The scriptural passage of Genesis 3:19, "From dust we came, to dust we shall return" seems to answer the question "Where do we go from here?" as posed by the Vicar of St. Andrew's Anglican church, Rev'd Canon Zion Ukeje during the sermon he delivered at the funeral service that held in honour of the late Amb Mrs Blessing Oghale Gbenekama (JP), wife of the Fiyewei of Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State on Friday, June 14, 2024.

The funeral ceremony which was in the mood of reflection on the essence of life had in attendance family members and friends of the deceased as well as other sympathisers who in their numbers had graced the ceremony to pay their last respect.

Earlier, on receiving the casket holding the remains of the deceased, a member of the community, High Chief Matthew Pudie, had given a brief account on the cause of death of the late Fiyewei's wife to members of the community as tradition demands, followed by an inspection of the corpse by community members to verify its identity. Thereafter, the brief Christian funeral rites began.

"Nobody loves you," pronounced the vicar in the course of the sermon as he attempts to bring to the notice of those in attendance how each soul will bear the cross of death alone as no one will be willing to carry such cross for any one, but only Jesus Christ who had died for humanity.

The vicar therefore urged all in attendance to reflect on their lives and to henceforth tailor their actions to suit God's word and to become right with the Maker because such a day as the one they were all witnessing will surely become everyone's portion someday.

Tears dotted the landscape of Azama community as the casket was carried by the pall bearers to the grave site after family members and friends have paid their last respect to the deceased. In that moment, what was now left of the late Amb Mrs Blessing Gbenekama JP are memories and her legacies she had left behind.

Other highlights of the funeral service include singing of hymns and praises, presentation of the biography of the deceased, prayers for the family and entertainment of guests.

Here are some photos of the funeral service that had various Christian ministers, members from the academic field, business, political and community leaders in attendance.

View more photos on PENGlobal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ba3Pv2KYrcdwMbKQ/?mibextid=oFDknk

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