The Nation Newspaper

Category: worship

  • FRCM set for 60th anniversary

    FRCM set for 60th anniversary

    By Adeola Ogunlade

    All is set for the Faith Revivalists Christian Mission (FRCM), Aladura, Lagos to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

    The event starts on December 4 with a service.

    Read Also: Methodist Choir marks 103 anniversary

    The church, which broke away from Holy Temple of Christ Church, was founded on December 6, 1962, by Senior Apostle Festus Fatoyinbo Oshoko; Pastor Oyebola Oluga, Prophet Emmanuel Olagbemiga Bella and Elder Joseph Abina Taiwo, among others.

    At a briefing to announce the celebration, the church’s Pastor/Spiritual Head, Pastor Alfred Bamidele Taiwo, said the event was worth celebrating because “It is a milestone. It is worth it. Sixty years is no joke. God has been with the church. When we started, the Deputy Pastor, Prophet Olaseni Olatoye Oluga and Assistant Pastor, Most Evangelist Olajide Oladeinde Oluga and l were youths. God spared our lives and kept us to this stage. Now we are elders,” he said.

    He said it was perseverance that had brought the church this far. He urged the youth to be patient and that success is not achieved in one day.

    He advised the government to return to God to get solutions to the problems of the country. “Many politicians are humble. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,” he added.

    On the forthcoming general elections, he asked Nigerians to come out and vote en masse.

    Prophet Oluga said the church does not play with its youths as it has special programmes for them. He however warned the youth against exuberance, saying it would rob them of God’s kingdom.

    The church’s Assistant Pastor, Most Evangelist Oluga, said the celebration would take off with a memorial service for its departed leaders and members.

    Other activities are: Divine Service which will feature Venerable Segun Oladesu as guest speaker, December 6; visitation to SOS Village and Old Peoples Home, Yaba, December 7; medical outreach December 9, musical concert the following day and these would be rounded up with a thanksgiving at the church headquarters in Somolu.

  • MFM to showcase 25 gospel artistes for global relevance

    MFM to showcase 25 gospel artistes for global relevance

    By Adeola Ogunlade

    In its quest toward promoting gospel artistes for global relevance and impact, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries is set to launch 25 soul gospel singers from the church on the 4th of December at Eko Hotels and Suite.

    The General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Daniel Olukoya announced this at a briefing held ahead of the maiden edition and launch of the Psalmists Concert which will showcase 25 members of the church whose albums will be officially released at the event.

    He said that initiative was birthed as part of the repositioning agenda of the ministry in promoting destinies and his commitment in discouraging youths from engaging in destructive acts.

    Olukoya spoke through Pastor Pius Oragwu, Administrator/ Chairman MFM Praise Worship Association, stating:

    “The initiative of the Psalmists Concert is of positive impact on Nigerian society and other countries.

    “When you consider hunger, poverty, insecurity and other things, you will find out that the Nigerian masses need encouragement and comfort, they need hope. But there is another source for hope and comfort than God’s words as far as our situation is concerned.”

    Olukoya said that although MFM is known for prayer and deliverance, “this time around, we want to lift souls through our music.

    Read Also: Olukoya dedicates six MFM regions in Ota

    “We are coming out for the body of Christ to know what we are blessed with in the ministry.”

    Olukoya himself is a musician who has composed about hundred songs and said, “now God has brought out another psalmist tagged: ‘New song in my mouth.’ The song is an inspiring one, and as a result of that, we are launching 25 artistes.”

    Pastor Olukoya said such a thing has never happened in our church before, saying the 25 artistes that would be unveiled to bless the body of Christ. “We want people to know we are not just for prayer and deliverance alone. We are using the music to take 25 people out of the street and reposition destiny in the church. The song will help a lot of people who are depressed and lift a lot of souls. We placed a premium on spirituality, whoever listens to the music will feel God’s presence and its impact all through.

