In what promises to be a carnival like event that take about a month to celebrate, members of the celestial church Church of Christ, the world largest white garment church will be remembering it, founder, Rev. Pastor SBJ Oshoffa forty years after.
They commemorated the late prophet’s virtues during a news conference to kick-start activities marking the 40th anniversary of his death in 1985 at the church’s International Headquarters in Ketu, Lagos.
Highlighting Oshoffa’s enduring spiritual legacy, Chairman of the Anniversary Ceremonial Committee, Assistant Most Superior Evangelist Abayomi Ilori, said embracing the late prophet’s values of purity, love, and accommodation would help address youth delinquency and moral decline in the country.
Ilori stressed the importance of the anniversary, noting that it is a celebration of Pa. Oshoffa’s legacy and the significant transformation the church has experienced in the past four decades. He described the late cleric as “a man of many parts – a pastor, a prophet, an evangelist, a philanthropist, and an enigma.”
He added, “He truly loved God and worked selflessly for mankind. He won many souls for Christ and God performed numerous miracles through him. His memory lives on in our minds and we cannot help but celebrate him.”
Ilori also outlined the programmes planned for the six-week celebration, including a colloquium, football match, evangelism, crusade, service of songs, and thanksgiving service. The events will be held at both the international headquarters in Ketu and at Imeko, Ogun State, Oshoffa’s mother’s hometown, where he was buried.
Other activities already held include the unveiling of a logo, testimony sharing, prayer and praise events, and preparations for a documentary on the founder’s life and times.
Recalling the circumstances of Oshoffa’s death in a car accident on September 10, 1985, Ilori said the prophet reportedly prayed for God to take his life after hearing that his driver and other passengers had died in the crash.
He passed away shortly after, leaving leadership of the church to his first son, Rev Pastor Emmanuel Friday Oshoffa, who currently oversees CCC globally.
“All CCC members worldwide are participating in this celebration,” Ilori said, adding that the anniversary is meant to appreciate God’s grace for humanity through one man entrusted with a great assignment in 1947. “God brings about growth and transformation in each generation, and in the 19th and 20th centuries He brought forth this great man, prophet, icon and minister of God to spread the message of salvation and redemption,” he noted.
Also speaking, one of the late founder’s sons, Olatosho Oshoffa, said the church is stronger now than when his father passed away 40 years ago. He recalled that his father died in 1985 when he was just 15 years old.
Reverend (Pastor) Samuel Bilewu Joseph Oshoffa officially established the CCC at the age of 38 and died at 76.
Olatosho, now a shepherd at the international headquarters in Ketu, Lagos, explained that despite facing challenges, the church has grown stronger and expanded to all continents, including Australia and America.
“The church has been dedicated to winning souls for Christ and supporting the underprivileged in society, especially in education, healthcare and empowerment,” he said.
According to him, the CCC remains one of the most significant and fastest-growing indigenous African churches, with millions of followers worldwide.
He urged Nigerians to join in celebrating his father, whose legacy, he said, transcends religious, tribal and racial boundaries.
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