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By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Members of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, also known as Deeper Life Bible Church, on Sunday, August 13, 2023, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the church.
The church, which was founded in August 1973 with just 15 members, has experience exponential growth, propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church has positively touched the lives of many globally.
The celebration provided an opportunity for members to express gratitude through worship and thanksgiving to God for sustenance.
It was indeed a joyous moment for the church members, friends and well-wishers as they celebrated five decades of earnestly contending in faith amid pomp and pageantry.
The 30,000-capacity auditorium of the headquarters of the church in Gbagada, Lagos, was filled. Those who could not gain entrance into the auditorium stayed outside. Worshippers and key leaders of the church from all walks of life were present.
Giving the reason for the celebration, the General Superintendent of the commission, Pastor Williams Folorunsho Kumuyi, said: “If you recall, the church was founded in August 1973. But today, the church that started with 15 foundation members has grown by leaps and bounds, excuse the cliché, beyond my modest expectation and that of everyone else, friends and foes.”
The cleric was the cynosure of all eyes. He was the man at the centre of the stage whom God used to set up the church, along with 14 others.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of Pastor Kumuyi’s books. As he unveiled two books, he disclosed that the church’s global crusade impacted 30 million people.
There were goodwill messages from the various sections of the church: children, youth, campus, young adults, women and men. Selected Deeper Life ministers representing all continents of the world also delivered goodwill messages in which they praised God for using Kumuyi to pilot the affairs of the church in the last 50 years.
Kumuyi’s anniversary message was, “Marching forward with fresh vision into the future destiny.” The cleric stressed the need for the church to march forward in propagating the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with courage, using the right compass.
While praising God for what He has done for the church in the last 50 years, he stated that Deeper Life must wax stronger in marching forward with the great commission, sanctification and submission to the will of God.
Kumuyi explained the need for members of the church to possess great faith like the one Joshua had in the Bible when he commanded the sun and moon to stand still, and that of Caleb, when, at 80 years, he still possessed the faith to conquer great obstacles before him.
The man of God called on the various sections of the church to be more spiritually inclined in their ministration, especially the choir. He gave instances of sinners getting converted several years ago just by listening to the choir sing.
The celebration witnessed the best of music with instrumental accompaniment from children, youths and adult choir of the church.
The celebration began with a week-long strategy congress, which brought key leaders of the church from over 120 countries where the church had branches. The grand finale was the service held on Sunday, August 13, 2023 , celebrating five decades as a ministry. The theme of the anniversary was “God’s Faithfulness.”
With congregational songs, such as “To God be the Glory,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” and “Faith of our Father,” the worshippers were lifted up in the spirit to worshipping and giving God praise for a successful though challenging journey of the Deeper Life Church in the last 50 years.
There was no dull moment all through the five hours the service lasted. The celebration was spiced with eulogies, official unveiling of the Deeper Life Bible as well as the unveiling of Deeper Life at 50 logo, documentaries on how the church started, and reliving the first Deeper Life Duet recording: “You Love the World,” among others.
Showing the grand nature of events, the church service commenced live at 7:45am, at the Gbagada headquarters of the church in Lagos with a higher-than-capacity attendance. The church is estimated as the fourth largest in the world, with state-of-the art furnishings, car parks, as well as spectacular crowd and vehicle control systems during worship service
The big celebration comprised reminiscences, testimonies, special choir renditions and souvenirs, among others.
Many distinguished personalities from the political, ecclesiastical, business and diplomatic world graced the occasion.
Another side attraction of the day was the unveiling of the Deeper Life at 50 anniversary logo. The unveiling was championed by Pastor Philip Oluwi. The unveiling ushered in Kumuyi’s son, John, and his wife, Joy, to the podium. were they united with their father and his wife, Esther.
