THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2013
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•Jah church in Imodi Ijasi, Ogun State
UNVEILED:
Church where worshippers don’t talk
...and Hebrew is official language
•Abiona
OT many Nigerians know about Jah Church located in the Awoyokun area of Palmgroove, Lagos and Imodi-Ijasi, near Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State. On the outside, the church is not in any way different from the regular church, especially the white garment churches in your neighbourhood .But, unlike most popular churches around, Jah Church is distinct in activities. According to a member who pleaded anonymity, it was established by the late Pa Olabisi Eseku, popularly known as Baba Jah. Chief among the practices which are strange to other Christian denominations is the fact that services are conducted without talking. According to a member, the
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only official language spoken in the church is Hebrew, which is only allowed before service commences. “We don’t talk here. You are only allowed to talk before the start of service. For instance, if anybody comes for the deliverance service, the person is allowed to talk to the people in charge of the programme before they start the service. But once the service begins, nobody is allowed to talk,”he said. The order not to talk, according to the member, is maintained by the members on the premises of the church. According to the member, “At the end of service, you cannot begin to talk until you have walked away from the church. So members who live a few metres away from the church don’t begin to talk until they branch off the main road and enter their homes.” Although they are Christians, they treat dead members like Muslims. For instance, the remains of dead members are buried soon after their death. The dead members
n Segun AJIBOYE & Dimeji SALAAM n are also buried in a special cemetery owned by the church near its headquarters in Imodi- Ijasi in Ogun State. Husband and wife, who are both members, are buried in the same grave. “If the husband dies first, he will be buried in the grave with a slab placed on top of it. The wife will be buried in that same grave any time she dies. One strange thing is that two graves are always dug whenever a member dies. The dead member will be buried in one, while the other is left empty. “A member is not allowed to attend the funeral of a family member who is not a member of the church. For example, a son, whose father is not a member of the church, is forbidden from attending the funeral of his late father. And if the son defies the order to attend the funeral, he will be ostracised for a period of 41 days after which he undergoes a cleansing service with the use of incense and perfume. “Members are also said to maintain a strict vegetarian culture with mushrooms and eggs as the major items on the menu list. Members don’t eat meat. We maintain a strict vegetarian diet. For example, we would boil the eggs and later fry them,”
the member said. The members also make a weekly pilgrimage to the Imodi-Ijasi. “We go to Imodi-Ijasi every Friday for our weekly service. The service holds on Saturday in obedience to the Sabbath law. But we use Fridays to go round, play football and other sporting activities,” he said. When The Nation visited Imodi-Ijasi midweek, the large sprawling church was deserted. A resident of the town, who gave his name simply as Sunday, said the church had a very good relationship with the people of the town. “You can go round the town, and you won’t meet anybody who will complain about the church. The founder is an indigene of the town. Though he is dead, he had a very cordial relationship with everybody here,” Sunday said. Another indigene, who spoke on condition of anonymity, corroborated Sunday’s remark. According to her, she joined the church more than 10 years ago. “I became a member more than 10 years ago, and I can tell you that I have no regret. God answers prayers here. You can come and try it. I tell you that you would agree that God is here. It is only those who cannot abide by the strict rules of the church that run