    “One of the basic reasons we are launching on December 4, at Eko Hotel and Suite is to make them compete with other artistes outside. We want to showcase the talents God has blessed the ministry with, God brought out the Psalmist from the praise and worship group of the church. It is not just about singing songs, it must be inspiring one.

    “The music must sound spiritual and impactful also not to entertain but to minister to people, it was when the announcement was made that people started to come out across the country. What we are doing has never happened in the history of any church launching 25 artistes at the same time. We are launching them out to be a blessing to everyone and shouldn’t be us alone. We want the world to know we are not for deliverance alone and we are also good at music.

    “The basic reason for the music is to take destiny out of the street and reposition the destinies for better and promote them for better.”

    According to the Psalmist Coordinator, Pastor Paul Winners, the music from the artistes are soul lifting and impactful .

    “We want people to come and see what God has done in the life of our ministry as we present talented artistes.”

  • Institute honours Oyedepo, Onochuku, Pitan, others

    Institute honours Oyedepo, Onochuku, Pitan, others

    The Institute of Business Administration and Knowledge Management (IBAKM), has honoured the President of Living Faith Church, Worldwide, Dr. David Oyedepo, with its first global companion award.

    The Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Professor Okechuku Onochuku; the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Industry, Mr. Olukayode Pitan, were also honoured as a fellow of the institute.

    The Global Executive, Vice President of IBAKM, Dr. Monday Anyaire, announced the conferment of the award during the 3rd Annual International Conference of the Institute at the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.

    The event was organised in collaboration with Eudoxia Research University, New Castle, USA and Eudoxia Research Centre, New Delhi, India.

    At the two-day conference tagged: ‘Business Administration and Knowledge Management,’ Anyaire said the award had not been conferred on anybody since the inception of the institute.

    “The IBAKM decided to honour Bishop Oyedepo, who is also the Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota because he has contributed positively to human development,” he said.

    Read Also: Oyedepo charges youths on time management, self-discipline

    Earlier, in his Welcome address, the Global President and Chairman, International Advisory Council, Dr.  Gungadhar Joshi, said IBAKM was a unique and innovative global professional body duly licensed by the Federal Government and statutorily empowered to train people on innovation and human capital development.

    Joshi said the conference provided an opportunity for qualified candidates to be inducted and certified as fellows.

    He noted that Bishop Oyedepo had done remarkably well in all spheres of life and contributed to the growth and development of many people.

    Also speaking at the event, the Director in charge of Conferences and Events Management, IBAKM, Dr. Patrick Okpah said there was no other reason why the award was given to Bishop Oyedepo other than the fact he had greatly impacted visionary leadership, administration as well as humanity. “That is the reason Bishop Oyedepo is being celebrated today,” he said.

    Okpah said the institute was determined to raise a crop of leaders and professionals who would make valuable contributions to various professions, cultures, religions, education and polity.

    “We need to raise professionals by inculcating in them the culture of professionalism, knowledge sharing and understanding.

    “And if that happens, we know that the world will be transformed positively and that is why the institute is in Nigeria for the conference,” he said.

    He said the institute had members who were doing wonders across the five continents of the world.

    In his response, David Oyedepo, represented by his son, David (Junior), thanked the institute and commended its leadership for the honour bestowed on his father.

    Oyedepo implored IBAKM to continue to impact society positively.

  • BSN to dedicate Nigerian sign language bible stories

    BSN to dedicate Nigerian sign language bible stories

    By Adeola Ogunlade

    The Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) is set to dedicate 77 Chronological Bible stories (CBS) in the Nigerian sign language on Saturday, November 26 at The Bible Guest House Research and Development Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State

    A statement by BSN Manager, Media and Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Mordi, said the dedication will take place where the BSN has its deaf translation centre.
    He said the sign language bible, which is in video format and available on memory stick, is designed to meet the scripture needs of those with hearing challenges. The Bible stories, though expensive, are distributed free of charge to the deaf community.

