House On The Rock Issues Official Statement On Abuja Fire Incident

Pastor Paul Adefarasin‘s House On The Rock Church has issued an official press statement about the fire incident that occurred on Sunday 25th June at its Abuja church.

The incident happened on Sunday, after the mid-year thanksgiving service and was eventually put under control by men from the Fire Service.

In a statement made available to The ELITES, the  thanked those who responded to the inferno and called for calm.

A fire incident occurred at about 2 pm on Sunday 25th of June 2017 at the facilities used by the Abuja daughter church of the House On The Rock. Thankfully, this occurred in the afternoon after all those who attended the mid-year Thanksgiving Service in the morning had departed the premises. We remain profusely grateful to the Sovereign and Almighty God that there were no human fatalities or casualties.

While some parts of the complex were damaged by the fire, the swift co-ordinated response of NEMA, the Federal Fire Service in Abuja, NJI, the NNPC, Julius Berger, the House On The Rock staff and members, and several friends and well wishers of the house who all responded to the incident contributed in no small way to the containment and eventual extinguishing of the fire. We commend the professionalism of all the first responders and thank them for the invaluable service they rendered.

We are now working with the relevant authorities and consultants to ensure the structural integrity of the affected building, even as we seek to determine the root cause of the unfortunate incident.

The weekly services will continue as usual, as the presently used service sanctuary remains unaffected.

The House On The Rock wishes to express her gratitude to all who inspite of the inconvenience of the torrential rainfall were available to render assistance, encouragement and moral support during the incident; your prayers, love and moral support expressed in various correspondences are truly and very deeply appreciated.

We enjoin all our members, friends and guests to remain calm as we solicit your continued prayers in this season. Let us all be comforted by the Scripture in Romans 8:28 which says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Thank you”

 

Fire Razes House On The Rock Church In Abuja (PHOTOS)

IMG_8449Fire broke out on Sunday at the House on the Rock Church in Abuja. The church is located close to the National stadium Abuja and close to the City Gate.

Our correspondent who passed by the airport road on Sunday reports that the building was visibly ablaze while fire fighters were struggling to put out the flames.

Coincidentally, there was a heavy downpour at the time our correspondent passed by.

The cause of the fire is yet unknown.

A member of the Church who spoke to our correspondent said that the main building had not been in use for a while now as renovation work was going on.

IMG_8441Mr Joseph Peter who sounded sad said that he just left the church at about 1:00P.M. Sunday afternoon after the day’s service and all was well.

According to a twitter user Abayomi Shogunle, there were 7 fire-fighter trucks at the church premises trying to put out the fire.

Shogunle also tweeted a video of the burning church.
House on the Rock was founded in December 1994 by Pastor Paul A. Adefarasin in Lagos, Nigeria.

The ministry was established to be a vanguard 21st century Church with a vision of empowering believers for the fulfilment of their God-ordained destinies.

IMG_8440Since its’ inception the Church has grown far beyond the borders of Lagos, with over 40 daughter Churches and missions in Nigeria and across the globe.

The Abuja Church popularly called “The Refuge” by church members was formed in 1999 as a springboard for strategic ministry in the northern region of Nigeria and beyond.

How Federal Character Violation Fuels Agitations – Cardinal Onaiyekan

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan has said that the violations of the federal character principle contributed to anger and dissatisfaction expressed by Nigerians which he said will continue.
He spoke on Wednesday in Abuja as part of activities marking the Centenary of the late Eminence Ignatius Cardinal Ekandem, the first Episcopal Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Metropolitan.

He said Nigerians were displeased with the way government was running the country, urging the Federal Government to change the rules of governance by yielding to the call by Nigerians to restructure the country by addressing socio-economic problems confronting the masses.

“We all know what is causing people to be angry, and if you want to be sincere, there is no part of Nigeria where there is no cause for anger. May be some people are expressing their angers more than the others. But everywhere, people are dissatisfied. And this has nothing to do with who is president and who is not the president.

“If the federal character leads to injustice and marginalization, then, it does not make sense. We must change the way we are doing thing, we cannot continue like this. Definitely, if we do, there will be more anger, more calls for change and we don’t know who will be able to mobilize more people to cause more problem. Don’t forget that this was the one of the major positions held by the Boko Haram,” Onaiyekan said.

He said the lackadaisical attitude by some at the helms of affairs of the country would do no good for the country, and should rather look at the agitations holistically to correct the imbalances in the land.

He said: “The issue is, what are those things that are happening in Nigeria now, which we need to be critically and effectively looked at, in such that, this sense of dissatisfaction, exclusion, injustice that people are feeling will be reduced to the minimum? So, some people put it under big title of restructuring.

