10th October – 15th October
Arrival
We arrived at Abuja airport at 4.30am in the morning, six hours after leaving the UK. Although there is no time difference at this time of year between the UK and Nigeria, the temperature confirmed that we were now in a warmer climate; Praise the Lord (Charlene and Rachael); Oh Lord (John and Daniel)!!! Obviously God was the first to know about this trip and there was no doubt that He was there and had gone on ahead of us, it seems as if He wasn’t the only one though. Usually when the team travels to Nigeria, airport security in Lagos usually allows protocol (those who are assigned to look after our welfare) to escort us through immigration and the airport itself all the way to our transport. Abuja airport it seems operates on a different understanding altogether and our protocol was not allowed any further than the arrivals hall. Usually the immigration official will ask about the purpose for the visit and length of stay; however it was clear that Satan had another agenda that worked well alongside our immigration official. John and Daniel were asked lots of probing questions which came across as altogether too inquisitive. We were asked to supply an itinerary for the visit and the only one we had, had the names and numbers of some of our contacts whilst in Nigeria. In addition it also had some information on the spiritual map of northern Nigeria; having to hand this potentially sensitive information over left us feeling uncomfortable and somewhat exposed.
Whilst we were clearing customs, the same official approached Pastor John again to ask how many people were in the party. We informed our protocol of what had happened and after they had taken our luggage and loaded the vehicles we were to travel in, we held hands and prayed together to take a stand against any reprisals from the enemy.
After our uncomfortable encounter at the airport, our minds and bodies were soothed by the skilled and considerate driving of Bitrus, our designated chauffeur for the day. The plan was to drive to Kafanchan, home of Throneroom Trust Ministries (TTM) headed by Apostle Emmanuel and Martha Kure our hosts, two hours drive from the airport, rest for a few hours and then continue our journey north to the city of Jos where we would have our first meeting the following morning.
First Meeting
On arriving in Jos we were welcomed by Pastor Martha Kure and made to feel extremely welcome and comfortable. We also met our drivers who would drive us throughout the tour, Akin from Jos and Chris from Kafanchan. Fortunately we were able to set up our equipment at the church that evening ready for the service the following morning, saving us from a very early morning set-up and allowing more time for all important sleep!!! Whilst setting up our equipment we encountered our first technical problem, something particularly common to Nigeria and something that we would continually have to overcome; lack of electrical power!!! Whilst setting up the electricity suddenly cut off, just as we were attempting to do a sound check. Not only was there a lack of power but two of our receivers used for our microphones and in ear monitors stopped working (we later found that the transformers in them to convert the voltage from 240V to 15V had burned out), so we had to improvise. Talk about baptism of fire!!! We discovered that the best way to overcome surges and fluctuations in the electricity supply was to use a piece of equipment called a stabilizer and once that was in place the problems ceased.
We had an early start on Sunday morning with two morning services at the same church (Church of Eternal Life, Jos). The first meeting started at 8am followed immediately by the second service at 10am. The choir ministered wearing a beautifully co-ordinated uniform singing a powerful song about being vessels of honour for the Lord. Both services were full and as we ministered, the congregation really worshipped, ushering in the tangible presence of God. After the first meeting a member of the congregation came to us and said that she had never felt the presence of God so strongly whilst singing the old African worship songs as she had during our ministry, praise God!! During the second service, it was really encouraging to see and hear the congregation fully involved in the worship. Those who had stayed on after the first service carried on where they had left off and really worshipped with every fibre of their being.
We stayed the evening in Jos to rest and prepare for our journey back to Kafanchan for the Throneroom Trust Ministry’s War Council for Throneroom pastors.

Kafanchan – War Council Leader’s Meeting
The War Council was a meeting of three days from 13th – 15th October for Pastors and leaders. The pastors and leaders hailed mainly from Nigeria but there were attendees from Zambia, South Africa and other African Nations. The meetings acted as preparation for the main conference running from 21st -25th October, but were much smaller and more intimate to allow pastors and leaders to gain much needed teaching and also an opportunity to obtain support from and share fellowship with other pastors. One of the highlights of the meeting was a sermon by Pastor Taiwo from Jos who spoke about the Glory of God. He said that people usually pursue the anointing and then stop there, but there’s further to go, we must pursue the glory of God as it is the glory that transforms us. He explained that the anointing is all about us whereas the Glory is all about God; that the anointing brings the acts of God whereas the glory reveals the ways of God. It was a message delivered with utmost simplicity but with huge impact and implications for each individual.
On the evening of the second day we were led into the presence of God with worship led by Apostle Kure and it was in this atmosphere that Vinesong were privileged to minister. Pastor John gave a very down to earth message to the leaders which touched on motives for being in ministry and warning against the tactics of leaders to retain their sheep for purely financial reasons, not for the building of God’s Kingdom.
