Just like the way Apostles of the Early Church spread the Gospel of Christ during their time with a lot of passion, not minding the challenges, missionaries in Christ Apostolic Church are doing same in their various countries of assignment. CHRIST APOSTOLIC MAGAZINE CORRESPONDENT, ‘GBENGA BANKOLE caught up with three of our Missionaries at the 2021 Missions Conference held at CAC All Saints’ Chapel, CAC General Secretariat, Ibadan.
INTRODUCTION
When Jesus Christ was giving His disciples the mandate to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature in Mark chapter 16 verse 15, there was no country such as Sierria Leone, The Gambia or Guinea Conakry, but due to the fact that the baton was passed unto this generation, preaching the Gospel in the nooks and crannies of the world still continues, particularly with missionaries.
Many of those missionaries sold themselves totally to the mandate even at the expense of their lives, families and properties. Just like Apostle Paul who went back to the same place where he was rejected, missionaries are objects of humiliation, rejection and opposition. Most of them never had the grace of pastoring a cathedrals in cities. Their experiences have always been in the rural areas where they have no access to some basic social amenities.
Christ Apostolic Church is blessed with missionaries who are doing greater exploits for Christ on their various mission fields, thanks to the overwhelming supports they are receiving from the Missions Department of CAC Nigeria and Oversees headed by Missions Director, Pastor Caxton Segun Fasuyi.
Missionaries speak...
At the 2021 Missions Conference, the missionaries serving in Sierra Leone Mission Headquarters, Pastor Adeyemi Ayodeji Roland; Guinea Conakry, Pastor Cyril Fahami; and The Gambia, Pastor Gideon Ademola Adeoye spoke on their experiences at their different fields.
Pastor Roland told our Correspondent that he was posted to Sierra Leone in year 2020 and it was during the pandemic when church services were on suspension for twelve months.
He further explained: ‘we then cultivated a culture of using social media; we created WhatsApp and Facebook platforms. We turned them to avenue to reach our people. We also started home cells in that 2020. We started with four places, but now by the grace of God we now have twenty-one places. Before I came for this conference, I travelled and after some months of my arrival, I travelled to Kenima where we have a branch (which had started before we went there) and there I met over forty worshippers and I encouraged them. We thank God for His mercy. Now we have a very big place; the people in the village gave us a landed property where we built our church. Also, we still have like half a plot land that we can use for our schools; that is what we are praying for. Also, earlier this year, we were still on lockdown, it was last month that the lockdown was lifted, it was in August that they lifted the suspension.
“Before now, the church has been in problems for many years, because during the civil war, our building in that place was burnt down to ashes and also, the rebels came and carted away our properties, including our evangelism vehicle. Not only that, some of our Bibles were taken away and we lost many members. Don’t forget that the building became bad and it was not attractive and it was difficult for people to worship in that kind of situation. So, when we came on board, thank God for the authority, they assisted us, they sent money, so we started renovation. We renovated some parts of the building. So, I started programs with them. I think we started March 2020 and thank God today, we have been able to do 75% of our project. We renovated our toilet, also we changed our roofings, also, we modernized our altar; we put modern paint, we removed the old railings, we have our new drumset and also we are building disciples. This is what we are doing now.”
According to him, CAC now has four standing churches in Sierra Leone apart from the headquarters.
Commenting on the challenges he faced, Pastor Roland disclosed: ’’I told you earlier that Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries around the world and usually, they depend on countries around the world. So, if you are going there, you must have it in mind that you have to use stick-and-carrot approach, that is, when you give them food, you use the word of God. It is because we came there during the pandemic and during that time, you cannot go there empty handed. Don’t forget that I told you that the place was burnt down twice and our vehicle was taken away by the rebels. What we need now is evangelism vehicle considering the fact that the distance from Freetown to Kenima is very long - it is about six or seven hours journey. The one we used to have, the rebels have taken it away, but we need evangelism vehicle and we also want to resume our school project. In that place, they used to have the primary and the nursery school before the civil war. Now, we do not have, we want to start again, we need help, we need assistance.”
On the plan to go to rural areas and plant more CAC assemblies, the Cleric said: ’’we are working assiduously; the number one thing I did when I came on board was that we went after those who had gone before I came, because the church was in problem and that was why they called me. By His grace, the Mission Director asked me if I could revive the church. Thank God for his life; he was the one who invited me personally if I could go. Not only that, for long, I think some years back, God had told me that I would be going for a mission assignment, precisely Sierra Leone and when I was coming, I was around somewhere in Lagos; a call just came in and then, it was the Director’s call asking if I could go to Sierra Leone and to revive the church. I came and met a lot of problems; it was only a family we met. I went there with the Assistant Missions Director, Pastor Seed. We started and constituted a reconciliation committee so that we can start going after those people who had gone away from the church to solicit, as we cannot coerce them to submission. We had to go there and beg them to come. Some of them came back and some of them refused to come for now but we are still expecting them. The challenge we have now is that we need vehicle to facilitate our movements; by His grace we have eight or nine people who are willing to go anywhere. So, we must have a very good vehicle. Also, building which will serve as accommodation for our missionaries who are going to the rural areas.”
