ISIS Torches 1,800-Year-Old Church in Mosul; Priest Says City Is 'Now Empty of Christians

Members of the militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) reportedly torched a 1,800 year-old Catholic Church in Mosul, Iraq and have effectively left that city "empty of Christians" as believers fled the area in fear of their lives, according to Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako.
Sources told Shoebat that the ISIS group in Mosul called "Daash" completely burned the Syriac Catholic Diocese and its contents in Mosul. A Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian Website released photos of the church in flames Saturday.
The torching of the church comes on the heels of the destruction of a number of other Christian monuments in Iraq in recent months including the tomb of biblical prophet Jonah, which was dug up by ISIL militants in the east of Mosul.
Many Christians still in Mosul also hurried to leave the city before Saturday when an ISIS ultimatum that Christians convert to Islam, pay a tax or leave came into effect.
"We left Mosul as we saw that [we] were close to being butchered, and under the threat of armed militants. It was serious and firm," a Christian named Mukhalis Yeshua told Shoebat.
"…But the issue that sparked the pain and sorrow was the checkpoints exiting Mosul as the armed men searched the families, and robbed all their money as search parties from the IS (Islamic Caliphate) searched all the women and robbed their jewelry and money, telling them that such money is Islamic property," added the Christian.
Patriarch Sako told AFP Friday that: "Christian families are on their way to Dohuk and Arbil," in the neighboring autonomous region of Kurdistan. "For the first time in the history of Iraq, Mosul is now empty of Christians," he said.
Once home to an estimated 1 million Christians before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted former President Saddam Hussein, church officials now place the Christian community in Iraq at about 450,000.

Another RCCG Pastor butchered,Wife,3 Children Adducted after Boko Haram Attack

The wife and three children of a pastor killed by Boko Haram in the last Monday attack at a Borno community may have been abducted by the insurgents as members of the church headed by the slain pastor said they are yet to see the family.

Suspected Boko Haram members attacked Dille near Lassa in Askira/Uba Local Government,  south of Borno, killing no fewer than 25 people including the pastor of the local assembly of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in the town, Taiwo Dokun.

A member of the church, Jacob Mamza, who spoke to journalists yesterday on phone from Dille, about 200 kilometres from Maiduguri, Borno State capital, recounted how the Ondo State-born Pastor Taiwo was murdered by the rampaging insurgents.

According to him, the clergy was shot and butchered while attempting to flee his house on the fateful morning of the attack, having realised the attackers were closing in on him in his official quarters.

“The pastor was in his house at about 6am when the insurgents attacked the village, his house was surrounded by the hoodlums and while attempting to run, he was shot. He was running to a neighbour’s house and it was in the course of his fleeing that he was shot in the head and the chest and the insurgents equally came to butcher him to make sure that he was dead,” Mamza disclosed in a emotion-laden voice.

He said the terrorists then went into the pastor’s house and burnt it, adding that Boko Haram fighters may have abducted the pastor’s wife and three children “who are apparently inside the house” at the time of the attack.

“The family could have been abducted by the insurgents who took away many of the residents of the town because we didn’t see the family members since then and none of them has called us. Though their residence was completely razed by the insurgents, we didn’t also find their corpses in the debris. This is our dilemma now,” another church member, who preferred anonymity, told journalists.

The source said members of the church at Dille who were already scattered, may be compelled to bury the slain pastor at Mubi in Adamawa State where the corpse is presently deposited. The source said the decision was informed by the decomposing condition of the corpse and financial implication of conveying it to Akure, Ondo State where the deceased hailed from. “He might be buried at Mubi for he was initially taken to a Mubi hospital where he was embalmed but because it was not properly done, the corpse started swelling up and a decision was taken to bury him in the town.”

'Unprecedented' Forced Exodus of Iraqi Christians Leaves Christianity Near Extinction in Middle East, Watchdog Groups Warn

 

An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Mosul, prays at the Mar Afram church at the town of Qaraqush in the province of Nineveh, July 19, 2014.

