The 10th Anniversary Edition of the Everlasting Magazine of RCCG EFA Leeds by RCCG EFA Leeds

EVERLASTING A Publication of RCCG Everlasting Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Assembly, Leeds July 2016

Vol 11

LOSING YOUR SHIP WITHOUT LOSING YOUR FAITH Page 4

OUR GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL Pages 6, 7

WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED FAITH? Pages 8

PHOTO SPREAD Pages 10, 11, & 12

WAR, CONFLICT AND SOCIAL COHESION: A PERSONAL REFLECTION Page 13

MINIMISING STRESS (2) Page 16

PASTOR E.A. & PASTOR (MRS) FOLU ADEBOYE, General Overseer, RCCG WORLDWIDE

Monthly Themes

July - December 2015

July 2015 - Exceeding Great Reward

EWARD in a positive term can be defined as something given in recognition of service, effort or achievement. To be rewarded is good; to be given a great reward is better; and to be given exceeding great reward will be the very best. In Gen. 15:1, God told Abram in a vision that He would be his exceeding great reward. At the time, Abram was living as a stranger in Canaan, and the promises of God in Genesis 12:1-3 looked very bleak to him. God had to encourage and reminded him that the blessings would still come, and even exceedingly greater. He was told that though he was still childless, but he would still have a successor from his loins, and that his descendants will be countless like the stars in the sky. Also that the land he then was a stranger will be given to him as an inheritance. Over the time, all these promises of God were fulfilled in his life. Abraham, as he was later renamed by God, had sons and daughters of his own. Isaac, one of his sons became the covenanted child to continue the Jewish race. The land Abraham was a stranger then is today an inheritance of the Jewish people, despite fierce battles from nations wanting to retrieve the land from them. As Everlasting Father’s Assembly proceeds from her 9th year unto the 10th, I hear God saying that He will be our exceeding great reward. He said that He will not only bless us with rewards for our service, efforts and deeds; but that He will also make such rewards to be great and actually exceedingly great. He says, He will bless us with children who will be heirs to the promises He has made unto us; that our Seeds will be numerous and that He will grant our present dwelling place to us as an inheritance.

August 2015 - Basking In Divine Favours

ASKING can be defined as exposure to a pleasant warmth; enjoying a pleasant situation or to flourish or feel secure under some benevolent influence or favourable condition. Favour on the other hand can be defined as approval, support or liking for someone or something; an act of kindness beyond what is due to an individual or something; or the show of approval or preference for someone or something. Favour can be shown once, few times, intermittently or always. When one enjoys favour all the time, it could be said that the fellow is basking in favours. When these favours were shown or initiated by God, it can be called Divine favours. It is possible for an individual to bask in the favours emanating from God. Daniel was in exile in Babylon. He was supposed to live as a slave or servant. However, the favour of God distinguished him, He was chosen to become an officer in the king’s palace under Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1: 3-7). Usually when someone in power dies, the next ruler would normally select his own aides and assistants. However, through the special favours of God, Daniel was retained by the next king; and to evidenced that Daniel actually bask in God’s favour, he was able to serve meritoriously under four kings. His testimonies and service records under these four kings were distinct and flawless. He stood out for excellence, and demonstrated great wisdom and shocking revelations to the extent that he was a times mistaken for a god! (Daniel 5:10-13). The Everlasting Father’s Assembly has been a recipient of Divine favours. These we have enjoyed now and again. The Spirit of God has impressed it upon my spirit that from now on, He will make us to bask in His favours. We will dwell perpetually in the favours of God; He will make the testimonies about us to be amazingly sweet and flawless before the world.

September 2015 - Provoking Greater Favours

HE word ‘provoke’ is usually viewed as a negative word (like making one to become angry), but it could be positively implied also. Provoke can be define as ‘stir up, arouse, or call forth (feelings, desires, or activity). It can also be to ‘incite or stimulate a person to action. While favour is an approval, support or liking for someone or something, there are however differential levels of favour. The extent of favour that a person readily shows may increase if they are provoked or stimulated to do more. Considering the way Solomon was born, it was the favour of God that chose him to be the king of Israel after David (1 Chro. 22:9), without the instructions of God, Absalom would probably have been the intended heir to the throne for his charisma and beauty and general acceptance. It was equally the favour of God that chose Solomon to be the builder of the Temple in Jerusalem above his father David, who was a man after God’s heart (1 Chro. 22:10). Solomon understood this very well (1 Chro. 22:7-8), yet he provoked God unto greater favours (1 Kings 3:4-15). After giving a thousand burnt offering to God in one day, well above the norm (Num. 29:1-40), God granted him such favour He has never given anyone before – to ask ANYTHING and it’s done! We in Everlasting Father’s Assembly are surely favoured by God. This month however, I am prompted in the spirit, that we must spend more time, more energy and more money to provoke Jehovah to grant us greater favours. We have to do whatever we can to inspire, stimulate and induce God to grant us ANYTHING from Him. I pray that we shall hit the threshold in Jesus name.

October 2015 - Heavenly Full Beam

EAM can be defined as a ray or shaft of light coming from a bright object, e.g. Sun, Headlamp, etc. On motorcars, there are usually 3 types of headlamp rays: Dim Lights (side lights), Dipped Beam and Full Beam. The Dim lights make other people to be aware of one’s presence. The Dipped Beam is bright enough to light the road when it’s dark. They can also be used in harsh weather conditions. Full Beam however is used to improve vision and see farther when driving very late at night and when it’s very dark. So the Full Beam is more powerful rays compared to the other two. He that seated in heaven can decide to put His Dim Lights on a fellow to start with; this can be increase to Dipped Beam, and can then progress to Full Beam. The life of Joseph in the bible can be likened to a ray of light that progresses from a dim light to a full beam. He started enjoying favour at an early stage from his father’s house (Gen. 37:3). Then between 17 to 30 years of age, his life can be likened to a dipped beam as he enjoyed favour with Potiphar and the Chief Warder (Gen. 39:2-4, 21-23). However, at 30 years of age, his life received a heavenly full beam. Within few hours, his destiny changed from a prisoner to the Prime Minister in a foreign land. He became the main dictator in Egypt, with the king just ratifying whatever Joseph said! (Gen. 41:39-46).

November 2015 - The Eleventh Hour Favours

HE eleventh hour is an idiom which could mean ‘the last minute’, ‘the last possible moment’ or ‘at the nick of time’. It could also mean ‘late in the day’ or ‘pretty close towards the end of the day’. The phrase was first used by Jesus Christ in Mathew 20:1-16, which is called ‘Parable of the labourers in the vineyard’; ‘Parable of the workers in the vineyard’ or ‘The generous employer’. In the parable, Jesus brought to light the fact that God has the powers to bestow eleventh hour favours on anyone, and that such favours cannot be questioned by anyone. Not even by those who thought they should be rewarded more. God is the Owner of everything; therefore He can at any time do anything with whatever He owns. So that when people think it’s over for a fellow, God can just show up the last minute. God had told David well before Solomon was born that he will reign after him (I Chro. 22:8-10). However, when David became old, there ensued power tussle for the throne. Absalom tried and died. Adonijah tried and seem he was succeeding, only for God to intervene at the eleventh hour. Things took a wrong turn for Adonijah so that Solomon ascended the throne eventually (I Kings 1:1-53). We are entering November – the eleventh month of this year, I have a word from God that some of us will receive eleventh hour favours in this month. Things that have lingered on for a while for some will be sorted in this month. Certain things embarked upon at the last minute will also yield unimaginable profits. There will also be comments and even murmurings on the lips of men that God is showing us partiality.

December 2015 - Living A Life of Favours

AVOUR can be experienced as a one off; intermittently or continuously. So that it is possible for one to live a life of perpetual favour. Moses is one of the people in the bible that lived a life of perpetual favour from his birth to his death. At the time Moses as born, that was when the then Pharaoh made a decree to kill all male Jewish children in order to curb their strength. Moses however was preserved by Divine favour. God helped his mother to hide him for the first three months; made the basket that his mother put him on River Nile bank to stay afloat; compelled Pharaoh’s daughter to go to Nile while the basket was in sight; arranged how Moses was to be kept alive and catered for by his own mother and he was adopted as a Prince of Egypt! It was favour that spared Moses’ head when he was showing compassion to the Hebrews he was supposed to be cruel to. The same favour made him to escape from Egypt before his murderous act was known to the king. Favour also connected him to the Priest of Midian who became his father in-law and whom he lived with for forty years. Favour chose Moses as the deliverer of the Israelites from exile when there were more eloquent and valiant persons in Goshen. Favour distinguished him as he led the people through the desert for forty years: seeing God physically; doing great wonders and jealously defended by God. The same favour made him to enter the Heavenly Promised Land even when he didn’t qualify to enter the Earthly Promised Land. What a life of favour! Everywhere Moses turned to, favour was waiting for him.

