Popular Pastor Suddenly Dies After Officiating Burial of Church Member
The lead pastor of The Evening Church, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Runcie Mike has died.
He died on Saturday in Uyo, according to a statement from the church.
Mr Mike, before his passing, made a Facebook post about a burial ceremony of his late female church member, Joy Ekpenyong, which he was going to officiate on Thursday.
“I don’t even know how to process the emotions since I heard of your demise after the surgery we spoke about, then to be told that I was going to be the one officiating the funeral is too hard for me to bear as this will be the first time I will be officiating a funeral in my entire life. I hope it goes smooth cuz this will be too triggering,” he had said in the post.
He made the Facebook post on Wednesday, officiated the burial ceremony on Thursday, and passed away on Saturday morning.
Many people have been left wondering what Mr Mike meant by “too triggering”.
In a short video clip of the burial ceremony, the cleric is seen weeping profusely near the woman’s coffin.
The cause of Mr Mike’s death remains uncertain for now but a statement from his church, posted on Facebook, said he died after a “very brief sickness.”
“He was at the time of his rest, a father, both spiritual and physical, a husband, a mentor and a visionary leader,” the Evening Church said of the late pastor, while urging the public to put the church and the late pastor’s family in prayers.
The late cleric, said to be in his early 40s, was charismatic and endeared himself to young people. His church services, done only in the evening, were conducted under a relaxed atmosphere.
The Evening Church, according to a tech enthusiast and movie director, Thomas Etuk, started around 2014 at a luxury hotel in Uyo before it relocated to an entertainment and shopping complex, Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre, in the city.
Precious Eldad, a musician and a teacher, said he was attracted to the kind of messages the late pastor used to preach. “His message of grace frees people from guilt and condemnation and helps them appreciate the love of God. His passion for souls and his unconventional approach towards it.”
He died on Saturday in Uyo, according to a statement from the church.
Mr Mike, before his passing, made a Facebook post about a burial ceremony of his late female church member, Joy Ekpenyong, which he was going to officiate on Thursday.
“I don’t even know how to process the emotions since I heard of your demise after the surgery we spoke about, then to be told that I was going to be the one officiating the funeral is too hard for me to bear as this will be the first time I will be officiating a funeral in my entire life. I hope it goes smooth cuz this will be too triggering,” he had said in the post.
He made the Facebook post on Wednesday, officiated the burial ceremony on Thursday, and passed away on Saturday morning.
Many people have been left wondering what Mr Mike meant by “too triggering”.
In a short video clip of the burial ceremony, the cleric is seen weeping profusely near the woman’s coffin.
The cause of Mr Mike’s death remains uncertain for now but a statement from his church, posted on Facebook, said he died after a “very brief sickness.”
“He was at the time of his rest, a father, both spiritual and physical, a husband, a mentor and a visionary leader,” the Evening Church said of the late pastor, while urging the public to put the church and the late pastor’s family in prayers.
The late cleric, said to be in his early 40s, was charismatic and endeared himself to young people. His church services, done only in the evening, were conducted under a relaxed atmosphere.
The Evening Church, according to a tech enthusiast and movie director, Thomas Etuk, started around 2014 at a luxury hotel in Uyo before it relocated to an entertainment and shopping complex, Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre, in the city.
Precious Eldad, a musician and a teacher, said he was attracted to the kind of messages the late pastor used to preach. “His message of grace frees people from guilt and condemnation and helps them appreciate the love of God. His passion for souls and his unconventional approach towards it.”
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