For Pastor Friday Mala and members of the Mount Carmel Model Parish of the Pastor Enoch Adeboye's Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Delta 18, Jesus Vineyard Area/Zone, the year 2023 would be for long remembered as a year of 'The Reaper'—a period with the harvest of death. And because no member of the parish fell prey, there was the need to appreciate God Almighty.

While it has been the tradition of the RCCG to hold its general thanksgiving in appreciation to their God for the new year, however, for members of the Mount Carmel Model Parish, setting aside another special day to appreciate their God wasn't out of the norm, but is rather seen by them as showing dedication to their Heavenly Father in demonstration of their appreciation for His saving grace over them in 2023 as they look ahead to a repeat of such feat in 2024.

And so, on Sunday, January 14, a week after the RCCG's general thanksgiving, members of the parish converged in their numbers to express their gratitude to their Maker for maintaining an unbroken record—no funeral service had been conducted so far as no single life had been lost.

"Since I was posted to that parish (Mount Carmel), there has been no loss—children or adult, which means our soul has escaped!" proclaimed Pastor Mala during a brief chat with PENGlobal Social at the end of the thanksgiving service.

"I and my family along with members of the parish deemed it fit to hold this thanksgiving asides the RCCG's because we specifically need to tell God 'Thank You' which is an application to God to continue to do more as our thanksgiving gladdens the heart of God," Pastor Mala explained further.

The thanksgiving day was not a day for many speeches but strictly for praising God. And to add to the mood of the congregation, the worshippers were joined by Denye Sax, a saxophonist who graced the programme as a special guest to join them in the task of praising God as part of thanksgiving.

"It is not about giving millions of naira that will make God to accept our thanksgiving. God doesn't want our riches but our hearts. The art of thanksgiving exhibited by King David placed him as a man after God's heart.

"Yes, the times are hard but those who have faith and trust in God will continue to thank Him. Thanking Him in adversity is a demonstration of our faith and trust in God to come through for us. We are told to thank Him in all situation. Remember it is not by our knowledge or might can we prevail. When we keep thanking God, He will always make a way," Pastor Mala assured.

Situated in a local terrain at No. 7, Uduvwogba Quarters by NBTC Company Junction in Ovwian, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, for the members of Mount Carmel Model Parish which are less than a hundred and fifty in number, making it through 2023 is not by accident or a mistake but the grace of God in tune with the theme "Our Soul Escaped" from the Book of Psalms 124:6–8.

And so, while members might not have millions to give, what they had, no doubt, is the joy of being alive as expressed in their appreciation to the Most High God. Both children and adult danced to the glory of God as they offered praises in thanksgiving, sweating it out in ecstatic mood. Yet, what they demonstrate is a simple truth, which is that humanity need to entrust all their worries to the Creator rather than complicate their situations by relying on their imperfect knowledge and wisdom.

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