2 | EVERLASTING

Note From The Pastor

Season of

Annunciations S

EASON may be defined as a period of the year associated with a particular phenomenon e.g hay fever season. It could be a period associated with some activity e.g harvesting season. It could be a period in which organisms engage in certain activity e.g migrating season. It could be a period normally characterised by a particular kind of weather e.g rainy season; or it can be one of the four quarters into which the year is divided e.g winter season. In other terms, seasons may be defined as a time characterised by a particular circumstance e.g season of spiritual awakening; it may be a suitable or natural time or occasion e.g season of coronation; or it may be an indefinite period of time e.g for a season. The life we live is governed and characterised by seasons. Some occur in cycles; but nothing lingers on forever. The bible make us to know that "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven...." (Eccl. 3:1-8). This shows that whatever one is experiencing in life at a particular time is only to last for a season, and invariably other types of season will follow. God started our parish in 2006, and over the last 10 years, God has taken us through different kinds of seasons. During our first year, God took us through season of His sovereignty. In our second year, He made us to enjoy spectacular landmarks in ministry; and in our third year God made us to experienced a season that was beyond all imaginations. In our forth year, it was a season of miraculous coronation; and in our fifth year, God blessed us with a season of indelible footprints. The following year, God made us experience the season of manifestations of kings and priests; and in our seventh year, we enjoyed a season of rest round about. In out eight year, God said it was our season of new things; and last year blessed us with the season of exceeding great rewards. This year, God has revealed His mind to us that it shall be a season of annunciations. It is right to say that all the promises of God regarding these seasons He has given us has stood firm. One will admit that regarding every promise, the enemy did try to corrupt the seasons, but the will of God has always prevailed. In this present year therefore, we are trusting God that He will announce us abroad for major considerations, commendations, recognitions, celebrations and admirations. Individual persons within our parish will experience this season of annunciations in their personal life; families and household in our midst will experience the same; and our Assembly as a whole will swim in a season of Divine introductions and annunciations, not only in our region, but also nationwide and worldwide as the Lord lives. One of the characteristics of seasons is that they do terminate into another, even though a particular season may re-occur, but there must be a termination at a given time. I therefore urge everyone of us to trust God and as such appropriate our faith and confession in order to experience this season of annunciations from God. May this be our portion in Jesus name. Amen!

EDITORIAL BOARD Pastor Samuel Obafaiye Editor-in-Chief M. Babajide-Alabi Executive Editor Dr. Adesoji Adeniyi General Editor Member: Mrs Afolakemi OMISAKIN

Contributors: Pastor (Mrs) Anthonia Obafaiye; Dr. Funke Bakare, Mrs Caroline Ndlovu Minister Gabriel Adunmade Minister Victor Olajubu Mrs Modupe Ajiboye Ms Christine Dzraku Mrs Fola Owohunwa Elder Jacob Odaudu Mrs Biola Babajide-Alabi Photos: RCCG EFA Leeds Media Fisayo Banks-Longe Tope Davies Edikan Akpan

Design Syllable Media Limited - 07869717613 http://www.syllablemedialimited.com Published by: The Redeemed Christian Church of God,

Everlasting Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Assembly, Leeds. Tel: 0113 279 3400, 07789758707, 07940459067 EMAIL: editorial@rccgleeds.org.uk Website: www.rccgleeds.org.uk FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/RCCGEFA TWITTER: @RCCGEFALeeds All communications to: The Land of Mercy, 15-17 Walter Street, Off Kirkstall Road, Leeds. LS4 2BB DISCLAIMER:Opinions presented by our contributors in their write ups are personal and not necessarily those of the church.

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FOCUS

Losing Your Ship Without

Losing Your Soul

YOUR FAITH WILL NOT FAIL, EVEN WHEN YOU DO URING that storied final meal Jesus shared with His disciples, only hours away from all the torments that awaited Him, there is an extraordinary exchange between Jesus and Peter. The truly remarkable thing is that this is just before Jesus tells Peter he will disown Him. Sitting at the table, where the peculiar alchemy of wine turning to blood and bread becoming body was already at play, Jesus looks across the table at the fiery, well-intentioned disciple whose face was not yet shadowed by the guilt of betrayal. And He speaks words of heartbreaking tenderness to the man who says he will die for Jesus but will in actuality curse him by morning:

Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.— Luke 22:31-32 Satan has desired to sift you like wheat, says the Man who Roman soldiers will carve up like cattle in just a few hours. But even knowing the physical and psychological torture that He will soon endure, Jesus' concern is for Peter — that he will not be able to live with himself after what he is about to do. He knows the storm of bitter tears, the stomach-churning agony of regret that will eat him from the inside for betraying the one he loved the most. He knows the sting of it could rend Peter's mind, the way the whip will soon rend His own skin. So He says, I HAVE PRAYED FOR YOU THAT YOUR FAITH MAY NOT FAIL ... Objectively, conclusively, decisively — Peter himself will fail before the rooster crows. That is already established. But while Peter will fail spectacularly, on the surface of things, there is something at work in him that is deeper than his failure. The waves will overtake the man and his blustering ego, but in the depths of the sea within Peter is a stronger, more ancient current that did not originate from him — a current that need not be shaken by his failure on the surface: his faith. I have prayed for you, Peter, that even though you will fail (in fact, be known for the most famous failure in the history of the church), your faith will not fail. The tsunami will come, and take your self-reliance and your pride; humiliation will wash over you. You will fail, but I have prayed for you... that your failure would not destroy your faith but deepen it. I have prayed for you that the very thing that was intended to kill you will make the faith already planted in the deepest soil of you even stronger. IT IS POSSIBLE TO FAIL, AND NOT HAVE OUR FAITH FAIL US It is possible to lose our lives, and not lose our souls. The master teacher taught us Himself that it is only in losing our lives — in their ego pretensions and posturing, in their careful image constructions and neediness — that this richer, deeper, below-the-surface life can be found. This is the life hidden with Christ in God, where almost anything can happen at the top of things without disrupting the grace that lies in the bottom of the sea in you. This is the place in the depths where you can be cut off from your very self (as you understood it), and from the name your father gave you, and from the place where you grew up, and from the tribe that gave you language, and from the story that gave you meaning — only to find that nothing can separate you from the love of God. When the storm is still brewing over the waters, and the sky sickens into an ominous gray-black, and you feel the electric charge in the air in your very skin, inevitably the question comes: Will I survive this? Can I make it through the storm that is coming (whatever sent it here, and however it came)? And of course, there are many storms fierce enough to toss you, throw you, destabilize you, and scare you that do not result in shipwreck. Some storms last only for the night; some pockets of violent air are only turbulence. But some storms are more violent, more relentless, more exacting. Some winds will not be calmed; some floods will not be dammed until they have their way with you, until they walk away with their pound of flesh. And

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By Jonathan Martin whether or not, again, the storm finds its origin in the undomesticated wildness of nature and of created things — or whether or not the storm originates in you — does not change the scope or scale or power of it. The storms that come will test us all, and it is entirely possible one comes to you that will end in your failure before the wind and waves recede. But the Spirit in the wind whispers the words of Jesus again, inserting your own name for Simon's: "I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail — and even when you do . . . that your faith may even grow stronger through your failure." During my own shipwreck, my long season of descent, I returned over and over to the story in Acts 27 of Paul's shipwreck. The apostle was a prisoner in transport when God revealed to him that a storm was coming. Because Paul knows the Spirit, he is a man in tune with matters of wind and wave as much as the matters of the soul; and he knows the boat he is traveling on will soon encounter a terrible storm. Before the storm comes, he tells his captor companions a heartening thing: "None of you will lose a hair from your heads." (Acts 27:34) The good news is, you are not going to die. The bad news is, the boat that has been carrying you — the vessel that had taken you from port to port, place to place, the strong and stable boat that made you feel safe on all the oceans you've sailed thus far — the boat will be lost. They were not going to lose their lives, but they were going to lose the boat. Losing the boat is no small thing. To lose the boat is to lose the ground beneath your feet, the stories you told yourself and others, to lose what protected you from all the elements before. To lose the boat is to lose everything that kept you afloat before, to be thrown into the vast and merciless sea now alone, with nothing left to protect you from its moody tides, the blazing sun above it, or the black-eyed creatures that lurk beneath it. You can lose your boat, lose your house with all the pictures inside it, lose your job, lose your most defining relationship. And still not lose you. And still not lose your soul. And still not lose your faith. Make no mistake: You will be stripped down in the shipwreck. But you will not be lost. While I would not recommend a shipwreck to anyone, any more than I would recommend cancer, car accidents, or the plague, I can yet attest to a mysterious truth I have since heard over and over from people who have survived their own shipwrecks: On the other side of them, there is a stronger, deeper, richer, more integrated life. That on the other side of the storm that tears you to pieces is a capacity to love without doubt, to live without fear, to be something infinitely more powerful than the man or woman you were before it happened. Almost nobody who survives a shipwreck would ever sign up to do it all over again, a second time. Nobody can exactly say they were glad it happened. And yet repeatedly, I hear people say the same remarkable thing — that they also under no circumstances would choose to go back and be the person they were before. Nobody would choose to lose the loved one all over again to the unexpected illness, or lose the job they trained for years to get, or lose the relationship they invested heart and soul into for half of their adult life. I cannot tell you with any degree of confidence that you will not fail your test. I cannot tell you with any degree of certainty that your ship is going to make it out in one piece. I can only align myself with the greater wisdom of the Teacher and of His apostle and tell you that even though you might fail — utterly — your faith does not have to. I can tell you that even if the ship does not survive, you will. Storms come, as do a legion of demons that come for the sifting. Take heart; Jesus says, "I have prayed for you Excerpted with permission from How To Survive a Shipwreck Jonathan Martin, copyright

From The Editor’s Desk

We Have Reasons To

CELEBRATE O N behalf of the Editorial Board and the Editorial Department, I welcome you to this special edition of the EVERLASTING Magazine to mark the 10th anniversary of Everlasting Father’s Assembly. It is indeed a privilege for me and the members of the team to have to edit this milestone edition of the magazine.

