CONVICTION IN PRACTICE IN AN ECONOMICALLY UNSTABLE TIMES
WNCC students’ body is largely compromised by young adults. These young adults are at the focal point of their lives and have chosen to get a spiritual foundation before projecting out into the world. These young adults come from various parts of the country and families and are currently studying on WNCC’s campus. On campus, they engage in various spiritual and extracurricular activities that although tasking, are nevertheless geared at making them holistically prepared for the ministry. Some come from mid-range and others from lower-class families. From these varying families, they have come to WNCC to seek a spiritual foundation for their lives as the right foundation upon which the superstructure of their lives should be built. These families where our students come from are families with a singular motive—that the benefits of having a theological foundation far outweigh that gotten from a secular degree. So even if the price to pay is their youth, it is a worthy price to pay in light of the benefits that having a theological degree offers.
Nigeria is currently in an economic recession that has taken a toll on everyone in the country, especially among families in the low and middle class, and most of our students are currently struggling amidst these economically uncertain times. These economic uncertainties have affected the cost of living across the board in various families. From staple to necessary foods, the prices of things are skyrocketing and even the means to prepare the foods using Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) have been a constant struggle as a result of the prohibitive costs of these sources of energy. Undeterred, our students have resorted to using what they have to get what they need by traversing surrounding bush for fire wood as a source of energy to prepare their meals.
In spite of the economic hardship, Christian families are encouraging their children at WNCC more than ever to be committed to their studies, as education would stand them in good stead to navigate these uncertain economic times. Some families have even had to handpick the course of study for most of their wards and their choice of study is determined by the economic relevance and lucrative status it offers after completion. But regardless of these economic situations, our students and their parents have remained resolute in their convictions to stay committed to pursuing a theological degree instead of a secular degree.
Even in trying economic times, we are grateful that both parents and their wards see the need to merge their conviction with practice in economically unstable times. They have opined to putting God first and seeking first His kingdom and its righteousness, and certainly, the last part of that passage in Matthew 6:33 would be theirs, that, “all these things shall be added unto you.”