    Read Also: Bible Society holds 55th National Board Meeting

    “The first 77 chronological bible stories for the deaf were dedicated in 2014. 33 and 35 stories were added in 2017 and 2021 respectively. The dedication of additional 77 stories will bring the total chronological Bible stories in the Nigerian Sign Language to 222. With this, the translation of the full Bible in the Nigerian Sign Language, beginning with the Book of Matthew, commenced effective October 1, 2022,” he said.

    Mordi restated that BSN is committed to breaking any known barriers that make the word of God inaccessible to people. The sighted, the blind, and the deaf now have unhindered access to the word of God in Nigeria.

    AdeolaThe Prelate of the Presbyterian Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Ekpeyoung Akpanika will be the Chairman of the event while the Director, Ecumenism, Nigerian Baptist Convention, Reverend Dr. Testimony Onifade is the guest speaker.

  • Rhema Church sets for 31st convention, urges good governance

    Rhema Church sets for 31st convention, urges good governance

    The Rhema Christian Church & Towers has announced activities for its 31st Rhema World Convention scheduled for 6th to 13th November at the Church’s international headquarters in Sango Otta, Ogun State.

    Briefing journalists on Wednesday, Presiding Bishop of the Church, Taiwo Akinola, said the 2022 convention is going to be a new level of experience in the power of the Holy Spirit.

    “The Convention theme is, “The God that answers by fire ” taken from the book of 1 Kings 18:24. We believe God is going to use it to bring dramatic solutions to all our life’s challenges as well as usher in a fresh power of divine interventions to all rotten dimensions of our national life.

    “The Convention will commence at 9am, on Sunday, November 6th 2022 with the Anniversary Lecture at the Church headquarters and, thereafter, the Great Opening Ceremony will take place by 5:00pm the same day.

    “From Monday 7th to Friday 11th November, we shall be having Morning Prayer Rain (6am), Encounter Miracle Service (10am), Annual Ministers’ Conference (12noon) and Evening Word Feast / Miracle Rally (5:30pm).

    “There shall be specialised welfare packages for the less privileged from all walks of life and those in need of certain essentials of life during the evening sessions. Also, there shall be medical welfare at the same time.

    Read Also: Church donates furniture to Lagos school, rewards teachers

    “However, as usual, on Friday night, 11th November, from 8pm, we would hold our Annual Hosanna Night — an explosive night of High Praise, Power, Worship and Wonders.

    “The Convention Grand Finale, with annual Family Thanksgiving, Communion, Ordination and Commissioning Service will be held at 9am on Sunday, 13th November 2022, all at the same venue.

    Speaking on the state of the nation, Bishop Akinola tasked the government on promulgating good policies that will turn the fortune of the country around.

    He said unless Nigeria increases its foreign reserves, reduces its appetite for foreign loans, and boosts local production to depend less on the importation of goods including refined petroleum products, the Naira will continue its downward slide.

    “We believe that the Government must make concerted and well thought-out efforts to improve its fiscal policies to shore up the Naira and check its consistent downward slide. We certainly need better measures than our mere perennial cosmetic approaches.

    On inflation, Bishop Akinola said there is no gainsaying that more Nigerians are living below the poverty line as a result of high inflation, high cost of food items, transportation as well as the cost of goods and services.

    “As a Church, we are concerned about the recently released cost of living statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which put the inflation rate in Nigeria at 20.8%, the highest in 17 years.

    “We also sympathse with those who were affected by the flood, and called on Governments, and well-meaning Nigerians to rehabilitate all the victims and provide relief materials for their welfare.

    “We are appealing to the Governments at all levels to urgently restructure our economic system, develop sincere courage to fight corruption, and address the issue of unemployment in the better interests of employable youths and a more beautiful future for the country at large. Certainly, concrete efforts must be exerted to tackle the twin challenge of unemployment and poverty,” he added.

    Ministers expected at the event include Dr. Kunle Adesina, Bishop Jide Orire and a host of other apostolic ministers.