As Iraq's Christians continue fleeing the city of Mosul and other regions following a "convert or die" ultimatum by Islamic militants ISIS, persecution watchdog group Open Doors said that the "unprecedented" forced exodus has left Christianity in the Middle East near extinction.
"The persecution and treatment of Christians in Mosul is unprecedented in modern times," Dr. David Curry, President/CEO of Open Doors USA, said in a statement on Monday. "This latest forced exodus of Christians further shows why Western governments and the people in the West need to cry out in support for religious freedom in the Middle East and elsewhere. If this does not move us concerning the near extinction of Christianity in the Middle East, it's likely nothing else can."
ISIS, which has taken control of Mosul and other parts of Iraq, gave Christians until midday Saturday to convert to Islam, pay a tax, or be killed. Thousands of Christians have subsequently fled the region, with some seeking refuge at camps in the autonomous region of Kurdistan.
The militants have declared an "Islamic state" in Iraq and Syria, where they have also been active, and are leading an offensive of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.
Over 1 million Christians have been exiled from Iraq since 2003, while only 35,000 Christians had been left in Mosul by June 2014, before ISIS took control of the city.
Breitbart News reported that the last Christians have now left the city following ISIS' ultimatum, ending over 6,000 years of Assyrian history.
"Here in Erbil, about an hour an half away from Mosul by car, I have spoken with families who were forced to flee. They describe how ISIS invaded their homes, taking whatever they wanted, and threatening to kill them," wrote Tera Dahl, the Executive Director of the Council on Global Security.
Other Christians fleeing Mosul have said that when ISIS first invaded Iraq, they presented themselves as armed humanitarians. They began implementing strict Sharia law, however, forcing women to wear the full burqa and banning all western clothing.
Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, Director of Interfaith Affairs at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, added:
"Too many of us thought that forced conversions and expulsions of entire religious communities were part of a distant, medieval past. There was little that we could do to stop this horrible episode.
"It is not too late to realize that many others – Christians today, but certainly Jews, Baha'i, Hindus, Muslims and others – are mortally endangered by a potent religious fanaticism that threatens tens of millions, and which still can be resisted."
Open Doors, which ranks Iraq No. 4 on its 2014 World Watch List of the worst persecutors of Christians, said that some churches that it is in partnership with are helping Mosul refugees.
"The exodus has stopped. There are no more Christians in Mosul anymore. We now need to pray that they might return one day," an Open Doors field worker said.
British academic and scholar of American history Tim Stanley has questioned why Western leaders are not speaking out more strongly on the issue.
"Having been so intimately involved in the collapse of Iraq, the West is now bizarrely silent about events in Mosul," Stanley wrote for The Telegraph on Monday. "The streets of London fill with thousands marching against Israel's military operation in Gaza; the West rails mightily against the Russian separatists in Ukraine. But of Iraq there is nothing. Why?"
Dahl noted that Christians in Iraq have expressed frustration with the international community's lack of response to the crisis, and many are blaming the U.S. for leaving the country following the 2003 operations against dictator Saddam Hussein, which has created a "vacuum" for ISIS to exploit.
"Many also think that it was a serious mistake for the U.S. to 'give Iraq to Iran,' allowing Tehran to have a major influence in the Iraqi Parliament," he added.

 

Christian Leaders in Gaza, Israel Reject Blame Game But Explain Hard Reality on the Ground

Palestinians flee their houses in the Shejaia neighbourhood which was heavily shelled by Israel during fighting in Gaza City July 20, 2014. At least 50 Palestinians were killed on Sunday by Israeli shelling in the Gaza neighbourhood, where bodies were strewn in the street and thousands fled for shelter to a hospital packed with wounded, witnesses and health officials said. Militants kept up their rocket fire on Israel, with no sign of a diplomatic breakthrough toward a ceasefire in sight.

