Why I Stopped Attending Church — Comedian AY

Nigerian comedian, actor and filmmaker Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, has revealed why he stopped attending church.

Speaking in a video shared on his social media page on Sunday, AY said he did not stop going to church because he lost his faith in God. Instead, he decided to stay away because of the public criticism and negative stories that followed his divorce.

According to him, he still worships online from time to time but chose to avoid attending church physically because he did not want to become the subject of gossip.

“For some time now, I stopped attending church not because I stopped believing in God or lost my faith. I was actually navigating a very personal season; the negative narrative put out on the blogs against me.

“So, I chose to step back quietly. Part of that decision was because I didn’t want to become the subject of whispered conversations,” AY said.

The comedian also revealed that he later joined another church and began worshipping there. However, he became discouraged after he was removed from a church programme he had already been invited to because the church said it was concerned about public perception.

AY said the incident made him question the true purpose of the church.

“Shouldn’t the church be the safest place to find truth, grace, and restoration? If people cannot run to God’s house when life becomes heavy on them, where are they meant to run to? The clueless people who just post negative comments on social media or go ahead and judge you without even knowing the root of whatever happened? Or the few friends who would skilfully avoid you because of public perception?” he asked.

He stressed that the church should be a place where people find grace, acceptance and restoration, rather than judgment and condemnation.