The Lagos State Government says it is set to begin the airlifting of year 2016 intending pilgrims to the Holy Land of Jerusalem, Rome and Greece.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Adeola Hundeyin who disclosed this on Monday during the Service of Dedication held at Chapel of Christ The Light, Alausa, in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria said that the dedication service signified the peak of preparation for the pilgrimage.
Mr. Hundeyin assured all the intending pilgrims that the State Government have put in place necessary welfare packages and needed precautionary measures that would make the journey a hitch-free experience.
He urged the intending pilgrims to imbibe the spirit of patriotism and pray for the intervention of God in the affairs of Lagos State and Nigeria.
“Keep to the guiding ethics, observe the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts and be good ambassadors of this state and Nigeria,” he said.
The Chairman, Lagos State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Bishop Sola Ore, admonished the intending pilgrims to be open to learning new things and inculcate good values.
“Whatever you see in the Holy Land that is good, copy and replicate same here in Nigeria when you return,” he said.
Bishop Ore who congratulated the intending pilgrims for dedicating their resources for the journey in spite of the economic situation in the country, urged them to be spiritually minded and ensure that the resources invested into the journey would not be a waste.
He said the journey to the Holy Land provided an opportunity for spiritual rejuvenation and understanding of what was written in the Holy Bible, saying that “I expect that by reason of this journey, you will all come back as agents of change that would bring about the much needed transformation for this country.”
In his sermon, Reverend Lawrence Idris of Living Rock Gospel Ministry underscored the need for the intending pilgrims to have their minds and hearts fully committed and connected to God, saying that it would be pathetic to go to the holy land without experiencing same miracles witnessed by the patriarchs in the Holy Bible.
He said that it was imperative for anyone embarking on the spiritual exercise to be prepared to have a personal encounter.