Excitements as Rev. Mother Ajayi marks ’17th Amazing Grace, By Tony Erha

“He who seeks salvation shall inherit the Kingdom of God”. A sacred Biblical rectitude denotes. More-so, when multitudes of dedicated flocks of Christ Jesus and numerous other seekers of salvation have reasons to be fascinated by the saying!. For they came from far and near, to the Love of Christ Generation Church, to partake in its one-day event of a 17th Anniversary thanksgiving Service, sub-titled as ‘Harvest of Amazing Grace’.

Lo and behold, the hordes of invites, had cut across Christian denominations and strata of the society, into the warm embrace of Rev. Mother Esther Abimbola Ajayi (Iya Adura), the vivacious Founder/General Overseer of the church, a valuable franchise of the ubiquitous Eternal Order of Seraphim & Cherubim (C&S) Church, worldwide.

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Nigeria’s former Head of State and elected ex-President, respectively, Chief Matthew Olusegun Obasanjo, a Baptist adherent, was present as Father of the Day of the event, alongside the Ariole Oodua Oni Adeyeye, Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, as Royal Father of the Day. Whilst the Executive Governors of Lagos and Ekiti, were represented as Special Guests of Honour, Ogun State Governor, Prince Adedapo Olusegun Abiodun, was physically present. HRH Abiola Dosumu, the Erelu Yeye Oodua, Olori Onikepo Akande and Dr. Quincy Julie Ayodele, were Special Guests of Honour, variously.

The church is located on Water Corporation Drive, via Ligali Ayorinde Street, besides the Oniru Beach of Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. It was a sprawling edifice, which would pass for a cathedral, and it is compartmented as auditoriums, hostels, offices, workshops, guest houses and others.

A joyous and cerebral Rev. Mother Ajayi and her inseparable husband, Rev. Father Ademuyiwa Ajayi, hinted about the origins of the church and the chain-event. The church, according to them, came to be, following a revelation from the Lord God, made in 2007 to Rev. Mother Ajayi, which was also separately revealed to another Rev Mother Oguntoyinbo, in a far-away Abuja, that she (Rev. Mother Ajayi), was ordained to establish a church, to help glorify C&S and its mission.

Inspired by the divine revelations, the biological mother of four children (Adewunmi, Adedeji, Olawunmi and Simisola) and two adoptees (Lisa and Ayomide), had surmounted several obstacles to achieve the very promises of the Lord God. This, however, had informed the choice of this year’s theme, ‘Harvest of Amazing Grace’, as inferred by the Bible portions of 2 Corinthians 8:9.

Pointedly, some respondents of the neighbourhood, readily told this writer that the church and its activities are novel and a huge success story.

“The church is a big relief to us. It has opened up and made our vicinity a commercial hub of the sort. The God will always bless the good work of the woman leader of that church”. Declared Ahmed Damburam, a trader, who owns a kiosk closed by.

Remarkably, the 17th celebration stanza was non-denominational, where attendees fraternized on a Sunday, known as a Sabbath, when visitors ought to have been occupied with devotional services and other related activities in their various churches.

Bishop Uyi Osagiede, a clergy from an Abuja-based Pentecostal church (often called the New Generation Church), earlier told this writer, who also came from Abuja as thus.

“The mode of worship at C&S, as practiced by Rev. Mother Esther Ajayi, a great woman of God, a caregiver and enthusiastic personality, would shock those who come across her”

The non-denominational attachment to the annual event, as well as with some other activities of the church, might have influenced the comments of Paul Morayo (Tao-El-Shaddai), a pastor of the Redeemed Christ Church of God (RCCG). The elderly clergy, a gifted guitarist, who had joined the talented LOC Choir and bandstand of the church to performed, said that he had always looked forward to attend the annual event and activities of the church.

Some of other clergies and devotees, who graced the occasion included the Rt. Rev. Stephen Victor Adegbite of the Methodist Church, who serves as Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission and Chief Dele Momodu, a veteran journalist and public critics, was is publisher of the Ovation Magazine. The vocal and intrepid political activist, was a cynosure eyes.

From the height of the palatial guest house section of the church, one could have a panoramic and scenic views of the vicinity, which blended with the silvery skyline of the Atlantic Ocean, that over-lipped the sand-bed of the proximate beach of Oniru and the famed Bar Beach, beyond. .

Astonished by a blend of aquatic splendours and its spirituality, the connections between the White Garment Churches and water bodies, such as the beaches and oceans happens to be an unresolved puzzle to this writer and many.

As if dousing the occasional public’s misconceptions of some of the doctrines and worship modes of the C&S, Rev. Mother Ajayi intuitively explained it all with Biblical citations. ‘Some of the Biblical Doctrines of Cherubim and Seraphim’, a pamphlet written by her, whose copies were shared as souvenirs, came handy in facilitating the understanding. She named some of the issues as; ‘Genuflecting During Worship etc.’; ‘Wearing of the White Cassocks and other Apparels’, ‘Stepping on Grounds of Worship Without Foot Wears’; ‘Clapping of Hands’; ‘Usage of Anointing Oil’; ‘Burning of Candles and Incents’ and others.

Notably, the ‘White Garment Church’, a public coinage for the C&S and other similar denominations, mostly of the Nigerian or African Christianity derivatives, whose worshippers are adorned in mostly ‘White Cassocks, Head Gears and other paraphernalia’, it had been going through schisms, along denomination lines. But, the ‘African Churches’, as they are widely called, sounds interesting.

Rev. Mother Ajayi and her congregation are actually ‘sight-worthy’, with uniformed and oscillating chirography and melodious renderings.. Decked in snow-white cassocks, dotted with silvery embroidery, she wasn’t fatigued in leading the choir, addressing all and accurately quoting long Bible verses extempore, some rare gifts all instantly applauded

The presence and announcement of ex-President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, had electrified the entire auditorium, in the same manner as HRM, the Ooni of Ife. Therefrom, Chief Obasanjo was evidently reiterated as a leader of the Yoruba race, as well as that of the country as speaker after speaker, including the Ooni of Ife and the Ogun State Governor, laid bare the inimitable testimony of him being ‘a living-progenitor of the Yoruba race’ and an unwavering leader in Nigeria and Africa’

But, omitted was a vital contribution of the former two-time leader of the country, where he helped to globalise the White Garment Church, via FESTAC ‘77, a World Black Cultural Festival, in which the then Federal Government, that he led, had promoted C&S, as founded by Saint Moses Orimolade Tunolase, and other African Churches.

A great moral lesson to be learnt from the pulpit of the 17th anniversary, was the inspirational homily of H.E, Prince Abiodun, a preacher-turned governor of Ogun State, who gave a homily about God’s ‘Love and His ‘Amazing.Grace’., thus urging all ,especially the youth, not to lose hope, when God actually exists.

There also was much take from the spirit-filled sermon earlier anchored to the delight of the global C&S, which is currently led by His Eminence, Solomon Adegboyega Alao (Baba Olori), and His Grace, Elder Dr. S.A.O Adeoye, who chairs its National Executive Council.

Most enriching and virtuous it is when ‘a King of kings’ is humility-personified, by eulogising Rev. Mother Ajayi on the ‘alter’, and to proclaim a ‘King of kings’, accepting His divine pre-eminence!. How else was one to decipher, when the most revered Arole Oodua Ooni, a treasured and divine custodian of one of Africa’s foremost civilizations, so thus proclaimed King Christ Jesus?

■ TONY ERHA, veteran itinerant journalist and former Editor of the Christian Voice, a now-rested frontline monthly Magazine, which reported Christianity, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.