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Historical Background

NKST LOBI BEFORE BECOMING A CONSISTORY

  • A place of worship in the vicinity of clerks quarters became a necessity. The reason being that the NKST church at Wadata, Makurdi was not a stone throw. Subsequently, in December, 1968, Prince David Benson Awua Imande, who was the Assistant Headmaster approached Mr. Peter Aondoakaa Orga, who was the Headmaster for permission to commence a worship centre in the LEA Primary School, Makurdi premises, their place of teaching. Mr. Orga gave an express permission.
  • IN SEARCH FOR A PERMANENT CHURCH PREMISES The continuous use of the classroom for worship purpose at the LEA Primary School could no longer meet the aspirations of worshippers due to increase in their numbers and other shortcomings. The leaders of this time went into prayers over this matter and finally arrived at setting up a committee to get a permanent land for the church. Mr. Emmanuel Gwaza Bur was the committee’s chairman. This committee worked assiduously and with the cooperation of the Permanent Secretary Lands and Survey then Mrs. J. Adzenge and the help of Late Mr. Ikuka, the Surveyor-General then, the Right of Occupancy on the land NKST Lobi occupies today was obtained in 1981.

    • Pastors of NKST Lobi

    The NKST Church, Lobi, is a vibrant congregation within the larger NKST denomination in Nigeria. Here's a timeline of its history:

  • January 2003: The Synod Committee, led by Rev. J.T Orkuma, declared the formation of Lobi as a full-fledged consistory within the NKST Church.
  • February 25, 2003: NKST Church, Lobi, officially came into existence with 400 communicant members.
  • February 14, 2004 - December 2012: Rev. Philip Terseer Gire and his wife Atese Abigail Fanan Gire served as the first resident pastor couple. Rev. Gire was previously the chaplain of NKST Bristow Secondary School in Gboko.
  • June 22, 2013: A letter was sent to Rev. John Tsengughul Abawua inviting him to become the second resident pastor.
  • July 1, 2013: Rev. J.T Abawua accepted the call. He was previously a lecturer at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Mkar.
  • August 31, 2013: Rev. J.T Abawua and his wife Atese Linda N Abawua were installed as the second resident pastor couple.
  • April 30, 2017: Rev. Vincent Torwombo An-or and his wife Atese Eno Dooshima An-or were installed as the third resident pastor couple. Rev. An-or previously pastored the NKST Church at Tangahar in Faajiir Classis.

    • THE NAME NKST CHURCH, LOBI

    Having secured a permanent land for the church, leadership of the church sat together with all communicant members and discussed extensively the way forward. It was in this meeting which took place on the 3rd January, 1982 that the name NKST Church, Lobi was officially adopted. The singular reason being that the permanent sight of the church is in Lobi Quarters, Makurdi. It was at this meeting too that a committee was set up with the mandate to look for ways to raise funds for the building of the church. The committee was chaired by Late Mr. Ezekiel A. Akiga, Mr. Ashaku as secretary and Late Baba Agan Dankaro as Treasurer. RELOCATION OF THE CHURCH FROM LEA PRIMARY SCHOOL TO LOBI

  • The first service at the church in Lobi was on the 18th December, 1983. Attendance on this day was 272 while the offering amounted to N28.55. leaders at this time were; Elder Tyungu Ishu, Deacon Dennis Agudu, Orya A I Afati, Orh. J I Agba, Orh. D A Asongo and Orh. James Kassar. Leaders were added from time to time. In 1985 the first children’s church was erected under the leadership of Orya J.I Ami who doubled as the secretary.

    • REQUEST FOR CATECHISM CENTRE

    The process of a request for Catechism Centre was initiated by the meeting of all communicant members of the church on the 26th July, 1996. It was duly followed up to the classis level, when their Exco came physically to check the facilities. They advised that, the church length be increased and as soon as that was done, Lobi was pronounced Catechism Centre on the 13th December, 1997. Rev. & Atese N.A Tser was the resident Pastor of NKST Makurdi while Elder S Yina was the secretary.
    COMMENCEMENT OF CHURCH DEPARTMENTS

  • The following departments were established:
    Tiv Choir:22nd April, 1988, its first Chairman and Teacher I was Mr. Moses A. Kohol, while Mr. Simon Asav was elected Vice Chairman and Teacher II
  • MIM: This too was put in place on the same day, 22nd April, 1998. Matron Ngukuran Finbar was elected Teacher I, while Mr. Awua Gbaka became Teacher II.
  • Prayer Group of Women Fellowship: This was inaugurated on the 15th July, 2000 by Atese E.I Tser. Their leader was Mrs. Hanah Atese Agudu while Mrs. Elizabeth Ami was her assistant. Others were Mrs. Helen Manyam as Secretary and Mrs. Rhoda Ubaa as Treasurer.
    Women Fellowship Centre: This centre received its inauguration on the 14th July, 2001, still by Atese E I. Tser. Leadership of the prayer Group was maintained.

