The case of Mrs. Caroline Orugude deserves a place in the spotlight. On
that unforgettable Sunday, which will remain engraved on the hearts of
the thousands of people that heard her, she gently made her way to the
altar of The SCOAN. Delicately clenching a hand that was just recovering
from a recent attack of stroke, the elderly woman had the air of one
with important news.
She came with a simple gift and message that would speak volumes to men and women of God the world over. A retired teacher from Bayelsa in Southern Nigeria, this woman still had a thing or two to teach the “young ones”.
She came with a simple gift and message that would speak volumes to men and women of God the world over. A retired teacher from Bayelsa in Southern Nigeria, this woman still had a thing or two to teach the “young ones”.
When she spoke, it was with carefully chosen words: “What brought me here is the urge to testify of the goodness of God in my life,” she began. Every ear zeroed in, as she narrated how she had retired from her job in June, 2012 and was forced to wait many months for her gratuity that was supposed to have been paid immediately. She said: “There was nothing much we could do except pray because the pension system is unreliable. So, I kept praying for almost two years about this.”
Mrs. Orugude requested prayers from many pastors for breakthrough, promising she would pay her tithe, but the pension remained withheld.
After she was introduced by a family member to Emmanuel TV, her mindset began to change. “I witnessed the goodness of the Lord and how the God of T.B. Joshua helps people to achieve their goals,” said Mrs. Orugude. A month before this landmark testimony, the elderly lady began to change her prayer points, aligning them with what she saw on Emmanuel TV.
When praying, she would place the documents for the gratuity on the screen of Emmanuel TV, thanking God for His mercy. Then the mighty hand of God touched her!
Within two weeks, she received a call from the treasury, asking her to go to the capital city, Abuja. “I said, ‘Wow! Is it for the gratuity?’ They said, ‘Yes’. Brethren, I knelt down. The joy in me that day, I cannot express it. I said, ‘thank You, Lord. I am going to Lagos’. I decided when I got the money, I would come here [to The SCOAN] to appreciate the Lord,” she said.
Then, while everyone including the millions of viewers across the world watched, the frail woman made a statement that stunned all: “I am here with the small sum of 500,000 naira, to give to the man of God and The SCOAN, as my tithe.” Mrs. Orugude’s declaration soon filled the Church-gone-silent with gasps of astonishment.
A mark had been made! At her age, no one would have expected her to part with such a huge amount of money, at a time when she needed it most. The action could not pass unnoticed by the Man of God, T.B. Joshua. His response to the touching gesture was equally surprising.
He said: “Yes, it is written in the Bible that we should pay tithe, but how can we collect tithe from widows and the aged who are supposed to be under our care? Remember, she has stopped working. She needs our care for the rest of her life. These are the women we should be feeding and taking care of. She is our mother; she is my mother too.”
The man of God then announced that instead of receiving Mrs. Orugude’s tithe, he would support her with an additional 500,000 naira, as a gift to take care of her.
Explaining why he took such a unique stance, T.B. Joshua spoke about the marks of a genuine servant of God: “When God calls a man or woman, what they will eat, what they will use and everything they need for their journey will be provided abundantly by God, because God wants honour and respect for His anointed ones,” he said.
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