The august occasion, officiated by Rev. Dr Paul Frimpong-Manso, General Superintendent of Assemblies of God in Ghana, was attended by pastors and members of various churches in The Gambia and abroad.
The Chief Justice of The Gambia, the World Health Organisation Representative in The Gambia and the Managing Director of Ecobank Gambia among other dignitaries from various institutions and organisations in the country attended the occasion.
In his message on the occasion, Rev. Dr Paul Frimpong-Manso gave a brief background of the church, which is in its twentieth year in The Gambia.
He said that, like the proverbial mustard seed, the Evangel Assemblies of God had a humble beginning with only five members, who met for service in the house of one Bro. Ebenezer Adjaye at Latrikunda on 4th February 1996.
Over the years, the church went through transitions in different shapes and forms, he said, adding that in spite of the many daunting challenges and spiritual opposition that usually associated with raising new churches, members of the church stood together as a united body of Christ to sustain the momentum of growth that has brought about a beautiful chapel of the Lord.
“Assemblies of God, The Gambia, hasand will always as the name suggests, be a beacon of light to the unsaved, particularly those within the catchment area of the Kanifing South, to come to the saving knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ,” said Rev Frimpong-Manso.
He said: “I take this opportunity to pay a glowing tribute to the original vision bearer, Rev. Dr Simon B. Asore, the pioneering missionary, Rev. David Nabegmado, and the founding members, namely Bro. Ebenezer Adjaye, Mrs Gifty Adjaye, Bro. Paul Ampofo- Williams, Br Desmond Yaotey, and brothers Annor and Shine Amedonoo of blessed memory for the great sacrifices they made to establish this church. I also congratulate the church board, other members of the leadership team, and the entire members of the church for your hard work, resilience, and sacrifice in diverse forms to propel the speedy growth of the church.
“From a humble beginning in the house of Bro. Ebenezer Adjaye at Latrikunda, you transitioned into the living room of a rented house at Kanifing South, then into a tent in the yard of a house donated by Rev. John Young, then again you replaced the tent with a corrugated roofing sheets shed, and now you are in your own completed church building put up through the generous donations of members and other mission-minded donors. We give all the glory to the Almighty God for bringing the church this far through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
It is on record that this church has established four satellite churches in the West Coast Region, North Bank Region, Upper River Region, he said, adding that the church also has fourteen preaching points in the North Bank Region where Evangelists Dominic Gomez and Kebba Bamba Both Gambian nationals minister weekly.
The church also runs a weekly radio programme called christened “Hour of hope” and it is trusting God for funds to begin a television broadcast of the Good News to the people of The Gambia.
The church, he disclosed, also has plans to plant churches in the remaining regions of Lower River and Central River in the near future.
“Apart from that the church intends to engage in social intervention projects such as Agricultural and skills training centers and clinic in addition to the nursery school it runs at Bafuloto in the North Bank Region, which offers free nursery education to the children of that village,” he said.
In his exhortation during the dedication service, Rev Frimpong-Manso spoke on the importance of building the House for Lord, to worship the Lord and praise His Holy Name.His biblical message centred on the scripture of Matthew 16: 18, which says:“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
In his opening remarks on the occasion, the Senior Pastor and National Head of Assemblies of God The Gambia, Rev Jerry E.K. Adjorlolo, said: “On this historic and God-honouring occasion of the dedication of our church building.I would like to, first of all, give glory and thanks to God for this precious gift of a chapel.
He said the building is a confirmation of Psalm 127: 1 (a) which says: “Unless the LORD builds the house the builders labour in vain...”
Because it was the LORD who built our church auditorium, he noted, they therefore did not labour in vain.
“I would also like to acknowledge the diverse contributions and sacrifice of all Evangel Assemblies of God members (past and present) and well-wishers towards the building of this house of God,” he said as he seized the opportunity to thank all those who in one way or another supported and contributed to the realization of the precious gift of a chapel.
“May this House of God continue to be the place of prayer, spiritual nourishment, discipleship, healing and worship for many,” he said, adding:“May the name of the LORD be praised!”