Guinea Conakry Missionary, Pastor Cyril Fahami said he was posted there by the authority of the Church about 22years ago, precisely, November 5, 1999.
He noted that Guinea Conakry, by population was 15million as at that time, and (the population) were 95percent Muslims.
“But at first, I requested for a school and a classroom to gather people. As it is a Muslim country, I did not tell the master that I wanted to transform the population to Christians. I only told them that I wanted to only teach the Bible. So I started in the classroom and gradually, we became thirty-four in number. I would preach in french, and it was translated to the dialect of the people called "Toma language" because those 34 people were indigenes of Toma. After that, we gradually continued to grow in number. And after a healing miracle to the glory of God, they donated a parcel of land to the church.
He disclosed that as at that time, there was no CAC church in Guinea Conakry; he pioneered it.
On the healing miracle, Pastor Fahami explained that ’’there was a madam, a medical practitioner whose name is Margaret Mara. Margaret had a female first child whose husband was killed by witches. And then, they told them they would kill the wife too (Margaret's daughter). Along the line, she became sick. They went to a herbalist, a big hospital in Conakry and there was no solution. She was condemned waiting to die. So, they told her one missionary had arrived in the country who can pray for the sick. I prayed and God answered the prayer, and she became healed. Three months after, they donated a parcel of land for the church where we now have the headquarters of the church today. Not just this, there was another healing miracle where they gave us another land - the cursing place in Guinea Conakry. They also donated another place, and so on and so forth. These donated places are where we gather people.’’
Speaking on his negative experience in Guinea Conakry, the Cleric said God really sustained him in the country, but the negative part was after six months of his arrival when he lost his wife.
“I lost my wife who left me with a year old daughter. My daughter was a year old then, but today, she has graduated with her first degree in the University. She will do her master's degree in the coming year at the best university in Guinea. That time, I returned to the headquarters at Ibadan, which was at Aperin Oniyere then. And the authority that time, told me to choose another country. But I told them to send me back to Guinea Conakry. I was determined to go through the challenges just to ensure that CAC remains there forever till the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, I'm rejoicing that we have plenty members there - more than four hundred now.”
He said presently they have four assemblies and four house fellowship centers.
On the plan to plant more churches, Pastor Fahami said ’’I can tell you that all our members (roughly more than four hundred members) are indigenes. And now, I have four Evangelists who are indigenes and university graduates. They are well trained to carry on the work during the period of my absence. For instance, as I am in Nigeria now, I can spend two or three months and there isn't going to be a problem with the work. I have already prepared my successor. The plan to plant more churches is there. God has granted me the gifts of miracles, healing and teaching of the Word. Also, I usually organize monthly three days fasting and prayer. I call people that we pray together and we have places where we gather ourselves. During these three days prayers, people receive their miracles, accept Jesus and they continue.”
The Gambia Missionary, Pastor Gideon Ademola Adeoye said he was posted as a missionary to the Gambia 2001, stating that though he started as a missionary in Barutin local Government in the northern part of Kwara State.
He added that ”we started the church in Kusukusu, that is the headquarters of Barutin local Government. We built a worship centre and roofed it. I spent one year there with one other missionary. After the one year I received a letter of transfer to the Gambia. I was transferred to the Gambia in 2001. This is my 28th year in the Gambia.
According to him, the CAC assembly he met at the Gambia was started by Pastor Solomon Adekanbi in the year 2000 and he arrived in the Gambia in October 26, 2001.
“My experience in The Gambia has been wonderful. As a missionary we were trained and prepared for the inevitable. Three months after getting to The Gambia, we couldn't continue in our place of worship. We had to move to a cinema house. We were ejected at the cinema house by the landlord on Christmas day while I was ministering. We moved from house to house for about two years before we eventually got a two bedroom flat which we used the sitting room for another five years. It was in the sixth year of my arrival that a carpentry workshop right in front of the house was vacant and the landlord asked me 'will you manage this place'? That is how we moved the church there. We renovated the place. We worshipped in that carpentry workshop which is a very small place that couldn't take more than 30 people. We were there for 12 years before we eventually got a place through the help of the incumbent Mission Director of CAC, Pastor C.S. Fasuyi, who was not the Mission Director then. He came to visit the place and saw what we were going through and brought a report back home, from there the Church Authority assisted us and we were able to buy a piece of land. Before then, we were able to multiply numerically. Once we discovered that our place of worship couldn't contain us again, we looked at a section of the church and appointed a leader to go to another area in the country to start a church there. We started multiplying the church and we have six branches apart from the headquarters,’’ he revealed.
On the plan to plant new assemblies, the Cleric said "the plan of the church and the Mission department is to expand to other countries. I have been told to explore Cape Verde Island. We are surrounded by french speaking countries. Gambia is the only English speaking country in our sub-region. The plan is to take the church to french and Portuguese speaking countries. Cape Verde Island is a Portuguese speaking country. Guinea Bissau is a Portuguese speaking country, just like Sao Tome. The plan is to take the church to those places and we have raised leaders. We have Pastors who are working with us. They are capable hands. As I am here in Nigeria, I'm not afraid of anything because they are capable to take care of the church.