It is said that if Nigeria sneezes, Africa catches a cold.
Such is the influence of that country on the whole continent. It is the most populous nation in Africa and is the home of the 4th, possibly 3rd, highest number of evangelicals in the world.
But the church has grown so fast in Nigeria many new believers have had little chance of being discipled. Division and false teaching are rife, and the prosperity gospel is ubiquitous.
Neither is Nigeria the most straightforward country in which a mission agency can operate. Many prefer to set up in countries like Kenya where it is relatively quick and safe to do so. Indeed, EPW has tried and failed before now. But we thank God that, at last, we have a secure platform from which to minister to the region.
Please pray for ‘Sola:
Olusola (‘Sola) Akinware, our hub manager as he establishes EPW’s base in Lagos. Although not the capital city, it is the commercial centre of the country and is strategically vital. So, Lagos will be EPW’s primary focus in the first instance. With a population of over 20 million it is nearly as large as Ghana, the second most populated country in the region.
We are tremendously grateful that ‘Sola is firmly rooted in Sovereign Grace Bible Church (SGBC). As its name suggests, SGBC is a gospel-based church which seeks to obey and proclaim God’s word faithfully and the EPW hub benefits hugely from the support of that community.
Pray for the ministry:
‘Sola has recently acquired space in a retail park in the Ogba district from which resources can be stored and despatched to pastors throughout the country. Please pray for him as he continues to fitout this storeroom come office and as he leads colleagues in SGBC’s book ministry team translating key titles into Yoruba.
In April ‘Sola attended an EPW pastor training conference in Accra, Ghana, and plans are afoot to introduce similar training in Lagos, for pastors leading churches in the poorer, more neglected parts of the city which fall outside relatively secure managed estates.
And please pray ahead:
Pastor ‘Wale Akinrogunde, an EPW trustee currently based in the UK, who will be leading a conference from 18-20th August for 100 church leaders in Port Harcourt, along the coast from Lagos.
This will be a great opportunity for EPW to build a database of pastors in that region of Nigeria and for ‘Sola to work with them.
They are also planning a similar conference of about 250 pastors in Osun State (‘Sola’s home state) which is about 180 miles northeast of Lagos.