By Kazeem Precious and Ogunleye Mutiat
The A Zonal Headquarters of the Church of The Lord WorldWide, Ago Iwoye 1, celebrated its 70th Thanksgiving anniversary on Sunday 28th of July 2024. The anniversary which was held at the church auditorium was attended by parishioners, community leaders, and dignitaries.
The event began with a procession led by the church choirs, followed by a sermon delivered by His Holiness, The Most Rev. Dr. Rufus Ositelu JP, The Primate of TCLWW and The President WWC for Africa, who emphasized the importance of gratitude and faith in his homily at the occasion.
A special program by the church’s choir and the youth ministry followed, featuring song ministration and choreography, and the anniversary was concluded with blessings and a grand finale of traditional hymns.
Speaking on the occasion, His Holiness, The Primate, The Most Revd Dr. Rufus Ositelu JP noted that the thanksgiving ceremony contributed to the spiritual growth of the church and encouraged the congregation, especially the youth, to strengthen their faith.
The church, founded on the 5th of March, 1954, by Prophetess Olupelade Fakoya, has grown spiritually and financially over the years, according to Rev. Prof. Olufemi Kalesanwo. He emphasized that the Thanksgiving celebration “will create awareness and serve as a testimony for different people.”
“The youth are making a positive change, contributing to the church’s growth, using their skills to worship and appreciate God, and winning souls for Him. This kind of ceremony also serves as a way to evangelize through praise, worship, and sermons,” he said.
Speaking about the challenges encountered during the planning process, Mr. Otuewu Opeyemi, the Secretary of 70th Planning Committee, said that finance was a major challenge. He stressed that the church had limited resources but that “various ideas on how to reduce costs were shared, which made the ceremony a huge success.”
