Nyamira SDA pastor: The bridal team came in late and drunk
Pastor Jared Omwoyo of SDA Nyamira Central Conference giving a dress-down to the bridal team before he stopped some of the bridal-maids and grooms-men from taking part in a church wedding.
A Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) pastor who was caught on video in an altercation with a bridal team during a wedding ceremony in Nyamira County has defended his actions.
Pastor Jared Omwoyo said that he does not regret his action since part of the bridal team was drunk, had shaggy hair while some wore screaming lipstick, were drunk and were putting on earrings against the SDA wedding guidelines.
In an interview with Nation.Africa the cleric said his actions were in the interest of the sanctity of the church and the wedding ceremony.
Prior to the time the video was taken, Pastor Omwoyo said, there was a standoff that delayed the program from 11am to 3pm.
He explained that in the video, he wanted to know how many SDAs were in the bridal team because the wedding program was running late.
"The bridal team had kept the matron in charge of marching and the wedding was running late so she sought my intervention," the pastor said.
“It was to be done at 11am but up to 3pm nothing had been done. They were troubling the matron and she was one. She sought my intervention saying she was unable to make progress. I wondered who these people were troubling the matron? A coin has two sides. The clip does not show the two sides of the story,” he added.
He added: “A church is for all. I was licensed and ordained in 1995 and I have officiated over 500 weddings. In all those, there has been compliance. This was the first one with drunkards, earrings and lipstick. It shocked me.”
He lamented that he has been condemned unheard, noting that the video is not showing the people he was addressing.
“They have only captured me in the video. They are not showing the exact people I am addressing. There were three boys who had knotted hair commonly known as dreads. The hairs were very shaggy. They hid them. I said we cannot officiate a wedding with people with such hair. SDA youth don't allow such,” said Pastor Omwoyo.
The pastor, who resides in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County presided the wedding on Friday at Tente SDA church in Nyamira county, his video has since gone viral.
“I later discovered there was no single SDA member in the squad. They started to insult me when I called them to order. I wondered why they were showing disrespect. We are pastors and administrators too. So I became an administrator and therefore no one was going to match but the wedding would go on,” he said.
He informed that in the video, he talked of Babylon, a town captured in the Bible where there was no order and people did things as they wished.
"It is unfortunate that the incident has been twisted using the video that has gone viral to mislead people that I ejected non-SDA members out of the church," said Pastor Omwoyo.
He revealed that he first officiated a wedding in 1995 and has been pastor for 36 years.
“The weddings have been smooth save for this one. This was for an old couple. Each church or denomination has its rules for weddings. If I go to another church, I do as a visitor, eat and enjoy witnessing how they are doing it,” he noted.
Pastor Omwoyo said that is why he refused the bridal team to march. Only children marched.
“I then learnt that they had been drinking and were inebriated. That's when I became more firm. I didn't abuse anyone in the clip. I did God's work. I didn't chase anyone out of church.
I used a commanding language as administrator because they were drunk. Finally, they surrendered,” he said.
He clarified that the bridal team was outside the church and was being organised to match in.
Pastor Omwoyo said that the wedding was holy matrimony and it had to follow church rules.
“They made it difficult until matrons came to ask me to help them. Those who are distorting, adding salt, I leave them in God. Whoever says I chased people out of church is a cheat, even Jesus was accused falsely. Those spreading the distortion, it is up to them. I will not add or remove what they say,” he warned.
He revealed that the owners of the wedding later wrote to him that the ceremony was okay and thanked him.
“I don't have any problem with other churches. God is one. I fellowship in Eldoret where I stay. I have no issues. I want to worship and serve God,” he said.
