By Luke Okoro
September 18, 2022 was a Sunday for Igbogbo District of The Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria to celebrate it’s Sixth Annual General Membership Thanksgiving Service. The occasion was sober, reflecting it’s spiritual essence. Yet it was a time of pump and ceremony, exhibiting the joy and happiness of the congregants and their leadership, under Rev Peter Oyetayo, a veterinary doctor and his wife, Rev Kikelomo, as District Overseer, to appreciate God for seeing them through another church year just ended.
In attendance included Pastor Kunle Adio, a senior government official of the Lagos State and his wife, Gbekele Adio,a director in the Lagos ministry of education. Pastor Adio is also Secretary of the District. Rev Sophia Vanderpuye, immediate past registrar of LIFE Theological Seminary, Ikorodu, whose introduction was greeted with sustained ovation because many of the ministers passed through her at LIFE.
Rev Segun Ehimisan, a notable Nigerian evangelist and Pastor Lookman Ganiyu, a senior Lagos lawyer as well as all the Zonal Superintendents which included Rev Johnson Obalana, Rev PK Oyeniyi and Rev Bunmi Folarin with their wives among others. This reporter, Luke Okoro is also a member of the District Pastorate.
The chairman of the Planning Committee, Pastor Francis Adebayo, an engineer, in his opening remarks noted that the theme of the Annual Convocation: Greater Future , taken from Genesis 18:18-19 and 2Timothy 2:2; was meant to usher the District into her next phase of growth and higher attainments in all spheres– spiritual and physical. According to him , at age six, the District should begin to run with her children , teenagers and youth with the diligent guidance of the fading generation , as apostle Paul guided young Timothy. And as Abraham also tutored his household to follow after his God– the God of Abraham’, Isaac and Jacob for their total wellbeing. ” Greater Future stands sure for those who will trust and obey Him completely”, he remarked.
Welcoming the congregation, Oyetayo encouraged the Church not to accept defeat or failure, despite the challenging times the country is passing through. He noted that the District must be determined to double it’s congregation in the year ahead because God is able to do all things, according to His power that works in His Church.
Ministrying during the Thanksgiving Service, Oyetayo stressed the need for believers to conceive ideas that can propel them to their Greater Future. Given that ideas rule the world, the District Overseer counselled his church people to appreciate that God will bless the ideas they have, and through them fulfil His purpose for His church.
” In the year ahead, see your greater future, envision your greater future and pursue your greater future without compromise as Joseph, Ruth and Daniel did. And obtaineth excellent results. God is always there to help you”, he concluded.
Earlier at the Business Meeting held on Saturday September 10, Adio had told the delegates that the District made some progress during the church year in review with one of the ministers, Pastor Elijah Olaogun licensed while some others were inducted as ministers. Two had earlier been ordained as senior ministers.
Some of the key elements of the convocation were the Power Night Vigil during which the guest minister Rev, Dr Bukola Oluwagbemiga urged believers to challenge the status quo because the purpose of God is to give everybody a Greater Future. Giving a brief of his personal testimony, he noted that he was held down by satanic forces for several years after college until Jesus came to his rescue, by opening his eyes to war against those forces . Today, according to him, he holds a doctorate with two others in view. And would be handing over to his children a foundation that is anchored in God through Jesus Christ. He affirmed that believers whose knowledge of God and the Bible is shallow would always be captives of compromised future. Such believers would remain stagnated in their lives’ journey. He prayed to liberate brethren from satanic foundations, debilitating sicknesses and diseases as well as for salvation and open doors of opportunities of growth and greater attainments in life and ministry. It was indeed a pleasant night of prayer, impartation of wisdom , dance, drama and songs.
A training session also held during the Business Meeting, saw the Registrar of LIFE, Rev Mrs Delight Oyedeji challenging church leaders to ensure constant and consistent training of their members because God can use anybody to achieve His purpose. Noting that anybody could be trained, the seasoned educator insisted that training sharpens the believer, thereby making them more useful in the hand of God. She urged believers to learn to commit God’s word to memory because ‘ you will need it in times of spiritual warfare’. She gave a testimony of how a step mother would have killed her in a dream that came to real life, but for the Word of God she applied in that dream to defeat her attacker. She spoke on: Equipping the Saints.
.The minister in charge of Christian Education in the District, Pastor Mrs Comfort Ojo appreciated the Guest Lecturer, with a plea that all churches should strive to train and develop their members because that is the way to go in the 21st century. More so, if the Foursquare organisation must remain relevant in the KINGDOM BUSINESS.
There were drama, recitations and songs ministrations and felicitations from the National Office and other Districts to garnish the Sixth Annual Igbogbo Convocation of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria whose current General Overseer is Rev Sam Aboyeji, a retired seasoned oil man.
