Members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) community were left in shock after their pastor suddenly collapsed and died while preaching at a funeral service.
Deacon Steve Eyo was delivering a sermon titled “The Certainty of Death and Hope Beyond” when the unexpected tragedy occurred.
Pastor Spoke About Certainty of Death
According to eyewitnesses, Pastor Eyo began preaching at about 1.10 pm., using the burial ceremony to remind mourners that death is inevitable.
He explained that everyone would eventually die, although people leave this world at different times and compared death to going to the market.
The preacher noted that while some people leave early, others remain there until later. In the same way, he said, some people die young while others live to an advanced age.
He also reminded the congregation that death can come when least expected.
“Number Your Days and Prepare”
Pastor Eyo told those gathered at the funeral that death was not the end, stressing that judgment follows after death.
He encouraged the congregation to live wisely and make the most of their time. His final words reportedly carried a particularly poignant meaning in light of what happened moments later.
“Number your days and prepare, for it can happen anytime,” he told the mourners. About 15 minutes into the sermon, the pastor suddenly collapsed.
Mourners initially thought it was part of the sermon when the microphone fell to the ground with a loud sound as Pastor Eyo went down.
For a moment, they reportedly thought the pastor was demonstrating the suddenness of death, given that his entire sermon had been centred on the subject.
Pastor Rushed to Hospital in Funeral Ambulance
It soon became clear, however, that something was seriously wrong. Church ministers and choir members gathered around him as they moved him to the back of the church.
Prayers were offered as people tried to help him. Some people with medical knowledge administered first aid while efforts were made to save his life.
A medical person later determined that Pastor Eyo had stopped breathing.
He was rushed to the nearest hospital using the same ambulance that had been hired to transport the remains of the deceased whose funeral had brought the congregation together.
At the hospital, Pastor Eyo was pronounced dead. His body was subsequently taken to the mortuary.
The tragedy left mourners grappling with the haunting coincidence that the pastor’s final sermon had been about the very subject that claimed his life moments later.
