TheNewsGuru

Tag: Christ Embassy

  • Top gospel singers respond to Pastor Oyakhilome’s remarks regarding charging fees to minister

    Top gospel singers respond to Pastor Oyakhilome’s remarks regarding charging fees to minister

    Nigerian gospel singers, Mike Abdul and Esther Igbekele, have responded to the outburst of the founder and president of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome over his claims that many gospel musicians charged money to sing and had turned God’s house into a house of party.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that Oyakhilome during a three day Loveworld special season 11, explained that he stopped working with many of the prominent gospel singers because they were no longer celebrating God.

    However, speaking on the matter, Mike Abdul during a recent interview with the Punch, maintained that the ongoing conversation would help gospel singers to do what is right.

    He said, “I think it is just human behaviour. There will always be extremes where people will be more lured by the money than the work. I think the church has been gracious enough to stretch a hand of honour and fellowship to the music of the gospel.

    “So, I think when such extremes come, it depends on us to address them. It’s a good call actually, I won’t lie to you, so that we watch it and do what is right. People are engaging in the conversations and it is a way of reminding us to watch it and do what is right. We need to be able to draw structures that will attend to the issue of money and the sustainability of what we do.”

    Popular female Yoruba gospel singer, Esther Igbekele, noted that gospel singers should not remain impoverished because they chose the genre, adding that they have financial responsibilities and families to care for.

    She said, “Well, they both align together because choosing gospel music is somehow giving out to the Lord a mandate because there are other businesses. So it doesn’t mean you should be wretched. If you are worshipping the Lord, the Lord himself will bless you. As I’m talking to you, I’m on my way to a programme from Lagos to Akure (Ondo State). You know what it entails to move from point A to B and I am working with grown-up people. They have families, they have bills to pay, and they have things to sort out. If you are not paying them, they will not follow you. So you won’t say because you are giving your life to God, you want to be worshipping God and you remain in penury.

    “I am not in party to that kind of arguments. But you know, there are two sides to a coin, so people think differently. But for me, if God is really giving you the courage to do his work, people should bless your life.

    “I wouldn’t say some churches have turned worship into a party. The truth is, many people in the world today are struggling with depression. They feel down and need something to lift their spirits. That’s why some people go to church—not necessarily for deep worship, but just to feel happy and forget their problems for a while.”

  • They charged for singing, turned the church into party place – Chris Oyakhilome reveals why Sinach, Frank Edwards, others left Christ Embassy

    They charged for singing, turned the church into party place – Chris Oyakhilome reveals why Sinach, Frank Edwards, others left Christ Embassy

    The founder and president of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome has broken his silence on reason several gospel musicians, such as Sinach, Joe Praize, Frank Edwards, Eben, and others, left his church.

    TheNewsGuru recalls the prominent gospel singers left Christ Embassy church a few years ago, after it  was alleged that they left the church because they weren’t allowed to minister elsewhere asides, the church.

    The tension reportedly began when Sinach participated in “The Experience,” an annual interdenominational program organized by Pastor Paul Adefarasin of House on the Rock. Her involvement led to speculation that she had joined Adefarasin’s church.

    As her ministry expanded globally, Sinach’s attendance at Christ Embassy decreased, which reportedly displeased Pastor Oyakhilome. He allegedly instructed her to return to her local assembly and be more active in the church’s singing ministry.

    In a new video that has surfaced online, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome explained that he stopped working with them because they were no longer celebrating God.

    According to Oyakhilome, he tried to get them to change their ways, but they refused and stopped following him.

    “Why did it happen? The church was turned into a party place, not a prayer place where God’s word was truly celebrated…they were not soul winners; they led praise in church, and when it was time for prayers, they were gone.

    “The church lost its way of worship, everything changed, the music in the church became worldly, they danced for themselves, celebrated themselves not God, they charged for their singing, they became professionals making money from the church….and many pastors didn’t know that this was the world coming into the church.

    “I did at the beginning and celebrated them but when I changed, they refused to change with me, so I had to let them go; God was getting my attention and saying this is not the way. I told them the lord wanted us to do the right thing…they had become too popular and because they were making even little money….do they know what big money is? The little money they were making was too attractive to them, so they didn’t want to follow me, so they made a detour….I hope they all repent…..they are not worship leaders,” Chris Oyakhilome said.