Every year we celebrate our individual birthdays. We specifically thank the Almighty Father for His faithfulness in our lives for making us to see another year. This is mostly to show our gratitude and our submission to Him that we live not by our power, but by His mercies. It is common to see believers come out to give testimonies on their birthdays for what He has done and for the faith that He will do more. While we celebrate our birthdays annually, we tend to roll out the drums when we reach a new decade in our lives. As human beings, we place more importance on our birthdays in the progression of ten years - such as twenty, thirty, forty, fifty and such. While all our years are significant, we believe living a decade long calls for special celebration. In the life of a man or woman, a decade is remarkable, but in the existence of a ministry, it is a big deal. Therefore, just like human beings, the attainment of a decade of a parish is worth celebrating in big form. There is no doubt that the story of a ministry is usually froth with dangers and factors that tend to ensure its failure. Apart from the spiritual warfares that have to be fought, there are also governmental and environmental challenges that tend to make the journey of a ministry very hard and difficult. But it is said when God calls, He also equips, enables, provides and qualifies. In a nutshell, this is the story of the Everlasting Father’s Assembly parish. The journey might have been bumpy at one point or other, but the assurance of His call and His provision has sustained and distinguished the parish. There is no better person to tell the story of the parish than whom God used to plant His church, His son, Pastor Samuel Obafaiye. It is already a year when we gathered together to thank God for the ninth anniversary. Much has happened within this period which has strengthened us as Christians with resolute determination to fly the flag for Jesus Christ. The testimonies that we have had are inspiring and can only be from God and by God. There have been divine breakthroughs in careers, jobs, immigration victories, academic successes, babies, properties, healings, unexplainable favours and miracles in the lives of members. It is instructive that the theme of the ninth anniversary - Exceeding Great Rewards - found practicality in all aspects of our lives. God is not a man who promises and never delivers. He is a man of His words and has been rewarding His people accordingly. In the corporate life of the parish, the Almighty Father has shown Himself on many fronts. The successes of our annual events such as Church in the City, Sports Day, Workers Appreciation Night and Couples Dinner, are pointers to His presence with us. We recall the flooding in various parts of Leeds in December last year, which also affected the ground floor of the church. Rather than be consumed, the Almighty Father in His mercy, beautified the Land of Mercy afterwards. Deciding on who to feature on the interview section of this edition was an easy task for me. I reckoned being a special anniversary edition of the magazine, the visioner (Pastor Samuel Obafaiye) should be given the platform to tell the story of the parish. It was indeed a thing of joy for me when I discussed the idea with him and he consented to it, out of his busy

schedule.

I am indeed excited to present to you this extensive interview with the Shepherd in charge of the parish who graciously and humbly spoke at length with me on his growing up years, the early challenges of the ministry, and how God has been very faithful to him, his family, the church and the members.

The first thing that strikes you when you interact with Pastor Samuel is his humility. This has been said over and over again, but for those of us who have been opportuned to sit with him one on one to talk about his family or growing up years, we have an idea of the source of this humility. I urge you to read this interview with Pastor Samuel to have a rare insight into how he knew he was called to ministry from when he was a youngster. In this interview, Pastor Samuel explained how much dependent he is on the direction of God. I can assure you of a good and educative read that will surely bless you. As usual, Dr Funke Bakare has written a very educative conclusion on how to beat stress and live healthy good life. She has, for the past years, been a very inspiring asset to the Editorial Board with her educative articles. Also in this edition, Sister Afolakemi asked us what faith is really is as she takes us through what we have to do to reap the rewards of faith. She believes “having faith could be hard work if one does not understand the personality of God.” About two months ago, when Dr Adeniyi discussed the idea of travelling to some war torn countries for research purposes, I expressed my reservations. But his reaction of "God is in control" put me at ease. When he shared his experiences on ground, including the reality of war and the ravaging effects on families, I was almost moved to tears. The piece, “War, Conflict and Social Cohesion - Personal Reflection” is a must read. In this edition, there are briefs on some departments within the parish. The Editorial Board is grateful to the Heads of Departments who took time off their schedules to write for us. God shall reward your labour in His vine yard. It is my belief that the descriptions, visions and values of these departments will inspire some of our readers to volunteer to serve. As we celebrate this season, let us take time to reflect on the theme of the anniversary, which is Season of Annunciations. Let us key into the prophecy, as declared by the Shepherd in the house, Pastor Samuel. He said - “Individual persons within our parish will experience this season of annunciations in their personal life; families and household in our midst will experience the same; and our Assembly as a whole will swim in a season of Divine introductions and annunciations, not only in our region, but also nationwide and worldwide as the Lord lives.” On this note, I commend this edition of Everlasting Magazine to you. Read it, share it and be blessed by the content. M. Babajide-Alabi Twitter: @AGEGE_Bread Blog: http://www.babajidealabi.com

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INTERVIEW

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Our God Has Pastor Samuel Obafaiye, is the presiding pastor of RCCG Everlasting Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Assembly, Leeds parish. In this interview with the Executive Editor of Everlasting Magazine. Mo. Babajide-Alabi, he takes us through the history of the parish, the challenges and how God has been faithful to His church, and members. Read the excerpts of the interview. Congratulation sir. The RCCG Everlasting Father's Assembly is 10 this year. This is a milestone in the history of a ministry. Can you share with our readers how the Parish came into being? My family were fellowshipping in RCCG Strong Tower, Bradford (now RCCG Chapel of His Glory) between November 2004 - December 2005, when it became clear that God wanted us to start a parish of RCCG in Leeds. God had laid this on my heart for a little while, only to be confirmed by God through Pastor Yomi Obadimeji of RCCG Strong Tower, Manchester. So on 31st December 2005 my family was sent forth by our Parish in Bradford under the leadership of Pastor 'Dara Shofoluwe. RCCG Everlasting Father's Assembly, Leeds started on 8th January 2006 to the glory of God. Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and how you got into ministry? I was born into a very strict Christian family, my parents were both members of The Apostolic Faith, and it was under these doctrinal values that I was brought up. At a young age, my parents and their friends had known that I will serve in ministry later in life, based on my passion for the bible; my behaviourial characteristics; the resemblance to my father and also walking in the footstep of my father who was a minister of the gospel. I recall they used to call me Pastor from a very young age. As I grew older, I fell in love and began a relationship with God. As a result the hand of God on my life was very visible and I knew God wanted me to be consecrated unto Him. But a part of me wanted to enjoy life a bit, so I tried to bargain with God to give me a little time and that I will certainly come back to do His will later on. What I found out is that when my mates played pranks and got away with it, anytime I tried I usually got caught and punished. The final straw was in 1993, when I got terribly cornered with a mysterious illness. I knew I had to completely surrender my life to God after that incident. I got married in 1997, and later came to England in 1999. Even though I knew I was destined for ministry work, I never thought it would begin in United Kingdom and certainly not before I am 50 years old. Immediately I got into England, I became a member of RCCG Holy Ghost Zone, London under Pastor Wunmi Oladunjoye. I later became a worker and joined the Ushering Department. I was appointed the Teens/Youth teacher while there. My family joined me in United Kingdom in 2001. In November 2001, due to our immigration circumstance at the time, the Home Office were moving my family from London to Glasgow, but when the coach got to Leeds, they decided to drop us here, little did we know that it was a move planned by the Holy Spirit. We implored our Health Visitor to find out the name of Pentecostal churches around, but we got to know there was no RCCG in Leeds, as well as the sort of denominations that we were already used to. So we decided to worship God at home every Sunday. By May 2002, our previous church in London persuaded us to start a House Fellowship which we commenced. We then began to invite people on the streets of Leeds to join the fellowship which was held Saturday evenings. Every fortnight, our church in London would send representatives to join us in fellowship. We met two families who became very consistent (Bellos and Uhuegbus); Sister Rosemary and her son and Brother Demola who was a student.

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It was with these people that the fellowship became a church (RCCG Holy Ghost Zone, Leeds) in September 2002. About this time Pastor Oladunjoye introduced my family to Mummy Elizabeth Osunde who was sent from London as our Parish Pastor and I as assistant. We worked in this Parish sacrificially with our Pastor and others for Continued on Page 7

Been Faithfulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Continued from Page 6 the next two years, with members increasing to about 100 people. In November 2004, God impressed it upon my spirit to move on.

We joined the RCCG Parish in Bradford which was about two years at the time, and within a short time I was elevated to become the assistant to Pastor Shofoluwe. Such was the beginning of my journey into ministry work, aside of biblical courses I have studied. How was it being one of the first RCCG parishes in Leeds? What were the challenges and what were the strategies you employed to overcome? RCCG Everlasting Father's Assembly was the second Parish of thedenomination in Leeds. When we started in January 2006 our main challenges were finance; venue and membership. It was by the special grace of God that we were able to overcome these and not any strategy we employed. At our send forth, we were blessed to receive ÂŁ400.00 from our parent parish in Bradford; they also gave us an amplifier. Our supervisory parish in Manchester gave us two corded microphones; a cordless microphone and two speakers. A sister parish in Blackely gave us ÂŁ200.00. These were the cash and materials we started with. For membership, my wife and our three young children were the only sent forth members. However, our parent parish was gracious enough to send two workers to worship with us for the first four weeks. In the first week of our meeting, God miraculously connected us to our first members: Brother Tobi Akintokun who was an undergraduate student; Sister Feyi Raji who has just moved to Leeds with her Postgraduate husband and the Otegbade's family who were our family friends in Manchester. Soon afterwards we met Sister Chavwe Akoroda, a postgraduate student and few other postgraduate students (Brothers Abiola, Gboyega and Niyi) who also joined us.

programme, which is very encouraging.

The Sports Day, on the other hand, is principally to induce bonding among our members, serve as an appetite for sport related adventure and exercise, and also to generally have great fun. All these we are able to achieve during the Sport Day. The team spirit was always very obvious, the fun on the day lingers on for a long time, and it leads to others taking up regular exercise programmes. Every year the parish organises the Workers Appreciation Night. Has this in any way affected the morale of the workers to want to do more for God? The Workers Appreciation Night is a time when all workers in the parish are treated to a night of great food and music outside of the church premises. Everyone is also given the privilege to have a professional photo shoot free of charge and at times special awards are presented to outstanding volunteers. The night is held annually for a number of reasons, among which are: The fact that the workers do a lot to assist us in ministry and I am not in anyway able to say thank you enough. The workers are always involved in everything to be done in the church, so I thought of a day that they won't do anything other than sit and just enjoy. The fact that in life there are two constants to people actions punishment and rewards. If one has done a great work, such a person needed to be rewarded and adequately too. The fact that Jesus addressed the Apostles that every of their efforts will be rewarded a hundred fold here on earth, it would be nice if the charity can at least say thank you to those who do the work with us too.