“We need to restructure if we want the country to survive. The truth is that things are not organized properly and it makes the people to be dissatisfied. It is not only the Biafrans who are disgusted with this country; a lot of us are, even though we still are not thinking of leaving the country. It is like a father who is angry with his son; you will still not throw him away?”

Last 10 Days of Ramadan: JNI Urges Muslims To Intensify Prayers

Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III
Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) under the leadership of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, JNI, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has urged Muslim faithful to intensify prayers in the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan with a view to bringing the country out of misfortunes and seek relief to the economic challenges bedevilling the nation.

JNI in a statement issued on Monday in Kaduna and signed by its Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu further urged Muslims to collectively strive to earn Allah’s forgiveness and mercy in the holy month.

He however implored Muslims to intensify their generosity in giving alms to the poor, needy, orphans and handicapped in the society especially the families finding it unbearable to feed as a result of the extreme economic challenge the country is facing.

The statement reads: “JNI once again felicitates with the Nigerian Muslim Ummah, for the successful commencement of Ramadan Fast on 27th May, 2017, this is indeed gratifying especially that Allah (SWT) made the commencement devoid of any disagreement, Alhamdulillah for His bounty.

“Indeed we have witnessed restraint, patience, servitude and dedication to Allah, the Most High in Ramadan, hence we must collectively strive more to earn Allah’s forgiveness and mercy in this blessed month. May He strengthen our faith in Him and relieve our nation of the very difficult times; we are passing through and the Muslim world in general. Amin!

“Considering that the search for the most blessed night (Laylatul Qadr); the night of decree and honour had began, which is sought in the odd nights i.e. 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th of Ramadan, Nigerian Muslims are called upon to maximally put to use these very last days by reciting more of the Glorious Qur’an. More importantly, we should watch out for the Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) which often comes up in one of the five exceptional nights, according to authentic Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

“We must use the avenue in increased rendition of the Qur’an not only in understanding it better, but in living in accordance to its teachings. For in the Glorious Qur’an we find total salvation and other good virtues needed for the existence of Man. Therefore, the spirit of observing daily obligatory Salawat (prayers), the Tarawihor Qiyamu-Ramadan (night prayers) should be sustained in these very days and beyond.”

How Nathaniel Bassey Started A Praise and Worship Movement On Instagram

IMG_8102…Nathaniel Bassey leads over 60,000 people in a live Instagram praise session
Story highlights
…Nigerian gospel singer started a praise challenge that has attracted over 68,000 participants

…The 30 day event sees thousands of his followers join in a live Instagram stream

It is perhaps an unlikely setting for a praise and worship session. But every day at midnight, thousands of worshippers around the world have logged on to Instagram to lift their voices in praise and prayer, united by one hashtag: #HalleluyahChallenge.

More than 60,000 people have joined in the Instagram praise and worship in an hour long midnight gathering, which is the brainchild of Nigerian gospel singer Nathaniel Bassey.
It all started with a simple post on his Instagram page on the 31st of May, where Bassey signaled his intention to start a 30-day midnight praise challenge throughout the month of June.
Even Nigeria’s expensive internet data costs have seemingly not deterred eager worshipers who have flocked to the livestream on his Instagram and Facebook pages.
At its peak on Monday, CNN observed that around 68,000 people joined the Instagram livestream, while over 50,000 joined the Facebook livestream.
Statistics from Evolve Press reveal 10,000 posts with the hashtag “#HallelujahChallenge” and over 18,000 with the hashtag “#olowogbogboro” making it the number one trend in Nigeria.
Bassey said he did not imagine the movement would become so popular on Facebook and Instagram.
“I had a sense which is the leading of the spirit to praise God the whole of this month,” Bassey told CNN
“Against the backdrop of the challenges in the world today especially in our nation, with the scourge of terrorism and the recession … it has brought a sense of hope and respite. It is a reflection of the desire and hunger for answers and for hope,” he said.
Bassey frequently shares testimonies of participants who say taking part in the challenge has yielded results and a change in their circumstances.

