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Pastor E. A. Adeboye caused a minor stir among ministers and workers of RCCG in North America last week when he told them that "I am already on my way out," trying to urge them not to be weary in realising the goal of winning over the US and Canada for God.
Pastor E. A. Adeboye caused a minor stir among ministers and workers of RCCG in North America last week when he told them that "I am already on my way out," trying to urge them not to be weary in realising the goal of winning over the US and Canada for God.
Adeboye was in the US last week for the annual Ministers conference of the church in the US and Canada held at the church's Redemption Camp in Dallas, in the state of Texas, a site seating on 580 acres of land, which the church now owns. The conference, whose theme was 'The Secrets of Increase," was preceded earlier by an annual Holy Ghost service conducted by Adeboye titled "Let There be Light."
On day one of the conference, Adeboye declared a prophecy and asked his ministers and church workers to take over America for God in his own time. "I don't want to waste the little time I have left, I am 64 already and in the second half of my game." The G.O. as he is fondly called even in the US added that it was important for ministers and workers to remain serious and "observe to do all the Lord has commanded us," with a huge emphasis on all.
Later Adeboye observed "when I keep saying I am on my way out, I don't mean I will die this year, but I can't live for another 64 years, I don't want to." He disclosed that last year alone the church added over 4,000 new parishes in Nigeria. In the US and Canada, there are now 281 parishes-all within 10 years.
Even US media has published stories celebrating the advance of RCCG in the US. The Associated Press did a story titled "Religious Fervour Spills Over into US." According to the report referring to the RCCG activities in the US "a church most people have never heard of is planning to save America. Its leaders believe Jesus has sent them to spread a difficult truth in the United States: Demonic forces are corrupting society, and only spiritual warfare can stop them."
Further the AP report said in describing the multimillion dollar Redemption Camp that the church is building in the US: "Fifty miles north of Dallas, the church is building a multimillion-dollar national headquarters and conference complex on more ... acres of farmland in rural Floyd, Texas. The site is expected to draw thousands of followers for marathon prayer meetings."
In its own report, the New York Times said The people of Hunt County, a largely rural area of which Greenville is the "Redeemed Christian Church of God is a fast-growing evangelical church with mostly black adherents but that espouses a multicultural mission. Founded in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1952, it is building its North American headquarters on the outskirts of Greenville," ie in Texas.
The paper continued: "The church's goal, according to its mission statement, is to establish parishes within five minutes' driving distance of every family in every city and town in the United States. It is now about 250 parishes closer to its goal. The church has paid more than $1 million for about 500 acres of land in Floyd."
Commenting on the progress made by the RCCG in US, Adeboye recalled how the church started in America. He said he asked some church members who were relocating to America in the 90s to start something, but many had been reluctant until "I ordered him" referring to Pastor James Fadele, a former Senior Deign Engineer with America's number 1 Fortune 500 company-Ford Motor Company, who was based in Detroit, in the state of Michigan.
Adeboye said it was at the basement of Fadele, now the Chairman of the RCCG-NA board of coordinating pastors in the US, that the first RCCG fellowship started.
Investigations showed that was how the Winners Chapel in Detroit was formed and about the same time, the International Chapel was opened in New York by Pastor Olu Obed, another RCCG pastor who relocated to the US. Today there are 281 parishes of the church in the US and Canada, organised into 19 zones, with 20 coordinators-one for each zone, and another Coordinator for Special Projects.
Adeboye relishing in the convenant that God had with the Church's founder Pastor Josiah Akindayomi, also disclosed that in April, the RCCG opened its first parish in Dubai, UAE. Similarly he presided over a conference also in April for ministers in Asia. He said the conference drew participants from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Giving God the glory and adding that over 750 ministers attended the Asia conference in India, the G.O. observed that "It's not me, it is the convenant that God has with this church.