Pastor (Dr) Sampson Igwe, President, The Apostolic Church Nigeria, says the raging global pandemic, COVID-19 is not a threat to the Church’s forthcoming quadrennial convention.
Igwe said at a press briefing ahead of the convention on Tuesday in Lagos that the church had put in place, plans for delegates to observe all the COVID-19 protocols.
He said the once-in-four-year convention would hold from Friday, February 12 to February 14 at the National Headquarters International Convention Grounds, Olorunda in Ketu, Lagos.
According to him, “the global pandemic is no threat to us; the Church has put plans in place for delegates to observe all the COVID-19 protocols”.
Igwe, however, said that due to the pandemic situation, members across the country had been encouraged to join the convention online, while only delegates would be present at the Church’s ground in Lagos.
“Beyond that, the event will be aired live through the Church’s cable television, while only delegates from across the country will be at the expansive venue. But the beauty of the 2021 Convention is the theme, which is “I Will Heal Your Land”.
“This is not only divine, but speaks to the present situation across the globe. The cry on the lip of every individual is for God to help put an end to the scourge called COVID-19, which has claimed many lives across the globe. It is really distressing,” he said.
Igwe said the theme, taken from II Chronicles 7 vs 14, “is an indication that God is set to put an end to the scourge in the land”.
He said: “This great promise of God could not have come at any better time than now that our nation and other nations of the world are suffering untold hardships. Apart from failing economies orchestrated by the global lockdown of economic activities, there are also cases of attacks, kidnappings, banditry, and rape.”
The convention, according to him, will provide a rare opportunity for the Church to cry to God to heal the country.
Commenting on the last convention, Igwe said the Church had experienced the impact of the theme for the last convention which was, “The Church as Pillar and Ground for Truth”.
He said the last four years have been full of evangelical works across the country, which had led to a tremendous harvest of souls.
“What I can say is that the gospel has impacted lives in the last four years. It has been wonderful, and I can assure you that we will be getting more testimonies,” he said.
“We will cry like the prophet of old. The Church can only raise its voice in times of crisis like this. But, the Lord will heal our land. He will take control of this nation.”
He said since the last convention, which was held in 2017 under the leadership of Emeritus Pastor Gabriel Olutola, the Church had recorded great progress.
Already, some of the delegates for the convention have started arriving.
Top pastors of the church had a strategic meeting shortly after the press briefing.
The Apostolic Church Nigeria is a product of the 1918 revival in the South-West of Nigeria.
It adopted the name, The Apostolic Church Nigeria when it sought affiliation with The Apostolic Church of Great Britain in the heat of the persecution against its founders in the 1930s.
It is expected that the 2021 convention will mark new dawn both for the Church and the country.
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