10/05/2026
KEYNOTE ADDRESS AND A LECTURE PRESENTED BY VERY REVD. MRS. CHIDINMA A. OTONG – THE CHAIRPERSON AND PRESIDENT OF CHRIST FAITH CHURCH NIGERIA WOMEN MINISTRY DURING 2026 MOTHER’S DAY SERVICE IN ALL THE ASSEMBLIES FROM 5TH – 10TH MAY 2026 WITH THE THEME: THE POSITIVE INFLUENCE OF MOTHERHOOD.
To God be the glory for all what He has done in our lives. To Jesus our Saviour and the Holy Spirit our comforter we bow to you. May I respectfully greet our father the presiding Bishop of our church, my husband, Archbishop Otong II for the fatherly loves, care, teaching and the spiritual coverage God gives to the entire church.
The team of leaders working with him are worth recognition, The AGO –Very Revd. Dr. Eno G. Peter, The Field Supervisor- Very Revd. (Mrs.) G. G. Mendie, The General Secretary of our Church Very Revd. Michael P. Umoh and all the Head of Department, Area and District Overseers and all the pastors and other officers of the Church at all levels are recognized for their support and prayers for the success of our ministry and of all women.
My wonderful women, Daughters of Faith, the managers of home and the pride of all families, I salute you all for your resilience spirit in serving God and being great supporters to your sweet husbands and caring for the children that the Lord had given to us. Remember, that the children are for “SIGNS AND WONDERS”. As your president, I’m proud to tell you all that you are “sweet smelling Savor” before God and to me you are strength and positive influence toward serving GOD better. I love you and will continue to pray for your greatness. GOD bless the women of virtues.
I pray that this year Mother’s day shall bring refreshment, open doors and favor to all the women, even as it shall remind us of the challenges of being a successful mother. It is a day of celebration, love and at the same time a day of prayers for the protection of our marriages, husbands, children and the knowledge of the fear of God to reign in our families. MAY I please plead with our men, children and husband and church to always prepare to participate and also celebrate the mothers by giving gifts and showing love with songs, drama and others. Women, this day is a day of special practical mother’s care to your husband and children, even the church.I pray that as we celebrate, heaven will honour us with new blessings and greatness.THE POSITIVE INFLUENCE OF MOTHERHOOD.
INTRODUCTION: Motherhood is a divine call and a special assignment given by God to women with a promise of a great reward from GOD (Psalms 127:3).Motherhood is therefore defined as “the state of being a mother, representing the lifelong journey of nurturing, loving and guiding a child. It involves deep emotional bonds, sacrifices, (such as time, energy, and personal goals), and the responsibility of raising a child, often defined as a powerful mix of unconditional love, strength, and resilience.
Biblically, motherhood is, at its core, a fulfillment of God’s first commands in Genesis 1:26 – (be fruitful and multiply). It is also seen throughout the Bible to be a blessing from the hand of God. Over and over, we see God showing his compassion to women in the old and new testament by opening their womb and making them fruitful. Even with the promise of saving women because of child-bearing (1 Tim. 2:15).
Remember, that being a mother is not giving birth to a child but it is greatly in raising the child to be profitable to God, to the child future, to the parent and to the society. This is where the motherhood influence becomes a great factor.We shall consider the positive influence of motherhood in this lecture and of course, the negative very shortly.
POSITIVE INFLUENCE OF MOTHERHOOD: The mother is known to be the child’s first relationship, of course a very intimate one. Carrying the child for nine month in the womb, by birth, the first person to talk to the child, the first care-giver, the first feeder, the first pastor, the first teacher, and the first role model and the first leadership standard.
To look at this topic, I want to rely in this Scriptural authority in Prov. 22:6 (“TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO, AND WHEN HE IS OLD, HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT”).
The keyword here is train, teach, educate, direct, and advise the child, and the right time is when he is young, at the “University” of HOME with the mother as the “FIRST PROFESSOR” of General Studies.
Let’s look at this formation;
1.THE UNIVERSITY OF HOME
2.LOCATION OF THE KITCHEN AND HOME
3.THE 1ST TEACHER MOTHER
FACULTIES
1.FACULTY OF RELATIONSHIP: The child first learns how to value relationship with love and respect from the mother, this alone from what the child grows to see between the mother and the father. If the mother lacks respect and love for the father, definitely the children copy the same. Do you greet your husband with love, the children shall do the same. Do you give your husband water for bathing and chewing stick in the morning, exactly that is what the children shall learn. And many other things they learn practically by seeing and doing.
