WINNERS CHAPEL: OVER ONE MILLION STRONG
MEMBERSHIP RISE AGAINST PAEDIA
EXPRESS.
BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU
Wave after wave of attacks followed as the News Office Desk of Paedia
Express Multimedia Group in Lagos,Nigeria posted online and on social media
platforms,a report titled:Crisis hits Winners Chapel on the 2nd of
December,2016.
While some few commentators expressed Germaine concerns over the reportage
,most out of sentiments which seemed to have blinded their respective sense of
judgments accused Paedia Express of a bias and running a hatchet campaign as it
celebrated Joyfully what they called a goof even when they have not made their
own independent enquiries on the subject matter.
In his dismay over the Subject,Pastor Toluwabori Ojo disagreed with The
News Office Desk of Paedia Express for reporting
the event as he claimed that since the issue had taken place eigtht years ago
then it was not worthy of an editorial mention not minding the fact that the
said incident had never being reported previously.
Jamaican born gospel analyst Madam Kerriann Campbell however put the
entire blame of the affair on Bishop David Abioye and adviced him to use his own God given talents
to chat a way for himself
She speaks:”When you are a slave you cannot
tell the Master what to do because they own you. The money and position invest
in this Bishop is enough. Who is he to want to be side and side with the
Master/Owner? He have a name and a fame let him go and use them.This is why I
am thankful unto the Lord Jesus Christ I am His servant and what He give to me
is mine. He established me not church masters. Hugs”
Living Faith Church Worldwide (also known as Winners Chapel) is a megachurch and a Christian denomination
founded by Bishop David Oyedepo in
1983. The organization has since become a global network of churches with
congregations in 65 countries.
History
The beginnings of the church can be
traced back to May 1981 when Oyedepo at age 26 claims to have had an 18-hour
vision from God. In this vision God spoke to him saying, "Now the hour has
come to liberate the world from all oppressions of the devil, through the
preaching of the Word of faith; and I am sending you to undertake this
task".[1] Two years later, the church began
operating with four members on December 11, 1983.[2] In 2014, the Church is in 65 countries.
[3]
Faith
Tabernacle
The international headquarters of
Winners Chapel is called the Faith Tabernacle. It covers about 70 acres
(280,000 m2) and is built inside an over 17,000-acre
(69 km2) church complex called Canaanland,[4] the international headquarters of the
ministry in Ota, a suburb of Lagos.
The building took 12 months to be completed. The foundation laying took place
on August 29, 1998. The dedication of the building took place on September 19,
1999 with 97,800 people in attendance. The structure is purported to have been
built without any debts and within a year of work beginning.
Between 1999 and 2014 when the
55,000 acre Phillipine Arena was completed, Faith Tabernacle was the largest
church building in the world. It has a seating capacity of 50,400 people and an
outside overflow capacity of over 250,000, with four services every Sunday.[5] Cannanland was procured in 1998 and was
initially 560 acres (2.3 km2). Presently it is over 17,000
acres (69 km2) and will take about 120 km to navigate
around it.
On Dec 11 2013, exactly 30 years
after the church commenced services, Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr, first son of the
founder ministered for the first time at the Church's annual Shiloh gathering.
In December 2015, Oyedepo Jnr became the resident pastor of the Faith
Tabernacle with unfounded rumours that the older Oyedepo had retired.
In Dec 2015, Oyedepo also announced
commencement of the construction of a 100,000 capacity Faith Arena which when
completed would be the largest auditorium in the world. The Theatre will be
centralised within a 15,000 housing estate to be known as 'Canaan City'.
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