Christian leaders in Gaza and Israel are urging a ceasefire between the militaries of Israel and Hamas, explaining the situation on the ground from their perspective but rejecting the habit of laying blame on one side for the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Dr. Munir S. Kakish, Chairman Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land, told The Christian Post in an email interview on Monday that "one piece of information often not known is that there are Christians in Palestine, Gaza and the West Bank. There have been Christian Arabs here since the time of Jesus," he pointed out.
Israel and Hamas have been engaged in a violent conflict stretching over two-weeks now, with rockets being fired from both sides. Palestinian casualties have reached over 500, with thousands more injured, after the Israel government ordered a ground invasion into Gaza, targeting terrorist tunnels and other sites it said are a direct threat to the Israeli people.

While Hamas rejected an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire proposal last week, which led to the ground invasion, Kakish clarified that the militant group does want a ceasefire, but needs certain terms to be met.
"They want a meaningful ceasefire to end the seven years of blockade and travel restrictions that make Gaza one large prison. They want a deal to make life livable," he asserted. "The West did not address the problems in the Gaza strip. The blockade, travel restrictions, economic disaster, lack of any healthcare have all created a condition where life is not acceptable."
At the same time, he added, Israel "wants to make sure her southern borders are safe with no more rockets being thrown at them."
Kakish said that as long as both Israel and Palestine continue to stake claim over disputed territories without compromise, peace cannot be achieved.
"As long as Palestinians want all of the 1967 borders, there will be no peace," Kakish said, referring to the Six Day War of 1967 when Israel captured the Gaza strip and the West Bank.
"As long as Israel feels Judea and Samaria is their homeland without respect to the inhabitants that have lived there for thousands of years, there will be no peace," he added.
The Evangelical leader said that both sides blame each other for the conflict, but Palestinians in Gaza especially see no future as long as the status quo remains.
Although a number of protests have been held in major cities, including London and Paris, over Israel's ground invasion, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Hamas is to blame for putting Palestinian civilians in the crossfire and using them as human shields.
 The flag covered coffin of Israeli soldier Bayhesain Kshaun, 39, who was killed on July 21, is carried during his funeral in the southern town of Netivot July 22, 2014. Israel pounded targets across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, saying no ceasefire was near as top U.S. and U.N. diplomats pursued talks on halting fighting that has claimed more than 600 lives. With the conflict entering its third week, the Palestinian death toll rose to 603, including nearly 100 children and many other civilians, Gaza health officials said. Israel's casualties also mounted, with the military announcing the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the number of army fatalities to 27 - almost three times as many as were killed in the last ground invasion of Gaza, in a 2008-2009 war.

