For children of The SCOAN Sunday School and their friends, Tuesday, December 19, 2023 was a day of plenty fun and excitement. It was the day of their Christmas party for 2023, organised under the leadership of Pastor Evelyn Joshua. The children not only had enough to eat and drink but also gift packs to take home. But the event was not just about satisfying their taste buds with loads of goodies; it was also a time for them to both learn more and show others what their wonderful teachers had been imparting to them.
Of course, joining the children on their day of celebration were Pastor Evelyn Joshua and The SCOAN Evangelists, as well as parents who could spare time from their busy schedules. It was Evangelist Chisom who said the opening prayer, after some of the children had performed ‘Feliz Navidad’ to warm up the atmosphere. The children went on to give numerous other song performances as masters of ceremonies Deborah and Lawrence invited them to the stage one by one.

First to share their Sunday School knowledge were The Seeds Of Tomorrow, who gave many nuggets of wisdom on how to achieve lasting success in life. Quoting God’s servant Prophet TB Joshua, they listed the following principles, among others:
To go far, you have to start early.
To change someone, you have to change yourself.
To be great, you have to be disciplined.
To be strong in faith, you have to pray often.
To laugh, you have to make others laugh.
To do a lot you have to speak little and concentrate.
To live well, you have to forgive those people who hurt you.
To talk well, you have to bind anger in your life.
To be wealthy, you have to work hard.
To be loved, you have to love others.
To be a good husband, you have to be a God-fearing man.
To be a good woman, you have to be submissive.
To be respected, you have to be polite and respect yourself.
To move forward in life, you have to totally depend on God.
To bind satan, you have to sanctify yourself.

No doubt, anyone who follows these principles is sure to succeed in life. In the same vein, one of the kids shared a message entitled “KEEP YOUR HEART”. In her words: “Christianity lies in the heart; you are a Christian because of your heart. When God gets your heart, He has all of you…. When you fail in your heart, you fail in all.”
Another child gave the message “SEE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO OTHERS AS AN ASSIGNMENT FROM GOD”. He read from Romans 15:2 and asked pointedly: “Do you know that every person God created has an assignment here on earth?”

There was equally a group presentation in which the children quoted some words of wisdom from Prophet TB Joshua’s teaching based on what the Bible recommends to Christians. “We need not fear where we are going when we know God is going with us,” said one of the children. Another one reminded everyone, “Just because you are a Christian does not mean satan cannot attack you, because anything close to God receives attack.”
Another child gave a sermon entitled “LOVE WITHOUT EXPECTATION”, reading from Matthew 5:43-45. He told his listeners, “Love without expectation earns us the love of our Father.”
Yet another solo sermon was given on how to keep the focus on God. “God did not promise to keep us from trials,” the preacher said, “but He promised to see us through.”
The kids also reminded everyone about the significance of the greeting “GOOD MORNING”, which was a word given to Prophet TB Joshua to share with the people. May it always be a good morning to our lives, in Jesus’ name!
In-between dramatic sketches, poetic recitations, games and choreographic performances were singing sessions. For instance, Esther of The SCOAN Sunday School blessed the audience with her sonorous voice as she performed in opera style.

In one game, five children role-played as pastors dressing up for ministration. The winner of the game told the world, “No one is hopeless whose hope is in Christ Jesus.”
The children also spoke on “The Moral Aspects of Life”, just as they gave a playlet entitled “THE WAITING ROOM”. The short drama illustrated the need for Christians to tarry in the Lord as they await answers to their prayers. “Lord, give me patience enough to know that You are working out the answer,” the lead actor prayed.

Particularly striking were the dramas on the good and the foolish ones, the biblical story of the ten virgins, and what it means to speak wisely. The children counselled, “The words you speak should be in line with the future you desire, not the future you fear.”

And while the older children engaged in singing, dancing and acting, the toddlers and pre-teens among them were content to have fun on bouncing castles and other recreational items provided for them.

For the poetic recitations there were renditions such as “JESUS, HELP ME” and “GOD’S SPECIAL BABY AT 55”, given in honour of Prophet TB Joshua.

Moving on, the children sang some carols in African languages and provided yet another exciting dance drama entitled “OIL ON MY HEAD”.

Before she led them in cutting their cake, Pastor Evelyn Joshua celebrated with the children and their teachers. She then shared a few words with them. “You have to be satisfied with every beautiful thing that God has given to you,” she told them. She also prayed for them, “May the happiness that Christmas brings continue to be with you and your teachers.”

And just before the curtain fell on the show, the children put up a colourful display with the la-la dance.
Thereafter, Evangelist James gave the closing remarks and prayed: “We thank You, Lord, for the success of this programme.”