It was very difficult for us to get a venue to start from, but finally we began from a basement hall in Swarthmore Education Centre on Sunday 08 January 2006. It was a big, cold and paint smeared environment, as we couldn't afford anything better. But by the first week of March 2006, barely two months after we started, God moved us to the ultra-modern Vue Cinema in The Light Shopping Centre at the heart of the City. The Church from then on began to grow rapidly to the glory of God.

The fact that at the Marriage Super of the Lamb, Jesus will be entertaining the saints who had used their time, resources and talent to work for God, I thought of having a similar events for those who had worked with us over the year.

By the grace of God, RCCG EFA Leeds is one of the fastest growing Christian churches in West Yorkshire. What are the plans for the future? To the glory of God, despite the prevailing population problems facing all African-led churches in the UK as a result of the harsh immigration policies of the Tory Government, God has continued to see to it that Everlasting Father's Assembly still operates conveniently. We presently have close to 350 people attending our weekly services, with an average of 250 people on Sunday services.

Earlier this year the parish started the broadcast of the Everlasting Bread, on Faith Word TV. By this programme, you have been able to evangelise directly to people at home in all corners of the world. Can you share the inspiration for the start of this programme with our readers? From the inception of the parish, God told us that we were going to be a city that is set on a hill. That our reach will not be limited by location. So on few occasions, TV channels have found our details on the web and has called to ask if we would like to do broadcast with them. My answer at those times had always been no. This is because I believed that God wanted us to become more matured before such exposure.

We are trusting on God to have a breakthrough with the white and Asian population, and more non-Nigerians. It is hoped that the Land of Mercy would be too small for our parishioners in few years time. More importantly, we envisaged that the positive impact of our parish will be felt throughout the City and in the corridors of power, so that the name of God will be glorified. The parish organises many annual programmes such as Church in the City, and Sports Day. How has these programmes assisted in reaching to the unchurched people of Leeds, especially in evangelism? Some of these annual programmes are geared towards evangelism, while some are intended to foster unity and increase bonding among members. The Church in the City is an annual live concert at the heart of the city of Leeds. It is primarily an evangelistic move of the church. It is intended to give a flavour of what church is to those that would normally not go to church. It is also to get the attention of as many people as possible to give out gospel tracts which can facilitate their salvation. On both levels, the Church in the City has been a success. We can see that the event is well received by the people on the street, and usually over 4,000 tracts were given out within the four hours of the

But towards the end of last year, an agent of Faith World TV called me and made the same request, after praying, I had a release that it was time. God soon afterwards confirmed this when He gave us the prophecy for 2016 as He said it will be a year of our annunciation. So on 29 January, we began a 27 minutes broadcast on that Sky Channel 591 from 6:00pm-6:27pm. The broadcast takes us to 45 million homes in US & Europe on Sky TV and worldwide on the web. With this outreach, we see a fulfilment of the promise of God He had made to us 10 years before. Is this a part of the ministry that we shall see more of in the future? By the grace of God, yes. When our contract finishes with Faith World TV, we hope to go onto another channel that will offer a wider outreach, with this we hope to reach even further audience worldwide to edify more believers and be better positioned to save more souls for the kingdom of God. Thank you sir.

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What Is This Thing Called FAITH? by AFOLAKEMI OMISAKIN

OME people call it “Risk”, some call it “Gambling” just the same way some refer “Grace” as “luck” or “Coincidence” but whichever one chosen; someone took a step , someone acted on what he believed and whoops it worked. Well, we could argue that “Faith” is different from “Risk, different from gambling and so on, but what I have deduced is that you call it faith because you know it is faith , you could actually call it whatever you like if you have never heard the word faith before and what you call it depicts in whom you believe. The Cambridge Dictionary defined it as “great trust in something / someone”. Trust and Faith work hand in hand like 2 peas in a pod. So one’s faith concerning a thing implies trust in it. The challenge part when it comes to spiritual matters is because one cannot see/comprehend to whom the faith lies and then sometimes people forget He is always there in the beauty of the world. So having faith is to first understand the personality of the One whom you believe. Psalm 33: 11 posits that the plans of the Lord stand firms forever, the purposes of His heart throughout all generation. Going further depict that whoever declares God as Lord is blessed, however; God sees all mankind. The verse 13. states that no one can deceive God. So declaring He is God goes beyond word of mouth it extends to your inner being, having faith in His awesomeness and the authenticity of the proclamation made about Him. Now to better understand the personality of this Spirit being. Isaiah 55: 8-11 (NKJV) “For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returned not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it. 12. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap [their] hands. 13. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign [that] shall not be cut off “ . One thing is certain, God thinks differently; however he understands the way we think because he created us. God told Jeremiah that before he was formed in his mothers’ womb he knew him. That word applies to every one of us. Understanding the personality of the Immortal, Reliable, and Dependable Spirit Being makes it easy to trust Him. Now there are more than 50 verses in the Bible that reassures us of God’s love for us and how He is willing and able to help us. Have you ever wondered why He said ask and you shall receive (Matt. 7:7). Isaiah 41:13 “For I the Lord your God, hold your right hand, it is I who say to you “Fear Not; for I am the one who helps you”. “The I am that I am” the One of the names He is identified with implies He is all in all; He is everything. So the question remains do you know your God? Having faith could be hard work if one does not understand the personality of God. Hebrews 13: 1.. Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. What differentiates spiritual

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faith from all other kind faith is that the inner being is strengthened, and one is not relying on any physical power but the thought that there is a God who will save anyone that submits to Him from falling. Although it seems the whole situation is working towards the odds; there is still a reassurance of winning; the probability of winning is higher knowing He has the heart of men in His hands and He could turn it wherever He wants it to go. One word that activates faith is action. It reflects faith in the One whom you say believe. However there is a psychological inclination to taking action. When an individual takes a step towards an action with the set goal to win and knowing He has an Almighty; there is tendency to put all against all odds. This could be related to the story of David and Goliath. David was not a trained Soldier; the only weapon he had was that He knew whom He served and that helped him defend whole Nation from slavery. Remember he said “I would show this man that there is a God in Israel (1 Samuel 17:45). He knew God and that energized his faith. Moreover, Jesus said in Mark 9:23; “all things are possible to him that believeth that he can” Setting the mind to win in a situation sets the motion for success. However, there are certain situations that are seemingly beyond our power, such as diseases which scientist seem not to have a cure for or an impending dooms which seems beyond the natural physical power and resources. However, the power is still in the hands of men- the power to ask. We cannot ask what we do not think He can do. Knowing He can do it is the first step and understanding that He is willing to do it is growing in faith. Psalm 103: 8 “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounds in steadfast love”. He is definitely not like the physical being that loves only when everything is rosy; the Bible says while we were yet sinners He loved us. Psalm 103: 12 emphasizes that as far as the East is from the West so he separates our transgressions from us. God loves us more than we can ever imagine. So I ask you today, Do you have faith that he can bring you out from whatever situation you are facing? If you don’t then you don’t know your God. If you do then why not ask Him and rest in his word of Love; that His words would not come back to Him empty and He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19) . What is faith? Faith is knowing and understanding the personality of your God to you. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb, 11:6) because two cannot work together except they agree (Amos. 3:3). Sister Afolakemi Omisakin is a member of the Editorial Board and also serves in the Ushering and Treasury Departments

Focus on Children and Teens Department

By Pastor (Mrs) Anthonia Obafaiye

T is with great joy that I introduce the Children & Teen church. The Church started on the 8th of January 2006 with 3 young children and 1 Teacher in a cold little Hall in Swarthmore Educational Centre, we had no separate space for the children, but yet we made do with what God had provided at the time. In March 2006 we moved to the Vue Cinema in The Light at City Centre, we were moved from one of their Cinema Halls to another every week. The children still did not have a dedicated space, but we made do with sitting the children at the very back of the Cinema Hall. At a time when the church began to outgrow the smaller Cinema Hall we were allocated, the children had to start sitting on the stairs by the aisle or by the corridor entrance to the Cinema hall. At this time, we were blessed with children Sunday school teachers who were very passionate young adults who have come to study in Leeds. Few other mothers who were keen about children Sunday school also joined our team. Then our Miracle happened in August 2010 when God made room for us and we moved into our own property, The Land of Mercy. For the first time, the children department had a separate space we could use for Sunday school, the place was nicely set up for our classes and other activities. At the moment we have in attendance over 60 Children to the glory of God. I must say it has been a Glorious journey that I believe will end well in Jesus name. The Bible makes us to understand in Zechariah 4: 10 ‘’Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin’ The Children church has nurtured young children between the ages of 4 years to 12 years in the ways of the Lord using the Bible and other learning materials written by our Mother in Lord Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye over the past 10 years. Some of the children were born in the church and it has been so wonderful seeing them grow before our eyes into wonderful children (vessels that God will always find useful). The Children’s Sunday school evolved into full Sunday service in 2013 and I must say the sky is definitely not our limit because I can see us doing great and mighty things through the Power of God that works through us. The children start off their Sunday Service with Opening prayer, Praise & Worship, Exaltation (Message) preached by

