By Sam Eyoboka & Olayinka Latona

Fiftish Mama Nnenna left her family home in Sagamu, Ogun State about 1.00 p.m. last Monday for the Redemption Camp with two hefty bags containing N40,000 worth of ground nuts and pop corn.

Though the population in the camp on that first day of the 62nd annual convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG was still minimal, the fair complexioned Abia State-born woman had already sold out her first batch of epa ati guguru and was preparing to return to Sagamu by Tuesday afternoon for another consignment.

When asked how such strenuous petty trade could sustain her family, she replied: “I dey manage feed my children from this business. My daughter just finished school and has been posted to Kwara for youth service. Una, na God dey help poor widow like me. Before the end of the convention on Sunday, by God’s grace, I go get small thing.”

Sunday Vanguard’s checks revealed that Mama Nnenna is not alone in this. Several men, women, boys and girls come all the way from Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode and other adjoining towns to trade in various wares.

Our correspondents also discovered that landlords in neighboring communities including Gbegira, Mowe, Ogijo, and several settlements just surrounding the sprawling Redemption Camp have also devised new methods of making brisk business during major spiritual programmes at the camp. They let out parts of their homes to participants for the duration of the national events for a token fee.

Church conventions, like the annual general meeting of blue chip companies, are an opportunity to take stock of the fading year and prepare for the challenges of the coming year. RCCG has grown by leaps and bounds with more than 32,036 parishes in Nigeria alone and branches in over 180 countries of the world.

General Overseer of the church and former mathematics lecturer at both the University of Lagos and that of Ilorin, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, described as an inveterate soul winner announced that 507,472 souls were won in the year ending August 2014 as against 332,800 souls the previous year and as a result of phenomenal growth, the church had created six new regions in Nigeria taking the total regions to 24. Similarly, 28 new provinces were created.

He also announced changes in the foreign outposts of the church culminating in the restructuring of some of them: Europe has been divided into three regions with headquarters in Holland, Spain and Sweden respectively. North America has also been divided into: Canada—one region and USA now has five regions. UK has been divided into four regions, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England.

The church has also made appreciable impact in Asia/Middle East which is now further divided into Malaysia and United Arab Emirates.

To cope with the astronomical growth, the church has also increased its man power by ordaining a total of 12,182 officers including 8,622 deacons/deaconesses, 2,435 assistant pastors and will today ordain 1,125 full pastors at the closing ceremony. In addition to this figures, a total of 6,374 persons graduated from the Redeemers Christian Bible College, the church’s prime manpower development centre.

Adeboye also announced some changes in the membership of the church’s 8-member governing council, saying that two members who retired at the age of 70, were replaced by Pastor Johnson Funso Odesola and Pastor Remi Akintunde. Similarly, the number of special assistants to the General Overseer has been increased from 12 to 19 just as the church had established a new World advisory council expected to meet once a year in December to give proposals for the consideration of the governing council. Members include all former members of the governing council and all special assistants.

If he had his way, the General Overseer would have loved to have a minimum of 12 biological children because children are dear to his heart, and hence he delight in praying for women in search of fruits of the womb and he turned 70 he asked God for a special birthday gift: 70,000 babies in the church. The number of babies delivered during this year’s convention has also surpassed the figure of last year. Whereas 72 babies were born between Monday and Friday of the previous convention, Pastor Adeboye announced on Friday night that 87 babies had been born during the ongoing convention.

Reeling the reports, the General Overseer also gave reason why this year’s convention could not hold at the proposed three kilometre auditorium as promised last year, “it is because of several facts which I would not mention here now because it could cause some people some embarrassment. But we will hold next year convention in our new auditorium.”

According to him, less than 10 per cent of the people made pledges towards the construction had redeemed their pledges, rejoicing however, that there were no rains Friday. “We thank God that there was no rain today. Where would we haven put the thousands of people on the roads to night. This is in spite of the fact that we told our brothers and sisters from the West African coast to stay away. Otherwise, we would have had a serious problem of accommodation,” he stated, appealing to those who are yet to redeem their pledges and those who are yet to make any pledge to do so.

As expected in such programmes, there were very stunning testimonies by members. Mrs Christy Aigbogun of Delta Province, Warri was married in 1994 and had been believing God for a fruit of the womb since then. According to her, when she came to last year’s convention, she had Daddy G.O. making a prophetic utterance, saying there is a woman here, people have pronounced you barren, but Daddy say I should tell you that those who are mocking you now will come and rejoice with you. To God be the glory, in April this year, God decided to wipe my tears with a baby boy.”