THE 19th edition of the Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), held at the Redemption Camp (The Camp), did not end without testimonies.
The grand finale of the six-day programme, which started penultimate Monday, was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and wife; the governors of Lagos and Ondo states, Akinwunmi Ambode and Olusegun Mimiko and their spouses; the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Pastor Kola Oluwawole; a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana; a former Minister of Education, Dr. Obi Ezekwesili and her husband. Also in attendance were the immediate past CAN National President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, an erstwhile CAN Vice President, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, Rev. Matthew Ashimolowo, General Evangelist Samuel Kayode Abiara, Rev. Taiwo Odukoya, Rev. Felix Meduoye, Evangelist Mike Bamiloye, Rev. Joe Olaiya and Pastor Charles Achonwa.
There were also Archbishop Gerry Kibarabara from Kenya, Bishop Joseph Imakando from Zambia, Rev. Stephen Rathod, Rev. Johnny Watson and Rev. Carlos Malavi who brought greetings on behalf of other gospel ministers from North America. Midway through the closing ceremonies, rain started.
Said the General Overseer of the mission, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, in apparent reference to the rain, “God has already given us a sign. You will agree with me that it’s unsual for the rain to fall at this time of the year. He (God) has given us the showers of blessing to demonstrate a complete restoration in our lives and nations.” The theme of the meeting was ‘Complete Restoration’.
Apart from the 38 new babies (20 boys and 18 girls) delivered at the Redeemers Maternity during the spiritual event, there were several opportunities for many participants to testify to the miraculous deeds of God. Brother Samson Adelusi, a member of the church’s Pastor’s Seed Family, testified to how God delivered him from two fatal accidents back-to-back, without any physical injury.
End to 21-year barreness
Mrs Idowu Abiodun, another member of the RCCG who married in 1995, thanked God for putting an end to 21 years of bareness. According to her, God restored her marriage through the prayers of Pastor Adeboye. A lady also testified to how God delivered her mother from mental illness.
Brother Olawale Akinshade, from Ogun State, testified to how his five-year old first child was healed of brain tumor, saying he had earlier taken her to several hospitals across the country where doctors advised him to take the girl abroad for surgery but, according to them, she had a 50:50 chance of survival. Adeyinka Ogunrinde’s testimony also attracted tremendous shout of Halleluyah when she claimed that her teenage daughter and her friend were kidnapped in a bus taking them to school and, after failed attempts by their abductors to sell them for ritual purposes, God of Adeboye delivered them without being hurt.
One Edwin Anthony, from Enugu, testified to deliverance from an occultic society, Black Axe Confraternity, after a ministration by Pastor Adeboye. According to him, after the ministration, he had a dream in his hostel, where he found himself in a container and, after a lot of struggle to extricate himself, the enclosed container opened and the only person he saw was Adeboye who beckoned on him to come out of the container. But the members of the confraternity won’t let him, arguing that “I cannot go. “He added: “But Daddy Adeboye, addressing the members, said: ‘No! He’s free to go because he has been delivered.’ And immediately, I knew I had been freed”.
Pastor (Mrs.) Catherine Ojo had a delay in child-bearing after a woman told her she couldn’t have another baby after her first child. “As a worker in a restaurant where Pastor Adeboye once ate, my sister and I quickly rushed to clear the table and gulped the remnants of the plate and, shortly after that, I got pregnant and was delivered of a baby boy to the shame of my detractors. My sister who shared the food with me that evening also had the same miracle almost at the same time”.
At the good finale of the Congress, the matriach of the church, Pastor (Mrs.) Folu Adeboye, led the crowd of worshippers to pray for all the nations of the world, using Nigeria as case study, stressing that all the nations of the world need complete restoration but Nigeria needs it much more than other countries.
Asked to summarise the spiritual meeting from medical point of view, the head of the RCCG medical team, Pastor Femi Adeyemi, said, from every indication, the occasion has been great, stating: “God has been pretty wonderful,” not forgetting to emphasis that whenever there is a gathering of a large crowd as witnessed during the event, there is bound to be some medical challenges.
“The most important thing is that whatever challenges that came up during the programme, God, in His infinite mercies, has been able to solve them. There was a case of a pregnant woman who wanted to cross a gutter but fell into it and I can tell you that she and her baby were attended to and they are both fine now. You always have all sorts of things when plenty people are gathered but the important thing is that they have all been resolved and they are back on their feet.”
Asked if there was any death recorded during the Holy Ghost Congress, Adeyemi said the only death he knew of was of a man brought in dead on Thursday, noting that there was not much the medical team could do in such a situation. He explained that people oftentimes exercise their faith by bringing into the camp people who had been certified dead in different health facilities across the country.
“You also have people chronically ill who just believe that the moment they get to the camp they would be healed. The man under reference was brought in dead; not that he was brought in ill”.