one of the children, Sunday school lesson for the day, Lunch Break, after which they all participate in the Activity for the day which would be Arts & Crafts, Dancing, Story Telling from the Bible etc. and then Closing prayer. At the end of 2014, the Boys and Girls Brigade was also birthed within the church and the children have a session of 2 hours on the 1st Sunday’s of every month and this group is Coordinated by Volunteers who were trained as Young Leaders and are supervised by the Company Group Leader from the Boys & Girls Brigade. This provides an opportunity for our Teenagers to gain Leadership skills and also to mentor others even as they are being supervised. The church also has a Teens Group, which comprises of those within the ages of 13-19 years of age. They presently hold their Sunday school separately between 10:15am-11:00am. Our vision as a Group is to see the Teen Sunday School become a full Church. We are also trusting God for Volunteers to operate a Crèche for the 1 to 3 years old group, so we can cater for children of all ages. We are also trusting God to increase us numerical with the influx of families moving into the church. We are also believing God for more labourers in His vineyard. My prayer is that God will grant us Long life, so we live to see what He will make these wonderful children to become in life, because amongst these children I see Prime Ministers, Doctors, Engineers, Architects, Pastors, Pilots, Pastor’s wives, Presidents. What an honour it will be when a young man or woman walks up to us in future at an airport and say to us Please Sir/Ma I know you will not remember me but I am so and so, you used to teach me Sunday School lesson in church, I am the Pilot of this plane, are you traveling, you don’t need to pay your fare, I will take care of it. It will be a greater honour when we see them in heaven as well. I would also want to say a BIG thank you to all our Teachers that have sacrificially volunteered their time and talents to teach these wonderful gifts from God, they keep on pouring themselves in service to God Almighty. My prayer is that God Almighty will reward them greatly and as they look after God’s Heritage, God will look after them and their families in Jesus name. Shalom Pastor (Mrs) Anthonia Obafaiye is the head of Children and Teens Department.

2016 TEENS DAY OUT

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MUSICAL EVENTS - CHEVELLE FRANKLYN AND DAYO BELLO

Dayo Bello & Crew

ROUND UP OF THE 3-DAY 2016 FIRE CONFERENCE

* Guest Minister - Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Isaac Omolehin

*Guest Artiste - Brother John Makpo

PASTOR SAMUEL OBAFAIYE BIRTHDAY PRAYER SERVICE/DINNER

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* Cross section of the audience

PASTOR SAMUEL OBAFAIYEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

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2015 COUPLES DINNER

2015 WORKERS APPRECIATION DINNER

2015 SPORTS DAY AT THOMAS DANBY GROUNDS, LEEDS

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SPECIAL FOCUS

War, Conflict And Social Cohesion:

A Personal Reflection

WAS privileged to lead research on the human cost of armed conflicts in Africa. This research, which took me to three of the most security challenged countries on the continent – the Central Africa Republic (CAR), Mali and South Sudan, reconfigured my thinking on war and society. Most importantly, my work placed me in situations which were physically unsafe and emotionally devastating for my spirit and soul. It brought to fore, the gaps in my contextualisation of issues as a Social Scientist and a Peace and Security Analyst. It is a truism that war is an exercise loaded with a plethora of intended and unintended consequences at the individual, family, and societal levels. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines war as a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country. From this definition, it is apparent that a war situation can be outward or inward in nature. It also involves the use of weapons of different levels of sophistication. When weapons are introduced into conflict, it becomes an armed conflict; and when this happens, it brings about a false sense of ownership and control by the armed bearers over their environment. Attempts to dominate with the

By Adesoji ADENIYI, Phd aid of weapons naturally lead to the wanton destruction of lives and properties. They leave behind indelible marks of physical and psychological destruction. It is an undeniable and inevitable reality for millions of people across Africa. I also had a first-hand experience of this reality. I came in contact with both victims and belligerents of armed conflicts. I lived among refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs), I interviewed rape victims, I interacted with the economically dispossessed and had discussions with dislocated family members. I even came in arms way on two occasions. I was arrested by the military together with other members of my team in South Sudan. We spent five hours as “guests” of the army before regaining. I was also caught in a crossfire between two rebel groups in the town of Batangafo in the northern part of CAR. I experienced the fluidity of conflict situation especially how inchoate peace can be disrupted within seconds. I saw a whole community destabilised; I saw the young weep, the youths helpless, and the old confused. Above all, my visit to these countries brought about a stark realisation that the devastating effects of armed conflicts are better imagined. Gaps surely exist in how wars are reported and actual occurrences on ground. The real story of any war can only be told by those affected, either the victims or the belligerents. Although, I don’t fit into any of these groups, I saw enough to conclude that war should be avoided by all means possible.

Tips For Evangelism Be led by the Holy Spirit (ACTS 16:6, 9-10). Like Paul in Acts, I continually ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to people whose hearts are ripe and ready for the harvest. Consider ASKING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO LEAD YOU to those who are desperately searching for more in life and will be open to God.

The Elders’ Forum

HE Elders Forum of RCCG EFA Leeds is the association of believers, male and female church members from the age of 48 and above. They are serious minded and heavenly-bound, fully committed to finishing well. The members should not be looked upon as old, aged people but vital and vibrant part of the assembly Being an elder is a high calling recognised by God, Elders have always played a significant role among God’s children since the time of Old Testament until this present time. True to its leadership role the forum had made some financial contribution and sponsored some development projects in the church in our resolve to beautify the church. in our obedience to divine injunction of rejoice with those that rejoice and mourn with those that mourn we impact members who are bereaved, visit families blessed with babies and celebrate God's faithfulness. Members are volunteers in various ministries or departments within the church, while some are ministers. God has given this group the wisdom of the ancient, empowered and equipped with spoken words spoken through these group to reach out and strengthen every life they come across. Elders must live a life of obedience to the word of God. By Elder Jabob Odaudu - Head of Forum

Be convicted by eternal reality. What is your motivation for evangelism? Are we just doing it because it is the Christian thing to do? Are we doing it to try to please God by our good works? Are we doing it to try to grow a bigger church? Pray and ask your Father to give you His heart for the lost. When God shares His breaking heart with us, we will share His burden for the lost. Discern soul cravings. I believe everyone has cravings for purpose, meaning, and significance in life. By listening to and speaking into a person’s cravings, you can delicately awaken them to recognize that the fulfilment of all their cravings can only be found in God Himself. Develop relationships. Jesus was the complete expression of the Father’s love to the world; the love of God flowed like a spring of living water from the life of Jesus. I believe that in many cases, God’s love can be more compelling than scientific evidence of God or a theological argument. Is God’s love flowing through you? Are people in your life compelled by how passionately and personally you care about them? Share your story. You have a very powerful story and God wants to use it! People will be most compelled by your thoughts and experiences because they know you. If Jesus is a tangible reality in your life, others will see that and want it. Be empowered by the Holy Spirit (ACTS 1:8). Learn to look to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to take over the conversation. Know with confidence God will lead you and give you the right words to say to the right individuals. Be patient and faithful. For many people evangelism can be very discouraging because they don’t see immediate results. Though the ultimate goal of all evangelism is to lead people to Christ, it may not happen overnight. We must remember that only GOD KNOWS WHEN THE SEEDS WE PLANT WILL BEAR FRUIT. Culled from article written by John Smith on www.thelife.com

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Why Men Fellowship

N today’s society, with no spiritual compass, many men are in bondage to debt, captured by pornography, and caught up in addictions and sin. Many men are confused about masculinity and are disillusioned by the false promises of wealth and power. In the secular world of today, many men have rejected their commitment to marriage, and as a result, families are fragmented and fragile. Although called by GOD to be spiritual leaders, most men are spiritually adrift. The Men’s Fellowship arm of the Everlasting Father’s Assembly, Leeds recognizes a great need to reach out to men, being sensitive to their needs. The fellowship aims to achieve its objectives by involving men, not only in projects and missions, but in helping each other grow in Christ, teaching men to become better husbands, fathers, leaders and witness to other men in the community. The Purpose of the EFA Men’s Fellowship is to: Build Men for Christ Our Primary Objective: Create opportunities for men to build Christcentred, trusting relationships in which they help, encourage and equip each other to: (1) Grow in Christ-likeness, (2) serve others in need, (3) and evangelize the lost Men are Strategic Briefly, let us consider the following results of a survey completed a few

The Welfare Department By Sister Fola Owohunwa - Head of Department HE Welfare department is a ministry of service and the fundamental principles of the department is Love. Our purpose as a department is to promote self-reliance, care and service not just to the needy but the entire church. Serving and supporting the congregation, the group helps the church in carrying out its mission in the area of provision for the congregation.

By Minister Victor OLAJUBU years ago and reported by Focus Family Publishing: If a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is only a 4% probability that everyone in the household will follow. If the wife, mother is the first person to accept Christ, only a 17% chance the rest of the family will. But if the man (the husband, the father, God’s Point Man) is the first person in a home to become a Christian, there is a 93% probability that the rest of the family will follow. These glaring statistics shout the paramount importance of why Everlasting Father’s Assembly, Leeds is becoming more intentional in its quest for the development of men’s ministry that will attract and grow men for Christ. When a man accepts and grows in Christ, his family will follow – Eph. 5:22-33, 6:1-4). Why we hold regular meetings Men of the Everlasting Father’s Assembly, Leeds meet approximately once in every two months i.e. six times in a year to build trusting relationships, through which we can help each other know and trust Christ and grow in His likeness. The bi monthly meeting is a good format for general fellowship, personal testimonies, personal/corporate prayers, Bible teachings, business start-up discussions, career talk, presentations, and strategies for bringing men into the group. Executives of the Fellowship: Gabriel Adumade (Coordinator) Victor Olajubu (General Secretary), Jacob Odaudu. Kweku Antwi, Daniel Makwa, Osas Iduoze, Akinwale Akinfenwa, Baiss Mabiala

THE ETERNAL WORSHIPPERS

The Eternal Worshippers is the music arm of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (Everlasting Fathers’ Assembly) Leeds. Through the years the group has evolved numerically, and skilfully, and above all Being responsible for the care of the church, and supporting the Pastor's spiritually. vision in reaching needy families and also in providing refreshment for the congregation every Sunday, have positive impact on the church. The They have an understanding that music is beyond melody and sound, support we provide in area of refreshment especially food on Thanksgiving but indeed a spiritual service that is vital and crucial in Christian Day is a demonstration of love from the pastor to the entire church as laid worship and walk. down by our Lord Jesus. Over the years, the department has supported the church’s efforts to reach needy families, especially those that just delivered babies and those that are sick. The department is actively involved in all THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT church activities, such as support in organising programmes and providing This unit is responsible for the pick up of members to services and refreshment during programmes. While ministering to the physical needs special events. of the people, the department is demonstrating God's love and bring others to Christ. They liaise with members who require transport to and from services and also provide location advise for drivers. As a department, we are committed to efficiency and excellence, always looking for ways to improve as we know our God is a God of Excellence. Also we are zealous in advancing the general welfare of the church, congregation and the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As responsible workers in God’s vineyard, welfare members are expected to * (Right) The inauguration of officials of Girls Brigade. come regularly and punctually for church services and meetings.

