According to retired Major-Gen. Pat Akem-Vingir, a pastor of the RCCG, the intervention church in Nigeria helps to alleviate the effects of hardship in the country. The preacher made this known during the dedication ceremony of the new RCCG branch called ‘Jesus House’ in Abuja. It was presided over by Pastor Enoch Adeboye and attended by thousands of RCCG members and dignitaries.
Akem-Vingir stated that the church plays an important role in Nigeria’s social and economic fabric. He emphasized that religion, especially the church, provides hope, direction, and purpose for the majority youth population in the country. The pastor went further to say that Nigeria would collapse if the church is removed, highlighting the church’s unique and special place in society. “If you remove the church from Nigeria, the country will collapse. People may deny it, but I am saying it unapologetically. “If the church were not in Nigeria doing what it is doing; serving as the light of the world and as the salt of the earth, the degradation would have been more than we can imagine. “70% of the country is youthful. You can’t allow that kind of generation to be wasted. The church is a place where they can find hope, direction and purpose,” he said. The new RCCG branch in the Durumi area of Abuja is a magnificent 5-storey facility that can accommodate up to 3,000 worshippers at once. Pastor Adeboye, however, in his own speech expressed gratitude to God for the successful completion of the project. In his words; “We thank God for this great day, and for the successful completion of this wonderful edifice. We pray that this building will be a beacon of hope for the afflicted and a place of worship for generations to come.” “We pray that this church building will be a source of blessing to all who enter it and that it will continue to serve as a beacon of hope for the afflicted and a place of worship for generations to come.”