Once again the transformers in one of the mic’s and monitors had burned out and the sound engineer at the Throneroom informed us that we were still susceptible to current surges if we were using an analogue stabilizer (which we were). On his suggestion, we borrowed a digital stabilizer from him which was supposed to be better able to cut off the power to the equipment if there was a current surge.

16th October – 20th October
Following the War Council meeting, our next scheduled meeting was in Kano, a city approximately five hours drive north of Kafanchan. In Kano we were to minister at an outreach with a group of Pentecostal churches that met under the banner of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN). When we set off that morning we certainly did not bargain for the day being as adventurous and long as it eventually turned out to be!!! We set off in two vehicles, a seven seater vehicle for the team driven by Akin and a minibus for all our sound equipment and luggage driven by Chris.
After about two hours into our journey, whilst travelling on a road through a forest, the vehicle we were travelling in started to lose power and we were forced to stop by the roadside. As God would have it, we stopped approximately fifty yards away from an army checkpoint, which ensured our safety on this road literally in the middle of nowhere. After trying to look at the vehicle themselves, Chris and Akin were joined by a van full of Pastors on their way to a conference who stopped to offer some assistance; they stayed for about twenty minutes trying to assist and give advice. As soon as they left, it was decided that Chris would drive the minibus back to the closest town, about ten minutes drive in the opposite direction to our destination, to get a mechanic.
Travelling as we do, we have grown used to sudden changes in plan and in the midst of what was a stressful situation we were able to make very good use of our time. Of course we had to get our priorities straight and the bush toilet seemed to be the obvious first on the list. After being schooled in the ways of the bush toilet by Charlene, Rachael was able to successfully complete a crash course. At the beginning of our journey, we had purchased some sugar cane and again, Charlene emerged as a clear leader in the art of stripping the outer layer and providing large pieces for consumption for the rest of the team. On a nearby tree we discovered an otherwise unidentified fruit hanging. It had a very hard exterior and there appeared to be two types, red (overripe) and green (unripe). A large stick of similar size to a golf club was found and we engaged in a game of roadside golf teeing off from the roadside and aiming towards the bush at the side of the road. Charlene once again proved to be the most adept at hitting the fruit with the least number of swipes and also claimed the largest number of yards, although both Dan and Rachael managed to tee off successfully….eventually.
Just as we were getting hungry and wondering what we were going to do for lunch, a man appeared from nowhere with hard boiled guinea fowl eggs and a teenage boy appeared with fresh guavas!!! Talk about manna in the wilderness!!! With the basic necessities dealt with, we were anxious to get going. Chris appeared with the mechanic and after examining the vehicle, he decided that it was an electrical and not a mechanical problem stating that we would have to get someone with electrical expertise to look at it. After much discussion and deliberation between Akin and Chris and some two hours after stopping, it was decided that Akin and the team would continue on to Kano in the minibus leaving Chris behind with the car. Chris would try to get back into town to get the appropriate person to examine and fix the car. During our time at the checkpoint, two of the soldiers came up and started to converse with us. They said that they had been posted out on this strip for three or four months but were due to move on soon. They appeared to be happy about this as they explained that they had no electricity or mobile phone signal and were isolated. They said it was not a problem for the car to be left by the roadside with Chris as they would guard it. We explained that we were missionaries and one of the soldiers, Joseph, a Christian, said that Gideon International had been through the forest giving them each a copy of the bible.
The load in the minibus was reshuffled so that there would be enough room for us to sit comfortably. Finally at almost 7pm eight and a half hours after we had set off from Kafanchan, we arrived in Kano. We were welcomed by the Throneroom staff in Kano, Pastor Ezekiel and his wife Elizabeth. The first evening meeting had taken place but Pastor Ezekiel and Elizabeth said that it was not a problem that we had not been there. That night we ate at the guest house. The four of us ordered chicken, rice and chips and Akin ordered Gari (ground Cassava which on sight looks like mashed potatoes) and a stew. The chicken we ordered came and looked as if it had been cremated a day before and left to rest. We were hungry so we ate. It had been a long day.
The following day, Akin got up early and went with Pastor Ezekiel to go to pick up Chris and the car. Although all of us had ordered hot water the night before (there was no hot water in the rooms for bathing) it did not arrive so we had to make do with the luke warm offering from the taps. We had been told that the electricity would be on all night (vital for the air conditioning in the hot rooms) however the electricity was turned off at 12 midnight until 5am. Pastor John hardly got any sleep and had to wake Charlene and Dan up in the night for insect repellent, because apart form the heat, the mosquitoes proved to be another torment. After breakfast we practised and made arrangements to be at the venue for 3pm. When we arrived at the venue, the first thing that we noticed was that it was outdoors!!! No one had told us this so it came as a shock. What was even more shocking however was that sections of the outdoor space had been rented out for different events. Next to the space being used for the meeting, a handball game was just beginning with players and spectators and at the far end was a muslim wedding ceremony with another sound system. It seemed as if the two sound systems would be fighting each other all evening. At 3pm it was baking hot and still too hot to start taking all the equipment out so we waited a while. During the wait Daniel spoke to one of the organisers of the meeting and later Pastor John spoke to him and left with the understanding that we would have one hour to minister during the meeting. We made a makeshift changing room using the van, and plastic bags shielding the windows. The van was parked at an angle with the front right hand side of the van parked as close to a wall on the right as possible with the back end of the van further away from the wall. With one person shielding the back of the van, it was easy for someone to get changed without being seen. Toilets were an issue, there were none on the grounds and Charlene confessed that she had a runny tummy following the previous night’s meal. Fortunately there was a fast food restaurant nearby called Mr. Bigg’s which had good facilities for us to use.
