Ekene and Abayomi are two seminarians who found themselves enjoying their short holiday together in the cool city of Owerri after they had finished their first semester exams. One evening, while hanging out at their favourite Suya spot and waiting for their beef skewer to get done, they got accosted by a pretty lady, Ada by name. She was indeed charming and beaming with morning glitter in the evening shadows. ‘Good evening, I am Ada,’she introduces herself amidst smiles that could steal a soul. ‘May I know you please?’ Somewhat startled and thrown between the state of confusion and excitement, the young men gathered the courage to overcome their momentary awkwardness and to introduce themselves respectively as ‘Ekene’ and ‘Abayomi’. She continued, ‘I am from Christ Embassy Church and I would like to invite you to our program, coming up next Sunday.’ Coming back to full reality, the two young men kindly thanked the lady but courteously turned down the invitation with the reason that they would be attending their own church same day, and so wouldn’t have the time to honour the invitation.

Expecting Ada to back down, they pretended to turn their attention once again back to the Suya. But she wouldn’t take a ‘No’. So, she continued ‘Please, can I have your numbers maybe, and your birthdays too.’ What has this got to do with the church program? They quizzed in their minds. Maybe she has taken special interest in us. Maybe something good could come out of this encounter. Does she really know that she is dealing with ‘arch Catholics’? Maybe we should inform her that we are Catholic seminarians so that she could see how futile her attempts are. Well, there is nothing wrong in becoming friends. That we attend different churches, have some differences in our faith content and expressions, does not in any way foreclose the possibility of our being friends. There is no harm in friendship.So, they ended up giving in to her kind and harmless requests.

The days that followed came with texts of good wishes in a fairly consistent way. Every week. But gradually the frequency started coming down. However, the birthdays were never missed, not even one. Ada kept inviting them to her church activities occasionally. At one point, Ekene decided to obliged her since he was the one living in Owerri (while Abayomi was only his visitor at the time), and attended their Bible sharing session but ended up creating confusion in the session with his provocative questions. From then, Ada nicknamed him the Philosopher. Thus began a more closer friendship with all the modesty that it requires. Ada later learnt that both men were seminarians, and would even attend their priestly ordination some years later. Ada kept more contact with Ekene over the years despite the distance created by their respective assignments. She would always ask for his prayers. Ekene would eventually be invited as a special guest to Ada’s wedding and she was very proud to introduce him as ‘my special friend’.

Central in this narrative is the friendship that developed around the Suya spot between two seminarians and a very desirous and committed youth minister of the Christ Embassy Church. It was a friendship that respected the boundaries of each person’s faith without any ridicule or insult. I sincerely think that both sides must have learnt something from each other. And it raises some question for you who are reading his piece. Do you remain yourself in your encounter with other Christians from other churches? Do you respect each other without trying to prove why you are more righteous or closer to heaven than the other? There may have been initial intention at converting the young men but the friendship that developed along the line was based on the fact that they understand their faith and was convinced of their identity, without making the young lady appear ridiculous. In their healthy friendship, both sides were able to acknowledge the faith of one another and to at least pray for one another. Shouldn’t Christians in Nigeria be thinking of this sort of healthy relationship among themselves?Ekene and Abayomi still joke about how they were lured by a damsel. No, they put it this way ‘it was an attempted luring’, and the laughter will follow subsequently!