One pastor, Agu Irukwu, is currently trending online for being the sole black pastor to preside over the queen's burial, which took place on Monday, September 19. He was one of the ministers that officiated at the funeral of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
One of the eight pastors representing the churches of England at the event is Pastor Irukwu, a former chairman of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the United Kingdom who now maintains his pastoral function in the RCCG as the Senior Pastor of Jesus House, United Kingdom.
In April 2021, Irukwu gave up his position as chairman of the UK RCCG. He also resigned from his positions as the Deputy Continental Overseer of the church in Europe and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Executive Council of the RCCG in the UK. He informed the RCCG that he made the decision to leave the position on a personal note. However, he said that he will continue to serve as Senior Pastor at Jesus House.
It is hardly surprising that he will serve as the Queen's funeral's officiating pastor. According to the church's website, Irukwu received the first-ever Alphege Award for Evangelism and Witness in 2016 from the Most Reverend and Rt Hon Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The honor was named for St. Alphege, who served as Canterbury's archbishop from 1006 until 1012. The Archbishop was renowned for his humility, sage advice, and concern for the underprivileged. As one of the six CTE Presidents, Pastor Irukwu was also chosen as the Pentecostal President of Churches Together in England (CTE) in 2017.
Pastor Irukwu, a graduate of the University of Warwick in Coventry, United Kingdom, worked as an investment banker before deciding to enter the Christian ministry full-time. Irukwu is claimed to have been committed to promoting excellent governance for the church in his different capacities within the RCCG mission.
A "very practical and down-to-earth preacher, his ministry is marked by a desire to see revival in the UK and assist create men and women of faith who will accomplish their God-given objectives in life," according to the description of him.
Irukwu is the son of eminent insurance expert Prof. Joe Irukwu. Pastor Shola Irukwu is his wife.
From 6 February 1952 until her passing on 8 September 2022, Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 - other Commonwealth nations) served as the monarch of the United Kingdom. During her lifetime, she held the regency over 32 sovereign states, and there were 15 at the time of her passing. Her 70 years and 214 days of reigning are the longest of any British monarch, the longest of any woman to hold the office of head of state in history, and the second-longest reign that has been independently authenticated of any monarch in history.
Elizabeth was the first child born to the Duke and Duchess of York and was born in Mayfair, London (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth). Elizabeth was the presumed heir when her father assumed the throne in 1936 following the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII. She received a private home education before starting to serve in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War. She wed former Greek and Danish royal Philip Mountbatten in November 1947; their union lasted 73 years, until he passed away in 2021. Edward, Anne, Andrew, and Charles were their four children.
At the age of 25, Elizabeth succeeded her father as head of the Commonwealth and queen of seven sovereign Commonwealth nations: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the UK, the end of African colonialism, and the UK's membership in the European Communities and exit from the European Union all occurred during Elizabeth's constitutional monarchy. Her realms changed in number throughout time as other lands attained independence and some realms established republics. She has made numerous significant trips and meetings throughout history, including state visits to China in 1986, Russia in 1994, and the Republic of Ireland in 2011, as well as encounters with five popes.
Elizabeth was crowned in 1953, and her silver, golden, diamond, and platinum jubilees were commemorated in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively. Particularly following the dissolution of her children's marriages, her "annus horribilis" in 1992, and the passing of her ex-daughter-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, she occasionally had to deal with republican sentiment and media criticism of her family. More than 170 prime ministers from different realms served Elizabeth. Both her personal popularity and support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom were strong throughout her lifetime. Charles III succeeded Elizabeth when she passed away at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96.
Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, at 02:40 (GMT), while her paternal grandfather, King George V, was in power. The second son of the King was her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI). The youngest child of Scottish aristocracy Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, was her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York (after known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). Princess Elizabeth was born via Caesarean section at her grandfather Lord Strathmore's London residence at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair. In the private chapel of Buckingham Palace, she was baptized on May 29 by the Anglican Archbishop of York, Cosmo Gordon Lang. She was given the names Elizabeth after her mother, Alexandra after her paternal great-grandmother, who had passed away six months earlier, and Mary after her paternal grandmother. She was loved by her grandfather, George V, whom she adored and affectionately called "Grandpa England," and her regular visits during his serious illness in 1929 were credited in the popular press and by later biographers with lifting his spirits and assisting his recovery. She was known as "Lilibet" by her close family, based on what she initially called herself.
Princess Margaret, Elizabeth's only sibling, was born in 1930. The two princesses received their education at home under the guidance of their mother and Marion Crawford, their governess. History, language, literature, and music were the main subjects of the lessons. To the royal family's dismay, Crawford released The Little Princesses, a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret's early years. The book discusses Elizabeth's organization skills and sense of duty, as well as her love of horses and dogs. Others echoed these comments: When Elizabeth was two years old, Winston Churchill called her "a character. She exudes an impressive sense of maturity and reflection for a baby. She was a "jolly little child, but basically smart and well-behaved," according to her cousin Margaret Rhodes.
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