"We're sad for every civilian casualty. They're not intended. This is the difference between us. The Hamas deliberately targets civilians and deliberately hides behind civilians. They embed their rocketeers, their rocket caches, their - their other weaponry from where - which they fire - which they use to fire on us in civilian areas," Netanyahu said on Sunday.
Several other Evangelical church leaders in Jerusalem have called for Christians around the world to join together in prayer for the people trapped in the violent conflict.
"Let us avoid entering the trap of the blame game, but rather, admitting that we are ALL sinners saved by grace and without Him we are destined to return to this same table of accusatory negotiations," said Pastor Charles Kopp, Chairman of Evangelical Alliance – Israel.
"It is imperative we remember that our first allegiance and citizenship is from above and that we cannot use the Bible selectively to defend the cause with which we identify," Kopp continued.
"We need to come out of this latest round of death and destruction and agree to place this quagmire of despair behind us and transcend these latest attempts to assassinate what is left of our brotherhood in Christ by loving one another more fervently. Then, and only then, will we be able to demonstrate a difference that the world would envy."
The Rev. Harry Tees, World Evangelical Alliance Ambassador to the Holy Land, said that evangelicals in the Middle East are saddened by the "spiral of violence" that is ripping through the neighborhoods.
"As believers in Jesus we beseech God the almighty to have mercy on our lands. We call the worldwide Church to join us for a time of prayer and fasting. We have much to repent of ourselves – the attitudes of blame and accusation. Yes, we are wronged but we have Jesus example of forgiveness and cannot separate us from His spirit for He is Humble and Meek," he said.
As for efforts that Evangelical churches in Jerusalem are leading, Kakish told CP that they have been helping needy families by supplying them with food, medical needs, and providing finances to buy necessities. He noted that the unemployment rate in the West Bank is around 21 percent, while in Gaza it is over 40 percent.
Christians also operate schools, hospitals, clinics, and reach out to people with "love and action," he said.
Kakish added that a growing threat to the stability of the entire region, and especially for Christians, is the militant group ISIS, which has been active in Iraq and Syria, driving Christians away with "convert or die" ultimatums and declaring an "Islamic State" on the territory.
"Never in the history of mankind has a group of radical Muslims announced the genocide of all Christians in all the Middle East countries," Kakish explained.
He added that the Islamic radicals are another reason there will be no peace in the region, but urged Europe and Western powers to apply "serious pressure" to try and bring Israel and Hamas to end the conflict.
Some Christian organizations, such as Musalaha Ministry of Reconciliation, have made it their mission to bring Israelis and Palestinians together, address the numerous complicated issues standing in the way of peace, and help end the conflict.
"It is our vision and hope that in listening to one another, in understanding each other's backgrounds and identity, in seeking forgiveness and to forgive, Palestinians and Israelis will build relationships that reflect their faith and bring glory to God and peace to this Land," the group says on its website, headed by its director, Salim J. Munayer, a Palestinian-Israeli.

 

Check out Rev. Chris Okotie’s N400m fleet of cars

Human beings are not naturally known to always give without thinking of what they would get in return. So it is worthy of note when a man gives so much without asking for anything in return.
Rev. Chris Okotie may not have a stunning personality to some Nigerians, but he has endeared himself to many particularly those who got a helping hand when it mattered to them. He shows love to all and occasionally dishes out different gift items.
Recently, on his birthday when others would sit back to welcome and collect birthday gifts in multitude; he chose to dedicate the day giving to people household items, satisfying the material needs of people. In this edition, we bring you an icon that is always ready to share…
Enjoy..
No doubt, the ageless multi award winning pop Musician, Chris Okotie; now known as Rev. Chris Okotie is a very wealthy man; who loves seeing the faces of people light up whenever he gives.
He doesn’t need any introduction to Nigerians as his album ‘I need someone’ brought him to limelight in the 80′s. It would also be recalled that Pastor Chris left singing secular songs for gospel songs more than 30 years ago; after he repented.
Today, he writes gospel songs and he sings to worship God. It is also worthy of note that Rev. Chris is also a writer as he wrote the best selling book titled “The last outcast” which was a sell out. Pastor doesn’t have a choir in his church yet awesome songs are produced by him as the choir master and his church as his choir.
Rev. Chris was born on June 16, 1959. He is an Urhobo from Abraka in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State. He is the founder and senior pastor of Household of God Church; a church located in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos state since 1987. He is a law graduate from the University of Nigeria, Enugu campus.
PROPERTIES
The church auditorium, including the children’s department, the car parks and its extensive fallow land is worth billions of naira. He has other choice properties in the United State of America worth millions of dollars.
The church auditorium is a beautiful, large edifice, built to house more than 2000 people or more. Although, Household of God Church is not as crowded like people would have expected it to be, but they have the ability and movement of a batallion as Rev. Chris would always say that “God doesn’t work with the crowd, but with selected few who are ready to work in the his vineyard”.
INVESTMENTS
Rev. Chris Okotie believes strongly in investing in the lives of people; he is described by all who has made contact with him as an intense giver. He also believes that “God who has called him would take care of him”.
So he doesn’t believe in any investment except in the service of God and humanity. But even at that; he is arguably one of the richest pastors in Nigeria; as he collects very expensive wrist watches, wears expensive suits, ties, perfumes and shoes.
Rev.Chris spoke extensively on this very issue in one of his sermons. According to him ” working in line with God’s will and direction for my life has made me buy more expensive cars and wear more expensive clothes than most of my colleagues”.
CHARITY
Pastor Chris spends a lot of money on charity as he is enjoys giving. He jokingly told the church on one of such Sundays that he spends over two hundred and fifty thousand naira each Sunday buying gifts for people.
The Yuletide seasons are not left out as he spends millions through the church making Christmas season beautiful for the less privilege in the Society.
Pastor and the church has a yearly grace programme; on the programme they organise an award event known as Karis award for people who did amazing things in their field of specialty.
CARS
He is an unrepentant car freak; as his cars are estimated to be over N400m. He has cars such as BMW, to exotic models of Range Rover and Mercedes Benz. Recently, he added a Rolls Royce Phantom, 2014 edition to the fleet in his garagewhich cost him a whooping sum of N80m. That was to be a personal gift to celebrate his 27 years on the pulpit and 30 years as a born again Christian.
 By Florence Amagiya , Vanguard Newspaper

