 |
| Pastor Amos Dada |
Pastor Amos Dada is the District Superintendent and Pastor-in-charge of Christ Apostolic Church Bethel Toronto and Director of Mission CAC Bethel District of North America. He is a Chemical Engineer by training and a Preacher, Teacher, Pastor, and Evangelist by calling. Prior his calling he got his Bachelor’s (1981) and Masters degree(1984) from University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University),he proceeded to earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Benin(1995) where he was the first to attain that feat in that University.
In this exclusive interview with the publisher of CAC NEWS, Mr. Oluwagbenga Bankole, Pastor Amos Dada speaks on this year’s edition of the annual International Gathering of Eagles, the aims and objectives of the conference, appointment of Prophet Hezekiah Oluboye as the new General Evangelist of CAC Worldwide and other topical issues. Excerpt !
Kindly tell us about International Gathering of Eagles
To the glory of God after a successful career as a Chemical Engineer with NNPC in Nigeria I retired and relocated to Canada to start practicing what I called Jesus Engineering. When God told me to relocate to Canada, the question was - like that of Paul in Acts Chapter 9. "Lord what do you want me to do?" After years of seeking his face He told me to raise an eagle generation of believers and to put Canada on the Spiritual map of the world.What do you mean by an Eagle Generation, Lord? He told me he has many children in our generation who claim that they are Christians but they live like chickens and cocoons instead of eagles. They are Christians that cannot be trusted. They are unholy, they lacked integrity, unreliable, and classically not dependable.
God gave to us the job of reformation and transformation. To bring the hearts of men back to him as Elijah did in the days of old. Eagle bird is a peculiar bird. Focused, goal getter and visionary. How do we implement this- Lord? He told me to gather Christian leaders together and teach them how to bring the body of Christ back to him. So in September 2003 we started the training and that is what gave birth to International Gathering of Eagles conferences. The model of training is Train -The Trainer . We teach the attendees of the conference who will go back to teach their congregation and communities to teach them.
Of course like John 15: 5 and Psalm 127:1 without God we can do nothing and except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it. The Holy Spirit has empowered us and enabled us .We were faithful to God in this annual event in Toronto on annual basis until 2007, when the Lord spoke prophetically and openly through one of the speakers during the conference that there is no way we can bring all the people he wanted us to reach to Canada. That we should take the vision and training to nation . "My son start organizing this conference outside Canada and I will go with you!" Since 2009 we started holding the conference outside of Canada. Some years we go to 12 nations like we did in 2016. As at last count we have gone to 25 nations to the glory of God. Some of the nations are Brazil, China, Philippines, Kenya, India. Ghana ,Rwanda, Zambia and Nigeria . This year after the conference in Toronto we shall be going to Sri Lanka, Nepal , Pakistan , Liberia, Sierra Leone and other African nations. We go with what we call three Es, Equip, Encourage and Empower.
What are the major aims and objectives of the conference?
The main aim of the conference is to raise an eagle generation and put Canada on the spiritual map of the world. I remember the testimony of one of the ministers that attended the conference. She is Caucasian Canadian. She said when I said that - she wondered in her mind what that meant. But in that conference she met another pastor from India who later invited her to India. Prior to that experience she has not travel to Asia. She said while she was there the Lord told her this is what it means to put Canada on the spiritual Map of the world. Sending ministers from Canada among other things to bring his word to the nations. The lady sent me an email from India to let me know truly I heard from God. We give God the glory!
My Pastor Prof A. M. A Imevbore taught me that God Created the world with the word,God sustains the world with the with word.God Repairs the world with the word. Our objective is to ' repair the body of Christ with the word' by raising a brand new set of Christians in the world who will give God pleasure according to John in Rev 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." We are confident that by his grace we shall do what he had called us to do and we shall leave the result to him.
What kind of feedbacks have you been getting from participants of previous editions?
I will give two quotation from some of our past speakers .
"Pastor Dada is a prophet of a kind. At one of the general meetings in Toronto he asked me to bless the children. I don’t remember what I prayed; but when I finished, he began to declare over them:
• Your life will go well for you!
• The world will not influence you!
. You will influence the world positively!
• You will not be drawn into gangs or drugs!
• You will go to university!
• You will become doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, politicians!
• You will receive scholarships!
• You will not borrow!
"This was so powerful! It was not a nice little blessing over small children, but rather a bold prophetic declaration of God’s plan for their future! As an American it touched my heart. Looking back over the years later, I have seen many of those same children grow up to fulfill what he said."- Bishop Darrell Gooden, Atlanta, Georgia.
" I met Pastor Dada in 2004 in a conference in Oral Roberts University. Tulsa , Oklahoma, It was a divine arrangement. I remember when we were in Uganda in 2010 at the beautiful headwaters,source of River Nile, Pastor Dada led by example. Raising his arms, he spoke with authority declaring the country of Uganda for Jesus Christ. We did this in India on the top of a mountain the highest I have ever climbed, in Kenya in a remote village and Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur on the top of the highest tourist building, and whenever we traveled to a new country. He will always take us to a place peculiar to bless the city and the nation. Every time I travel with Pastor Dada I learnt something fresh, he is a mentor. My meeting him changed the dynamics of my ministry. My books are now translated into Tamil language in India and other languages in East Africa. -Rev Judy Mayes. Kansas City.
To the glory of God we are fulfilling destiny.
