Just as the crisis rocking St Marks Anglican Church, Orogwe, Owerri, West LGA, Imo State has remained unresolved till date, another inferno is now engulfing St Peters Anglican church, Irete in the same Diocese.
A source from the church which pleaded for anonymity said the crisis climaxed last Sunday 19th April when a section of the congregation decided to lock out the vicar incharge Rev Kenneth Chikere and his curate Rev Tim Ashama on account of long bottled up anger which bordered on greed, embezzlement and regular cursing of the congregation.
The source said that although the plan to lock up the church leaked at the planning stage, the Bishop Cyril Okorocha’s intervention could not stop the aggrieved church members as they shunned the Bishop invitation for dialogue.
One of the aggrieved member of the church told this paper that the target of the exercise was Rev Chikere, a native of Uratta in Owerri North LGA recalling that the said Priest had similar history in his last station Ohaohia Mbieri.
The worried member said the sending of the clerical synod secretary to the church last Sunday to mediate is just to stop the flame because according to him, “the fire is still smoldering”.
However, some Priests who spoke to Trumpeta on the crisis doubted the involvement of Rev Chikere in what they called dirty deals of greed, embezzlement and arrogance adding that if anything the Rev Chikere has enough to eat.
In another development, of feelers from St Marks Anglican church, Orogwe is anything to go by, the church community may embark upon an action which may not be palatable because of the absence of a resident Priest.
A concerned church member who wondered why Bishop Okorocha does not want to post them a resident Priest since the last Priest and his curate were sacked, said the church community is tired of remaining, as he put it, “Priestless” and warned that the present storm that is gathering may be allowed to burst.
