AN ADDRESS BY THE RECTOR, REV. THEOPHILUS CHUKWU NGELE, PhD

AN ADDRESS BY THE RECTOR, REV. THEOPHILUS CHUKWU NGELE, PhD AT THE 30^TH CONVOCATION CEREMONY OF HUGH GOLDIE LAY/THEOLOGICAL TRAINING INSTITUTION, AROCHUKWU, ON FRIDAY, 5^TH JUNE, 2026.

Protocols

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the 30^th Convocation of Hugh Goldie Lay/Theological Training Institution, Arochukwu. We are gathered here today to witness yet another sweet time in the lives of our graduants who have conquered every odd they encountered for years now to complete their ministerial training and other programmes in this Institution.

Our special welcome goes to the Prelate and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (PCN), His Eminence, Ekpenyong Nyong Akpanika, PhD, Most Rev. Prof. Miracle Ajah, the Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the PCN, Rt. Rev. Victor Aniefiok Ekop, the Deputy Clerk of the General Assembly of the PCN and the GAA, Elder Dr. Edet Effiong for your efforts to take the PCN to greater heights. We are very grateful to you for finding time to grace this occasion. Thank you for coming.

As we welcome our landlords, Okoni-na-Akoro Kindred, parents, friends and everyone here today, we deeply appreciate the Management and Staff of Hugh Goldie and Hugh Goldie College Council, led by our committed Chairman of Council, Eld. Engr. Nnamdi Udo (FNSE). Hugh Goldie has grown to become one of the most preferred Theological Colleges in Nigeria today because of your support. It is our prayer that God will continue to guide and guard you in all your endeavours in life and ministry.

The ceremony of Convocation is in the tradition of every institution of learning all over the world. It marks the important event in which those who have received instructions from the educators and passed prescribed examinations are judged worthy in learning and character to receive their Certificates and Degrees. Today we join other Seminaries to celebrate these world’s best grace careers in your graduation. Congratulations!

My Charge

On this note let us remind you the celebrants that at present, our world, our times, and history are far more changing in unprecedented ways, especially in the Gospel Ministry. We have proofs that there is a very troubling decline in Christian faith; even when it is obvious that Christ will soon return. Unlike before many Christians abandon their Christian faith at any slightest provocation, persecution or even material enticement.

Today the Christian faith is having the worst of syncretism and even apostasy in Church history; and the Church must confront this danger by staging a deliberate return to the preaching of the true gospel and deliberate discipleship.

A lot of people in the Church today know only the God that supplies needs. Anything else that can do that will fast replace their faith. Therefore, if we do not disciple men, we will soon lose the pattern and what Christianity actually is. The Church is waiting for you.

Achievements

Moving forward as a College by the grace of God, we have established local and international collaborations in our desire to foster global competency and the sharing of experiences towards the attainment of global academic and ministry best practices. We are delighted to report that in the spirit of this, Hugh Goldie Seminary has in addition to hosting foreign and local academic/ministry partners from Georgia, United States of America, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Lagos and Peace House, continues to enjoy many ministry benefits and progress.

Similarly, we have formed strong academic and professional collaboration with our sister Theological Colleges, Essien Ukpabio Presbyterian Theological College, Itu, Methodist Theological Institute, Umuahia, Trinity Theological Seminary, Umuahia and the Rectors have already commenced working visit/exchange programs between the Theological Institutions.

It is our pleasure to inform his Eminence that from the last Convocation of 2025 till date God Almighty has given us unlimited access to the true meaning of Grace Upon Grace. Within this period God;

1. Sent a man to build and furnish an ultra modern resident for the Rector.
2. Sent a man to build the road into this compound and constructed the drainages as well.
3. Sent people to install over 40 strong street solar lights on compound.
4. Helped us to install and activate solar energy that pumps our water naturally.
5. Sent a man to install a man to install new light poles and electrical conductors for better electricity connectivity on compound.
6. Sent a man to paint our chapel.
7. Helped us to join in the Abia State University (ABSU) 30^th – 32^nd Combined Convocation, during which 120 of our students were also graduated and 5 of them made First Class. We wish to gladly inform you that the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti offered the 5 First Class Graduants from Hugh Goldie automatic lecturing employment in ABSU and a scholarship to PhD level in any Nigeria University.
8. Helped us to pay #5,897,387 (Five Million Eight Hundred and Ninety Seven Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty Seven Naira) only between January to May 2026 to clear the balance of our debt to collect our Certificates from ABSU for the classes of 2007 – 2017. ABSU will soon release all the remaining Certificates of these 10 years any moment from now. Then, by the grace of God we will begin to pay to collect the Certificates from 2018 upwards.
9. Sent a man who is currently building a Guest House for us on compound.
10. Helped us to graduate 38 MTh Students at once – which is more than all the MTh students Hugh Goldie has ever graduated since it started the program over a decade ago put together. This is a product of our robust online theological and Peace and Conflict Studies education that commenced 2 years ago. We wish to again gladly inform you that we have foreign students in 3 continents, including Europe, Australia and Africa; two of our foreign students from Canada and Benin Republic are among the MTh graduants today.
11. Used Sandwich Students and the College to furnish the Rector’s office with new things. Others include:

We participated in both Local and International Meetings/Conferences, Enjoyed uninterrupted Water supply, Effective Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools, with Borden candidates growing (Hugh Goldie Academy), Prompt Staff Salary Payment, Ongoing Three (3) Classroom Block and a Board Room Project on Compound, Renovations of our Existing Infrastructure, Completion of Tilling of the Chapel, Constitution of Hugh Goldie Seminary Alumni Association, Graduates Mobilization for NYSC, Resuscitation of 100KVA Lister that was abandoned for many years, Acquisition of Durable Industrial Boards for Light Stability, Hugh Goldie Award for exploits in Christian Literature, Best Graduating Student Award, Academic Awards and CityTakers Award for the best behaved student of the season and many more, are the achievements God enabled us to record.

Let us at this point appreciate the financial support of the General Assembly of the PCN, the ever supportive College Council, Staff of Hugh Goldie Theological Institution and Hugh Goldie Academy for all your sacrifices to see a better Goldie. We are grateful.

Our Needs:

We have these urgent needs and we need your sponsorship:

• Provision of staff quarters, classrooms, internal road network and students hostels.
• A school bus and an official vehicle for the office of the Rector.
• Accreditation of Hugh Goldie as a Theological University.
• Establishment of a modest water factory and viable Printing Press.
• Donation of books and other learning materials.

Do not forget to join Hugh Goldie Theological Institution for your Certificate in Theology, Diploma in Theology, Post Graduate Diploma in Theology, Bachelor of Divinity, Bachelor of Arts, and Masters in Theology (MTh). Note that you can use our MTh to do PhD in many Universities. Currently, 7 of our MTh holders are doing their PhD with Hugh Goldie MTh Certificates in different Universities, and 4 have already defended their PhDs. Do not be left behind.

On behalf of all of us at Hugh Goldie, we say congratulations to our graduants once again – thank you for your attention and God Bless you in Jesus name.

Rev. Theophilus Chukwu Ngele, PhD

Rector

Email – pastortheongele@yahoo.com (08037346202)