…As Remains Of Mrs Theresa Chukwuma Is Laid To Rest
By: Bethel Toby
A prominent gospel preacher in Rivers State and Minister-in- charge of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Ndoni Section, Pastor Augustine Evin Gruegh, has sound a note of warning to Christians all over the globe, including, Nigerians and their leaders, particularly, to live with the consciousness of eternity, declaring that the uncertainties of life demand spiritual readiness.
In a sermon titled: “Prepare To Meet Your God’, with text from Amos 4:12, the cleric explained that Mrs Chukwuma fought a good fight, and had kept the faith, awaiting for the crown of godly life, against that resurrection morning as enshrined in 2 Timothy 4: 7-8.
He reminded the living that life’s brevity calls for moral responsibility, genuine repentance, and godliness.
He emphasized that Mrs Theresa Chukwuma, who passed on at the age of 88 years, built avalanche of meaningful and blissful lifestyle, as in the case of humility, generosity, love, resilience, and steadfast faith.
The servant of God maintained that the deceased may have bid the world goodbye, but the echoes of her life continue to reverberate through every accolade offered in her burial, which, he affirmed, became more than a farewell.
He added that her departure to eternity was turned into a life of lesson to a nation in need of spiritual, ethical, and communal awakening.
The clergy, however, said that those who knew Mrs Chukwuma described her as a kind of woman, whose presence softened the air, adding that, she was a nurturer, peace- maker, prayer- warrior, who devoted her entire life in the service of God and humanity, a quiet pillar, whose strength was never loud, but always felt.
”Mama’s kitchen was a refuge, her counsel, a guide, and her faith, a constant anchor”, Pastor Augustine Evin Gruegh said.
The man of God pointed out that Late Mrs Theresa Chukwuma’s life was embodied with the very essence of Christian virtue: peaceful, service-oriented, family- centered, and marked by unwavering devotion to God. He noted that death; though painful, offers the living a sober reminder of life’s brevity, and the eternal significance of righteousness.
He stated that Mrs Theresa Chukwuma have fought a good fight, finished the heavenly race, and have kept the faith, leaving behind, a worthy and God-fearing indelible marks on the sands of time.
Meanwhile, a governance and public policy expert and son- in-law to Late Mrs Theresa Chukwuma, Engr. Innocent Ikhile, in an emotionally- driven tribute, described her mother-in-law, as a mother in all ramifications, firm; yet affectionate; disciplined, yet gentle; prayerful, and ever available in the times we needed her most.
“My ever- living mother-in-law, your passage to the great beyond came to me, and my family, as a rude shock. It was sudden, painful, and difficult to accept.
”You were not just a mother-in-law to me, but a family in every true sense of the word, an embodiment of love, care, humility, and godly attributes…
”Personally, I learnt from you the power of silence, patience, and divisiveness, the ability to wait calmly and actively in matters of life. You lived with grace, and left behind a legacy of peace, unity, and godly devotion”, Engr. Innocent Ikhile declared.
Speaking with Our Correspondent shortly after the milestone, in an awesome commendation to her mother at death, second daughter of the Late matriarch, Mrs Christie Ikhile, used the opportunity, to extol the virtues and qualities her mother possessed while alive, which she said, includes, “gentleness, quietness, and kind-heartedness of a mother of all mothers’, not a noise- maker, who may prefer to draw attention to herself, but in your quiet disposition, you filled our lives with love, peace, and warmth.
”You had a great strength to hold the family together. You did not speak much, but your actions said everything.
”Kindness was a language you spoke fluently with words, a listening ear, and a patient smile. You gave your best without expecting anything in return.
The world may not have known your name, but our world was built upon your quiet grace and more importantly, by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”, Mrs Christie Ikhile submitted.
Community, families, the Church, in-laws, and sympathizers and paid glowing tributes, eulogizing her Christian sterling qualities and service to God Almighty, and mankind.
The burial came to a climax with a Thanksgiving Church Service in her honour at the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Ndoni Town, where prayers were offered to the bereaved families by the Church, and the *reaffirmation* of the faith in the hope of eternal life.