Being outdoors, we were dependent on generators and it was clear that the small generator that was being used for the sound equipment for the meeting was not going to be sufficient to meet our needs also. Thankfully there was another big generator there which we were able to connect to. The sound from the system was terrible and as we did not travel with our own speakers, we had to feed our sound from our desk through to theirs. There was absolutely no clarity of sound and it seemed as if there was not enough power available to run their microphones properly. We did all that we could with the sound on our side and just as we were going to do a sound check, someone started praying over the mic. Once again however the transformers in one of our mic’s and monitor’s burned out!!
During the meeting the congregation were encouraged to buy car bumper stickers declaring that they were Kingdom Citizens and that only if these stickers were purchased and waved in the air could people make the declaration. A combined choir led the worship, which was good, but the poor sound quality was at times a distraction. There were many items on the evening’s programme, in fact too many. When we started to minister, we got to our third song and one pastor came over to find out when we were going to finish. It looked very bad and made us feel very uncomfortable. We had travelled all day just to be an item on a programme, it was clear that ministry was not really what had been on the mind of the organisers, just a name to make someone look good. We were not at all happy with the set up considering what we had been through to get there, Pastor John wanted to cancel our participation in the programme, but despite the poor sound quality and other misunderstandings, the sound engineers who had walked around said that people had been touched by the ministry and some were crying before the Lord. At the end of the meeting, the pastor that Daniel had spoken to said a little about Vinesong and that we were from the UK, trying to build us up for the next evening.
The following evening after we ministered, many people were asking for cassettes. Unfortunately we did not bring any cassettes or CD’s to sell because our current stock is produced and manufactured in the UK making the selling price approximately ten times more than Nigerians pay for tapes or CD’s. The interest indicated that the congregation had not only been able to hear what we were singing but had been able to enter into worship.
Bishop Bello and his wife, part of the PFN, had invited us to their church for their two morning services the next day (Sunday) and Daniel met with them to go over the service and other arrangements.
As the PFN service went on there was what can only be described as an altar call, for offering. The pastor in charge of collecting the offering asked if there were 10 people who would give 1000 naira (equivalent of £5). When he saw the number of people respond, he quickly upped the number to 20 people. He then asked them to take a few steps back from the stage and called for all those who could give 2000 Naira. Those who could were asked to occupy the space that had just been made by the first respondents. After the first two categories of givers, the pastor called for those who could give 5000 Naira. Those who responded were told that they could stand on the stage next to the man of God. Incredible that innocent people were being exploited this way in the name of God. Those who were giving but did not have the cash with them could fulfil their pledge by bringing the cash to the meeting the following evening. As well as the offering altar call, there was also a call for people to add to the stickers they had bought the night before and to purchase three or four and wave them in the air. For those who wanted to buy, ushers were dispatched into the congregation to sell the stickers, again they were asked to stand up and wave their stickers whilst they were prayed over. During the meeting a minister who had heard that Vinesong were in town turned up with a huge entourage including two armed security guards to speak to Pastor John and ask him why he had not contacted him before we arrived in Nigeria as he would have arranged a ‘better deal’ for us, whatever that was supposed to mean.

The following morning we left the guest house at 6.30am to set up at Bishop Bello’s church. There were to be two morning services, one at 8 am followed by a service at 10 am. Set up went smoothly. The Bishop was not feeling that well that morning complaining of pain and stiffness in his joints. During the first service, after our ministry he said that he had been healed and felt much better. His wife also believed that she had been spiritually refreshed. The second service also went very well, with people being spiritually refreshed through the ministry. The Bishop said openly during the service, that it was the best service the church had had all year.
