By Aderonke Adeyeri

Karis Award, instituted   by Rev. Chris Okotie’s Household of God International Church, Oregun, Lagos, holds during its yearly God’s Riches At Christ Expense, G.R.A.C.E. every last Sunday before Christmas. This year’s G.R.A.C.E. comes up on Sunday, December 14, 2014.

Situating this programme, at this time of the year helps in conveying the Christmas spirit of the grace of Jesus Christ “in concrete terms”, as Okotie often says. It ushers in the celebrations on a joyous note. In fact, except in the case of the post-humous award, recipients personally attend to receive the honour, which cash prize is now one million Naira. This is not because of the financial tag, but for the prestige it has gained over its more than two decades of high profile conferment on deserving Nigerians.

The Household of God looks beyond the gospel enclave to reach out and touch others who do not even share the Christian faith. This ecumenical spirit is exemplary at a time when certain individuals say unless you embrace their extremist faith, you are an infidel who must die by the sword, or bombed out. Okotie’s church is sending a clear message, ‘you don’t take a life for the sake of God’, rather, as the now famous G.R.A.C.E. song says: “We need to love them, we need to touch them, we need to serve them, cause we know that Jesus cares. We need to bless them, take away their sorrow. Who knows tomorrow, it may be you or it may be me”.

According to the organizers, although the beneficiaries of the charity include Pacelli School for the Blind, Sunshine Foundation, The Strong Tower Mission, and The Spinal Cord Injuries Association, which got one million Naira each, the church has never raised funds externally or instituted a special fund-raising to meet this obligation since the programme was launched in 1996. The Karis award started to give a more national coverage to the church’s charitable activities, but was subsequently subsumed in the G.R.A.C.E. programme. It is now the biggest attraction of the G.R.A.C.E. night. There’s also the Queen Esther Bible Costume competition. The pageant, which initially drew questioning comments as to its spiritual relevance, has become understood and accepted within the context in which the church organizes it. Participants are clad in costumes that depict famous Bible women, and the participant with the most creative and realistic design that best interprets the character she represents emerges Queen Esther, with a cash prize of one million Naira. As G.R.A.C.E. 2014 approaches, attendees can expect the usual acmes like the red carpet, musical renditions and displays, and the increasingly popular photo-shoots on Christmas lighted street and more.