EVENTS

Furthermore, as we interact with people from different backgrounds, the Welfare Members are committed to exhibiting patience at all times and have self-control over their speech and actions having in mind that a lot of people come to church with different burdens. Therefore, welfare members are to always maintain a polite and cheerful countenance with everybody; and to display an attitude of humility that seeks to please God rather than any man or self. Our vision as a department is to reach out to every member of the congregation, adult and children, male and female, irrespective of nationality or background, within and outside the church, and to extend the Love of God to them as much as we can. Our goal is to assist members of the church in need of assistance to meet their basic needs; to periodically support needy members of the community with basic necessities through established charities or shelters, within our means by distributing nonperishable food stuff, clothing, blankets, towels, toiletries, etc.; and to demonstrate the Love of God through active support and volunteering at shelters, and supporting the community in any capacity God has giving us.

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* Below (left) Katherine Hogg, regional coordinator Christian Aid doing a presentation in the church.

Below - Pastor Samuel Obafaiye presenting a gift to Ms Hogg

The Sanctuary Keepers

Sister Christine Dzraku, Head of Department AVE you ever wondered how our church is kept generally so bright and clean? We are dedicated men 5. Members coordinating cleaning before, during and after church service and women, devoted and committed to making 6. Carrying out proper waste management and Liaising with car owners to sure that the house of God is clean and tidy to ensure his manage waste disposal within the church premises welcoming presence in our services. We know cleanliness is 7. Safe keeping of lost or forgotten items in the church next to Godliness. 8. Opening the church on time for all church events and ensuring the safe and secure closure of the church premises. MISSION STATEMENT 9. Ensuring appropriate and adequate Service to God and the church heating/cooling system is in place in Humility, Honour and 10. Maintain a warm , lovely and Integrity welcoming first impression environment our existing and visiting members to VISION fellowship with God Cleanliness Is Next To God, Members of this department are the Beautifying And Keeping The Divine Hands Of Righteousness. House Of God Worthy Of (James 1:21 ) Wherefore lay apart all God’s People And His filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, Welcoming Presence. and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. The Lord God has been very particular about his sanctuary from creation ( Gen 2:15). He has always been specific about who to be in his sanctuary and who not to be, how it should be kept and when the Brother Victor Olajubu, Head of Department sanctuary can be accessible Ex 19:10 -11, Num 18:3 -5, Lev 22:2, Ezek 44:8. That is why special attention has to be placed in keeping the house of God. We have to maintain the splendour “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every of the house of the Lord . This can only be achieved when creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth members of the church, who have made themselves available not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name to be used in beautifying the house of the Lord can show shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up Integrity, Cleanliness and excellence to providing a platform serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay in the beautification of the church. That is why we have the hands on the sick and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they Sanctuary keepers Department. went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and Over the last ten years the team has seen growth from confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:15-20. strength to strength both spiritually and physically. Last year was the most excellent of all as the Lord exceedingly added to The evangelism arm of the church is designed primarily to win or revive our number with over 20 dedicated workers who are always personal commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ with all persons through available to serve in Love and humility. Since the team has the development, promotion, and support of all forms and phases of grown, some of the team now comes early on Sunday evangelism. morning to prepare the sanctuary ready for use and the second half of the team stays after service to tidy and get the The Evangelism department is in a relentless mode to constantly announce to sanctuary back to a presentable state.. The team now meet all a sundry: “For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and on Sundays for their departmental meeting due to the lose his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36 & increased number where we share the word of God , pray and 37. plan for the end of service schedule for the team and discuss any pressing issues. We thank God for what he is doing in our The department leverages on the use of public preaching, the reading of the Bible in public and in private, one to one discussions, distribution of Gospel life as a team, we pray for greater heights IJN. tracks, door to door evangelism, print, mass, and electronic media etc, in the Members of this unique service department have the propagation of the Gospel of truth innovatively. following responsibilities:

EVANGELISM DEPARTMENT

First of all not losing focus of the RCCG's Vision to make heaven and take a lot of people with you for that matter attending all church activities and growing in the word of God and making ourselves available for church organised evangelism and our individual plan ones so as to win soul. The word of God made us to understand "he who win soul is wise ", ( Prov 11:30 ) The department shall ensure that the church premises such as the compound, worship hall or venue as directed by the church authority. Ensuring the church is open for events on time and close securely after activities. 1. To maintain a well organised and orderly use of the sanctuary before, during and after services. 2. To ensure the Sanctuary is kept clean and conducive for all services and other activities 3. To clean and leave presentable all facilities in the church such as the convenient facilities, meeting rooms and other associated properties as directed the church authorities. 4. Maintain the safe and appropriate use of all church facilities and reporting damages to be repaired

EVERLASTING | 15

HEALTH

Minimising STRESS (2)

Continued from last Edition

HOW CAN I AVOID STRESS?

The first step is to become aware that stress is a problem. This would enable you to make a plan to take control of the causes and effects of stress.

STRESS LIST

You can try making a stress list. Try keeping a diary over a few weeks and list the times, places, and people that aggravate your stress levels. A pattern may emerge. Is it always the traffic on the way to work that sets things off to a bad start for the day? Or the supermarket check-out, next door's dog, a work colleague, request for money or something similar that may occur regularly and cause you stress?

TRY SIMPLE RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

Deep breathing: This means taking a long, slow breath in, and very slowly breathing out. If you do this a few times, and concentrate fully on breathing, you may find it quite relaxing. Some people find that moving from chest breathing to tummy (abdominal) breathing can be helpful. Sitting quietly, try putting one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Aim to breathe quietly by moving your abdomen with your chest moving very little. This encourages the diaphragm to work efficiently and may help you avoid over-breathing.

MUSCULAR TENSING AND STRETCHING

by Dr Funke Bakare

TIME OUT

Try to allow several times a day to 'stop' and take some time out. For example, getting up 15-20 minutes earlier than you need to is a good start. You can use this time to think about and plan the coming day, and to prepare for the day's events unrushed. Take a regular and proper lunch break, preferably away from work. Don't work over lunch. If work is busy, if possible try to take 5 or 10 minutes away every few hours to relax. Once or twice a week, try to plan some time just to be alone and unobtainable. For example, a gentle stroll or a sit in the park often helps to break out of life's hustle and bustle.

EXERCISE

Many people feel that regular exercise reduces their level of stress. (It also keeps you fit and helps to prevent heart disease.) Any exercise is good, but try to plan at least 30 minutes of exercise on at least five days a week. A brisk walk on most days is a good start if you are not used to exercise. In addition, if you have difficulty in sleeping this may improve if you exercise regularly.

SMOKING AND ALCOHOL

Smoking and drinking do not help with stress. Drinking alcohol to 'calm nerves' may lead to problem drinking.

Try twisting your neck around each way as far as it is comfortable, and then relax. Try fully tensing your shoulder and back muscles for several seconds, and then relax completely. Try practising these simple techniques when you are relaxed, and then use them routinely when you come across any stressful situation.

Many people find that a hobby which has no deadlines, no pressures, and which can be picked up or left easily, takes the mind off stresses. For example: sports, knitting, music, model-making, puzzles, and reading for pleasure.

POSITIVE RELAXATION

TREATMENT

Set specific times aside to relax positively. Don't just let relaxation happen, or not happen, at the mercy of work, family, etc. Plan it, and look forward to it. Different people prefer different things. A long bath, a quiet stroll, sitting and just listening to a piece of music, etc. These times are not wasteful, and you should not feel guilty about not 'getting on with things'. They can be times of reflection and putting life back in perspective. Some people find it useful to set time aside for a relaxation programme such as meditation or muscular exercises. You can also buy relaxation tapes to help you learn to relax.

UNDERSTANDING DIABETES

IABETES is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high. There are two main types of diabetes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1. In the UK, around 90% of all adults with diabetes have type 2. There are 3.9 million people living with diabetes in the UK. That's more than one in 16 people in the UK who has diabetes (diagnosed or undiagnosed). This figure has nearly trebled since 1996, when there were 1.4 million. By

16 | EVERLASTING

HOBBIES

Some people find they have times in their life when stress or anxiety becomes severe or difficult to cope with. See a doctor if stress or anxiety becomes worse. Further treatments such as anxiety management counselling or medication may be appropriate. Turn it over to Jesus, your burden bearer!, He Cares!!! Dr. Funke Bakare is a Consultant Occupational Physician and an officer of the RCCG EFA Leeds Women Fellowship. 2025, it is estimated that 5 million people will have diabetes in the UK. Pre-diabetes Many more people have blood sugar levels above the normal range, but not high enough to be diagnosed as having diabetes. This is sometimes known as prediabetes. If your blood sugar level is above the normal range, your risk of developing full-blown diabetes is increased. It's very important for diabetes to be diagnosed as early as possible because it will get progressively worse if left untreated. When to see a doctor You should therefore visit your GP as soon as possible if you have symptoms, such as feeling thirsty, passing urine more often than usual, and feeling tired all the time.