How to Be a Good Christian Wife

Are you looking for guidance on how to be a good Christian wife? If so, here are seven things you simply must do:

1. Pray for your husband.

The world is a difficult place for a man. They are competing in the marketplace for jobs, feeling the weight of the financial burden of providing for a family, and having to deal with many stressors beyond their control. They are also in a world that increasingly assaults their masculinity.

2. Speak clearly and directly to your husband.

Men use fewer words than women do. They want to get to the bottom line of the message quickly and they also process one aspect of an issue at a time. Women like to explore all aspects of a subject at the same time as well as give hints about what they really want. Give your husband the gift of direct and short messages he doesn't have to work at interpreting.

3. Have your own support system.

Too many women expect their husbands to handle all their emotional needs. Men aren't equipped to do that. They don't understand their wives emotional ups and downs and they don't understand how to respond to them. They want to solve the problem and don't get it when we just want empathy. Men aren't capable of being girlfriends.

4. Accept his relationship with his mom.

There's something about the two women in the kitchen that transfers to the two women most important to a man. It is hard for us to accept that there is something between our husbands and their moms that we don't share with them. Our mother-in-laws will always see them as their little boys. We will feel the same way about our sons. Unless their relationship is really dysfunctional and ruining yours, let it be.

5. Be his partner.

The two of you joined together to have a life together. Figure out how to take care of your needs and goals while prioritizing filling in the gaps that your husband can't fill. This way you are his helpmate and you are a valuable team member. Also make time for being with him doing things he likes.

 

6. Be an independent woman.

He was attracted to you as a single woman. He saw you as a person he respected and admired. You need to continue to have interests separate from your husband and to have different opinions. He needs to see you as a person and not just his wife.

7. Accept him as a spiritual leader.

Not all men lead their families spiritually by having sit down devotions. Some lead by example through hard work and good character. Some lead by their strength and desire to protect. Others lead by teaching life lessons. Accept whatever form of spiritual leadership your husband offers rather than making him feel like he is a failure as a spiritual leader.

  You simply must do these seven things to be a good Christian wife. Your husband will absolutely love the new you and you will love your new man!
By Karla Downing