OH ! OH ! As I board to Dallas, this particular TESTIMONY will keep me company, reminding me of the AWESOMENESS OF OUR GOD. And the way it is written just touches one’s heart. PLEASE READ AND SHARE THIS!!!! #### Hello Pastor Nathaniel, (Please keep me anonymous) God has done it! JUST LIKE THAT! Just like that I AM PREGNANT! This is like a dream! I’ve been telling myself every minute “just like that I am pregnant”. We had been trying. Then we decided to take a break. When you take a break from the works of the flesh, the Lord steps in. We took a break from “seriously” trying. When I rested in God, when I stopped in my power; God did it. You’ve been prophesying all through this challenge that there will be conceptions this month. And I keyed into it. I want to thank Olowogbogboro who reached out to us and placed these seeds into our lives. We are grateful because we know He would see me through till full term! Nothing broken, nothing lacking, no loss! Thank you Jesus! ####
A post shared by Nathaniel Bassey (@nathanielblow) on Jun 13, 2017 at 12:50am PDT
“He’s on course to build the largest congregation ever with 1 phone and Instagram /Facebook” said Facebook user OO Nwoye.
“One lesson I have taken away from the success of this #hallelujahchallenge is have a specific/consistent theme and go live at a time the audience would not be distracted. This has helped in the pulling together the mass compared to others who have tried adhoc live streaming.” he added.
The #Halleluyahchallenge has also gained the attention of popular Nigerian celebrities like Funke Akindele, Don Jazzy and Toke Makinwa who have also shared the hashtag with their followers.

The movement has however not been without criticism. Media entrepreneur, Joy Isi Bewaji criticized it in a Facebook post calling it a “cute online revival.”
“This… will change nothing… We have had too many spiritual revolutions. What we need is a mental one.”
“You cannot pray Nigeria to greatness… It is not up to God to save the rot in our educational institutions or fix the drainage on our roads. It’s up to us. And we can’t do any of that on our knees. ” she added.

 

Source: CNN

RCCG Donates ICU Equipment To LASUTH

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Apapa Family, on Sunday donated some sets of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) equipment to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

The equipment include: four CR 5,000 ICU Beds, four Alpha Active 4 Mattresses, B-Braun Infusion Pumps, Syringe Pumps, Muliti-Parameter patient monitors and bedside lockers

The church had also refurbished and equipped the ICU in the Surgical Emergency section of the hospital.

The Head Pastor of RCCG, Apapa Family, Idowu Iluyomade, spoke at the inauguration of the units and handing over of the equipment.

Iluyomade said that the donation was part of the church’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

According to him, the church has been partnering the state government in the area of health, to ensure that quality healthcare is accessible to all that needed it.

“We believe that one of the duties of the church is to serve God and humanity; this is just another milestone in our corporate social responsibility projects.

“We have been serving the state, most especially, in the last 10 years; we have mobile clinics, hospitals and we feed people in the state.

“We want to ensure that the people are healthy and have good quality healthcare, “ he said.

In his response, the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. Adewale Oke, said that the gesture should be emulated by well-meaning Nigerians.

Oke was represented by the Director, Clinical Services and Training, LASUTH, Dr Ayoade Adedokun.

“This huge donation made by RCCG, Apapa Family, to upgrade our ICU facility to a more conducive one is quite laudable.

“This humanitarian feat will assist tremendously in the management and treatment of patients,’’ Oke said.

He urged well-meaning Nigerians including NGOs, corporate organisations and individuals to partner the government in several areas of the hospital activities.

Oke said, “ For instance, there can be the expansion of some facilities that are currently on ground; this will encourage more people to come for treatment.

“There are many areas people can assist; for instance, in the area of kidney transplantation, well-meaning Nigerians can also come on board.

“There are many people who require this kind of service but are unable to pay for it,’’ he said.

Also speaking, the Head, Department of Anesthesia and ICU, LASUTH, Dr Adetinu Majekodunmi, said there was still the need to upgrade the facilities at the hospital’s ICU.

“Some of our equipment need to be upgraded and some structural changes made; the ventilators and monitors need to be upgraded and we need additional beds in the Critical Care Unit.

“The way forward is making sure that the equipment donated are serviced and maintained and other essential things needed to be put in the unit are provided for,’’ she said.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Health Service Commission, Dr Bayo Aderiye, said that government was addressing the area of human capacity as it was currently recruiting health personnel.

“The idea is to make sure all the hospitals have enough personnel so that the problem of shortage will be solved once and for all; it is a continuous exercise.

“Employing more personnel will help a lot in discipline; when workers are stressed or over worked, there is this human tendency to do some things they ought not to do, “ he said.

Venerable Femi Taiwo: What You Must Know About Chaplain Allegedly Sacked By Ambode

The newspaper alleged in a report published on Friday that the sack was on the order of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos.

It added that the clergyman was ordered out of his official quarters where he lived with his wife and two children within 24 hours of receiving his sack letter.

