6th August, 2014
Kazeem Ugbodaga
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has banned delegates from Ebola-hit countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, from attending the ongoing church’s National Convention.
Adeboye took the decision to prevent the spread of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, in Nigeria.
Officials of the Federal and Lagos State governments had met with the RCCG leader to adopt precautionary measures by not allowing people from the infected countries to come to the church’s convention, which usually attracts thousands of participants.
At the ongoing RCCG convention, no delegate from the Ebola-infected countries showed up as they were not allowed.
Also speaking at the church’s ministers ‘conference, Adeboye told the pastors that all those who fasted for 100 days the last time should have no fear of Ebola as the disease would not get to them.
He warned his pastors to avoid laying hands on anybody they suspected have full blown Ebola as they might contract the disease.
At the ongoing convention on Monday, Adeboye charged his members to embrace the habit of cleanliness, praying that the disease would not get to the country full blown and also at the convention ground.
However, the RCCG said the church has recorded tremendous growth in Nigeria in the last few years, as several parishes had been created and several souls won for Christ through the propagation of the gospel.
“There has been tremendous growth in Nigeria in 2012/2013, with 28,582 parishes planted, while in 2013/2014, about 32,036 parishes were planted. In the area of salvation, in 2012/2013, about 332,800 souls were won. In 2013/2014, about 507,472 souls were saved, consequently.
“Six new regions were created in Nigeria taking the total region to 24. 28 new provinces have been created. The foreign outposts have been restructured. We are in 46 nations in Europe and has been divided into three smaller regions with headquarters in Holland, Spain and Sweden,” said a statement from the church.
The statement added that North America has been divided into two, with Canada having one region and the United States of America having five regions, adding that the United Kingdom has been divided into four regions- Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, while Asia/Middle East has been divided into Malaysia and United Arab Emirates.
Also, at the ongoing convention, the RCCG ordained 2,435 Assistant Pastors to assist the full pastors in the work of propagating the gospel, while 1,125 full pastors were also ordained.
The church also ordained 8,622 deacons and deaconesses at the convention. There is a total of 12,182 full pastors, assistant pastors, deacons and deaconesses now in the church.
Meanwhile, Pastor Adeboye has reieterated that anyone who divorces his or her spouse to remarry will never head any parish in the church.
He restated this at the just concluded Ministers’ Conference of the church.
The conference, which is the gathering of all the ordained men of God of the church from all over the world, usually precedes the Convention of the church.
He said: “Marriage signifies the symbolic relationship between the church and Jesus Christ,” and so the RCCG will not subscribe to divorce no matter what.”
He went further to say that if anybody divorces his or her spouse, the moment the fellow can wait till the divorced partner dies or till he or she meets with the Lord in that single state, there is no problem. He said if anybody comes to tell him that he/she has prayed to God and God gives him/her permission to be separated with his/her spouse, he said, “no problem.”
“Will the fellow be thrown out of the church when he/she remarries?” he asked rhetorically.
“No, you won’t be thrown out of the church but you won’t be allowed to head a parish so as not to give wrong impression to the congregation.
“Will I go to hell if I remarry?” he asked again. “The key to heaven is not in my hand.”
He said all what the fellow needs to do is to remind Jesus that he/she had already discussed the matter with Him (Jesus) and that He (Jesus) permitted him/her to go ahead, to which Jesus may reply: “Oh I see.”
A prominent pastor of the church, Itua Ighodalo, a few years ago quit the church after he divorced his first wife, Lucy-Ann Summer, and married Ibidunni Ajayi on 26 February, 2007.