  • This Present House organises men empowerment programme

    This Present House organises men empowerment programme

    This Present House, as part of its commitment to enhance the socio-economic wellbeing of the people while also transforming the economic fortunes of the nation, has concluded plans to further lift the hope, aspiration, and empower more men through its life-transforming programme, Better Man Conference 2022

    The 2022 conference with the theme “The Emergence: Unveiling the total man, will host eminent thought leaders, mentors, industry leaders and key stakeholders from various walks of life who will be on stage to share their insightful thoughts and life-changing experiences on how to be a better man.

    The event, which will hold from Friday, 21st to Sunday, 23rd of October 2022 is an annual conference that is poised to better the lots of men by exposing them to more practical and realistic approach to optimizing their full potential.

    The experience will be unique as great men and business leaders will share the stage to drive conversations and share mind-blowing insights on how men can rediscover themselves, optimize their potential, as well as become change agents in the nation. The conference will hold at The Freedom Center, This Present House, 1, Freedom Way, Lekki and it will also be streamed online to reach a wider audience. Some of the key speakers at the event include:

    Pastor Jude Nwoko, Dr. Sola Fola Alade, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Dr. Andy Osakwe, among other powerful speakers who will be on ground to help reshape mindsets and public understanding by fine-tuning and engendering a more positive mental attitude to life, business, and families in the journey towards the emergence of the real man.

    It is noteworthy that the economic realities are having a toll on individuals, businesses, marriages and homes. The good news is that there is hope and the opportunities are boundless and this and many more are some of the low-hanging fruits that these visionaries will feed the audience with. Other notable speakers at the conference include: Mr Leke Adler, Mr. Lanre Olushola, Pastor Kemela Okara and a host of others.

  • Omesiete charges emerging artistes on collaboration

    Omesiete charges emerging artistes on collaboration

    The Chief Executive Officer of Camc Media Solutions, Mr. Benjamin Omesiete, has called on emerging artists to desist from collecting handouts from A-list artists but ensure mutually beneficial collaboration.

    Omesiete said this at ‘Music and Meet event which was put together by Mr. Benjamin Omesiete, in partnership with Blue Africa Media in Lagos.

    The event had talent managers, content creators, scriptwriters, entertainment lawyers, music promoters, and brand managers.

    Read Also; ‘Star gospel artistes should mentor upcoming ones’

    He disclosed that artists in the southeast suffer from a lack of strategic collaborations and support from the grass-root level up to the a-list level.

    He further highlighted that effective collaboration is not a one-sided favour, hence, emerging talents should desist from looking for handouts or favors from a-list artists or promoters but instead start seeking ideas and projects that would be mutually beneficial to both parties.

  • RCCG holds CSR in Lagos community

    RCCG holds CSR in Lagos community

    The Pastor in charge of Lagos Province 1 who doubles as the Assistant Pastor in charge of Region 1, The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Samuel Olaniyan, has called on public-spirited bodies and individuals to key into the saying that the government cannot do it alone and go out of their ways to put smiles on the faces of the members of their communities.

    He said this during the exercise tagged: “Christian Social Responsibility” carried out by a large number of Love Assembly members, RCCG which featured street lighting, house numbering, and street cleaning.

    “We are embarking on these three projects at the same time in our community where the headquarters of the church is located which I describe as an integrated intervention with a view to giving back to them and making our presence felt.

    “We are fixing street lights, starting from our street, Adefowope Street, to be followed by other streets for security reasons. We are clearing the drains to rid the community of rodents, mosquitoes, and other health hazards and mitigate flooding. We are also numbering our streets to enable strangers with good intentions to locate their destination without hassle inconsistent with modern practice” he said.

    Read Also: RCCG ordains 2,000 pastors at convention

    Olaniyan said the projects would enable those who are against the church to re-think and realize that as God loves and cares, so does the church.

    He said the church has a permanent medical outreach program twice a month for members of the community.

    Chairman, Ilupeju Central Community Development Association, Kole Abe described the three-in-one project as very commendable.

    He called on other churches and spiritual bodies to emulate Love Assembly, giving back to their communities.

    Assistant Pastor in charge of Christian Social Responsibility, Lagos Province 1, Oluwasegun Olatona gave the cost of the project at over a million naira.