The Sunday School Department

UNDAY school is an essential and crucial component of the church. As the name implies, it is a school on Sunday where we learn, study and know more about God and dig deep into His purpose for our lives. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God" (Romans 10:17) Our purpose is to strengthen individuals and families by encouraging them to study and obey the scriptures. Our vision and Goal is to inspire a passion in the people for the word and to know God and to see lives changed. Our mandates are to help the people to see the application of the word in their own day-to-day lives and needs. Also to instil gradually the habit of reading and studying the word of God daily and regularly. To see that the word connects us with the Lord, heaven and people on earth. To teach the sound scriptural doctrine in the different stratum of life. In the world we are today, it is obvious that majority of Christians are grossly engaged in their circular jobs or pursuant of education from Monday to Saturday to the extent that they hardly have time to study the word of God or attend bible study during the week. Hence the only available day for such engagement is Sunday. Therefore, regular Sunday school attendance should be an essential component of every Christian. Let me mention some reasons why Sunday school attendance is crucial in the live of every serious and kingdom minded Christian ; Sunday school improves your bible knowledge.

By Minister Gabriel ADUNMADE, Head of Department When you know and understand God's word yourself, you are more likely to obey Him. The knowledge gained in Sunday school also helps you become more proficient in using God's word. Sunday school assists your spiritual growth. Spiritual growth often occurs best in the context of small group bible discussion. That's Sunday school. Sunday school provides a "place to belong" in Sunday school class you are known, personally Recognised and transparency is more likely to occur. You can share needs and concerns from your life. As you participate in class discussion, you become part of the group. Sunday school helps you build meaningful relationship. You meet people, learn their names, hear their stories and that might help in building your faith. Sunday school is the best forum to seek for clarification and share your experience which you may not likely have the opportunity during church service or other programme. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”, 2 Timothy 2:15 Your Sunday service is not complete without Sunday School. Therefore make sure you attend Sunday school this Sunday. If you need further assistance, speak to Sunday school coordinator or the pastor. GOD BLESS YOU.

Vision and Values of the Ushering Department

By Sister Modupe Ajiboye, Head of Department

HE primary objective of an Ushering Team is to ensure the smooth running of any event. As a result, the Ushers are usually the first people you would meet upon arrival at an event, and throughout the event, they perform such responsibilities as welcoming guests, traffic and crowd control, seating arrangements, etc. Therefore, the Ushering Department of RCCG Everlasting Father’s Assembly (EFA) has been an integral part of the church since it was established 10 years ago. The Vision of the ushering department is based on service to God through service to others. Colossians 3: 23 – 24 (NKJV) states: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” The EFA Ushering Department provides an invaluable service to the church. In many ways, the ushers are the “face” of the church, the first ones that people see when they arrive and the last ones they see as they leave. It is important that an usher be friendly, honest, and willing to serve. It is an honorable position in the church which requires integrity, cordiality, and wisdom. The ushers wear name tags for easy identification. The vision of the Ushering Department has impacted the church through the different services rendered by the Ushers at different church events over the years. The impression that an usher makes on members and first timers go a long way to determine an individual’s willingness to continue to worship in the church. Therefore, ushers are expected to be cheerful and welcoming at all times. The specific responsibilities of the Ushering Department in service to others are carried out before, during and after church service. Before the church service starts, the Ushers prepare the bulletins for distribution, ensure that the temperature in the building is conducive, and check that seats are properly arranged. During the service, they would welcome worshippers at each entrance, acting as doorkeepers; greet people with a smile while handing out bulletins, help people find a seat, collect the offering and tithe, provide assistance to the congregation whenever needed, maintain orderliness by minimising distraction during the service, headcount of worshippers and attendance during service, etc. At the end of the service, the Ushers are

responsible for distributing any church publications to the congregation and the sale of CDs and other published materials by invited guest ministers. The Ushering Department also acts as the “information desk” for upcoming church programs. An experience with an Usher during a church service can impact on a worshipper’s decision whether or not to return to the church. In order to adequately carry out their responsibilities, every Usher is encouraged to demonstrate core values which include spiritual strength, cheerfulness, politeness, submissiveness, organisational skills, excellence in service, patience, punctuality and uniformity in dress code. They are also encouraged to be aware of spiritual attacks during church services which could come in form of distractions through small chats, cell phones, constant movement during sermon and many more. A quick silent prayer by an Usher can silence the camp of the enemy. In service to people in the house of God, an Usher should find encouragement in Psalm 84:10 (NKJV) which states: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

EVERLASTING | 17

BEAUTY TECHNIQUES

Beauty and Fashion Techniques You can not separate God from beauty and greatness. God himself is beauty, so when you are a believer, the more reason you should radiate beauty. Like I always say, if you give up on yourself or your outlook, you tend to age too quickly than you can ever imagine right before your own very eyes. ANTI-AGEING TIPS Keeping your complexion hydrated is the best thing you can do to keep its glow. SUGGESTED PRODUCTS:1. Dr. Jart Ceramidin body lotion - this is a hydrating master piece. 2. Hawaiian tropic ultra radiance. 3) Marlowe lightweight post shower body lotion. 4) Aquation daily moisturising lotion preserves skin effortlessly as it locks in all the moisture your body needs without growing greasy. ANTI-AGEING HAIR TIPS:1) The ‘wrong’ hair colour and style can make your skin look tired and drawn, so it’s well worth talking to your stylist about a shade that flatters, whether that’s embracing your grey or black ’ (quite the colour of the moment! but rather what actually suits you. 2. We all know that dullness, dryness and frizz are exacerbated by straighteners, hair dryers and curling tongs. However, it’s pretty unrealistic to lay off them altogether. Don’t forget good old Velcro rollers either – they’re great at giving hair volume and don’t use any heat. Nothing looks more youthful than bouncy, voluminous hair so beware poker-straight, flat hair.

Ways To Evangelise On Facebook

SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY Tell people what having a relationship with God means to you. Using too much "Christianese" turns people off. Keep it simple. -Dan Rosselli OFFER PRAYERS FOR HEALING Pray for anyone who posts a need or a sickness. "I pray with them right there through Facebook. I type the prayer out as if I were laying hands on them." -Tonya Sullivan Hanselman. BE POSITIVE Try to make sure your status updates are positive. Post things or people that you're thankful for. Or even name some of the ways that you've been blessed recently. "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it.

CHRISTMAS AT RCCG EFA Leeds

2015 CHURCH IN THE CITY

18 | EVERLASTING

By Biola Babajide-Alabi 3. Gently does it. Ageing hair is already more prone to breakage so be extra careful about combing it when it’s wet, and instead detangle with a wide-tooth comb whilst your conditioner is in. Overly tight ponytails, buns and towel turbans can cause breakage too. 4. Consider a permanent blow dry. Some women swear by having a permanent blow dry in a salon. This isn’t necessarily to give you deadstraight hair, but it helps to remove frizz, adds in moisture and makes your hair generally easier to manage. It’s not cheap but the effects last a few months. MAKE UP TRICKS AND TIPS 1. If you use brushes, beauty blender or sponges, one secret is that you should always spray your brush with a fix plus before applying the products to get that flawless looking skin and you can also apply your products half the normal time you will normally use as products glides faster and smoothly and gives a more natural matt and realness to your skin. 2) Get a wide awake look : Dark circles makes you look very tired. Best way to get rid of this by applying hydrating fast drying cream, this will make a great difference to your outlook because it allows the products to glide on more smoothly. 3) Always set your under eye area with a powder, this will help you stay fresh longer and prevent creasing. Mrs Biola Babajide-Alabi is a beauty consultant at www.trendsandstrides.com | Instagram - @glamz_ Positivity, like negativity, is contagious." -Stacey Steinkopf Lillich. LET THE WORD WALK. A good idea is to post encouraging Scripture verses. "I had a friend whom I had not seen in years and who is not a practising Christian, message me [to say] that the Scriptures I post really spoke to her. She [is now] trying out a new church! Hallelujah!" -Tonya Sullivan Hanselman GET OUT OF YOUR FRIEND WALLS Go out of your way to find old classmates or colleagues and friend them. Then you can start building relationships and share the love of Christ. Felicia Mann. MAKE IT PERSONAL Develop a rapport with someone, show them you care for them and then you can lead them to Christ. -Jeanette Rose Jacono.

Monthly Themes

January - June 2016

January 2016 - Arising Glory

CCORDING to Wikipedia, Glory is said to relate to the Latin word gloria which means fame and honour. It is used to denote manifestation of God’s presence in the Christian religious tradition. It is one of the most common words in the bible used that is used to translate the Hebrew words of Hod (majesty, splendour) and Kabod (weight, heaviness and importance). God is Most Glorious; everyone born in the image of God ought to manifest part of that glory. However, the expression of the glory of God upon a man can be in defined in three ways: Extinct; Dormant or Active. In other terms, it could be said to be Dead; Asleep or Alive. Several factors can determine the state of that glory upon the life of a man. Things like the person’s level of spirituality; spiritual wickedness opposing him, ignorance, diligence, pride, family background, godliness, favour, etc. are determinants. As a result of pride, the glory of King Saul went from asleep to alive and then to dead. While as a result of godliness and favour, the glory of David went from dead to asleep and to active. In this first month of 2016, certain glory that appeared dead will come alive; those glory that are asleep will be awoken and those that are rising already will yet rise more in Jesus name. The glory of the church as a whole will arose out of obscurity in Jesus name.

