RCCG partners with the Anglican Church

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and the Anglican Church are working on a programme to ‎win souls, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of RCCG, has revealed.

He said at the Special Holy Ghost Service of the church for children, teens and young adults early Saturday morning at the Redemption Camp. “RCCG and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby are planning a programme to intensify evangelism in Europe to bring people to Christ.”

He did not provide details during the service at which a man gave a testimony of how he had used his dress anointed by Pastor Adeboye last month to raise his wife from the dead while an eight-year-old boy stunned the congregation by reciting the whole of Psalm 119 without break. The Psalm of 176 verses is the longest chapter in the Bible.

Adeboye, who was making the point the natural sequence is for children to be greater than their parents, recalled that his father was a lay reader of the Anglican Church but he is now working with the Archbishop to win souls.

Shedding more light on the RCCG-Anglican Church partnership, a source in the Anglican Church in London said last night: “Pastor Adeboye visited the Archbishop in 2015 and has maintained contact. RCCG is one of the Churches that endorsed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s initiative – “Thy Kingdom Come”. According to reports of the visit, Archbishop Welby personally received Pastor Adeboye and his delegation, which included Pastor Agu Irukwu, the Chief Overseer of the RCCG in the UK, to Lambeth Palace for a morning of prayer and conversation.

“They discussed possibilities for further collaboration between the Anglican and RCCG churches and communions, nationally and internationally,” a spokesman for the Archbishop had said.

“During the meeting, the Archbishop and Pastor Adeboye led prayers for Christian unity and revival. Afterwards, the Archbishop and the Pastor spent time in private discussion and prayer.”

The year before, Archbishop Welby was invited to address 40,000 people at the RCCG’s Festival of Light in London, where he called for Christians of different denominations to be reconciled in Christ and to be reconcilers in their communities and nations.

RCCG is a member of an initiative of the Archbishop, “Thy Kingdom Come.” It started in 2016, when Archbishop Welby and Archbishop John Sentamu invited every parish in the Church of England to pray between for people to come to know the love of Jesus Christ. Over a hundred thousand people took part.

By the following year, every diocese in the Church of England was involved. But it didn’t stop there. Christians in more than 85 countries – from over 50 denominations and traditions – joined in, whether it was hosting a prayer event, attending a gathering, or sharing the message online.

Psalm 119

The Holy Ghost Service, watched in two packed auditoriums (the old and the new) at the Redemption Camp and people around the world, was in the most part led by children and youths drawn from the various parishes of the church in the country.

They led prayer sessions, did most of the singing and one of them preached an inspiring sermon – all to the applause of the congregation.

The eight-year-old boy, Samuel Adeniyi, caused much excitement during the memory verse recital session when for minutes, he recited the long Psalm in a way that could have astonished even teachers and psychologists.

Pastor Folu Adeboye, the wife of the General Overseer, ‎a strong pillar of the church, who takes keen interest in special programmes for this age group, was for many years a teacher, so she easily understood what had happened. She praised little Samuel, his parents and teachers and urged for proper upbringing of children. She also led congregational prayers for him.

Unlike in what experts call implicit memory, which flows effortlessly and doesn’t require conscious thought, explicit memory does require conscious thought. And it could be seen when Samuel forgot something. He recovered quickly by repeating the last line he had recited to connect with what was to follow. All that before a mammoth congregation made the experience so special for many people.

Most adults, and of course, children don’t have that much retention capacity. Indeed, most actors are able to remember their lines with what others say before them which serve as cues.

What made Samuel’s task even more difficult is that Psalm 119 is not a straightforward one like a Psalm of praise. Experts say it is a specially crafted poem with important themes, found throughout its 176 verses, focusing on the Truth and necessity of God’s Word and on His very character.  Called an acrostic poem, the verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of each of the Hebrew alphabet, such as “Aleph,” “Beth,” “Gimel,” and so on.

There is no agreement on the author of the Psalm, as David, Daniel and Ezra have been suggested by various experts, but it is agreed that the author is certainly one who experienced great affliction in life, since the persecution of those who hold fast to the Word of God is a theme carried throughout.

In the end, Mrs Adeboye, thanked the Directorate of Teens and Children of the church, teachers of the various parishes and urged parents to teach their children scriptures as they raise them in the fear of God.

Testimonies

Among the testimonies shared during the service were those of couples who waited for years for the fruit of the womb, in one case for 17 years; a lady who had her face badly scarred in an accident and so needed surgery, only to discover after prayers that the wounds and scars had disappeared; and the man who raised his wife from the dead with an anointed dress.

During the March Holy Ghost Service which coincided with Pastor Adeboye’s birthday, many people had expected him to bless holy oil or handkerchiefs for the congregation, but he said he had not been directed by God to do that.

Instead, he prayed to anoint clothes people wore that day, advising that they could be used in difficult cases for miracles.

One morning, last month, Pastor Timothy Owoade, woke up early to pray with his wife in the bedroom before joining their children for the larger family prayers.

He recalled that as he prayed there was no response from his wife – not even the usual “Amen.” Surprised, he tapped her and asked if she was okay, but there was no response. He quickly examined her and noticed she was dead. He raised an alarm which attracted the children and neighbours.

As they were taking her to the hospital, he remembered the clothes he wore to the March Holy Ghost Service, rushed for them to wrap around the corpse.

Amid shouts of praise, he said, his wife came back to life before they got to the hospital, where she was certified okay.

Pastor Adeboye

Proud of the achievements of the children and teens, Pastor Adeboye praised them and prayed for when he took over to round up the service. He also led congregational prayers for the release of all schoolgirls still being held by Boko Haram.

After the usual alter call, which drew many people out for salvation, he preached a sermon on why children must be greater than their parents and how the process should be encouraged.

The service ended with a special anointing of children and their parents with holy oil he had blessed. It turned out that all the members of the congregation needed the anointing! They got it.