What I saw at Hand of God Cathedral
(Church Gist Visits SMHOS Headquarters)
By Daniel Breakfoeth
From the “Garden of Faith” declaration at Kongo Conference Hotel by Bishop Oyedepo in 1989 to the monumental opening of the 120,000-capacity Hand of God Cathedral, my journey from boyhood witnessing the evolution of Nigerian Pentecostal architecture has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Having stood on the grounds of the newly dedicated salvation ‘factory’ yesterday, the sheer scale of what Salvation Ministries (SMHOS) has accomplished brings my spiritual journey to another significant point.
My journey began with the early days of the Garden of Faith declaration, tracking through the 28 Raji Oba opening by Archbishop Idahosa, the historic foundation laying and the subsequent dedication of Faith Tabernacle in 1998 and 1999.
After a small training hiatus, I witnessed the opening of the Bishop Mike Okonkwo led TREM’s Cathedral of His Glory in July 2011 as well as the opening of the National Temple of The Apostolic Church later same year and both being few minutes drive from each other. The foundation of Dunamis took place a few month’s after Church Gist’s advent on Facebook In September 2016, I visited the Hand of God site..The dedication of the Deeper Life Bible Church (DLBC) headquarters in August 2018 and the eventual dedication of Dunamis’ Glory Dome in November 2018 followed suit. Bishop Oyedepo had at that event prophesied many more of these mega churches.
I was sad to miss the groundbreaking of The Ark which held on a Thursday though I followed every bit online with our correspondents on ground.
Recently again I was at the dedication of The Master’s Place at Effurun and then yesterday’s breathtaking dedication of the Hand of God Cathedral.
I have decided to document for posteriry’s sake and pen the following down from my experience. Here are the things I saw at the Cathedral.
- Architectural Majesty and Unprecedented Scale
The Hand of God Cathedral is undeniably big and beautiful. Standing as a massive 120,000-capacity structure, it represents a massive architectural leap forward. Without trying to compare while bothering on charity of explanation, It is a much better, highly modernised improvement on Faith Tabernacle. The time spent on its construction truly shows in every square inch; the finishing is vastly superior and reflects deep intentionality.
- World-Class Finishing and Interior Quality
The quality of finishing here considering mere size alone is easily the best I have seen of any Pentecostal church infrastructure in Nigeria. While exceptional structures like House on the Rock (The Rock Cathedral) Lekki and Family Worship Centre Wuye, Abuja rank close, the Hand of God sets a new standard. Even the toilets look absolutely beautiful, mirroring the luxury of a world-class resort.
. Structural Growth and Lessons Learned
It is evident that Salvation Ministries learnt a lot from the construction and layout of Faith Tabernacle. In turn, Living Faith Church’s ongoing project, The Ark, has a lot to learn—and is clearly already learning—from the successes of the Hand of God.
While the immediate environment and the back of the Cathedral still require some work, history tells us this is completely normal. Faith Tabernacle looked exactly like this during its rush to dedication in 1999. The surrounding parks and gardens will improve over time and the final look will undoubtedly turn out excellent.
- Operations, Crowd Control and VIP Management
The love for Pastor David Ibiyeomie on the ground was incredibly apparent and deeply moving. The execution of the service itself operated with military precision and flawless time discipline.
As the ministry transitions into using this colossal space, certain operational scaling will naturally need to increase:
- Crowd Control and Logistics: Systems will need to mature to handle the massive influx of worshippers. The Air conditioning will be improved upon as Pastor Ibiyeomie assured.
- Security and Sanctuary Keepers: Total personnel numbers must drastically increase to cover the vast perimeter. Birabi is like a boy’s quarter compared to Igwuruta. What will be happening now is weekly crusade.
- VIP Accommodations: While the team took great care of international and special guests, they need to gradually inculcate long-term operational plans to seamlessly accommodate a larger volume of VIPs.
- Chokmah International Academy:
A New Standard
Located within the ecosystem, the Chokmah school is on an entirely different level. In terms of the quality of its infrastructure, it easily outclasses any secondary school environment I have ever stepped into. Beyond the physical structures, the culture is immaculate—the gate staff were amazing and both the teaching staff and students were very, very polite. Pastor Paul Enenche’s glowing description of Pastor Ibiyeomie’s excellence was entirely apt.
- Dignitaries, Politics and Prophetic Destiny
The event drew high-profile figures, including Peter Obi, whose presence was met with immense love from the massive crowd.
The political history of the land also looms large. A sincere “thank you” must go to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike for his support and while VP Candidate and former Gov Rotimi Amaechi receives no thanks for the seizing of the property and handling of the Greater Port Harcourt project leading in part to the delay, he deserves appreciation for ultimately releasing the land back in 2010, paving the way for yesterday’s reality.
Most importantly, the Bishop has prayed and declared a prophetic decree over the cathedral: its use will never change. This structure is strictly a factory for winning souls to the Kingdom.
Night vigils might be held here routinely, but night shifts for secular or commercial purposes will NEVER cross these doors.
- The Choir and A Heartfelt Correction
As for the choir… Hmmmm. They are quite simply the best!!! The musical ministration was flawless and lifted the entire atmosphere.
In a 2 aside with Dr Pastor Paul Enenche, he jokingly remarked “You have plenty news,”. He brought dynamic energy to the service and I remember shouting FIRE 🔥 yayaya the moment he got to the pulpit. Remember he just flew in from Zambia and came straight to Port Harcourt. When he encountered traffic at the entrance, he dropped and walked to the Cathedral. Easily a 1.5km Walk.
It was a gathering of Christendom in Nigeria. I really wish there had been a formal introduction of all servants but I guess the number could have been overwhelming. Off the cuff I will list some names so we don’t forget.
I saw Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Archbishop Francis Wale Oke, Mummy Faith Oyedepo, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, Pastor Korede and Esther Komaiya, Pastor Jerry Eze, Pastor Ntia and Ukamaka Ntia, Pastor George Izunwa, Pastor Godman Akinlabi, Bishop Wisdom Irabor, Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr, LFC Rivers State Pastor, Dunamis Rivers State Pastor, Pastor Steve Ogah,, Chioma Jesus and a host of others including many SMHOS pastors. Most interestingly, our pastor friends from China were here in their hundreds.
In all we say, to God be the Glory!
P. S
We discovered an error on the part of Church Gist . In a moment of deep honor with Mum Becky Enenche, we realized during a totally different conversation that despite the fact that she loves to refer to herself colloquially as a “glorified house girl to her husband and God’s Servant, we have failed to realize that she is constantly on the move with. Dr Paul Enenche and henceforth, we will no longer make such mistakes in our reportage.
Daniel Breakforth writes for Church Gist.
Pictures:
Source-Salvation Ministries.