What should the world expect as we look forward to this year’s edition?
Major teachings on how to repair fallen altar will be dished out. There are seven levels of altars, namely. Personal, family, church, city,regional, national and continental. We are believing God that lives will be touched in a particular way. Miracles will happen, healing will take place . When Elijah repaired the altar the people returned to God.
"Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
Our focus is to raise a generation of eagle believers Saints of God. We trust God will glorify himself."1 King 18:38-39.
We are not expecting anything less but more!
Tell us about some of the speakers
Bro Sam Kputu is a missionary with CAPRO. He is a seasoned teacher. Pastor Paulo Carvalho from Luanda, Angola is a dynamic leader. He also models and practicalizes leadership. We held the International Gathering of Eagles in his church last year. A similar thing happened with Rev Wilfred Nonoy Roxas who also held our meetings in Manila, Philippines last year. He is a gifted man of God. He has a large follower-ship of mainly youth. He is a major conference speaker in his nation . He definitely will be a blessing to the participants.
One of the top Nigerian gospel artist Lady Evangelist Dr Bola Are is on ground to help the delegates worship God in a special way. Our daughter Toyin Crandell and Ambassador Kelvin from USA will also feature as worship leaders and the Church mass Choir Bethel Melodies.
Few weeks ago, one of the icons and legends of CAC Worldwide, Pastor E.H.L Olusheye slept in the Lord. What can you say about him and how do you want him to be immortalized by the church?
Pastor Elijah Olusheye made his mark on this planet earth using Christ Apostolic Church worldwide as a platform. He was a great author. Many will surely remember him for his book 'The unfinished work' because the work of the gospel is unfinished. He has done his bit and dropped the baton. By the grace of God we shall continue where he left. He had his convictions. He stood by them and many will remember him for different things. I have my respect for him even when I disagreed with him on some issues about the vision God gave to me - to raise an eagle generation of believers which he saw as me forming another ministry to destabilize CAC. No doubt he was a great leader. A visionary leader with lots of initiative. It is to his credit through his sagacity and financial acumen that he brought CAC from a penury church to a prosperous church, from a borrowing church to a lending church, from a church they regarded as a bunch of uneducated illiterates to a church with a university, Joseph Ayodele Babalola University.
As to how CAC can immortalize him, like the regions they have just created I thought his name will show up . I suggest they rename the secretariat in Ibadan after him to start with.
Few days ago the authority of CAC Worldwide led by the President; Pastor Akinosun announced the appointment of Prophet Hezekiah Oluboye as the new General Evangelist of the church. What is your message to Prophet Hezekiel?
I congratulate him. I wish him well.
When Reinhard Bonnke appointed Daniel Kolenda to replace him over his ministry he said "the anointed must be appointed! I believe he is anointed. My counsel is that he should see the office as a working office . He should remain humble and obey God so that God will not reject him as he rejected Saul. He should be on the field mobilizing people to win souls for Jesus Christ and not be tied down by office bureaucracy or go about praying in churches. The work of evangelist is to break fallow grounds. As I suggested to the immediate past General Evangelist which he did not do - I encourage him to use the DCC and Zonal Superintendent to Organise crusades across Nigeria . The incoming GE can use the newly formed Regional superintendents to organise such crusades and plant more churches. CAC church planting system is not structured. They wait on individuals to plant churches and bring such churches under them. Which has worked thus far . But should change . That is why people easily break away because the church itself has not invested in them. But if the church planted the churches and post pastors to such location , the pastors will have more commitment and loyalty to the mission. He could learn from the Reinhard Bonnke and early days of Morris Cerullo. He should also work with the Missions Department .
What is your independent message to Nigerians as the country marks another independence day on the 1st of October, 2016?
To stop corruption . Corruption is the killer disease of Nigeria . The Federal Government should also work heard on their manifesto-Security, youth employment and fighting corruption. They promised to build four refineries, they are not building even one.
They should learn from their predecessor who took Nigerians for granted and looted the nation and were kicked out of office.
Power supply is still the major problem of the nation. Corruption has not allowed us to see solution to that and other factors. Nigeria cannot move forward until there is constant power supply. That is why we are in recession,because we are a consuming nation not a producing nation. The industrial revolution is still alien to Nigeria that is the major cause of our problem. Nigerians are highly intelligent and industrious people but they are technically handicapped by previous government and the body language of this government is very disappointing to say the list.
Also the current agitation for secession by various blocks and regions should stop. I realize it is the lack of development of Nigeria that is the root cause of the agitation but breaking up Nigeria is not the solution. Nigeria is what it is today because of her sheer population. Out of 750 million Africans Nigeria has almost 200 million- do the math. But more importantly is that God engineered the amalgamation of Nigeria for a purpose to glory is name.
I also want to encourages the clerics in Nigeria to develop the spirit of Elijah. To have the mindset to get Nigerians and Nigeria back to God. Let them stop preying on the people but praying for the nation. Let them see the Nigeria project doable. If the altar in the church is repaired Nigeria will experience a new birth ad a new beginning.
I see a better Nigeria. Nigeria will not break. Nigeria will develop. Nigeria will come out of recession. God will deal with the Ahabs, corrupters, looters and wasters of our nation but will not waste our nation. Nigeria shall never go to ruins in Jesus name. Nigeria shall rise again and take her rightful position among developed nations of the world.