Religion
RCCG: 63 YEARS ON
JULIUS JOHN
Redeemed Christian Church of God marks the end of its calendar year (and the beginning of another) with an annual convention. Here is the journey of the church so far.
Redemption Camp
The theme of this year’s RCCG convention, ‘The All sufficient God’, is particularly apt. When Rev. Josiah Akindayomi initially received the divine call to establish the Redeemed Christian Church of God, he was not fully convinced. At the period, prior to 1952, he was a young Christian who moved to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church after being baptized at the CMS church four years earlier as an 18 year old. To convince Akindayomi, God assured him that he would no longer suffer and sweat unduly to make ends meet, once the call to establish the living church is heeded. Following his obedience, God was true to his word. Akindayomi’s foray into the Ministry, despite starting with the Fellowship tagged “Egbe Ogo Oluwa “ with only seven foundation members, put an end to his years of struggling to make ends meet.
According to the founder, the name “The Redeemed Christian Church of God’’ came to him in a vision, and the church emphasized restitution as a doctrine in its complete sense. It was a church where worshippers were known for weeping over their remorsefulness and the conviction to truly adopt complete holiness.
From the onset, and as the church grew Akindayomi already knew who would become his successor, although the successor, Enoch Adejare Adeboye did not join the church until 1973. And like the founder, Adeboye was not keen to be the next head of the then well-established church. In fact, despite Akindayomi’s reiteration of the vision he had that the intellectual Adeboye – Who taught mathematics at the University of Ilorin after leaving University of Lagos, and boasting a PhD- was the one chosen by God to succeed him, the young lecturer would rather not shoulder the responsibility. Although he was ordained a pastor in 1975, Adeboye resisted the headship to the point of asking others to pray with him while they were on a trip to the USA with the founder in 1979, all in a bid to change God’s mind!
Eventually, in 1980, when Akindayomi died, Adeboye stepped into his shoes, obeying the call of God like his predecessor. Adeboye took over 39 parishes of RCCG, but 35 years down the line, the church boasts over 20,000 parishes worldwide. The establishment of Model Parishes since 1998, Holy Ghost Services held as from 1985, and foreign missions all contributed to propel the church forward, till reaching present, unprecedented height.
The annual convention and Holy Ghost service was initially held at the National Headquarters of the Church in Ebute Metta, Lagos, but the need arose to seek larger space, prompting the relocation to Ajebo, Ogun State, over 25 years ago. However, the Ajebo camp grounds also became too small for the fast –growing church, which had to move to the present site along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, which was initially a bit larger than the Ajebo Site. Although only a third of the first auditorium by the entrance at the main gate was filled during the Holy Ghost Service by the middle of 1990, the first auditorium witnessed three extensions before the annual camp meeting was moved to the second auditorium in 1996.
The second auditorium went through a number of expansions before it became obvious that the capacity was again inadequate, prompting the movement to the current grounds christened the Arena in 2005. Structurally, the Arena has also been expanded thrice, before the beginning of the construction of the new auditorium, huge enough to sit 12 million worshippers, where this year’s convention is being held.
Meanwhile, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has announced the retirement of 20 senior pastors who have attained the retirement age of 70.
The church announced their retirement at the conclusion of this year’s ministers’ conference. Six of the pastors reportedly received awards for Excellence, while 14 others bagged award for Fruitfulness.
They also got a plaque and some undisclosed amount of money for their meritorious service.
Similarly, the church gave Long Service award to some of its pastors who have put in 20 years and more years to the work of God.
Pastor Boniface Okenwa, a regional pastor, was among the beneficiaries. During the church’s convention, 9,170 deacons and deaconesses are expected to be ordained by the RCCG General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
Meanwhile, Adeboye has advised his pastors not to break their fast with solid food.
He told them that pap is best for breaking fast, noting that, it takes a while for the body to begin to absorb solid food. The advice may not be unconnected with the incident of breakdown of some pastors who had consumed solid food after fasting for days.
