A Nigerian man, Adetayo Opeyemi Duke, has shared a personal account on Facebook detailing what he described as the emotional abandonment he experienced from his church, Dunamis International Gospel Centre, following the death of his only sibling earlier this year.
In the post, Duke recounted that while his sister battled illness in the hospital, he received consistent emotional support from The Apostolic Church, his parents’ place of worship.
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He said the LAWNA Prophet, Baba Awojide, personally called him twice daily to pray with him, and other pastors from the church offered similar support.
However, Duke said the same could not be said of Dunamis, the church he attends. According to him, his wife, who serves in the Communion Department of the church, reached out to the resident pastor in Lugbe for support, but got no meaningful response.
He said the pastor promised to return her call but never did.
“When she died, there was not a single call from them,” Duke wrote, describing the experience as deeply disappointing.
He said the incident led him to reconsider the importance of belonging to a smaller church community where members can access closer emotional support in times of crisis.
Duke added that the experience affected his spiritual life significantly, admitting he has attended church only three times this year.
He described one recent service where he battled unusual drowsiness throughout, saying he “just couldn’t connect.”
Despite his disappointment, Duke maintained that he still holds Dunamis in high regard, particularly praising what he called its “Harvard-standard teaching.”
However, he stressed that sound doctrine alone is not enough, insisting that churches must also prioritise emotional and pastoral care for members going through difficult times — an area he believes Dunamis currently falls short on.
The post has since resonated with many social media users who shared similar experiences of feeling emotionally unsupported by large congregations during personal crises.
