Job Osazuwa
Sunday November 24 was a day of dance, praise and unlimited joy for members of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) at Pipeline Road, Abule-Egba in Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.
Although it was founded in 1991, the church, popularly known as Ago Adura was celebrating its 17th year of spreading the gospel through various mass media, especially radio and television. The media crusade is tagged Ago Salvation Ministry (AGOSALM).
Men and women, old and young were beautifully dressed, mainly in native attires. The choristers were in their best elements as they sang out their hearts. The church’s main auditorium was filled to the brim; even the large canopy mounted at the premises accommodated hundreds of congregants.
The name of the church – Ago Adura in Yoruba, which means tabernacle of prayer, is indeed an obvious reflection of what the church stands for. Right from the blast of the service, the congregation was charged into a protracted prayer session by the General Overseer, Prophet Titus Adeniyi Jegede. At every interval, the people broke into aggressive prayers.
The prophet stressed the importance of thanking God for His goodness and mercies. Reading from Psalm 150, he said God has mandated everything that has breath to praise Him forever.
Saying that there were immense benefits of working in unity, he called on all the churches under the umbrella of CAC to pursue their divine mandate of winning souls through togetherness.
“Church work is not politics. It is not a call to compete with one another. Some people just want to start their own church. Please don’t leave where you are meant to stay. Those who go about saying all sorts of unfounded things and tarnishing the image of the church should desist from such acts.
“I will not be tired of praying for this nation. Some persons have challenged me in the past for praying for President Muhammadu Buhari. But I will always pray for our leaders because you can never know what they are passing through when you are looking from afar. Also, praying for our leaders is the right thing to do according to the Bible,” he said.
The Chairman, Council of Elders in the church, Mr. Adesola Adigun, described Prophet Jegede as a prayer warrior who could pray for 24 hours non-stop for the spiritual and physical growth of his members. He said that God has used him to bless many people spiritually and in other areas.
“At times, people think that our general overseer is using some strange power because of the different miracles that have been recorded in this parish, but those of us that are close to him know that his secret is fervent prayers. Even the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing,” he stated.
The personal adviser to the general overseer, Pastor Gold John Erilibe said prophet had been on air in the last 17 years teaching Nigerians how to live a righteous and purpose-driven life. He added that the prophet had also helped in restoring normalcy to broken homes.
“Our father in the Lord has been on air teaching Nigerians moral values and how families can have peaceful homes for the benefit of the society. You will agree with me that there have been many broken homes because the partners lack tolerance, God’s love and other Biblical teachings.
“Many people have testified to how the man of God has positively turned around their homes. Many pastors from other churches come here to pray and connect to the faith of the general overseer,” he said.
Secretary of Council of Elders, Pastor Niyi Onifade, who said that he has been a member of the church for 27 years, told the reporter that Ago Adura adds value to people’s lives.
His words: “Since I joined this place, my life has continued to be transformed. I have benefited in the area of spiritual growth even in my business. The church might not be that attractive as some people might say, but that is not our priority in CAC. The question one should be asking is that, are the people beautiful? When we are talking about church, we mean the people not the building.”
The Chairman, Church Societies, Pastor Samuel Opajobi said that the prophet does not joke with the spiritual and physical wellbeing of the congregation. He described the founder as a selfless leader who always denies himself of certain comforts in life to make his followers okay.
An elder in the church, Adegbite Abayomi said that he has no regret since he joined the tabernacle in 1997.
“When you are at a church and everything is going well with you, then you have no cause to start running from pillar to post. Our secret of success is prayer and praises,” he said.