By Sola Ojewusi
“Surely he would be missed but he
would not be missed.”
Those were the words of an observer
when Prophetess Evelyn Joshua, widow of the late world renowned televangelist Prophet
TB Joshua officially began her new role as Head of the Synagogue Church of All
Nations yesterday in Lagos. In fact that paradox best describes the mood at the
Synagogue Church of All Nations when the organisation once again threw its
gates open for services.
Since the passing of the founder of
SCOAN, the world renowned televangelist Prophet TB Joshua in June, there had
been a lot of speculations regarding the future of the church. Things even got
more complicated with the recent events bordering on the loyalty of the
Prophet’s disciples to the new dispensation now headed by the wife of the
founder Prophetess Evelyn Joshua.
But in the weeks preceding the event
of Sunday, the Prophetess appeared to have quickly settled into the new role
and been able to bring the church back to the path laid down by her late
husband and mentor. The hugely successful event of Sunday tagged Reunion and
Thanksgiving Service was a testimony to the ability of Evelyn Joshua, the new
Woman of God to steer the ship. And, as observed by someone at the church that
day, “How beautifully she handled things! This is the Lord’s doing!” he
concluded.
It was truly a soul stirring day that
started with thematic songs that spoke well to the solemn occasion, especially
the solo performance of “For the God of the Mountains/Is the God of the
valley/God of the good times/Is the God of the bad times…”
The choir, clad in white choir dress
and bluish collars, then followed with a rendition of a soulful “Praise to the
Lord, the Almighty…”. When a lady chorister in turn led in singing the South
African piece, “Malibongwe igam lenkosi” (Let the name of God be praised), the
huge crowd of worshippers went into a pious frenzy, singing and dancing along.
It was indeed a full house of
congregants from around the world gaily dressed and draped in the flags of
their various nation. The crowd in the overflow sections was even much larger
than those inside the main building. It was indeed an atmosphere of celebration
and the mood of elation was shared across the sections of the full house.
By the time the choir made the
rendition of “Yes Lord My world says Yes” composed by the late founder TB
Joshua, it was clear that rather than mourn, the church was ready to move on in
a celebratory mood.
For those watching on TV and on the
various social media platforms of the church, it was a spiritual feast to the
eye they would not forget in a hurry. Reading through their comments, it became
clear that truly, TB Joshua might have gone to rest, the work he so gloriously
started will continue under the able leadership of the Woman in the Synagogue.
According to a Twitter user, “I’m
sure TB Joshua would be happy in heaven that the work has continued.” And to an
observer who was watching on TV came the emotional words, “TB Joshua, we will
always love you. Aluta continua!”
According to Naledi Katz Kyllastinen,
one of the SCOAN Facebook page enthusiasts, “The legacy of prophet TB Joshua
goes on, from our generation to the next generation and the children of their children.
Good grace, good God, He started it and His will our command! We are matching
on to the Thrown of Mercy with one accord… SALVATION!” Then came the most
anticipated moment.
Prior to this day, people had
wondered if the great works of miracles would continue with the passing of TB
Joshua. Sunday really answered the nagging questions. And the manifestations
continued, putting paid to the questions about continuity of divine healing. As
the Prophetess took the floor to preach after showing her gratitude to all who
stood by the church, the afflicted began vomiting blood and other poisonous
substances on the floor of the church in the glare of International television
audiences indicative of divine healing.
From the beginning you could begin to
see the manifestations of the vision, that this was an undying endowment
despite the transition of its founder. And Prophetess Evelyn Joshua brought out
amazing flashes of her anointing. The conclusion of most as the day wore on was
that the grace still overflowed at the SCOAN.
Then came the testimony moments.
Again, we began to see the return of the good old days when TB Joshua held sway
as amazing testimonies came from the congregation. First was that of Tangeni
Anasthasia from Cameroon who gave a moving testimony of how she was healed
during the night vigil led by Evelyn Joshua.
Another woman, Mrs Ikeduwa Uzodinma
who was barren for ten years and was now pregnant also came to share her
astonishing miracle, a testimony corroborated by her husband. “God has used
this ministry to change my life,” she enthused.
Mr Samuel Banigo who had leg cancer
and was due for amputation before taking the anointing water from SCOAN and was
totally healed was another testifier. His story sent tears of joy flowing among
the congregation.
Then came the big moment. With the
eyes of the world in her, Prophetess Evelyn Joshua came in calm cool and
collected, oozing the confidence of a woman of mission. And how well she
carried the mantle, giving assurance to observers that all was well at the
SCOAN, that the Prophet might have passed, the Prophetess has risen. “He is
with us here today in spirit,” she told the church of her husband.
While dedicating the church to the
Lord, she prayed for the congregation, assuring that the church “will forever
be grateful for what God Almighty has used his servant to do in this house.”
Quoting Roman 8:35 beginning with
“Who shall separate us from the love of
CHRIST?” she expressed her gratitude
to the church, the Emmanuel TV partners and all well-wishers. She centred her
sermon on the title: “The Decision of a Champion.” One of the highlights of her
exhortation was the statement: “You must do something you hate in order to
create something you love.” She also urged the church to “Reposition yourself
for goodness…”, reminding all that “Jesus is the roadmap to the lost…”
And as she rounded off, signs that
she was going to take the path of reconciliation were shown when she
acknowledged the presence of the mentees of Prophet TB Joshua, the wise men who
worked with the late prophet and appeared to be ready to cooperate with the
church.
For their support and loyalty, the
woman of God thanked the five Wisemen, Harry, Daniel, John Chi, Christopher and
Racine.
Among the artistes that graced the
event with soul stirring performances were Mike Abdul whose ministration
brought the house to a celebratory frenzy. The atmosphere of praise,
camaraderie and glory would not be forgotten in a hurry. The refrain of “O ja
Sope” also reflected the mood of triumph over the adversity of recent times. It
was indeed a day of profound Alleluia at the Synagogue!
It was indeed an unforgettable day at
the SCOAN. The church looks safe under the new leadership. As observed by many,
the future looks bright and Evelyn Joshua appears ready for universal impact.
Sources: thelagosianmagazine