    • REQUEST FOR A CONSISTRY

  • At the expiration of the tenure of Elder N.N Atsuwe, Elder Moses A. Kohol was appointed the chairman and elder overseeing the affairs of the Catechism Centre from 2001. When Leaders of the Catechism at Lobi met on the 21st June, 2002, thay keyed into the aspiration of its communicant members whose opinion was that a formal request for Lobi to become a full-fledged consistory be presented to the Pastor and Elders of NKST Makurdi.
    • CONSISTORY REQUEST FORMALLY PRESENTED
  • In June, 2002, Lobi made a formal request for a consistory to the pastor and Elders of NKST Church, Makurdi. Although Rev. N.A Tser was ill at this time, the Elders led by its Chairman came to see the structure put in place by Lobi to warrant a consistory. The following were in the leadership of the NKST Church, Makurdi;
  • The following were in the leadership of the NKST Church, Makurdi;
      1.Elder Hon. D.A Hwande - Chairman
      2.Elder M.A Kohol - Member/Secretary
      3.Dcn. Daniel Tur - Torikpa (Treasurer)

    • CONSISTORY REQUEST GRANTED; NKST CHURCH LOBI BORN

  • In January, 2003, the Synod Committee under the chairman in person of Rev. J.T Orkuma, JP the President worldwide pronounced a date that Lobi will become a full-fledged consistory. That date was Tuesday, 25th February, 2003, behold, NKST Church, Lobi was born with a total of 400 communicant members to the glory of God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
    • COMMENCEMENT OF CHURCH DEPARTMENTS
  • The following departments were established:
    Tiv Choir:22nd April, 1988, its first Chairman and Teacher I was Mr. Moses A. Kohol, while Mr. Simon Asav was elected Vice Chairman and Teacher II
  • MIM: This too was put in place on the same day, 22nd April, 1998. Matron Ngukuran Finbar was elected Teacher I, while Mr. Awua Gbaka became Teacher II.
  • Prayer Group of Women Fellowship: This was inaugurated on the 15th July, 2000 by Atese E.I Tser. Their leader was Mrs. Hanah Atese Agudu while Mrs. Elizabeth Ami was her assistant. Others were Mrs. Helen Manyam as Secretary and Mrs. Rhoda Ubaa as Treasurer.
    Women Fellowship Centre: This centre received its inauguration on the 14th July, 2001, still by Atese E I. Tser. Leadership of the prayer Group was maintained.

    • Pray Img

    “Among those who went to the Temple to worship were people who came saying “Sir, we would like to see Jesus”

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    NKST LOBI PRESENT AND PAST PASTORS

    Meet our Pastor

    Pastor Image
    Rev. Philip Terseer Gire

    First Resident Pastor

    Pastor Image
    Rev. John Tsenzughul Abawua

    Second Resident Pastor

    Pastor Image 3
    Rev. Vincent Torwombo An-or

    Third Resident Pastor

    NKST CHURCH IN NIGERIA

    The Nongo u Kristu u i Ser u sha Tar (NKST) or the Universal Reformed Christian Church is a vibrant, fast-growing church in Nigeria founded by the Dutch Reformed Church’s missionaries on 17 April 1911. The NKST originated among the Tiv, the fourth largest ethnolinguistic group in Nigeria with approximately 14 million people. In Nigeria, most Tiv speakers live in the states of Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba. They depend mainly on agricultural produce for a living. The NKST is the dominant church among the Tiv people in Nigeria but spans throughout Nigeria and even into the neighbouring country of Chad.

    • Rev. N.A. Adure JP, OCA, AFP, IFI, MFHFA.

    • NKST PRESIDENT

    The gospel brought to the Tiv people

    In October 1895, Dr Karl Kümm was called to start mission work in the Sudan Belt (formerly the sub-Saharan area north of the equator – from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east). In the early 1900s, the international, interdenominational Sudan United Mission (SUM) was founded with a vision to create a Christian presence in Sudan. In 1907 Dr Kümm visited South Africa at the invitation of Dr Andrew Murray. Consequently, a final-year theology student, George Botha, and a nurse, Miss C. M. Cilliers, announced that they had received a calling to go to Nigeria as missionaries from the DRC. Botha first received six months of medical training at Livingstone College in London. Before departing for Nigeria with Mr Hosking of the Wesleyan Methodist Church on 10 October 1908, they took Hausa language lessons together. Miss Cilliers joined them in 1909. The South Africans started working among the Mbula people, but in 1910 the SUM decided that they should rather concentrate on the much larger Tiv tribe.

    • Dr Karl Kumm

    • FRIST MISSIONARYIN TIV LAND

    Church Location

    In February 1911, George Botha and Rev. C. W. Guinter, a missionary of the SUM, discussed the location for a mission station with the Tiv chief at Saaiutu (Salatu) and the first mission station in Tivland was started at Saaiutu in April 1911 by Mr Carl Zimmermann. Benyamen Akiga, the son of Chief Sai, became the first Tiv Christian. Missionaries Increased The number of missionaries in Nigeria increased, and between 1913 and 1935, mission stations were established at Zaki-Biam, Sevav, Mkar, Adikpo Kunav, Turan, Makurdi, and Mbaakpur. Rev. George Botha is regarded the pioneer missionary from the DRC to the Tiv people in Nigeria, although he worked under the auspices of SUM. Many others followed in his footsteps.

    • Mr Carl Zimmermann

    • first mission station in Tivland

    The NKST is established

    The SUM officially handed over the Tivland Mission to the Dutch Reformed Church Mission (DRCM) in the early 1900s. In 1954 the missionaries began training Tiv pastors and evangelists in evening schools to establish an independent and autonomous church. The first four ministers were ordained just after the establishment, on 9 January 1957, of the Nongo u Kristu u Ken Sudan hen Tiv (NKST) or the Church of Christ in Sudan among the Tiv. They were Revs. Isholibo Sai, Ugo, Annum and Ayaka. The NKST then had 1,800 members, with 3,000 people attending Sunday services.

    • Revs. Isholibo Sai

    • First NKSTPastor
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