By Timilehin Ayomide and Temitayo Adeyemi

President of Journalists For Christ (JFC), Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin has called on journalists with rich libraries to make their books accessible to interested persons.

Otufodunrin made the call at the monthly fellowship of the organisation with the theme ‘Ministry of Writing’ held at the CEE-HOPE Conference Hall, Ogba, Lagos.

According to him, many people have rich libraries locked away in their homes without people benefiting from the books.

“We find that many people lock their books up in personal libraries away from those who should benefit from the contents,” he said.

The erstwhile online editor at the Nation Newspaper however advised journalists to endeavour to bring out their books so that people can read them and utilize the rich resources in them.

The fellowship was aimed at inspiring new generations of Christian writers and participants took turns to share their experiences on books.

The book, ‘African Writers’ written by 11 other African journalists including Otufodunrin and published by Media Associates International (MAI) was the focus of the fellowship from which lessons were taken.

The 11 authors are from Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Angola, Uganda, South Africa who wrote about how they pursued God’s calling and the challenges to publish works to inspire generations to come.

One of the authors, Jennifer Karina, a psychologist, certified professional coach, energy leadership master practitioner, speaker, author and a born-again Christian who engages her audience with passion and uplifting the lives of others talked about how she embarked on her writing.

The Kenyan also stated how she pursued various professional courses that have helped towards her personal growth and development. She further stated that she uses her brand to sign off in her correspondence to market her books and it gives her an opportunity to preach the gospel of marriage and relationships as God intended.

Still talking about the book, Otufodunrin said, “In the book, African writers wrote to tell how they pursued God’s calling. They persevered through hardship to create published works that will speak to readers for years to come.”

He also said that the September fellowship was meant to remind the church about writing good content because book contents can also lead people to Christ.

“People want their life to get better spiritually, physically and professionally, they must hear words that can inspire them,” he added.

Otufodunrin however encouraged journalists to impact lives with their stories. “Writing is a calling, a ministry and a business. Journalists whose libraries are rich should start freeing their books to impart lives.

“Writing is a calling because you don’t know who is going to read you. You don’t know who is going to get inspired by your writing.

“Some people could read our stories and their life would change. We may not know but God will record it in our account. Let us thank God for the gift of writing,” he added.

Journalists took turns to speak on the theme and shared their experiences on books and publishing.

Chaplain of the group, Pastor David Alabi led a prayer session and announced the next fellowship date for October 19.