Following lunch, we headed to the meeting ground for the PFN meeting. We were able to catch up on some much needed sleep in the heat of the day in the van. At 3pm however, it was scorching hot and we were only able to proceed with setting up at 3.30pm. Some people came for 4pm, but it was clearly too hot and fortunately for the sound engineers and ourselves, many people arrived for 5pm. Another wedding was taking place at the far end of the grounds, this time a Christian wedding. Adjacent to the grounds nearest to our meeting was a church and as the music started going it seemed as if there was a battle of the sound systems as well as the noise coming from the wedding. On top of the competing noises, there was also the call to prayer coming from the mosques. Again after our ministry, there was an offering call made for those who had pledged to give money the day before then back to the stickers. Those who had stickers were asked to wave them and others encouraged to purchase them. They were asked to hold a sticker in their right hands and this was representative of their miracle car. Then they were asked to hold a sticker in their left hand representing a miracle wife or husband. Almost immediately, the meeting broke out into spontaneous praise with the congregation coming from all directions flooding the centre of the grounds, dancing, lifting up chairs and praising God, it truly was a sight to behold!!
Our car that had been towed to Kano was still being fixed on Monday morning and when Akin called the mechanic at about 11am, he was told that the car was ready but that the mechanic was not at the workshop and no-one there knew how much the repair cost. Akin eventually got hold of the mechanic and the car and we left Kano for Kafanchan at approximately 12.30pm, a five hour journey. On the way out of Kafanchan, we stopped for petrol and were soon surrounded by eight muslim boys. We had apples in the car and luckily had enough for one for each of them, so Pastor John handed them out from his passenger side window. They seemed very grateful. Just as we had filled up, Akin tried to start the car as usual and it simply wouldn’t start. The car that had been supposedly fixed was now exhibiting a new problem, oh boy!!! It looked as if the battery connections were loose and as we had had plenty of experience with loose connections on the van, Chris, Akin, Dan and John tried their best to solve the problem. The car started and we drove a little way only for Akin to tell us that the car was losing power and wasn’t pulling. We stopped again by the side of the road next to a motorcycle repair business, rice sellers and a muslim man with his mat stretched out towards the east praying. It was a real education. The motorcycle repair man looked as if he was repairing a punctured tyre and put into the holes he found, something that looked liked small matchsticks. Then he burned the little matchsticks which melted and covered the holes. The rice sellers were sifting the rice by taking scoops in metal basins and pouring the rice into big piles on sack cloth. The muslim man was kneeling with his head touching the floor, raising his upper body and then standing up and repeating this a number of times. We watched mesmerised by all that was going on around us and trying to film secretly. During this time a mechanic had been fetched from over the road who seemed to help tighten connections and seemed very happy with his 200 Naira payment (approximately £1 or $1.50). We only travelled about two hundred yards down the road to find that the initial burst of power had not solved the problem and that the car was still losing power. After a discussion between Chris and Akin, it was decided that we would continue on to the next village and find a mechanic there to solve the problem. When we arrived at the next village, Akin and Chris decided to swap the batteries between the two vehicles. This seemed to work successfully and although the battery in the car was still not charging up by itself, the effect of a fully charged battery meant that we could travel for longer distances before the battery needed to be changed. We continued with this approach all the way back to Kafanchan and must have swapped batteries at least ten times during the journey. Whenever we stopped in a village, we would see little faces peering in to look at us and take in the unusual sight of three white faces, this time in real life and not on TV. We saw many children, some in their smart and colourful school uniforms, some carrying crops from the fields and many carrying products on a tray on their heads to sell to passers-by.
Before leaving Kano, we had decided to buy some Christian booklets (tracts) for the soldiers that we had met on our way to Kano. On our way through the checkpoints we handed them out making sure to hand some out at the checkpoint where Joseph had been stationed. When we got to Joseph’s checkpoint, we found out that he had just gone out, but the troops there ensured us that he would get his booklet.
We stopped at a town about an hour or so away from Kafanchan, a place very near to where Chris had lived before moving to Kafanchan. He found a mechanic there who had a look at the vehicle and said that he believed the problem was worse than a faulty connection, but may be due to a faulty alternator, a bigger and more expensive problem. We continued the journey using the same battery swapping approach and daylight soon turned into twilight and then complete darkness. Our five hour journey had now turned into another epic adventure!!! As we stopped at one village in the darkness, it was decided that for safety, the team would once again transfer to the van carrying the equipment with Akin driving and Chris would drive the car. We were joined by a girl who just stood by the van looking in and a couple of other women. At no time did we feel under threat or in danger. It was interesting to see how the town was alive and buzzing in the darkness with sellers still trading by lamplight and many people walking around. The lack of light pollution meant that we were able to see the most incredible moonlit sky with stars that shone so brightly they looked unreal, it was amazing!!!
After that stop there were maybe another two battery changes by torch light and finally, after eight hours on the road, we arrived at the Throneroom grounds at 8.30pm, having missed the evening meeting. We were quickly shown to our rooms in the guest house and then settled in the Bamboo Bar (the dining room) for our evening’s meal. We greeted those we had met the previous week and saw the influx of new international guests from the Caribbean and America most notably, as well as from other African countries.

