REV. EVANG. PETER E. TAYLOR

(District Superintendent 1992 – 2005)

Taylor assumed the saddle of leadership subsequent to Rev. James J.G. Nedom Twenty-five years after the creation of Rivers District as a distinct administrative entity in 1967, thus becoming one of the Spiritual fathers of the District at Fifty. His Superintendence was at a time when there were only two districts. Rivers and Western Rivers thus had a broad jurisdiction with attendant challenges.

Born in 1954 at Tombia community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, the Rev. Evang. Peter Taylor was called into full time ministry in 1974, 43 years.

Election into Presbytery/Superintendent:
He was a Presbyter for three years and served as District Superintendent for thirteen years: 1992 – 2005 following a five time consecutive election into a three year term each.

Ministerial Activity:
The Rev. Peter Taylor is a gifted evangelist and brought this calling to hear during his cumulative thirty-five years of ministry as Pastor.

He Pastored the following churches at different times:

1. Abonnema
2. Oruma (now Ayiba-Ama) in Bayelsa State.
3. Rumuewhor
4. Omoku
5. Rumuobiakani
6. Rumuomasi, where he became a Presbyter and subsequently a District
Superintendent
7. Marine Base (the first pastorage after his District Superintendency).
8. Azuabie 1
9. Elelenwo 1
10.Rumuobiakani (for a second missionary journey).

As An Evangelist:
Rev. Taylor’s flair for planting and growing churches was most significant that his assignment as a Pastor was adjudged far-less disproportionate to his core-calling, Mission and Evangelism, judging from his ministerial outings including, revivals, and crusades.
Consequently after Rumuewhor, he was deployed to head the Evangelism team during which several churches were planted, revival programmes held with incredible manifestation of the power of God, especially in rural areas, a phenomenon that triggered the explosion of membership strength, church growth and increase in churches.

These indices provided the springboard for the achievement of the District and the Golden Jubilee Celebration today.

Achievements:

The former District Superintendent said the financial challenge at the time notwithstanding, his administration left its prints on the sands of time with several time-tested achievements which according to him are:

(a) Buying of Land and Building for Churches.
(b) Motivating of Pastors to start new work.
(c) Purchase of Vehicle for Outreach.
(d) Opening of Churches in the General Council Missions fields.
(e) Renovation of the former District Secretariat situated at Rumuomasi.
(f) Welfare packages for Missionaries and widows.
(g) Molded the first set of blocks for the foundation laying of the No.6, Ernest Ikoli Administrative Headquarters.
(h) Fought to retain title ownership of the Administrative Headquarters, which was almost lost.

Excitement:
Rev. Taylor said his happiest moments were when he was conducting revivals with miracles, signs and wonders validating the word of God and his credentials/testimony as a servant of God.

According to him, it was the move of the Holy Spirit in the revival meetings and the attendant souls harvest that midwife the geometric progression of the District in the areas of numerical strength, churches planted (expansion), financial viability.

As a gifted Evangelist, it was the Rev. Taylor’s heartbeat to visit Missionary areas as part of his oversight responsibility, as a District Superintendent. He remarked that such visits had always endeared the church to the natives and dwellers in the rural areas, because of the move of the Holy Spirit. He, however, regretted that the fervor for Mission work and church planting had dwindled following the insipidity of successive Evangelism team members to sustain the tempo bequeathed to them.

His Challenge:

The Rev. Evang. Peter Taylor had cracked hard nuts which may have cost him his ‘premature’ exit from the reins of power. The compassionate Taylor contended head-on with gross financial misconduct and impropriety in the system which like proverbial “dog eat dog” phenomenon, rose like a phoenix.

Family Life:
The man of God is married to Deborah, and the union is blessed with eight children: Four male and four female.

Today, the Rev. Taylor basks in the pleasant euphoria of his achievements as a successful mentor, administrator, revivalist, Evangelist and Church Pastor with about seven years to hit the mandatory Seventy years retirement age.