33 Years Ago, Many Predicted Celica Church Will Not Last One Year- Founder, REV. ADETUNJI ADEONIGBAGBE

 

A few weeks ago, the Celica Church of Christ celebrated its 33^rd Adult Harvest Thanksgiving service at the international headquarters in Ibadan and it was a big event. The magnificient looking auditorium was filled to capacity, with distinguished personalities from all walks of life present to witness the milestone event. The founder of the Celica Church of Christ, His Holiness, Reverend Adetunji Adeonigbagbe, was the cynosure of all eyes when he stepped inside the auditorium. His arrival changed the entire atmosphere as everyone rose to their feet to honour a man whom God has raised up from nothing to become the spiritual father and mentor to many and raise thousands of men and women across the globe to become men and women of substance working in the vineyard of the Lord.

 Towards the tail end of the programme, City People Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) had a few minutes chat with the highly revered and extremely loved founder, Reverend Adetunji Adeonigbagbe. He shared with us the humble beginnings of Celica Church of Christ and how many people predicted the church would not go beyond one or two years. But today, Celica is not only 33 years old, it’s growing in leaps and bounds, expanding beyond the shores of Nigeria. And despite all of these phenomenal achievements, the founder whom everyone affectionately calls Daddy, has remained humble about it all. He takes no credit for the incredible growth and transformation in Celica, he owes it is all to the grace of God. Enjoy excerpts of the interview.

What makes this year's harvest special for you, sir? Why is it a very special harvest, different from others? 

 When the church was about to start over 33 years ago, people said the church will fold up in three months. Some said it will end in one year. When we passed one year, some others said maximum two years we will fold up. After two years, they said three years.

When we passed three years, they said seven years. And today, we are thirty-three years. A child born thirty-three years ago is no longer a child.

A thirty-three-year-old person is a fully grown man or woman that can now decide what he or she wants in life. Anyone who has attained such age should have his or her independence, isn't it? So, that's why I'm so happy that the church has grown up to thirty-three years and the church is moving at an impressive pace. It’s moving quite fast. It's moving forward every year. 

 The bus that brought me here to the church was given to me this morning. I really like the bus and even prefer to the Mercedez Benz.

I dreamt about the bus three months ago and the person I dreamt that gave me the bus was the same person who presented it to me this morning. And I didn't tell him. I didn't tell him anything. Is it not something of joy for me? In those days when we were doing this type of harvest, it was very difficult to raise one million naira. But today, God has raised people who are paying tithes of more than three million, five million every month, especially around this thirty-three years of our existence. Is it not grace? It's grace.

And this year, we moved to America and we are progressing there as well.

That makes this year special. 

 At the 31^st Adult harvest of the Celica church national headquarters in Olowora, Lagos, you expressed your sadness, your anger at those who bring the name of the Baba Oshofa to disrepute. Today, again, you raised the matter and expressed your disappointment. What are your concerns, sir? Why are you particularly worried about this development? 

 Why am I so worried and angry? I will tell you.The Bible says, a sin committed against a human being is forgiven,but a sin committed against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. I'm so sad for those people who are making those types of allegations against a great man of God. You cannot believe it,

it was my son who brought that social media content to my attention. I don't go on social media. He said to me, look at what they are saying about Baba Oshoffa. I was weeping that day. I wept for several minutes. How can somebody whom the ministry of Baba has blessed be saying this type of thing? It's so very shameful and saddening. .

 The three great men who visited me were Moses Orimolade, Joseph Ayo Babalola and Papa Oshofa and they gave me the staff of office that I should continue, therefore, I have the constitutional right to fight for them and defend their names.

And if anybody wishes to tarnish that name, I can lay my life fighting that person. Because they gave me the staff of office. That's why I'm so bitter.

I pray for the person to find forgiveness because the Bible says he doesn't know what he's saying.  When a lunatic person talks, you need to pray for that person because he actually doesn't know what he's doing.

A lunatic can slap his father, or slap his mother. A lunatic is a difficult person to manage. Those people who feed them, want them to be healed. Their mother, their father, want them to be healed. They also know that anytime that madness in them is triggered, they that have been taking care of them can be attacked or slapped. But they continue to care for them and pray for them. So, I think those people who think like that or who say rubbish about Baba Oshoffa need a lot of prayers.

Finally, sir, one of the first things I noticed when I first came here over a year ago, I think that was last year, and then today, I've noticed that you have a lot of young people in Celica who are passionate about God like you. There are lots of young people who are taking on the mantle of leadership, who are leading the church very well. How happy does this make you feel when you look around and you see a lot of young people, your own children, biological, non-biological, everybody working very fervently for God? 

 I will always appreciate God. He loves me more than who I am. When I say who I am, I mean I'm the greatest sinner in the whole world. And this is God, my father, my Lord, my everything, he still loves me.

My determination in life is to raise people up. That's my goal. You may decide to be a doctor, an engineer, but my goal is to raise people up, especially the youth who know God and love God.

Because they are the future generation and that's why I thank God that God is raising people, young people, educated people, semi-literate, graduates, all of them, who have decided to serve God. And when they come, the Holy Spirit in me descends on them and they become even greater.

 Do you know my joy? My joy is that some of these people, they can raise the dead and I am very happy about it. Many of them have traveled over. I am very happy because when you see your children, young people growing under you, building beautiful houses, driving good cars, travelling all over the world, if you are not grateful to God, that means you are a bad father. That's why you see them rallying me and whatever I ask them to do, they do it with joy. So this is my joy.

And I pray that God should continue to help me to raise many more people, to raise many stars. I want to showcase more stars in my lifetime. That's my joy.