21st October – 26th October Throneroom Trust Ministries International Prayer Conference “Behold His Glory”
Tuesday 21st
The day started with a 5am – 7am prayer meeting known as ‘Morning Glory’. Apostle Kure had explained that this had been the most popular session of the previous year’s conference, with a very large turnout from delegates. The team, excluding Rachael who was still fast asleep (oops!!), attended this first session which was based on Psalm 110 focusing on the womb of the dawn and the significance of prayer in the morning. The teaching was both deep and profound enabling the prayer that followed it to be targeted and specific.
The team was excused from the following session from 9am – 12pm so we stayed behind in the guest house resting before joining the next session from 3pm – 5pm. The team from the Caribbean consisted of delegates from Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad and Montserrat. Delegates from Antigua led worship and the presence of God was truly evident in the place. There was such a reverence for God. One of the Antiguans, Edgar, played the steel pan/drum and played ‘Alpha and Omega’, the tones were so clear sweet and heavenly. No-one sang, everyone just worshipped while he played in the presence of God.
We ministered during the evening session which began at 6pm. As we ministered ‘Let Your Living Water’ and ‘It is Well’, the whole congregation stood and joined us in worship, ushering in the presence of God. The first speaker, a Kenyan Bishop spoke about God as a consuming fire, asking the question ‘Where does fire come from?’ He spoke about the continual burning lamps outside the temple in the Old Testament, indicating the presence of God, through to Jesus being presented to the temple and the Priest Simeon describing him as the light of revelation to the Gentiles. He stated that there is no light without heat or fire so Jesus represents the presence of God whilst on earth and then the fire described in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit was given to the church representing the eternal presence of God in every one of us.
The second speaker Ayo Ayodele, affectionately known as ‘Uncle Yemi’ was unbelievably profound yet simple in his language and message. He spoke about churches missing the point, believing that numerical growth is an indication of their spirituality whilst there is no discipleship, no communities being changed and the fabric of society being unaffected. He spoke about church buildings becoming monuments of days gone by, used as clubs, pubs, community centres and housing etc. where God is no longer present. This was linked directly to Pastor John’s message the week before and served as a confirmation to that message as Uncle Yemi had not been present whilst that had been shared. He went on to say that the presence of God in the church will change our communities and nations and that it’s not about our methods or ingenuity, but about God’s Glory. At the end of the message he gave an altar call for us to repent and seek God’s face so that he can heal our land. We were all truly humbled and knew that this message was what we needed to hear and respond to at a time like this when financial institutions and the very fabric of society appears to be falling apart around us.

Wednesday 22nd
Many were in attendance at Morning Glory which focused on the glory of God. During the afternoon meeting Apostle Kure invited Pastor Victor, a delegate from South Africa to share something on South Africa. He said that after Nelson Mandela handed over the presidency to Thabo Mbeki, the ANC did a detestable thing in the sight of God, they rededicated the land to the ancient spirits, visiting ancient altars. Since that time, it seems as if things in South Africa seem to have gone down. There are however, some Christians who are still fighting the good fight and trying to turn back the tide ushered in by this government.
During the evening meeting following our ministry, Apostle Kure said that he saw a dark cloud coming over South Africa and that he wanted to pray with the South African Delegates present. Two delegates came forward and the visiting speakers, including Pastor John were asked to pray for South Africa. Pastor John was asked to anoint the two delegates and other leaders prayed prophesied over them. The prophecy given spoke about a prophetic delegation that had been to South Africa in July/August and as a result of that visit, there would be a positive change in seven months (February/March 2009).
The team were believing and praying for Rachael’s healing. She has had a dry skin condition for many years and the trip to Nigeria appeared to be making it worse with increased dryness and itching. Pastor John said that Rachael would be healed during the week in Kafanchan and Rachael started what became the first day of a three day fast today.

Thursday 23rd
After Morning Glory and the morning session, Apostle Kure announced that the afternoon session from 3pm – 5pm was cancelled to enable delegates to rest and that we would resume again at 6pm. As a team, we needed no further encouragement and rested in obedience!!!
At the end of the evening session, Apostle Kure announced that the following day would be a corporate day of fasting, with a meal served only in the evening, after the evening service, this would coincide with the third and final day of Rachael’s fast, and would mark a time of consecration for the whole assembly.

Friday 24th
Zambian independence day!!! Following ‘Morning Glory’ the 9am – 1pm session was dedicated to the nations, in particular Zambia who was celebrating its 44th year of independence. The Zambians were asked to come up on the stage, introduce themselves briefly and speak about what had been happening in their country following Apostle Kure’s visit the previous year. There was a positive report about churches working together now in more unified way and one town which in their language literally translated to ‘Ghost Town’ had been transformed into a thriving town where businesses are now being established .
