CHURCH OF THE WEEK ASSEMBLIES OF GOD, NIGERIA

“It is not known how the magazine came into their possession but it is known that they were deeply stirred by the accounts of healing and of believers being baptized in the Holy Spirit.”

• Pentecostal Evangel (29/03/1959 issue)

While studying a Christian periodical that told of people who were receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, a group of young men and women soundly converted and living at Old Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria, became convinced that the Pentecostal experience was also for them. Within a short while, in 1934, many of them were baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Acts 2:4 became a reality in their lives.

With its headquarters in Opkoto, Ebonyi State, Assemblies of God, Nigeria, was birthed by the desire of some believers to see the manifestation of the Spirit in their land.

After the experience in 1934, Augustus Ehurie Wogu, a prominent civil servant with the Nigerian Marine Department, along with Augustus Asonye, G. M. Alioha and others, helped to lay the foundation for the young Pentecostal movement in Nigeria. ChurchGist. They established a number of churches. At that time, they were not affiliated with any overseas Mission but after much prayer, they requested the American Assemblies of God to send them a resident missionary.

In June, 1939, Rev. & Mrs Williams Lloyd Shirer, a Missionary in Ghana was sent to meet the few Pastors and young men of “The Church of Jesus Christ”. They worked out an agreement of affiliation with the Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri, U.S.A. and the “Church of Jesus Christ” was officially renamed “Assemblies of God”.ChurchGist

Early in July 1939, the Shirers returned to Tamele, Gold Coast (Ghana). Later in August, 1939, the affiliation agreement was officially sanctioned. Rev. Shirer’s recommendation to the American Assemblies of God resulted in Rev. and Mrs Everrest L. Philips coming to Nigeria in February, 1940. Other Missionaries soon followed.

From the very start, both the Nigerian Pastors and the overseas Missionaries found a great response to their preaching of the Gospel and church planting efforts. One of the first projects they embarked on was to establish a Bible School at Old Umuahia, Abia State, where the young pastors could receive training for the Ministry. ChurchGist. Later, a Printing Press was established at Aba, Abia State, to provide printed materials for the young, growing and multiplying churches. That Printing Press is still operating and is producing huge amounts of literature not only for the Nigerian Assemblies of God but also for other churches. And that one Bible School has grown to ten schools strategically located in the country.

While the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the largest pentecostal church in the world, has 60 million members worldwide, the Assemblies of God in Nigeria has also experienced massive growth. In 1959, the Nigerian fellowship had 293 churches with about 15,000 adherents. By 2019, this tally increased to 16,300 churches and outstations with 3,600,000 members and adherents. And all of this happened because someone whose name is now forgotten sent an issue of the Pentecostal Evangel to a place which had no Assemblies of God missionaries.

With Rev. Pastor Ejikeme Ejim as the current General Superintendent, the theme of the Church for 2021 is tagged: “Back to Bethel (Genesis 28:10-22; Genesis 35:1-15)”. It has been declared as a year of spiritual revival and restoration for the members and leaders of the Church.

Ayodeji V.O. for Church Gist

SOURCES:
Aognigeria.org
News.ag.org
Pentecostal Evangel
Wikipedia.org

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