  • Rema donates 105 million naira to Christ Embassy

    Rema donates 105 million naira to Christ Embassy

    Afrobeat star Divine Ikubor, known popularly as Rema, has donated a whopping N105 million to a Christ Embassy church in Benin, Edo State.

    The 23-year-old singer donated a Sunday service, where he disclosed how the church catered for his family when he lost his father, and everything was taken away from them.

    Rema thanked the church for its support and guidance.

    In a now-viral video, he humbly said, “I’m not here to give myself any accolades or glory. I’m here to give God the glory. I feel like it is important to give back because the church has embraced, prayed for me, and has kept me very consistent with my spirit.

    “Firstly, I want to give a pledge of N40m to the infrastructure of the church. I want to pledge N20m to Rhapsody of Realities, and being the fact that I came from the teens church, I also want to pledge N25m to the infrastructure of the teens church.

    “I’m pledging N20 million to widows in church today.”

    He continued saying, “When I was eight year old, when I lost my dad, we felt very lost and abandoned. All that we had was taken from us and we felt very alone and I remember at the time Pastor Joy and Pastor Thomas, the pastors of this church, they opened a shop for my mum and that was what she managed to take care of us.”

    Recall, Rema arrived his hometown in Benin on Tuesday ahead of his highly anticipated homecoming concert which turned out to be a huge success. He was hosted by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, who presented a royal plaque to Afrobeats superstar.

    Rema also joined Governor Obaseki to lay a block on the Edo Arena site at a groundbreaking ceremony in Benin on Wednesday.

    Speaking Obaseki via the microblogging platform, X, formerly Twitter, said the 23-year-old remains an ambassador of Benin and Edo State.

    Obaseki wrote, “It was a pleasure to have our global music icon @heisrema, join me in performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the 6,000-capacity Edo Arena. The arena, which will be called ‘Rema’s Dome,’ is located at the former Garrick Memorial School Ground on Ekenhuan Road in Benin City.”

    He explained the Rema Dome would allow visitors to “experience our rich culture and what we have to offer, which will create employment opportunities for our youths.”

     

  • How fire at Christ Embassy HQ was quenched

    How fire at Christ Embassy HQ was quenched

    Mrs Ibitayo Adenike, Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of the Lagos Territorial Office has opened up on how the fire that engulfed Christ Embassy Church, Ikeja in Lagos State, was put out.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Mrs Adenike to have said it took a combined team of emergency responders to put out the fire that engulfed the Christ Embassy church on Sunday morning.

    Fire had on Sunday engulfed the main auditorium of Christ Embassy Church Headquarters located in Oregun, Ikeja.

    The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) had said the fire escalated because the church’s fire service thought they could handle the situation by themselves without recourse to the Lagos fire service.

    Giving an update on the fire incident, Adenike disclosed that NEMA received an alert about the fire at the main auditorium of the Christ Embassy Church on Oregun Road in the early hours of Sunday.

    “The immediate cause of the fire which started around 7.00 a.m. was not known but it spread quickly causing the roof of the auditorium to cave in.

    “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) and other emergency responders fought the inferno and was eventually able to put it out late in the afternoon,” Adenike said.

    She added that an integrity test would be carried out on the structure before further actions can be taken.

    Adenike noted that emergency responders at the scene of the incident included the Lagos Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), NEMA, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, LSFRS, the Police and the Red Cross.

    Earlier, the Director of the LSFRS, Mrs Margret Adeseye, had called for calm as the situation was under control.

    Adeseye said excavators were deployed during the operation to pull down some parts of the building to ensure complete extinguishment of the fire and to prevent further structural collapse.

    The director said the cause of the incident was yet unknown adding that investigations are underway to determine the cause.

    She said that no casualties were recorded.

    Also, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, said that the massive fire had been brought under control.

    “Dampening down is ongoing, with monitored property salvage. The operation involved all key stakeholders. The building will be subject to materials testing.

    “There were no casualties or mortality despite any reports to the contrary,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

    Fire incident avenue for bigger and better things- Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

    Meanwhile, President and founder of LoveWorld Incorporated better known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome has said the fire incident at the church’s headquarters was not an accident but an avenue for bigger and better things.