After the Zambians, the Caribbean’s, the Cameroonian’s, the Nigerian missionaries and Pastor John representing Zimbabwe were called forward separately in their groups and prayed for. The Caribbean’s had been to Ghana for three days directly before the conference with Apostle Kure and other delegates from Nigeria, America and Ghana. This trip was to heal the spiritual wounds caused by slavery as Ghana was the major West African port where slaves were rounded up, traded and shipped to the Caribbean and America. The prayer for the Caribbean’s was based upon what they had experienced there and that they would be able to bring the light of hope, healing and reconciliation back to their islands.
Pastor John was asked to speak for a short while on the situation in Zimbabwe after which he acted as the point of contact for Zimbabwe as the leaders surrounded him, prayed and prophesied. Uncle Yemi prophesied that there would be a change in Zimbabwe the next 60 days, before Christmas.
We heard from one of the Nigerian missionaries in a village in northern Nigeria that the church they had built had been pulled down three times by muslims in the village. One of the sons of the leading muslims died of an illness and he came to the minister asking for prayer. When the church was rebuilt, the muslims who had pulled it down were the ones who helped to build it. Through hard work and meeting the needs of the people with regards to education, health etc. the village are slowly seeing how having a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ can change their lives.
The Cameroonians spoke of difficult spiritual conditions in the country but that they are making progress. One of the Cameroonian pastors saw the work that was being done by the missionaries and decided to move to the north to carry out some mission work there. The church is seeing great growth and people’s lives being transformed.
Following the prayer for the nations, Sam Odesola an ex-Air Marshall in the Nigerian Airforce was ordained as a Throneroom Pastor. He and his wife Esther are friends of Vinesong having struck up a firm friendship with them over the past few years at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Holy Ghost Congress in Lagos, Nigeria. His remit will be to pastor senior leaders such as ex-presidents and statesmen on an international basis. Having served as a high ranking air force official, he is well placed to understand the issues that they may have and is at a level that those in his care can respect and identify with.
After Pastor Sam’s ordination, Pastor John was ordained and released as an Apostle, confirming his apostolic calling to the nations. After Apostle Kure and the pastors prayed over him, Pastor Martha Kure also prayed for Pastor John and over Zimbabwe, likening the country to Rachel (Jacob’s wife in the Old Testament) weeping for her children. As she prayed, there was a change in atmosphere and it was as if something had been broken spiritually. Pastor Martha was prayed for and prophesied over as a woman with a message and work to do with women in Zimbabwe. Following that, Apostle Kure was asked if he would release her and he prayed for her, releasing her to do the work that God had called her to do.
One of the teaching highlights of the day was a session by Nathan Byrd who spoke about how God’s house is no longer God’s house which is why in our churches He cannot and does not show up. His main text was taken from Ezekiel chapter 10 depicting how the Glory of God gradually departed from the temple because of the perverse practices of the people, and the text from 40 to 42 showing how the son of God measured the temple exactly. He used these chapters to describe how in our churches we have done everything to suit ourselves and so God has departed because He is not welcome in His own house. We have used our own measurements and standards which are so far from God’s own, that God cannot enter in. He went on to say that we need to return to God to His measurements and standards and not to try and claim God’s Glory for ourselves. He likened the incense to our worship with music and singing and that in the text the priests were offering up strange incense, incense that was blended with the wrong measures of oils and spices when in fact the measures of the components of the incense were to be equal. Sometimes in our churches the singers are trying to put on a wonderful show and the musicians are playing as if it was their gig when in truth, everything should blend together and no one person should stand out above another, because the Glory belongs to God and not to man. It was a powerful teaching and also a real reality check; for whose Glory do we do the things that we do? Do we do things in church that distract others from worshipping God, hence trying to steal God’s Glory for ourselves?

During the evening session, Apostle Kure officially recognised and retired two elders who had worked alongside him in the ministry since its inception. He spoke of times in the north when thieves targeted his house and tried to kill him and his family. He said that these men had been so brave in protecting the property and the Apostle, even when others left saying that the task was too dangerous, they trusted God, willing to give their lives to protect the Throneroom vision. During all the times that the property and Kure family were targeted and shot at, not one person who worked with and looked after the family lost their life. To hear Apostle Kure talk about the days when they suffered real persecution for the gospel, often coming under attack by various means including gunfire, seemed surreal and the kind of thing you would expect to see in a Hollywood Action movie. The elders were prayed for by Apostle Kure in what became a very emotional act as he wept over them and asked God to continue to protect them this side of heaven. There was hardly a dry eye left in the house. After the prayer one of the elders spoke about how robbers came and they feared that they would be caught as they had nowhere to hide. A verse of scripture came to him reminding him not to fear and he somehow was able to hide in a bush, escaping detection.
The day continued with us praising God for who He is and confessing our sins before him. At the end of the day we broke our fast with a meal at our respective residences.

