Still on this lateness issue on wedding day. I recall some…

I was not even near my destination. What I'm I going to do all decked up in an expensive suit, white shirt and a bow tie to match, I asked myself..."I don't arrive late for ministry assignment I said... it's still a guiding rule for me.

Without much ado, I asked my wife to get behind the wheels while I hopped on a bike. To cut the long story short, I got to the church at exactly 9.55am.

I had pastored the intending couple for about 4 years and they very well knew I was a stickler to time, particularly,

"church runs."

During counselling sessions, the intending couple had been reminded over and over again not to come late to the church on their wedding day, but alas, one of them came late. (You guessed right)

I got to the church and met the groom who was at this time on the

talking to his wife angrily.

To cut the long story short, at the strike of 10am, I gave instructions that the service should commence.

We proceeded accordingly and just at the moment I asked, "who brings in the bride?" I saw the bride running in at 10.35am into the church, wow,

that was close. I would have closed the service if she had not come in at that time.

It's so easy to run down a pastor at such a time as this without giving a holistic look at the entire incident...

I was to find out later that the bride was staying just a few minutes drive

away from church, but, alas, she chose to come in late for her wedding on her wedding day.

I made it down to the church from Abeokuta, which is almost 70km away in good time before service started.

I believe it's rather unfair to start attacking a pastor who does not believe

in what we call African time when it comes to ministry work.

In all modesty, I do not think there is any pastor alive who has invited me to minister in his church that will say I ever got in late. Sometimes, I even arrive before the host pastor arrives.

We make excuses for

anomalies in church, yet, we have forgotten that none of these ladies would arrive late at a foreign embassy if told to come for a visa interview.

I however leave room for eventualities on that day. If there is a very good reason for a delay, like unexpected traffic gridlock,

faulty car etc, you must call in...that shows honour, and in a situation where no one deems it fit to Inform the pastorate of the sudden eventualities, you are on your own.

Even when I was conducting my immediate younger sister's wedding, my parents called her into a private

room to warn her about the consequences of taking her brother (me) for granted and arriving late....she came in even before the groom at 9.20am. ( Modupe Olunuga Adeyemi , abi?)

So, let's be slow to hack on pastors when they do not follow the norm or the new normal.