The House on the Rock Church's resident pastor in Abuja, Uche Aigbe, returned to the altar earlier this week to bless rather than to preach.

A few weeks ago, Pastor Uche, as he is affectionately known, took a break from preaching after sharing the word of God in a Sunday service with the theme "Guarding your faith" while carrying an unloaded AK-47 rifle on his person. The Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigerian Police Force invited him for questioning after images of the eloquent man of God flooded the internet.

A week later, Uche apologized to the congregation without reservation, explaining that hanging a gun during his sermon was only a symbolic gesture to emphasize his point. He then appeared to have taken a break from preaching for some serious thought. Pastor Uche took the stage earlier this week in front of a packed auditorium in response to Jesus' warning to the disciples not to forget the poor.

The pastor could guess what was likely going through the minds of those fortunate enough to choose their own bills as throngs of people rose from their seats in response to the call, despite the recent cash crunch that has shaken the nation and its people.

Some of you might be wondering why those who have come out don't dress like they're going through a lot, he continued, but there's a proverb that says you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Don't judge people based solely on how they appear; it doesn't necessarily indicate that everything is fine, he advised. The head count a few minutes later revealed that a total of 57 church members in need of assistance, despite Pastor Uche's request for only 50 of them to leave their seats.

Six unidentified churchgoers then began to add various sums to the pool, which resulted in thunderous applause from worshipers seated across the auditorium. One donor gave a million naira, and the other two each gave N250,000. Only two million, 950,000 naira were donated, with another two church members contributing N100,000 each and another giving N200,000. The pastor divided the group into those in dire need—those who were unsure of where they would get their next meal—and those who could at least make it for another week. Pastor Uche gave envelopes containing cash to the first group of 10, leaving the remaining 47 people to wait for the good news.

He told the first group, "I just have something in the envelope at least to help you through this week, just ten of you," if they didn't have anything to eat this week. The rest of you, enter your information and, by God's grace, you will receive alerts in your bank accounts, he said to the cheering worshipers, who could not contain their excitement and joy.