Saturday 25th
Today’s service turned out to be the longest service we had in one sitting. We started at 5am for Morning Glory and continued on until almost 2pm. Uncle Yemi was the last speaker to give the Word to close the conference. He spoke about how over time churches have lost their way and have focused on formulas and programmes rather than allowing God to be God in spite of our efforts. He spoke about how we have lost the fear of the Lord which has affected everything we do from our church services down to relationships. It was a very powerful message and at the end commanded a large altar call in which all leaders were called forward and prayed for and then the congregation who came forward for the altar call were faced by the pastors who prayed for them.
It was a real time of final cleansing and preparation for returning home and doing things God’s way.
All in all the teaching over the week of the seminar was deep, profound and life changing. It was like going through a week of cleansing and it was a real privilege for Vinesong to have been a part of something so amazing.

Sunday 26th
Healing – Rachael’s Testimony
I was up early to see the Caribbean group off who were on their way to Abuja for their flight home. After bidding farewell to the group, I got into a conversation with someone at the entrance to the building where the conference had taken place. He asked me what medication I had been taking and at first I was quite defensive as many people ask about my skin. I was intrigued however and he asked how long I’d had this skin condition and how did it begin. After I gave him the information, he informed me that he was a medical doctor, Dr. Ephraim and that he believed that the skin condition that I had was not eczema, but filarial dermatitis, a tropical disease caused by an insect bite. He said that it was quite simple to cure, just a course of medication from which immediate improvements would be observed. He said that he was currently working at the Throneroom clinic and he would be happy to prescribe the medication. I needed no further information, asked what the Dr. was doing, and when he said that he was free to prescribe straight away I went with him to the clinic to get the prescription. In one moment 17 years of suffering was wiped out. Praise God!!!!

26th – 30th October
During our time in Kafanchan, Charlene and Rachael were privileged to go to the local hospital, accompanied by the clinic matron, to observe a birth.
We left Kafanchan at 6 am Thursday 30th October when we left for what we were told would be a 12 hour drive to Maiduguri. Fortunately our drive was not interrupted by any sort of vehicle trouble and although it was a long drive, we arrived at our destination at 2.30pm, eight and a half hours after our departure, which included a break for breakfast and comfort breaks along the way.
On arrival we met with Pastor Jemima who took us to our accommodation. She informed us that after ten years of ministry, in the last two months her church now had purchased land and had started to build. The building work is being carried out by church members, who are in the most part students, who give their time and building services when they are able. Pastor Jemima funds the ministry by running a clothing business.
Maiduguri lies in the North East of Nigeria and it was very dusty and sandy. When we arrived to set up our equipment on Friday morning, we could see that although the building was in its initial stages, with the foundation laid and external walls partially built, the church were keen to make the best use of their investment and had put up a tent on the foundations which served as the building for the time being.
Once again after setting up our equipment we discovered that we had problems with power, something which we had now become accustomed to and quickly found a solution, another generator!!!
Just before we left we had the opportunity to spend some time with the young people there who had come to help and prepare for the following day. They were all students at Maiduguri University and they shared that the reason many educated people were leaving the country was that they rarely got the opportunity to find a job in the field that they had a degree in and frustration led them to leave.
We had secretly been planning a birthday meal for Pastor John that evening, a day before his birthday because the following day, the first day of the worship seminar was set to be very busy. Charlene acted as the main co-ordinator and her passion for the task was matched by that of our hosts who went all out to make this a special event. The meal was to take place at the hotel and initially the dining room was to be decorated and used. The team came up with a much better plan however, and the courtyard within the hotel grounds was chosen as a much more auspicious venue. The tables were beautifully decorated and a sumptuous meal was prepared by our hosts. Whilst all of this drama was going on literally 30 feet from Pastor John’s room, Daniel joined Pastor John in his room to watch a film informing him that they would be called when dinner was ready.
When Pastor John and Daniel were eventually summoned, Pastor John walked out oblivious to all that had been going on, right into the middle of his birthday celebration to the singing of happy birthday. That night he was joined by the team, Pastor Jemima and her husband Albert and our two drivers Chris and Akin. A group of five young women, one of which was the Pastor’s daughter were around to wait on us and ensure that we had everything that we needed. It was a very memorable evening!!!
The worship conference began on Saturday morning, Pastor John’s birthday and the worship of the attendees was electric, pure and sincere. The average age of attendees was about 22 years old, the majority of which (over 90%) were students at the university.
In the morning session, Pastor John spoke about his own journey with God and how he had become a songwriter and international worship leader, neither of which he had intentionally set out to be. He shared of how God had intervened in his life at a time when he was supposed to be planting a church in Scandinavia, whilst visiting his parents in South Africa. Through his submission to God after a difficult internal struggle, which meant staying put instead of leaving, God gave him the song ‘Let your living water flow’. The depth and wealth of experience shared was respected by the hushed and attentive listening of the delegates.
