The Redeemed Christian Church of God across the world is in celebration mood again. On Thursday January 21, 2021, the Church was in the celebration mode of thanking God for the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye for successfully steering the ship of the Church for a record of 40 years, and still counting.
Pastor Adeboye became the General Overseer of the Church on January 21, 1981 to succeed the founder, Rev. Josiah Akindayomi who had passed on.
To all that care, for the Church and even Nigeria at large, it has been 40 years of record breaking achievements. The General Overseer has taken the Church out of obscurity to a global lime light to become one of the largest congregation of Christians in the world.
Pastor Adeboye inherited a little known Church of few members and branches in 1981 at the age of 39 years and now at 78 has taken the Church to about 200 countries across the world.
In listing his many achievements Pastor Adeboye is being celebrated for many of his accomplishments for building a world record city tagged The Redemption Camp housing a 3×3 Km auditorium for the Church.
Other achievements recorded in his credit include the introduction of many spiritually enriching programmes which have not been only beneficial to the Church but to the Church of God globally including the monthly Holy Ghost Service, the annual Holy Ghost Congress, the founding of Christ The Redeemers Ministry which oversees the business arm of the Church, the publishing of the Open Heavens, a universal devotional for both members and non members of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, and soul wining campaign programmes tagged Let’s Go-a-Fishing organised during the Christians Festivals of Easter and Christmas ostensibly for adding souls to God’s kingdom.
In 2008, he saw to the establishment of a forum for children of pastors, ministers and workers in RCCG known as Pastors’ Seed Family. This forum has several chapters across the world. He is also instrumental to the inauguration of the Messiah’s Marathon Praise which is organized to praise God for his life, and is now a record breaking event.
In these forty years of his leadership he has been an exemplary leader attracting respects right from his household to the global scene. A husband of one woman, married to Mrs Foluke Adeboye also a Pastor by his side, a role model to all his biological children male and female who are all pastors under his ministry, and a mentor to many of his spiritual children spread within and outside his Church.
A good manager of men who has produced eminent persons feeding industries, government agencies and parastatals with men and women of integrity and character, a man of vision who has produced many leaders in government and business including the current Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
In the field of education Pastor Adeboye who was drawn from the ivory towers as a young university lecturer, a shining mathematician, did not only leave that including his degrees for the service of the Lord has written several books, and has pioneered the establishment of both secular and spiritual education, most especially the Redeemed University for Nations.
As an actor in the global scene the humble and amiable man of God has not only taken his Church beyond the shores of Nigeria but he has been making serious impacts in the realm of international system. In 2015, he received a certificate of recognition from the Congress of the United States of America. In 2009, he led the pre-summit prayers of the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations Headquarters. He was named among the world’s 50 most powerful people by Newsweek Magazine in 2008.
Among his other international exploits are “In the year 1999, he received a Honorary Citizenship and Key of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. In 2005, he received the key to the city of Detroit in USA. In 2011, he chaired United Nations Global Summit on the roadmap to a culture of peace in the Middle East.
In 2005, he received honorary citizenship and the key of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. In 2005, he received Honorary Citizenship and the Key to the City of Dallas, Texas, USA. Under his leadership, RCCG is the first Pentecostal Church with African origin to be registered in the Nation of Israel, and Under his administration, RCCG is well represented in several countries in the Arab world.
Though he does not make noise with his kind gestures Pastor Adeboye is a world accomplished philanthropist to the core helping the less privileged and making his modest contributions to government needs and supports. Pastor E. A. Adeboye has several endowments in several Nigerian Universities. . A world class health facility in LASUTH is named after him and his wife. There is also an intensive care unit in the Plateau State Specialist Hospital named after him and his wife.
In effect, all these his good works and godliness have earned him far reaching honours and respects across the world, locally and internationally. He has several honorary degrees from reputable universities and colleges in Nigeria and across the world. In 2015, he received the Presidential Merit Award from the Nigerian Society of Engineers. He was given a centenary award in 2014 to mark Nigeria’s 100 years anniversary. He was named among the world’s 50 most powerful people by Newsweek Magazine in 2008. In 2010, he was awarded a National Sports Honour as the Spiritual Pillar of Nigerian Sports. In 2011, he received an award as the most profitable icon/ personality in Nigeria. In 2008, he was awarded a National Honour (Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) by the then Nigerian President. In 2014, he was awarded a National Honour, Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
As part of the event there have been different faces of the celebration with people across the world paying glowing tributes to the highly respected man of God.
On Twitter, the President of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide Apostle Johnson Suleman prayed that Pastor Adeboye, the RCCG leader would live to see more years.
“I want to congratulate you daddy on the 40th year anniversary as the General Overseer of RCCG, … May heaven keep you for us…. So we continually draw from your wealth of wisdom.. It’s 4 decades of outstanding leadership..Happy anniversary my father,” he wrote, while pastor Femi Emmanuel of Livingspring Chapel International said, “We celebrate your enormous impact as Daddy G.O and prayed that the grace of God upon him would continually increase.
In several of his twits too, Pastor Adeboye on his handle was grateful to God for the experiences of the 40 years featuring giant strides, exploits and outstanding accomplishment in his life and family.
According to him, “This 40 year journey has been awesome, God has proved time and again that He is the only one that should be trusted at 100%. God has been our pillar. He claimed, adding “Despite the many hurdles we are still standing only because God made a way.
God has been extremely merciful to us. It has been an awesome journey. We are grateful to God for 40 years of His faithfulness, admonishing all to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path. We will continually praise You from everlasting to everlasting.
Finally to the entire Church of The Redeemed, it has been “40 years of exemplary leadership, 40 years of excellent leadership, 40 years of astute tutorship and 40 years of outstanding mentorship.”
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