February 2016 - Fame That Spread

AME can be defined as the state of being known or recognised by many people because of one’s achievements, skills, talents, etc. It can also mean to be of good repute, in favour, well regarded or highly esteemed in life. It is good to be famous in what one does as this will increase one’s recognition in their chosen field; make one to be easily accepted everywhere; make people to give heed to what one has to say; make one to have easy followership; increase the influence or impact one possesses over their area of operation and also bring honour to one’s mentor. Interestingly, God wants His children’s fame to spread. Jesus taught His disciples and even the multitude to have the mentality of been famous and renown for good (as salt and light), so that the world will know about their Father who is in Heaven and as such will be able to give the glory due to His name (Mathew 5:13-16). It wasn’t surprising therefore that Jesus fame did spread in His lifetime. The teachings and the deeds of Jesus made His fame to spread quickly throughout His country, so that He was able to make great impact in just 3 1/2 years of ministry! (Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:14-15). Many people thus believed that He came from God and gave due glory to God – His Father

March 2016 - Justified To Be Glorified

USTIFY in religion means “To declare innocent; guiltless; absolve or acquit”. Glorified in the same vein means “To give glory; honour; or high praise to; exalt”. Justified to be glorified would therefore mean “The declaration of innocency upon a life for the purpose of glorification; the proclamation of not guilty upon an individual for them to be exalted; or the acquittal of someone from charges levied against them in order to bring them into a position of honour”. The Bible says that sin is a reproach to any people; however righteousness does exalt nations (Prov. 14:34). To be truly exalted or glorified in life therefore, one needs to have been justified before. Sad to say that some Christians remain in a state of dishonour by their own making, by living in ignorance, even though they have been justified to be glorified (Prov. 29:18). God however wants His children to live a life of honour and glory as this in turn will bring glory and honour to Him in the eyes of men (Philippians 2:15-26; 3 John 2). That is why in Rom. 8:28-30, we have a supposed sequence of the life trail of a believer, which ours should indeed follow: That whatever happens, all things must work together for good eventually to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. This is because God already foreknew both the person and their circumstances and had equally predestined how things should favour the believer. At a later stage in such person’s life, they are called by God to go through certain experiences, if they are faithful and became justified in their calling, then their glorification must definitely follow.

April 2016 - Deeds and Rewards of Honour

OD is all mighty and all powerful. He is the sovereign Being. There is nothing that can make Him do whatever he doesn’t want to do. God can choose to favour anyone He desires at any given time. He does whatever pleases Him and no one can challenge or question His judgements. However, because God is just, He most times considers certain things to justify His favour upon a man. Usually, God considers deeds that stand out in the life of the fellow, so that He can then bestow special honour and favour on the fellow which they otherwise wouldn’t have experienced. In Acts 10:1-6, the bible talks about Cornelius who his deeds was able to attract God’s attention. Cornelius lived in Caesarea which was the capital city of the Judea Region. He was a Roman soldier who was in charge of about 100 soldiers. He was a gentile, yet he was attracted to the worship of Yahweh, the God of the land he was sojourning. He had adopted the hours of prayers of the Jewish people; he was committed to giving alms to God’s people; and he involved everyone in his household in all what he did. Even though God has sent Jesus who had died for the salvation of the world; and the apostles of Jesus were then involved in spreading the gospel. Cornelius then hadn’t been informed about the way of salvation. God still took notice of Cornelius and decided to honour his deeds. An angel was sent by God to him to announce that his deeds of devotion and help had risen before God for action. To justify the intended honour upon Cornelius life, God had to arrange a path of redemption for him and his household. They were all empowered by the Holy Spirit and baptised into the body of Christ by Apostle Peter. They then became more honourable in the hands of Jehovah.

May 2016 - Grace For Recognition

RACE is a ‘Divine influence that inspire virtuous occurrences in the life of humans’. While recognition can be defined as ‘to give a favourable notice to somebody; give someone a good attention or for someone to be accorded honour’. Everyone loves to be recognised in a good way. Either for who they are; what they are doing or what they have done. People become recipient of such good attention if they are born into a honourable family; if they are successful in hard work; or if they deceive people into believing they are what they are not. Interestingly, some people are just blessed with ‘grace of recognition’. It is a genome that God has put into such people that make them exemplary. So that wherever they are, even without making any compelling effort, they will still get favourably noticed, given good attention and accorded honours. In Gen. 37: 2-4, we read that the life of Joseph was such that enjoyed grace of recognition. He was born into a family of twelve sons, he was the number eleven, yet he was the most recognised. The attention given to him by their father was second to none. The honour accorded to him was special. His dresses, meals, tasks, etc were all specially arranged as he grew up as a child. Also, when he got to Potiphar’s house as a slave, the grace of recognition was seen upon his life. Potiphar must have had other servants, particularly Egyptian house helps, but he accorded greater honour to Joseph and treated him as a son rather than a slave (Gen. 39:1-9). Again, when Joseph was in prison, the grace of recognition was seen on him still. Usually, the Commander of prison inmates is usually either the one who has served the longest time; the one who is the strongest physically or the one who is the oldest in age. Joseph was young, a foreign inmate, a new arrival, not physically powerful and yet became the Commander of the inmates because he received favourable notice from the Chief Warder and other inmates (Gen. 39:19-23)

June 2016 - Divine Amazement

MAZEMENT is a feeling of great surprise or wonder; it is the feeling that accompanies something that is extremely surprising and shocking. When that feeling of surprise comes from the acts of God or with the assistance from God, it is referred to as Divine amazement. God Himself is amazing. His person, nature and deeds are just too amazing. God also specialises in turning other personalities into amazing objects. In John 9:1-38, Jesus turned the life of a man into huge amazement. The man was over 40 years and had been born blind. In Jewish traditional belief and to some extent even in medicine; an ailment that occurs post-birth still stand a chance to be corrected, but when an ailment like blindness, deafness, dumbness and lameness was already there before birth; the Jews believed that it is irreversible, and it’s largely so in medicine also. When this man came in contact with Jesus, he was taken back to Eden for re-creation; Jesus anointed his eyes with mud and asked him to go and wash in Siloam pool. He came back seeing with brand new eyes! The occurrence was so shocking to the Jews and their leaders who have not seen anything like that happened before (John 9:18). The man had to explain himself over and over again, the Pharisees were so amazed that the act actually divided them (John 9:16).

EVERLASTING | 19

ABOUT RCCG EFA Leeds

HE Everlasting Father’s Assembly is part of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), an international network of churches (https://trccg.org/rccg/)

2006 - 2016

ANNIVERSARY

We are a friendly, Bible believing and family-oriented church community in the heart of Leeds, West Yorkshire. RCCG (EFA) Leeds is by the grace of God one of the fastest growing Christian denominations in the North of England today. Whether you are working, studying or living in and around Leeds we look forward to welcoming you in person in the name of our Lord Jesus to the Everlasting Father’s Assembly. May the Lord visit and bless you, Amen.

MINISTERIAL TEAM MINISTERIAL TEAM Samuel OBAFAIYE - Pastor | Anthonia OBAFAIYE - Pastor (Mrs) Areola ARIYO - Deacon | Helen ARIYO- Deaconess Caroline NDLOVU - Minister | Gabriel ADUNMADE - Minister | Victor OLAJUBU - Minister

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES SUNDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

WORKERS MEETING - 9:15AM ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL::- 10:15AM CELEBRATION SERVICE: 11:00AM - 1:00PM

DIGGING DEEP: 6:30PM - 8:30PM

SATURDAYS EVANGELISM (4th Saturday) - 3:00PM DRAMA MEETING: 5:00PM CHOIR MEETING;- 5:00PM SINGLES MEETING:- (3rd Sat) - 3PM

HOUSE FELLOWSHIP: BTW 5:30PM - 7:30pm

MONTHLY ACTIVITIES Celebration Service:- 1st Sunday of the Month. Anointing Service:- Last Sunday of the Month. Holy Communion:- Last Wednesday of the Month. Women Fellowship:- 3rd Saturday - 1:00pm Men Fellowship:- Bi-monthly - 6:30pm NIGHT VIGIL 1ST FRIDAY (10PM -1AM)

RCCG EVERLASTING FATHER’S ASSEMBLY , LEEDS’ HOUSE FELLOWSHIP CENTRES LS1, LS2, LS7 & LS8

LS3, LS4, LS5 & LS6LS12, LS13 &LS16

FLAT 147, 20-20 HOUSE, SKINNER LANE, LEEDS LS7 1BE (THE AJAYIS’) LS10 & LS11 1 MURRAY VIEW, MIDDLETON, LEEDS LS10 4GD (THE IDUOZES)’

15-17 WALTER STREET, LS4 2BB (CHURCH PREMISES) STARTS 5:30PM - 6:30PM YORK ROAD 98 CARTWELL DRIVE, LEEDS LS15 0PD (THE ADUMADES’)

FREE TRANSPORT TO CHURCH For details of bus stops please email transport@rccgleeds.org.uk or call/text 07718079394

FREE PARKING SPACES FOR CAR OWNERS

LS27 MORLEY 11 PARKFIELD COURT MORLEY LEEDS LS 27 0NR (THE MABIALAS’ )

BRADFORD FLAT 9, THIRKHILL COURT, RIPLEY STREET, WEST BOWLING BRADFORD BD5 7TY

RCCG EVERLASTING FATHER’S ASSEMBLY, LEEDS’ MISSION STATEMENT Among Others are: (1) To have a positive impact on the lives of the people in Leeds and its environs; (2) Increase the knowledge of God in the land; (3) Help people to discover their talents and purpose in life; (4) Challenge and encourage members to achieve and maximise their potentials; (5) Demonstrate the love and care of God to all mankind. Like Us on Facebook /RCCGEFA