AS THOUSANDS gathered at Dublin’s Citywest for prayer and praise, the main man needed no introduction.
But this didn’t deter Pastor Tunde Adebayo-Oke, national pastor of the Ireland section of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), from delivering a glowing tribute to his mentor, Pastor EA Adeboye, the church’s general overseer.
“For a lot of us, we call him daddy; others call him GO [general overseer]. To a lot of us he makes the fact that one can walk the highway of holiness a reality for us… when our Christianity is a little shaky, we draw strength from his own work with God… Across denominations, across faiths, he is also known as daddy.”
“Daddy”, or Pastor Adeboye, is at the helm of the RCCG, one of the world’s biggest Christian Pentecostal movements, and one that holds considerable influence in Africa, especially in Nigeria.
The church has millions of worldwide adherents and is believed to have attracted up to 20,000 followers and friends to the Holy Ghost Service 2011 on Friday 29 July at Dublin’s Citywest. Most were African-born but a considerable number of white faces could be seen at the event, which ran under the theme ‘Let the Wind Blow’.
To cheers from the crowd and cries of “amen”, Pastor Adeboye underlined that “there is someone here tonight who will never weep again!”
Drawing humourous parallels with all-you-can-eat restaurants, he said that “tonight God has spread the table before you – on the table is salvation, there is healing, there is deliverance, there is victory, there is joy, there is revival, there is progress. How much of it do you want?” The crowd responded: “All!”
But the pastor underlined that the Scriptures show that “almost everyone who got a miracle by Jesus Christ got it by faith”.
He led prayers on a number of issues, including for those who had not yet met spouses. “There is no husband yet…things will change,” he said. “It’s a terrible thing to know how to cook and there is nobody to eat the food, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. And there are some of you who are even married living as strangers in the same house. This will change.”
The pastor emphasised Genesis 2:18, wherein God said “it is not good that a man shall be alone… if God says it is not good then He’ll solve the problem.”
Earlier in the service, Mayor of South County Dublin Cllr Caitriona Jones said she had been “intoxicated” by the music and dance on show. She asked the crowd to bring their demonstrable joy “back out into the community”.
Another Irish speaker, Pastor Tony Coffey of Prayer for Revival of Nation, led prayers for members of the Irish Government and An Garda Síochána.
Pastor Caroline Adebayo-Oke of RCCG Ireland introduced Pastor Folu Adeboye, wife of the worldwide overseer, who prayed that “the devil will not possess” the youth.
“Let them do well in all their endeavours in Jesus’ name,” she asked.
Other speakers included Dr Georges Omokhagor O Alabi of the Nigerian Embassy in Dublin, Pastor Matthew Agboola of RCCG, as well as audience members who claimed to have been healed by God.
Music and dance sequences were also performed by members of the RCCG.