    He called to remember the Province’s CSR project, carried out for all the youth in the Province and some youths in secondary schools in Lagos. He said the Church collaborated with Yaba Psychiatric Hospital to sensitize the youth to the danger of drug abuse.

    He promised a robust programme with a resource person on parenting to teach the parents how to identify the signs of drug indulgence in their children.

  • ‘Star gospel artistes should mentor upcoming ones’

    ‘Star gospel artistes should mentor upcoming ones’

    Oyewole Philips Oluwatobi, better known by his stage name Philipiano is a gospel musician, producer and entrepreneur from Osun State. He is a student at University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the crooner of the viral ‘sapa no fit catch me’ song.

    In an interview with EMMANUEL OCHAYI, he spoke about his musical career, his latest song and how he plans to make sure gospel music is better appreciated than secular music. EXCERPTS:

    Tell us about your music. What can listeners expect when they listen to Philipiano on stage?

    My music is a simple composition of the gospel in melody that people across all spheres can relate with easily, sing along and vibe. So people listen to Philipiano they get the melody free in their minds even after the experience.

    What is the title of your live recording and tell me about it?

    My live recording was themed “Kingdom Inside Out” due to the revelation of what the Lord is set to do in these season through the sounds released. They are sounds that set up the kingdom of God in the hearts of men and they carry it to every sphere of influence and institutions. Hence, ‘Kingdom Inside Out’. We are recording about 6 songs and one is dropping soon entitled ‘Ekoyipada’.

    Why did you venture into gospel music?

    I’d say it’s totally a conviction from God and that’s what God called me to do. So do I have a choice? I might, but I choose to go with the best! Which is gospel music.

    Read Also: My switch from secular to gospel music intentional – Kcee

    Where do you draw out inspiration from for your present recording and other recordings?

    The Scripture says: ‘There’s a spirit in man and the inspiration from God gives him understanding’, so I get my inspiration directly from God to my spirit, then I use musical knowledge I have acquired over the years to arrange and process.

    What are your plans for the future and what do you hope to achieve?

    I plan to take gospel through music to the ends of the earth especially among this generation of young people and the ones to come. I want to bring gospel music to the mainstream that it would be more appreciated in the world, even more than secular music.

    Who is your role model as a gospel artiste?

    Dunsin Oyekan; I love him so much. Shout out to him he has been a big inspiration to a lot of us.

    What are your concerns for the gospel music industry?

    I think prominent gospel artists should try to reach out more to upcoming hands that’s are mature enough but need that platform push. These kind of opportunities are not very much available in the gospel industry and things should change.

    Do you think gospel music can ever be appreciated as much as secular music in Nigeria?

    With the way things are going, give us a few moments, gospel music is about to take over everywhere.

    What are your biggest fear in life?

    I don’t think I have any fear maybe in my past . But right now with God on my side, I don’t have any fear in life. What is there to fear really?

  • BSN marathon bible reading holds

    BSN marathon bible reading holds

    Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) has concluded plans for the 20th edition of its annual Marathon Bible Reading scheduled to hold on Sunday, September 4, at Williams Memorial Methodist Church, Ago-Ijaiye, Ebute-Meta, Lagos.

    In a statement issued by The Manager, Media, and Public RR, (BSN), Benjamin Mordi, the programme, which will be declared open by the General Secretary/CEO of the organization, Pastor Samuel Sanusi, and will take place in Lagos and 18 other states across the country from Monday – Friday, September 5 – 9.

    Read Also:MFM investigates pastor over illegal deliverance centre

    He said that Marathon Bible Reading, which is designed to stimulate the dying culture of reading the Bible and encourage people to read the Word of God for their blessing and growth, allows the participants to read the Bible uninterrupted between 9am and 5 pm daily in their own languages at the different centres.

    Mordi added that the participants, irrespective of age, profession, or sex, will have a three-fold joy by participating. Apart from reading the Bible in their languages, they will help someone else hear the Word of God in a new way and join others in the continuous reading of the Bible.