A music director at a Michigan Catholic church in the US has reportedly been fired after an unknown source informed church officials of his same-sex marriage.

Fred Szczepanski was fired from his position at St. Francis Church in Traverse City on Oct. 18 after the church officials discovered he had a same-sex marriage ceremony to his longtime partner in Nevada in 2020, according to Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Szczepanski, known by churchgoers as “Mr. Fred,” was confronted by Rev. Michael Lingaur after church leaders received a letter from an unnamed individual about his marriage.

When confronted, he confirmed the marriage and was informed by Lingaur that his services were no longer needed after serving as the church’s music director for 34 years. Szczepanski was also told he could no longer take communion during worship services.

Following his termination, the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, wrote in a statement that Szczepanski’s marriage violates the ministerial agreement condition of his employment.

“A public act of same-sex marriage is a formal recognition that a relationship is more than friendship, and thereby jeopardizes a ministerial agreement for employment,” the Diocese said.

“Marriage is a permanent, faithful and exclusive covenant between one man and one woman.”

However, the firing outraged parishioners, leading to multiple shows of protest in support of Szczepanski.

Choir members wore black, left their seats empty, and refused to sing during mass on Oct. 20.

Then, on Oct. 27, supporters of the longtime music director picketed outside the church in protest before carrying signs reading: “Love Not Hate,” “God Includes, Not Excludes,” and “Fired Not Retired.”

TikTok rejected me due to my dangerous miracles – Prophet Odumeje

Popular Nigerian cleric Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere, widely known as Odumeje, has revealed that TikTok blocked his account due to his so-called “dangerous miracles.”

In a video circulating on social media, Odumeje addressed his congregation, explaining the platform’s decision to disconnect him.

According to Odumeje, his supernatural acts on TikTok were deemed to be beyond the platform, leading to the ban.

“Even Facebook and other social media platforms are rejecting my dangerous miracles,” he said in the now-viral video.

“They are not accepting it. Because of my dangerous miracles, TikTok rejected me. They disconnected me. They said this miracle is beyond them.”

TikTok’s community guidelines prohibit content that is harmful, illegal, or misleading. However, it’s yet to be determined if sharing videos showcasing “dangerous miracles” could result in the suspension of TikTok accounts.

Odumeje, known for his unconventional style and controversial teachings, has often attracted public attention, with many questioning the legitimacy of his claims.

‘Abel Damina no longer representative of Body of Christ’ – Christian group

Mr Damina denied the group’s claim that he said, “There is no heaven,” and advised the entire group to join his discipleship class to listen to his teachings.

A Christian group, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs, has berated a Nigerian cleric, Abel Damina for allegedly preaching gospel messages with an “alarming rate of theological errors and heresies.”

In an open letter to Mr Damina, dated 15 October, the group said Mr Damina’s messages constitute “hate speech and cybercrime against the Christian faith.”

“Dr. Abel Damina, you have crossed the line, and you are, therefore, no more a representative of Christianity (The Body of Christ) in Nigeria,” the group said in a letter signed by the secretary of its elders’ council, Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies.

Mrs Adesanya-Davies, a bishop and professor, said the letter serves as a disclaimer to the “heresy’s messages” spread by Mr Damina.

The letter was posted on Facebook.

“Heresy is a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine and any belief, teaching or practice that explicitly undermines the gospel,’ she added, while citing several Bible passages to support their position.

Controversial message titles

The cleric highlighted some message titles allegedly preached by Mr Damina, which her organisation has issues with. The messages include “There is no heaven”, “You don’t need God to Succeed”, “Jesus is not coming back”, and “Heaven is scam.”

The cleric said that most of the topics are mere “fallacies and heretics,” laced with unsound arguments, targeted at attracting an audience to Mr Damina through “content creating hype rather than being correct and spiritual.”

Unlike the two main Christian groups – the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs is relatively new in the country, and it is not clear when it was founded.

Two clerics in Akwa Ibom State, Ifiok Essien and Emmanuel Udoatta, told PREMIUM TIMES they had never heard of the name before.

They are bunch of jokers seeking relevance, Damina fires back

Mr Damina, the founder of Power City International in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State is known for stirring controversy through his Christian teachings.

In a live Facebook video, responding to the allegations against him, Mr Damina said he had served as the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria National Youth President for eight years and that he had never heard of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs.

He said the group did not send him the letter directly, but someone drew his attention to it based on his response so that the public is not misled.

“I am not even aware of its existence. It is a situation of notice me by force,” he said, describing the group as a “bunch of jokers” seeking to be relevant.

Mr Damina said the entire group needed to join his discipleship class to listen to his teachings because their conclusions mean they have never listened to any of his teachings completely.

“They are looking at how to malign me. They said I am heretic; therefore, they have decided that I am no more a representative of the Body of Christ in Nigeria. What a laugh – what an effrontery – what audacity.”

Mr Damina refuted the group’s claim that he said “there is no heaven”, emphasising that he never said so.

“I have never said there’s no heaven. I only said the heaven the Bible teaches is not the heaven in the sky. The heaven the Bible teaches is the heaven of the immaterial. So, for this body to say I said there’s no heaven it means this body is a bunch of jokers.”

He also refuted the claim that he said “Jesus is not coming back” and offered explanations to what he said.

“I never said that Jesus is not coming back but I took time to explain the concept of Jesus’ coming back as an appearance. The Bible says He will appear. They who seek for the Lord, the Lord shall appear. We that are with him shall appear with Him in glory and I took time to explain the appearance of Christ which is what we called the rapture or the second coming of Christ,” Mr Damina said.

“They said that I also said you don’t need God to succeed. Yes, I said that but that is the conclusion of the argument and the explanation was that when it comes to material things and material wealth God doesn’t get involved in making people succeed.

“Because when you said it is God who made people materially rich and others materially poor, therefore, it means God is responsible for class in society and we never saw such teachings from Jesus nor did we see such teachings from the apostle.

“They also said that I said heaven is a scam. I never said that. What I said is that heaven at last is a scam. Again, they are quoting me out of context and saying what I never said. They are a bunch of unserious people,” he said.