According to the report which has since gone viral, Taiwo was relieved of his position on Monday, May 15 presumably because the governor’s wife, Bolanle Ambode, was made to stay on a queue to receive anointing oil the day before.

Mrs. Ambode was alleged to have stormed out of the church in anger because others got the said oil before her.

Chaplain of Chapel of Christ the Light is under the Lagos State Ministry of Home Affairs, while the Office of the Lagos State First Lady supervises church.

The letter sacking Femi was signed by Olugbenga Solomon who is the chairman of the church’s governing council.

Before his appointment as chaplain, Venerable Femi Taiwo worked as graphic artist in the advert department of Punch Nigeria Limited.

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode (left), shaking Venerable Femi Taiwo, during the 2016 Christmas Carol Service at the Lagos House, Ikeja
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode (left), shaking Venerable Femi Taiwo, during the 2016 Christmas Carol Service at the Lagos House, Ikeja

Those who knew him in the media organisation describe him as hardworking, easygoing and likeable.

But contrary to claims that he was sacked without prior notice, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, said: “The former chaplain had been queried a number of times in the past for conducts unbecoming of his office.”

Ayorinde, himself a former editor at Punch, added: “The culmination of various indiscretions led to the governing council of the church issuing yet another query that led to his being relieved of his post.

“This has got nothing to do with the first lady. The chaplain is looking for an excuse to cover his insouciance. It’s nothing but cheap blackmail.”

Punch, however, quoted Taiwo as saying “I have tried as a pastor to live above board. It will not be right engaging the church or the government on the pages of a newspaper.”

Assistant Chaplain, Chapel of Christ the Light, Very Rev. Ayo Oyadotun, has been directed to take over as head pastor with immediate effect.

Source: QED

Why Ramadan Is Important For Muslims – Chief Imam

The Chief Imam of Islamic Centre, Uwani in Enugu State, Alhaji Abdul Isola, has urged Nigerians particularly Muslims to use the Ramadan fasting to pray for peace and unity in the country.

Isola gave the advice on Saturday while speaking on the essence and spiritual benefits of the forthcoming Ramadan.

He said what the country needed now was a concerted effort and not divisive tendencies as it concerns the nation’s economy.

“If there is any time citizens needed to support the government it is now and those in authority need our support and prayers more than ever.

“There is no need to add to the hardship and difficulties in the land with unnecessary disagreements and strifes,’’ he said.

The cleric, who doubles as the Chief Missioner of the centre, urged Nigerians to support the anti-corruption fight of the Federal Government.

“Our basic headache is massive looting of the treasury and wealth of the nation and dumping same in developed countries.

“If half of what had been stolen in the country in the past 10 years were repatriated and given to a focused leadership, I believe we would be among the leading countries of the world,’’ he said.

Isola said Ramadan is a period Muslims and mankind should draw closer to Almighty Allah for forgiveness and blessings.

Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, and one of the five pillars of Islam begins barely seven days now.

Fasting in Ramadan period is compulsory for all Muslims, except the sick, women in their menstrual circle, travelers, pregnant or nursing women and the aged.

Apostle Suleman Returns To Liberia With ‘Help From Above’, Blesses Govt, Business Managers

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Seven months after he visited Liberia as part of his mission to spread the gospel of Christ Jesus, servant of God and president of the Omega Fire Ministries worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleman, stormed the western African country last week on yet another Apostolic visitation.

Since his last visit, the demand for him to return had been on a high scale, for the visit signified unending memories of divine healing and transformation.

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This was evident in the attendance at the latest crusade which held between Tuesday, 9th and Wednesday, 10th of May, 2017 as the Antoniotte Tubman Stadium, Monrovia, where the crusade held, was filled to capacity with worshippers and an annex created outside the venue to accommodate more participants.

As usual, during Apostle Suleman’s last visit, there were testimonies of souls saved, lives transformed, sickness uprooted, infirmities evicted, curses neutralized and destinies restored.

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The ‘Oracle of God’ blessed the nation of Liberia while he prayed for divine guidance on her leadership.

As soon as he completed his two-day assignment of heavenly purpose, Apostle Suleman held private meetings where he had counselling and prayer sessions with top government functionaries and business executives.

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He thereafter paid a courtesy call to the office of Liberia’s Inspector General of Police, Mr. Gregory Coleman. At the IG’s office, the man of God had another round of counselling session after which he prayed for the chief cop and his officers present.

Apostle Suleman has returned to Ibadan for two sessions of ‘Grace and Power’ being hosted by Gethsemane Prayer Ministries to commemorate its 30th anniversary.

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