatever you are doing, you should have a principle to succeed.
“He is one of those principle and we have been following it and we have been succeeding. He also helped us to identify Christ which has helped us to shapen our lives. Knowing that we have to serve God wherever we are. As for the crowd, everyone just came to celebrate him because he has touched may lives as was testified by those who gave their good will messages and testimonies “, he said.
He went further to say that their father is a great disciplinarian and generous, and influenced the lives of many people that come to him for assistance of any kind, spiritual and financial.