    He said this during a live Sunday service at the church’s campground, Asese.

    “Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much and we thought it was going to collapse.

    “I thought to myself that if it collapsed I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day it didn’t collapse and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild but it was still okay.

    “Now that this has happened, we will build a bigger, better, and more glorious one and the devil will lick his wound,” Pastor Chris said.

  • Oyakhilome reacts to fire incident at church’s headquarters in Lagos

    Oyakhilome reacts to fire incident at church’s headquarters in Lagos

    President and founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, popularly known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has reacted to the fire incident at the church’s headquarters.

    TheNewsGuru.com  earlier reported that  the main auditorium at church headquarters was destroyed in a fire outbreak on Sunday morning.

    Oyakhilome, during a live Sunday service at the church’s campground, said what happened was not an accident but an avenue for bigger and better things.

    According to the pastor, “Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much and we thought it was going to collapse.

    “I thought to myself that if it collapsed, I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day, it didn’t collapse and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild, but it was still okay.

    “Now that this has happened, we will build a bigger, better, and more glorious one and the devil will lick his wound.”

  • Why Christ Embassy HQ fire escalated – Lagos govt.

    Why Christ Embassy HQ fire escalated – Lagos govt.

    The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) said that the fire that engulfed the main auditorium of Christ Embassy Church Headquarters, Oregun, Ikeja, has been put under control.

    Mrs Margret Adeseye, Director, LSFRS, confirmed this in an interview with NAN on Sunday in Lagos.

    Adeseye said the fire impacted the main auditorium of the church.

    She said that the fire escalated because the church’s fire service thought they could handle the situation by themselves without recourse to the Lagos fire service.

    She said the cause of the fire could not be ascertained at the moment until after proper investigation.

  • VIDEO: Fire destroys Christ Embassy headquarters

    VIDEO: Fire destroys Christ Embassy headquarters

    Fire broke out at the headquarters of the Christ Embassy Church, shortly after rain storms on Sunday morning.

    Scenes from the incident was shared in multiple videos on X.com.

    According to PUNCH, officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service are currently at the scene in efforts to salvage the situation.

    Sharing a video from the location, Augustine tweeting as Chief_Augustin1 on X.com wrote, “Christ Embassy Church on Billings Way, Oregun, is on fire.

    “Serious fire is raging, and men of the Lagos State Fire Service are working hard to put it off. Thank God service hasn’t commenced fully.”

    Watch video below:

  • Pastor Oyakhilome suspends nephew, Daysman, for gross misconduct, puts him under “spiritual rehabilitation”

    Pastor Oyakhilome suspends nephew, Daysman, for gross misconduct, puts him under “spiritual rehabilitation”

    Founder and president of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has announced the suspension of his nephew, Daysman Oyakhilome Woghiren, from all official roles of the church, for “acts of gross misconduct.”

     

    Oyakhilome announced his decision on August 7 during the church’s communion service.

     

    Daysman was until his suspension the president of LoveWorld Next and LoveWorld Innovations.

     

    “The president of LoveWorld Next and LoveWorld Innovations Daysman Oyakhilome Woghiren is hereby removed from being president and also suspended from all official roles for acts of gross misconduct,” said Oyakhilome.

     

    The clergyman added that he was putting him under “spiritual rehabilitation” with immediate effect.

    Pastor Oyakhilome suspends nephew, Daysman, from official roles for gross misconduct
    Daysman Oyakhilome Woghiren

     

    Some reports say Daysman was suspended because he endorsed the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.

     

    Others say he was allegedly involved in fraud.

     

    According to LiveTimes, Daysman had earlier this year clashed with Ethiopian authorities after he was accused of violating the nation’s COVID-19 rules at his entrepreneurs’ conference where he gathered 27,000 people and reportedly left the country with about $1.8 million, an amount he allegedly claimed were contributions and donations from the youth church program.

     

    Daysman is reported to be responsible for the production of over 100 Christian music videos and animations, including ‘I Know Who I Am’ by Sinach, ‘Kinging’ by Rozey, ‘Igbunu’ by Michael Jaffe, ‘Untouchable’ by TB1, among others.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Daysman uses his talents to inspire young people to be touched by the Word of God.