Richest Pastor In Africa, Bishop David Oyedepo’s Net Worth Hits N600 Billion

The Abrahamic order of blessing is surely speaking on highly honoured Man of God and the Presiding Bishop of The Living Faith World Outreach Ministry also known as Winners Chapel.
Though nobody can truly estimate the net worth of Bishop David Olaniyi Oyedepo, but the current estimate is around 600 billion naira.
With the outstanding Canaanland reportedly worth over N90 billion, with diverse projects erected and revenue accrued from it, four jets valued at N25 billion, N15 billion on three universities and several other schools, a reported N250 billion housing estate when concluded, annual offering and tithes to the tune of N31.2 billion annually, 7million books estimated to have raked in N1billion, 400 buses worth N600 million, N10 billion Goshen City at Abuja and several other ventures have made him a pastor with uncommon grace for prosperity.
According to Wikianswers, Bishop Oyedepo is arguably the richest pastor in Africa. The church he founded in 1981 has grown in leaps and bounds. The ministry now has over 2000 satellite branches and present in 60 countries and reportedly boasts of over one million members worldwide and several others via outreaches.
The bishop entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2008, when he became the pastor of the largest worship centre in the world, with a sitting capacity of 50,000 and an overflow of 250,000 in Canaanland, Ota, Ogun State.
“The international headquarters of Winners Chapel is called Faith Tabernacle. It covers about 70 acres (280,000 m2) and is built inside an over 10,500-acre (42 km2) church complex called Canaanland, the international headquarters of the ministry in Ota, a suburb of Lagos. The building took 12 months to be completed. The foundation laying held on August 29, 1998 and the announcement of the time frame of one year for the building project was announced on September 13, 1998, by Bishop Oyedepo at the Iyana Ipaja church while work began on September 18, 1998. The dedication of the building held on September 19, 1999 with 97,800 faithful in attendance. Faith Tabernacle is presently the largest church building in the world, with a sitting capacity of 50,400 people and an outside overflow capacity of over 250,000, with four services every Sunday.
Construction completed in Canaanland till date is estimated to be not less than $600 million (N90 billion) with an additional Canaan City Estate currently under construction which will be the largest housing estate in Africa and easily one of the largest in the world with 15,000 housing units and at a cost of N250 billion or $1.6 billion. This is part of a grander scheme of 150,000 houses to be built by the church.”
We scooped that he picks an average of N100 million offering and N500 million tithe weekly. The estimate was that if a worshipper pays at least N100 during their four services weekly on Sunday, their over one million members would have paid N100 million. And an average of 500,000 of the worshippers fulfilling their tithes every Sunday with an average of N1,000 is N5 million. If we add the offering and tithe annually that’s N600 million times 52 weeks and that’s N31.2 billion annually. But note that even an individual at times paid several millions on a Sunday as tithe,” a source divulged.
As an educationist, Bishop David Oyedepo’s mission currently pioneers the establishment of educational institutions at all levels in and outside Nigeria, including the widely established Hebron or Covenant University with over 7,000 students as well as Faith Academy with 1,500 students both in Canaanland. Covenant University was well documented in a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) documentary on Nigeria’s 50th Independence Anniversary because of landmark achievements in its few years of existence. Covenant University was adjudged the best private university in Nigeria in 2005, and one of the goals of the institution is to be among the best in the world by or before 2020.
According to Bishop Oyedepo, “Covenant University is not just an institution, it is a revolution in education.”
Faith Academy on the other hand placed fourth of all secondary schools in Nigeria during the 2010 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE). The second university of the church known as Landmark University in Omu Aran, Kwara State, was approved by the Nigerian Government in March 2011 and immediately resumed academic activities the same month with about 1000 students. Construction at Landmark University is estimated to be in the realm of at least $50 million (N7 billion) so far, while Bishop Oyedepo insists that ‘spending continues’. Landmark University (LU) has the mandate of spearheading an agrarian revolution in Nigeria. Bishop David Oyedepo stated in August 2010 that it takes a ride of more than 100km to go around the walls of Landmark University. Landmark University is 1,400 acres. The third one under construction is Crown University in Calabar, Cross River State. There are strong plans for about four more universities across Africa including Abuja, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya as announced by Bishop Oyedepo during Shiloh 2007.
