24/12/2025
OFFICIAL CHRISTMAS 2025 AND NEW YEAR 2026 MESSAGE
FROM THE ECWA PRESIDENT, H. Em. REV. DR. JOB AYUBA BAGAT
Dearly beloved Fathers,
May grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
May I, on behalf of the ECWA Executive, bring you warm greetings of Christmas 2025 and heartfelt best wishes for a gracious and fruitful New Year 2026.
2025 CHRISTMAS: A SEASON OF SEEKING AND FINDING GOD!
The celebration of Christmas reminds us of the greatest act of divine love; God seeking humanity and dwelling among us through Jesus Christ. As we celebrate the birth of our Lord, we do so under the ECWA 2025 theme: “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
This theme has been a call to intentional devotion, renewed prayer, and wholehearted pursuit of God. In a year marked by economic hardship, insecurity, political uncertainty, social tension, and moral decline, the Lord has remained faithful. Though nations have been shaken, the Church has not been forsaken.
We acknowledge with deep gratitude that God has preserved ECWA, our leaders, ministers, members, institutions, and missions, despite daunting challenges in Nigeria and across the nations where ECWA is present. We have seen His hand of protection, provision, unity, and spiritual growth. Truly, those who sought the Lord have found strength, direction, and hope from and in Him.
As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that Christ is still found by those who seek Him sincerely, not in noise or material abundance, but in humility, obedience, holiness, and love.
NEW YEAR 2026: KEEP YOUR LAMPS BURNING
As we step into 2026, the Lord is calling ECWA to deeper spiritual alertness and faithfulness under the theme: “Keep your lamps burning” (Luke 12:35).
This is a timely call to watchfulness, perseverance, and readiness in our walk with God. In uncertain times, the Church must not grow weary, complacent, or distracted. Rather, we are to keep the fire of faith burning through:
• A life of consistent prayer and the Word
• Holy and disciplined living
• Active evangelism and missions
• Compassionate service to the hurting and vulnerable
• Faithful stewardship of God’s gifts and opportunities.
The lamp that is kept burning is sustained by oil. In the same way, our Christian lives must be continually supplied by the Holy Spirit, lest the light grows dim.
A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND CHARGE:
Beloved brethren, as families face rising costs of living, as young people confront uncertainty, and as communities long for peace and justice, the Church must shine brighter than ever. ECWA is called to be a beacon of hope, a people who seek God diligently and remain spiritually awake.
Let us not lose heart. The same God who has kept us thus far will carry us forward. The darkness of our times cannot overcome the light of Christ shining through His Church.
CONCLUSION AND PRAYER:
As you celebrate Christmas and cross into the New Year, I pray that:
• Your joy will be renewed
• Your faith will be strengthened
• Your lamps will not go out
• Your homes will be filled with peace.
• ECWA will continue to advance in unity, purity, and power.
May the Lord who was found by those who sought Him in 2025 keep us burning brightly for His glory in 2026, and until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR!
Yours in His service,
E-signed: H. Em. Rev. Dr. Job Ayuba Bagat,
ECWA President.
