By Sam Eyoboka

IT was an unending torrent of encomiums for the pastor-in-charge of Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Province 23, Pastor Brown Oghene Oyitso on Thursday, May 8, at the Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos where eminent personalities from all walks of life gathered to celebrate his 60th birthday anniversary.

After extolling the virtues of Pastor Oyitso, General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Folu Adeboye, national vice president of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, Pastor Johnson Odesola and Pastor Femi Atoyebi among others prayed God to sustain him and his family for much more good works for the Lord’s Vine-yard.

Pastor Adeboye must have stunned several people in the crowded hall when he began by describing Pastor Oyitso as “my beloved Carita Papaya” in reference to grammatical verbosity Oyitso was once noted for. He saluted Oyitso so heartily for taking the gospel to different parts of the world as part of his duties as the chairman of the Central Missions Board of RCCG.

“I salute a man who is a missionary to the core. A man who wants to see the kingdom of God expand to all over the world. May the Almighty God bless you and release His grace upon you in any area of your life and your later end will be far more glorious than the former. Congratulations my Son and many happy returns,” Pastor Adeboye prayed.

The lot fell on his wife, Mummy G.O. to pray for the celebrant and his family just as Pastor Adefarasin said the Body of Christ is truly grateful for what God is doing through his Oyitso’s ministry in the Kingdom of God, praying that God “will grant you wisdom and grant you the power to do much more for the Kingdom.”

One thing that Pastor Oyitso’s elder sister, Mrs. Lucy Ogufere admires so much in her brother is his tenacity to succeed and his drive to excel, praying also that the “joy of the Lord will continue to be your strength.”

Elder Felix Ohiwere and his wife found difficult to believe that 10 years had past since they attended Oyitso’s 50th birthday anniversary, adding that the celebrant hadn’t change much since then because “the typical Oyitso Brown use of the English language continues to flow unabated.”

Special assistant to the G.O. on Administration & Personnel and a regional pastor, Pastor Johnson Odesola who preached the only sermon of the day noted that they both had grown together in ministry, noting “your unrelenting devotion and diligence toward our Master’s busi-ness is unquantifiable particularly in RCCG and specifically at the Central Missions Board. Indeed, you are a blessing to our generation.”

RCCG’s head of First-Born Family, Pastor Feli Atoyebi’s prayer for an old-age gift of the fruit of the womb, preferably a baby girl, elicited thund-erous applaud from the crowd of admirers.

There were several goodwill messages and tributes from all over the world including Pitts-burgh, USA, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, UK, Lond-on, England, Nether-lands, Ireland and friends like Pastor Johnson Kale-jaiye, Pastor Idowu Iluyo-made, Pastor Amos Emo-von and several acq-uiantances from the corporate world.

As expected there was plenty to eat and drink while Holy Malam treat-ed participants to scint-illating jokes when he drew attention of all to Pages 14-15 of the Cele-bration of God’s Grace brochure which featured photographs of the pastor’s early days when he was carrying an ‘Afro hair’ while Pastor Kunle Ajayi led the pack of singers and musicians at the event.