2.FACULTY OF SANITATION: If a child is born into a clean and tidy environment, the child will dislike dirty place and dirty kitchen and compound. Mothers are no more keen about clean home. This is the wrong lifestyle the child shall carry outside as they grow up. Every child’s behaviour at most times represent where he or she comes from.
3.FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION: This is one of the faculties that are noticeable generally in the public. The mode of communication and words used by the mother formed the frame work of the child’s communication skill and selection of words used at a given time and situation. When the mother addresses the husband as ‘stupid’, ‘idiot’, ‘THUNDER FIRE, Isang “Ufono fien”. Because the mother is a teacher-role model, the child takes to it as if it is the best thing to do. (Prov. 15:1).
4.FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT: Wasteful mother produces wasteful children, thereby spreading to the society wasteful wives and husbands. Wasteful manager and administrator. Every wasteful person is a complainant, “Oliver Twist”, not being satisfied. Not wise and can’t be rich. When a mother eats to finish, the children eat same and even steal to eat. No virtuousness in such a home. Being virtuous is a positive influence that is needed to raise children to be great and successful. (Proverbs 31:10-31).
5.FACULTY OF COOKING: This particular faculty is the most important in human life. When the mother fails in the cooking faculty, she loses a great respect and love. Cooking good food is an influence that endears relationships within and without. Every mother that pays little attention to cooking has failed GOD, humanity and the family. “THE WAY TO A MAN’S HEART IS THROUGH HIS STOMACH”, this means cooking delicious meals for a man is an effective way to earn his love and affection. When your girl child or even a boy child is allowed to pay less attention, less participation in the domestic work, such a child is bound to fail in marriage. “FAST FOOD CENTRES” is not a place to build homes, but destroy homes.
6.FACULTY OF CORDIALITY: Good neighborhood relationship is nurtured and maintained by the influence of the mother. It is where the children see their mother enter, relate that they shall also relate. The respect you give to the extended family members, words you speak positively or negatively foster a great influence in the children. If you have “an unforgiving spirit” in the family, your children shall exhibit same to the people they come across in their lifetime.
7.FACULTY OF SELF-SATISFACTION: It is a positive influence with a golden reward when you raise a family that is satisfied with what you can afford at a given time. Being proud of your standard. NOT comparing you with others but working with you to improve the future. A hardworking family, a mother that sees her children as a “workforce” given by GOD is putting a positive influence upon the children. “DON’T ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO DO WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING, BUT HELP THEM DO WHAT IS GOOD AND RIGHT.”
8.FACULTY OF DISCIPLINE AND CONTROL: For a very long time now, discipline is no more part of the family. Every mother ought to be a disciplinarian, helping their children to grow within time not above time.Prov. 13:24 – “Spare the rod and spoil the child” is a proverb suggesting that failing to discipline a child leads to them being spoiled. Corporal punishment is a means of instilling fear and wisdom in children.Checking and ordering the movement of a child is a GOD given duty of a mother and parents. Of course, giving freedom to a child to move about, sleep out, visit outside the family, going to parties, carrying phones above their age is a bad influence and should be discouraged.
9.FACULTY OF MODESTY: The Bible teaches that modesty is a matter of the heart, focusing on humility, character, and self-control, rather than just outward appearance.1 Tim. 2:9-10 – Advises dressing with “decency and propriety”. It primarily emphasizes a godly character adorned with good works over vanity or luxurious displays.When a mother as a teacher, role model walks naked in the society in the name of fashion, they became pr******te in appearances. Positive influence of a GOD fearing mother can be seen in her dressing and physical appearance.
10.FACULTY OF RELIGION: The Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10). When the mother stands boldly in the fear of God and knowing GOD and doing God’s command, having time for church activities, the children also follow suit. The child, who sees the mother kneel down to pray in the morning every day, shall do same and it becomes the child’s way of life. A prayerful family is a product of a “FAMILY ALTAR”. If a child is born to read the Bible with the mother, the child shall be influenced to do same.In 2 Tim. 1:5-8, Paul addressed Timothy, his spiritual son as being the product of the positive spiritual influence of his grandmother and mother – “LOIS” and mother “EUNICE”. It is a spiritual “crime” to leave children at home and go to church. The way you treat God, serve the church and present THE AUTHORITY OF GOD in your family from your kitchen is what the children will learn and practice.
NEGATIVE Influence is going round in our families:
1.Using your child as a go between you and your man friend. Result is that is what the child shall do when he or she grows up.
2.HELPING your CHILD to lie: Some of you teach children to lie so that they dodged away from punishment. Same shall they do even in your situation.
3LATENESS is a crime against successful life.
Conclusion: May GOD help the mothers, parents, pastors, to pull a positive influence and direct the children to fear GOD.