The evening session was truly exuberant which began with worship and dancing. The youthfulness and sincerity of the congregation was unmistakable and added and extra dimension to the worship. The choir ministered with everything they had and the atmosphere was charged. It was in this atmosphere that we ministered and the presence of God was tangible.
During this session, Pastor Jemima expressed how deeply touched she had been by what had been shared and how the worship songs that Pastor John had written had taken on a greater significance for her. In addition she stated that it was Pastor John’s birthday and that it was such an honour for them to not only to receive a distinguished guest, but for him to choose to spend his birthday with them. As this was the case, she said that it would only be fitting for everyone to arrive at church the following morning with a birthday gift to honour him.
Sunday morning continued in the same vein as the previous day and the dancing during worship went to the next level!!! Pastor John spoke directly after our ministry and said that it was difficult for Pastors to pastor their congregations if their congregations had another agenda, such as a visa for the U.S. or the U.K. He addressed the congregation as the future leaders and told them that the next president and cabinet ministers could be seated right there in the congregation and that despite the frustrations of life in Nigeria, they were the ones who could shape a better future for the nation. He shared the realities of life in the U.S. stating that many Nigerian ex-patriates held down two or three jobs, trying to live the American dream, buying everything on credit, not having enough time for God or their families. After sharing the message, Pastor John gave an altar call for all those who had not yet been baptised in the Holy Spirit. It was a stirring moment when many came forward, hungry for a deeper relationship with God. Those who came subsequently received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The choir also came forward member by member to be prayed for by Pastor John supported by the team and the church ministry team.
The Pastor and congregation were deeply appreciative of the ministry and it was a great but also humbling experience for the team. Just before the end of the service, the offering was collected and true to the request that had been made by Pastor Jemima for the church to honour Pastor John on his birthday, the congregation came forward to donate their gifts into a tall laundry basket. Once everything had been collected, Pastor Jemima presented to basket of gifts to Pastor John.
As soon as the service was over we had to pack up quickly for our journey to Zaria. We left for Zaria at 12:30 midday on what was to be another long journey to the west (slightly south west) of Maiduguri. During our journey we looked at the gifts that had been presented and though the vast majority were for Pastor John, some gifts had also been given to specific members of the team which was wholly unexpected. Gifts ranged from fabric to fruit juice and they were a glowing and very touching tribute to the generosity and sincerity of this young congregation.
The journey to Zaria was extremely long and we eventually arrived at our hotel just before midnight where we were met by two of the Pastors from the church we were to minister at the following evening. We had been told that the church were very excited to be hosting us even though we would be present for only one evening of a week long programme.
The journey to the church took us through some winding, dusty streets and over a railway line. It was a surprise to see the church complex as we entered its gates as its order and well looked after appearance was in contrast to the streets outside. As we entered the main building, children were practising a dance and there were a group of men decorating the building with swathes of coloured materials in preparation for the convention. We were introduced to Bishop David Bakare, our host and his wife who were so excited to have us with them that they had had someone take our measurements whilst we were in Kafanchan so that they could make us an outfit especially for their event.
For the final time during our stay in Nigeria, after we had set up, we found that there was not enough power to run our equipment effectively, but that was solved quickly when another generator was put into operation.
Our ministry was to form part of the first evening of a week long convention. The large building was full of people and the Bishop officially opened the convention. A group of children both girls and boys with ages ranging from about 5 – 11 years danced to Nicole C. Mullen’s ‘Redeemer’, which was excellent. The congregation were really ready to worship and as we ministered they entered into the presence of God. Pastor John shared the word again encouraging people not to be focused on a visa out of Nigeria, but to be all that they can be in Nigeria as they build God’s kingdom through their local churches. The congregation indicated that were appreciative of being told the truth.
After this meeting we were on very a tight time schedule as we had to travel immediately to Abuja to pack and catch our flight early the next morning. Apostle Kure, concerned about our welfare on that stretch of road late at night had sent a police escort to accompany us. So there we were just before 9pm in a convoy consisting of a police car in front with flashing lights, a people carrier carrying the team driven by Akin in the middle and Chris driving the final vehicle carrying our luggage and equipment with a police officer in the passenger seat. It was definitely an experience for us all trying to keep up with the police vehicle in front, driven as if no one was following, let alone two vehicles!! We were very grateful to the police for their assistance as we arrived safely at our final hotel of the tour at around 1am for a very short night, taking note that the police had to travel a further two hours back to Kafanchan.
We left the hotel for the airport at 6am after very little sleep, joined by our protocol, PK. We arrived early hoping all would go smoothly, only to find that we were going to be charged more for our two pieces of extra luggage (musical equipment) than we had on our flight out. A considerable amount of time was spent trying to work this out with the airport staff, doing all that we could to get the price to be in line with what we had paid on our way out, but to no avail. Though slightly annoyed at the unfairness, we safely boarded the plane for a pleasant and relaxing flight back home to the UK.

Written by Rachael Gray