Hmnn.... I'm So Sure 80% of RCCG Members Don't Know This About The Founding History of RCCG

How many RCCG members of today know that the name of the church was first called "Apostolic Faith of South Africa"? Lol! Do you even know that it was later changed to "Apostolic Faith Mission of West Africa"?

Looking back at it now, it sounds so funny. Well, it's like I'm the last person to know this side of the history of the fastest growing church in the world and before I dive further into what I discovered, let me be the one to announce to you that yesterday at the 2014 Convention of The Redeemed Christian Church of God,  a total of 8,622 deacons and deaconesses were ordained to flag off the 62nd annual convention of the church which started in 1952 as a daily prayer group under the leadership of Rev. Josiah Akindayomi (1909–1980).

So it happens that I stumbled on this part of the history of The Redeemed Christian Church of God and I want you, as Redeem members, workers and pastors to correct me if the information is wrong.

How many of you know that Rev. Josiah Akindayomi had been involved in several other churches, in fact, he was a member of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church before founding RCCG.

Hey, don't look surprised, just read on...

Thirteen men, including the then Brother Josiah Akindayomi (founder), Brother J.A. Fakunmoju, Brother Makun (the first ordained pastor in the church). Brother J.A. Adekoya, Brother S.K. Padonu and Brother S.A. Olonode, Brother Fadiora, Brother Ilenusi, Brother Okuwobi and Brother Fetuga started the group. The other three brothers were Brother Adefeso, Brother G. A Adefunwa and Brother Matiluko.

The 13 brothers continued to worship at 9, Willoughby Street, Ebute Meta, Lagos having been excommunicated from the Cherubim and Seraphim Church. In the course of their
fellowshipping they needed to have their own identity.

Thus, the group was first called the Apostolic Faith of South Africa. Though it had no link with South Africa, it was documented in a booklet published by the church to mark its
50th anniversary that the first name given to the church was a “classic example of the innocence of Rev. Akindayomi.

Sometime later, after learning that Nigeria is not in Southern Africa, he changed the name of the group to the Apostolic Faith Mission of West Africa.”

But all those names soon gave way to the current Redeemed Christian Church of God after a divine encounter the founder had with God. He was said to have been woken up in a trance
and given its current name though he was not a lettered person. Bro. Olanode one of his lieutenants who was educated was said to have interpreted what the founder copied from the
vision as REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD.

In the early 1970s, Akindayomi started to look for an educated successor who was not at that time a member of the church. He chose Enoch Adeboye, a lecturer in Mathematics
Department at the University of Lagos, who joined the church in 1973. Adeboye initially became one of the interpreters translating Akindayomi’s sermons from Yoruba to English. He was ordained a pastor of the church in 1975, and his appointment as leader of the church was formalized by the posthumous reading of Akindayomi’s sealed pronouncement.
 

Andrew Rice, writing in ‘The New York Times’, described the RCCG as “one of (Africa’s) most vigorously expansionary religious movements, a homegrown Pentecostal denomination
that is crusading to become a global faith”...Global faith

According to Daniel Ajayi-Adeniran, a pastor of the church, “In every household there will be, at least, one member of Redeemed Christian Church of God in the whole world.”
From that humble beginning, the church has grown by leaps and bounds to have branches in over 180 nations of the world including parishes in Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and in nearly all
seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. According to figures released last year, the church now has 18 regions in Nigeria with varying number of provinces spread across the
country.

Well, I actually copied the contents from an anonymous site so is it true or they are just fabricating stories?