BISHOP OYEDEPO ENVISAGES GATHERING OF MILLIONS IN SUNDAY SERVICES AT THE ARK
-Hints at 7 worship services.
-Says many more palaces will be built for Christ in these end times.
-Daniel Breakforth
Bishop Oyedepo yesterday 14th January hinted at his expectations in terms of Church growth at Canaanland in the nearest future. While ministering in the first, second and fourth services on Sunday 14th January, he announced that from now till Jesus comes, the 4th service will always be a healing services targeted at the health needs of people across the globe 🌏. However, Church Gist took a closer look at what was said and made positive and proper deductions:
Here are the facts:
- Living Faith Church international headquarters at Canaanland is billed to complete the Ark very soon and according to Pastor Kwadwo in a conversation he had with Bishop Oyedepo, it is billed to be September 2024.
- In March 2021, Bishop Oyedepo stated that even if Jesus comes in 1000 years from now, He will meet the Church worshipping at the Ark.
- Bishop Oyedepo has stated that the Ark will not commence with only one service.
- Yesterday it was stated that the henceforth, by 1145am, Miracle Healing services at Canaanland will be the FOURTH service till Jesus comes.
- It was also stated that
“When we start the 5th, 6th and 7th services, the 4th service will still be healing service till Jesus comes”.
WHEN and NOT IF the 5th, 6th and 7th services commence, the 4th service will still remain dedicated to healing services.
From facts already stated on Church Gist, on completion of The Ark Project, the Ark could take 200,000 if all spaces asides the 109,000 capacity mainbowl are utilized while the Faith Tabernacle with its own overflow facilities could take extra 102,000 making 302,000 per service at full capacity and 2,100,000 worshippers in 7 services with everyone under shelter and no one staying directly under the Sun. On a visit to the world’s largest full fledged church facility, the Ark Project by Church Gist, it was gathered that total car park area at the Ark/Faith Tabernacle would be about 15,000 vehicles.
Furthermore, of all the prophecies delivered at the Power House on 10th April 1982, one prophecy had only been fulfilled in part-
*Very soon we shall see the millions gathering
While it is true that about 2 Million gathered during Shiloh in all viewing centers across Africa and globally. It is estimated that if Lagos viewing centers and Canaanland is added, that number could be about 2.5 million. However from our records, Canaanland is yet to experience 1 million gathered during sunday services which seems the be s major expectation of the Church which has included in its Vision 2024 a plan to double the present/highest attendance and home cells by end of June 2024 which is few months before the Church moves into the Ark.
Recall that In 2015, it is said that the Faith Tabernacle increased in a few weeks by 100,000 worshippers making it one of the highest attendance figures ever experienced (close to 400,000) with over 25,000 vehicles and buses driving into Canaanland on Sunday mornings.
As for home cell growth, Bishop Oyedepo has constantly stated that his Church Growth mentor was David Yongi Cho of blessed memory who is said to have also pastored hundreds of thousands at the 25,000 capacity Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, South Korea which holds 7 services on Sundays for 200,000 worshippers but with a total strength of 800,000 (including members in several satellite churches outside Seoul).
According to sources, the Home cell structure at Yoido grew to 25,000 making it the highest in the world for several years. By 2014 however, Faith Tabernacle home cell (Winners Satellite Fellowship-WSF) structure grew to 19,000 and then by 2021 further expanded to 40,000. There are further plans to double the WSF Structure to possibly 80,000 by 30th June 2024.
Pastor Enoch Adeboye had stated recently how it was announced during his visit to Yoido that worshippers in church should not come the next week to give room for others to come.
The Deeper Life Bible Church in Lagos Nigeria operates in a similar manner. The Church headquarters in the middle of Lagos holds one service. Also, members in Lagos are divided into 4 groups (A-D).
Every Sunday, one group or district attends while others stay back and worship in any of the 500 Lagos churches available
Bishop Oyedepo however has never been known to ask worshippers not to come and has instead kept pushing for increased capacity to ensure maximum attendance at services such that every Sunday service has become a major crusade.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) model as organized by Pastor Adeboye aka Daddy G.O is for worshippers to worship on Sundays in any of the over 45,000 RCCG parishes with the option of joining him for the Sunday online service while attending monthly services at the Redemption City in Nigeria or the quarterly services in the Redemption Camp, Auta Balefi, Nasarawa Nigeria as well as Texas in the USA or the UK (Festival of Life) or any of the other camps globally. During the last Holy Ghost Congress, about 2.5 million people were gathered at the Redemption City. Bishop Oyedepo added that the Church will soon begin to build similar palaces across the nations of the earth such as Niger 🇳🇪 Republic etc.
Going back to the news, it appears that the Ark on completion would be able to take at least 200,000 in the mainbowl in 2 services. That being said, there are perceived and expected challenges if the Church tows that path. This is due mainly to the issue of logistics and transportation within Lagos and Ota. This was especially noticeable during the 2023 Christmas season when even though many of the Church members had travelled, the journey to Canaanland suddenly became very hectic as the Church held only 2 Sunday services.
This is not a new challenge. Earlier efforts by had been made by the church as early as 2003 when 87 big buses were purchased and brought to Ota in one day.
Additionally in 1999, an agreement between the Church and NRC (Railway authorities) which would entail a 50-50 partnership towards having a railway to Ota. The agreement was later reneged upon by the government agency.
In 2005 however, efforts by Winners Chapel to fix roads in Ota were stopped.
The Church much later repaired some roads with an announcement made of N650 million expended at some point by the Church.
Recently before Shiloh 2023, Laralek, the Company building the Ark fixed roads leading to Canaanland. However all these are not enough
Recall that the former governor of Ogun State, Senator IbiKunle Amosun in 2014 promised effective transportation in Ogun State linking Canaanland, RCCG, MFM to one means of effective transport such as a railway. Nothing seems to have been put in place to execute that plan in about 10 years.
Unlike RCCG, Deeper Life and other Lagos based mega churches, Winners Chapel does not appear to have plans for a sunday church arrangement in its facilities around Lagos
However, it is hoped that the government will either play its part or collaborate with the Church (as initially planned) in order to improve the transportation system to ensure effective urban transportation which will benefit citizens and worshippers alike.
If the Government is unready or unable to do it alone, they must create an enabling environment for the Church to do so as the Church entity in Nigeria has now proved to be the most successful product or export from Nigeria since the amalgamation in 1914.
And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
Acts 13:44
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