Just over nine years ago, seven of us gathered in the living room of Honourable & Mrs. Emmanuel Ibeshi to start a small fellowship which has metamorphosed into what we now have: Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro.Following on the heels of that first meeting in that living room in October 2002, is the dedication of the church which speaks loudly and clearly to the world of possibilities that can unfold when men dedicate themselves to making the right choices ' the choice of action over inaction, of courage over fear, of hope over despair, of faith over doubt, of prudence over profligacy and of sacrifice over greed. It speaks to the latent power that all men possess but can only truly find expression when they decide to venture forth, driven by a common vision, committed to a common purpose, pursuing a common goal under the guidance of a purposeful leadership. It speaks to the potency of men who decide to give of their time, talents and energies; choosing to reduce to the point of irrelevance the things that should otherwise divide them. It speaks to achievements which none of the people at that first meeting could have imagined at the time. It speaks very importantly to the drive and passion that the men and women who today constitute this Assembly bring here day-in day-out, making it such a profoundly refreshing experience for me to be leading this church at this time. My thoughts and prayers remain with the families, institutions and communities that have made what I consider unquantifiable sacrifice, following a number of tragic events prior to, during and after the elections. Let me be clear: while we as a church agree that legitimate association and freedom of expression are fundamental rights conferred by our Constitution, it remains unacceptable, in our view, that this right should be expressed in ways that show absolutely no respect for the rights of other citizens or the sanctity of human life. Acts of intimidation, violence and terrorism have no place in the modern society that we strive to be. These acts cannot be justified no matter how well articulated or legitimate the cause is. We condemn them in the strongest possible terms and remind their purveyors that our constitution provides ample opportunities and avenues for pursuing legitimate grievances and seeking justice while respecting the fundamental rights of other citizens. The principles of respect and constructive engagement must remain at the center of our quest for freedom, equity and justice.Speaking of freedom, I am convinced, without a shadow of doubt, that the greatest freedom of all is the freedom of the soul. It is the easiest freedom to achieve as it represents a personal decision to reject sin and to accept the free gift of a new and refreshing life in Jesus Christ. This choice is available to all, the costs already fully paid and provides the surest platform upon which the freedom of communities and entire nations can rest. And yet, while the building is an important investment and has provided the prism through which our collective efforts have been directed for sharper focus, it is the pursuit of this freedom that has truly defined us as a church and remains the key purpose of our existence. It has fuelled our growth from a small fellowship into what is today the Foursquare Gospel Church Asokoro, located physically here in Asokoro and in many communities across our nation. The work is important, urgent and only just beginning. That is why we must regard the dedication of the church as only a small step in a long journey that cannot be completed in the lifetime of most of us, here today. It is therefore not just a meeting place with glitter and glare. It is a place of worship, a house of prayer, a place of deep thought and reflection, a sanctuary of hope, of friendship and of transformation. It is a place which we sincerely desire will metamorphose into a melting pot of dreams and aspirations, a place where the boundaries between men ' ethnicity, race, nationality, wealth ' will become relegated to a position of irrelevance; a place where the high street investment banker can join hands with the itinerant trader, where the leader of political thought can connect with the peasant farmer, where the governor can stand next to the lady who cleans his office and together their hearts will bond in a unique fellowship, their hands and voices lifted up in worship to the One who has made it all possible. It will be a place of refuge to which men can escape to take permanent shelter from a life of advocacy for sin to a life of inquiry about what their purposes are and how they can begin to take steady steps towards achieving those purposes. It will be a place where, with the help of God, one of the greatest miracles of all ' the transformation of the hearts and minds of men ' will be a daily experience.However, the fact that we still have a long way on our journey should in no way diminish the tremendous efforts, dedication and sacrifice that have gone into transforming the ground on which we stand from an abandoned building into a befitting place of worship of God. As I trace our steps from the Ibeshi's living room to the confined surroundings of the rented space just up the road from where we are today, I see the unfeigned commitment of the men and women seated here today and many who are unfortunately unable to join us, who have given me much personal reason to be thankful for the opportunity to serve as the Senior Pastor of this church. I remain grateful for your dedication for each day I wake up with a sense of honour and privilege that I am leading a people who understand the meaning of giving and truly demonstrate it. Let me therefore make it abundantly clear that the N1.5 billion investment that has gone into this building has not been made possible through the generous bequest of a few men of means, but through the collective efforts of many ordinary men and women with limited resources but who guided by spiritual understanding, have elected to deploy these resources in achieving big things for the Lord. It speaks of your deepest commitment, the quality of our fellowship and the mission of our ministry. Each time I have called on you to support this work, you have responded magnanimously, holding nothing back - real estate, automobiles, jewelry, cash; all of these and more, you have given whole-heartedly in support of this work, the grim financial clouds that hovered over much of the world not providing an excuse for you to act otherwise. Thank you ever so much for your generous spirits. I want you all to know that in whatever way you have contributed to realising this dream, the Lord has taken note and will reward you far more abundantly than I can ever express.While I realise that the collective efforts of our congregation has been the catalyst for building this sanctuary, I will be remiss if I did not acknowledge the extraordinary sacrifice that a small Team, the Jehiel Group, has made for months on end. These men and women who constitute our Building Committee have given freely and willingly of their time, talents and treasures presiding, with unparalleled dedication, over all aspects of the building project from planning and design to execution and project management. Through their profound display of commitment and professionalism, the walls of this sanctuary have risen from what was once a festering fish pond to the glittering facility that it is today.They have exhibited a great depth of faith and refused to be discouraged by the many circumstances that challenged not only their own enthusiasm but even mine. Their audacious vision and unflagging commitment have been key in executing the task of constructing this magnificent place of worship. They have understood more than most, the sense of urgency that has often driven my decisions and have stood with me for the entire course. It is on record and to the glory of God that they have managed this project delivering a good quality product without recording a single major injury or death. I owe them such a debt of gratitude that I will never be able to pay, but I know and serve the One who is able to reward them far beyond measure. I ask you to please join me in praying that their own lives will be filled with the same measure of beauty that they have brought to this house of God.Let me caution, however, that it will be unwise for us to have an over-bloated celebration of our accomplishment and generosity for we have only just broken the ground. Permit me to state our goal for the next five years: to scale up our support of Missionaries from the present 20 to 1000 all over the world. This is no mean task and I invite all the excellent soldiers of this Assembly to belt up for a colourful, historic, busy and memorable five years ahead.Olowodola, the Senior Pastor at Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, Abuja, presented this address at the official commissioning of the church by President Goodluck Jonathan on December 10, 2011.
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