     

    As a businessman and the CEO of Carel Films Enterprise, he is able to spread the Good News using modern communication mediums.

     

    Earlier this year, he was allegedly accused by Ethiopian authorities at the airport  of violating the nation’s COVID 19 rules at his earlier held entrepreneurs conference in the nation Ethiopia, where he gathered 27,000 people and as well as leaving the country with about $1.8 million, an amount he claimed were contributions and donations from the youth church program.

  • JUST IN: IGP orders immediate withdrawal of policemen attached to Babachir Lawal, Fani-Kayode, Afikuyomi, Christ Embassy, 46 other VIPs, organisations

    JUST IN: IGP orders immediate withdrawal of policemen attached to Babachir Lawal, Fani-Kayode, Afikuyomi, Christ Embassy, 46 other VIPs, organisations

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has again directed that all policemen attached as personal security to notable personalities and organizations, be withdrawn with immediate effect.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the IGP had on October 21, 2020 in a wireless message, ordered that all policemen serving such purposes be recalled as part of efforts to reorganise and boost internal security nationwide.

    Those exempted from the order were those attached to Government Houses, the Senate President and the Speaker House of Representatives.

    However, despite the order then, it appeared policemen went on protecting those they were not authorised to.

    A letter with reference number CB: 4001/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.116/32 dated November 4, 2020 and addressed to Commissioners of Police across the country, Police Mobile Force and the Special Protection Unit, listed names and organisations, whose police security should be withdrawn.

    According to the letter endorsed by the Principal Staff Officer to the IGP, DCP Idowu Owohunwa the withdrawal was with immediate effect.

    Some of the names mentioned include Emeka Offor, Femi Fani-Kayode, Amen Rochas, Magnus Abe, Babachir Lawal, Lado Yakubu, Yuguda Bashir, Uche Chukwu, Boroface Ajayi, Mutiu Nicholas, Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Edozie Madu, David Adesanya and Chris Giwa, among others.

    Organizations mentioned include Christ Embassy, Oriental Energy Resources, ECWA Academy, and Sunti Golden Sugar Estate, among others.

    The letter partly reads, “The attention of the IGP has been drawn to the fact that the police personnel attached to the corporate bodies and personalities are yet to be withdrawn despite extant directives to that effect.

    “In line with the subsisting order, the IG directs that you withdraw all the PMF, SPU, CTU, or conventional police operations attached to the affected companies or individuals in any of their locations across the country with immediate effect.”

    The IGP directed the senior officers in receipt not the memo, to submit a report confirming compliance not later than November 10, 2020.

  • Christ Embassy prosecutes Akwa Ibom govt over arrest, detention of pastor

    Christ Embassy prosecutes Akwa Ibom govt over arrest, detention of pastor

    Uyo zonal headquarters of Believer’s Love world Inc aka Christ Embassy has instituted a legal action at a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, against the Akwa Ibom State government over arrest and detention of one of its pastors, Pastor Emmanuel Effiong, and a videographer, Gabriel Ekpa, over alleged attack on Covid 19 Monitoring Team.

     

    The cold relationship between the church and the government deepened on Sunday when the COVID-19 monitoring team stormed the church and detained the duo over supposed breaches of COVID-19 protocols. It was gathered that the church, in a suit with registration number, FAC/UY/FHR/106/2020, is calling for the unconditional release of the duo

    Joined in the suit are the State Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Ndueso Ekwere and the Chairman, COVID-19 Guidelines Monitoring Committee, Mr. Enobong Uwah. The church had denied claims that its members attacked and assaulted officials of the state government on Sunday.

    A statement signed by Pastor Kelvin Atang and made available to newsmen accused the state government of “acting on falsehood”, noting that it was even the team that assaulted the church’s videographer.

    The church complained that its pastor and videographer have been arrested and detained by the Police against their fundamental human rights of freedom of fair hearing by the authorities.

    “This action is borne out of malice, hatred and calculated attempt to malign the Church for disassociating herself from the Christian Association of Nigeria.

    “As a Church that respects the rule of law, we had envisaged this gang up and also took steps to seek protection of the law by approaching the Court”, the church said.