1,000 acres have already been acquired for the university in Ghana, while 300 hectares (about 750 acres) have been acquired for the Congo university and this is going to be a French speaking university. Recently, President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia appealed to the World Mission Agency (WMA) of the Living Faith Church to build a university in The Gambia.
Some other projects that were announced during the initial foundation laying in Canaanland in 1999, include a towering administrative headquarters and a 500 bed hospital among many other projects.
Winners’ Chapel also runs a chain of about 30 secondary schools and over 50 primary and nursery schools in Nigeria. The secondary schools are known as Faith Academies except those within the universities known as Covenant University and Landmark University Secondary Schools respectively. The nursery and primary schools are known as Kingdom Heritage Model Schools (KHMS). Some of the secondary schools are in Badagry, Iyana Ipaja, Ibadan, Asaba, Kaduna, Ilorin and Osogbo. The mission is presently working on building at least a secondary school each in every country in Africa.
The Winners Chapel currently has a Goshen City which is a camp like Canaanland in Abuja and is along kilometre 26, Abuja-Keffi Road. It has an ultra-modern auditorium which accommodates over 15,000 and a secondary school, Faith Academy, a youth centre as well as Kingdom Heritage Model School (nursery and primary) which were all dedicated on October 2, 2010. The auditorium is a replica of the Faith Tabernacle. Goshen is complete with a dual-carriage way running through the 740 acre facility with street lightning as well as a housing estate with over 45 housing units among others and all these were constructed in only 15 months. There are plans for a university to be built in Goshen. Goshen is now the mission headquarters of the Living Faith Church. It is worth over N15 billion.
All over Nigeria and Africa, Winners Chapel has a lot of architectural masterpieces which emphasize utility. The use of pillars in their auditorium are de-emphasized as these enable every worshipper to have visual access to the altar. Some of these masterpieces are Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Goshen, along Km 26 Abuja-Keffi Expressway, the old site of Winners Chapel in Durumi, Abuja, built in 6 months; Garden of Faith, Kaduna, Winners Chapel, Kano, Winners Chapel, Benue and Winners Chapel, Nairobi (Wonderland), Kenya to mention a few. Winners Chapel, Nairobi is the largest church auditorium in East and Central Africa and the auditorium sits 20,000. Reportedly worth N3.5 billion, it was dedicated in April 20, 2013.
Other assets of the church include four aircraft (Gulfstream 1, 2 and 4 and a Lear jet) currently each of the Gulfsteam worth N8 billion. That’s N24 billion while the Lear jet a old one was worth N1billion.
During a Powerhouse Meeting in April 1982, David Oyedepo listed seven areas where God had spoken to him concerning the future of the ministry. He stated that, “At the base of the commission will be a tent which will sit 50,000 people”. He stated that very soon there will be millions gathering at the base to listen to the gospel. He added that he saw them flying with the gospel on wings which showed that soon the ministry will have her own aircraft. He added that the whole world will soon be able to hear the message of the commission from the base. At that time, the internet as we know it today was not in view. At the inception of the ministry, David Oyedepo got instruction to commit the spoken word into writing with the same measure of proof. This led to the establishment of the Dominion Publishing House which won the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Gold Award in 1996, and has produced over 7 million books till date.
Every December, Winners’ Chapel holds its annual prophetic gathering, called Shiloh. The annual Shiloh and normal church services at the Faith Tabernacle can be viewed online real time approximately, over 500,000 people attend the Shiloh and if each of them spent at least 2000 at the six days event, that’s an average of N1 billion.
PROPERTIES WORTH
Canaanland N90 billion
Ministry Jets N25 billion
Canaanland Housing Estate N250 billion
Annual tithes and offering N31.2 billion
Books N1 billion
Buses and cars N600 million
Goshen City N10 billion
Universities and schools N15 billion
Kenya 20000 seater auditorium N3.5 billion
Other structures such as bakery,
Bible schools, tapes, international
Houses and churches: N25 billion
TOTAL NET WORTH N500.7 billion
I will bless you and you shall be blessing…
The secret of this man of God is giving, tithing and his passion for the advancement of God’s Kingdom on earth.
Bless his heart.