CHRONICLE OF A MARRIED MAN

WHAT!!!

 

 Last Sunday at a naming ceremony, I met an old friend. Let's call him Brother Thomas.

That year, he lost his job and was searching for another one to no avail. His rent would be due for renewal in a few months too. Then one evening, as he sat in front of his house, members of a particular church who were out on evangelism approached him in an attempt to preach to him and invite him to their church. He told them to leave him alone that all he needed at that time was a job and not a new church. The members told him to start attending their church, that they have CEOs who can offer him a good job if he is a dedicated member. He promised to attend the next Sunday.

True to his words, he attended and after the service, he met with the pastor. They had told the pastor about him.
To cut the long story short, he got Baptised there. Then they gave him a job in the church premises as a kitchen assistant, gave him a free room and he moved in. The pastor and his family lived in a building inside the church premises.
God answered his prayers, gave him a job and a free accommodation. His job in the kitchen also gave him the privilege of eating free meals.
Then Brother Thomas' woes started.
He must attend all the 5 weekly services in the church which included a vigil every Friday.
He had no freedom, could not go anywhere without the pastor's permission. He couldn't even visit his parents without permission and if there is a service, he must not go out, he had to fix any outdoor activity to the 2 free days when there was no service and he must go with permission.

No visits too, his friends (male and female) were not welcome there, if anyone must visit him, it must be a church brother or a relative and he must have informed the pastor before the person's visit.

On days that he went out, he must be home before 7:pm. No night waka.
He must not play worldly music in the apartment either with his phone, TV, Radio or even humming with his mouth.
Lastly, he must marry a church sister.
So, in light of the last condition, brother Thomas was not free to court anyone outside the church.
This did not look hard initially because his last relationship packed up shortly before he lost his job. Overtime, he discovered that the church sisters that would agree to court him were the church workers and most of them were being controlled by daddy and mummy G.O.

 The remaining sisters did not want a man who worked in the church's kitchen and lived in one room apartment inside the church compound.

So he forgot about relationship for the meantime and faced his job because (according to him) any man who marries a woman that is controlled by pastor and his wife is in trouble.
Note that the pastor had promised to sponsor his wedding if he married a church sister. (side eyes at SDK and Bv Teejay).
Brother Thomas planned to do the church job for a while until he gets a better job offer outside the church and he would quit but with time, he discovered that it would be impossible to get a job outside as he literally lived in captivity in the church compound. 

Remember that he only had two days in the week to go out, he must let the pastor know too and you all know that naturally, the pastor would not want him to leave the church job because this brother did other jobs apart from the kitchen one, he was very useful.
He washed their car and doubled as their driver any day the driver did not come, whether he travelled or he fell sick or he resigned. This he did for weeks sometime, while still working in the kitchen. He was their driver on Sundays because their driver did not work on Sundays. He was their gardener and cleaner when those ones did not report for duty. He filled in for the gate man too when he was not available.

He was their complete errand boy and they fed him, housed him and paid him 12k, 15 yrs ago (2009), in Lagos. He would send 5k to his mum in the village and use 7k plus the little tips he got to buy recharge cards,have a haircut, buy soap and buy Ori for his skin. He couldn't afford a bottle of perfume.

How did I know him and his story?
We became close because my then boss was a friend of their pastor and we used to go there together. I would walk up to him in the church compound and chat him up. He was scared of how his life had become but did not know how to break free.
We kept talking and he kept telling me all he was passing through, I kept encouraging him and gave him money sometimes too.

At a point, his mum fell sick but the pastor did not let him travel to see her. He gave brother some money to send home and told him to stay back for the special revival program currently holding in the church. Pastor told him they will join hands and pray for his mum's healing, he should send them some money to take her to hospital.

They kept calling him from home that his mum wanted to see him but he could not go, he didn't want to lose his job.
Then one night, they called him that she had died. He was very broken. He cried, he wept.
He particularly felt very bad that he didn't go and see her as she requested before she breathed her last.
The church gave him some money to support him for the burial ceremony. I called him and advised him that when he is travelling for the burial, he should pack his good shirts, trousers, suit and shoes, he should also pack all his certificates because he would not be going back to the church after the burial of his mum. I told him I would accommodate him and help him in his job search till he gets a job.
He grabbed the opportunity and that was how he broke free.
Are you in captivity in any way? it might be in your job, marriage, family house, etc, start talking to someone today. Yes, open up to someone and be ready to change your situation if the opportunity comes.