On Sunday, November 7, an installation service was held to install Reverend Mark Mfandarahwa as District Superintendent of the United Kingdom and Western Europe, and also to appoint two board members and ordain three ministers for the work in that district. In the weeks following the service, the prior district superintendent, Reverend Isaac Adigun, relocated to Lagos, Nigeria, and was installed as the District Superintendent of West and Central Arica (WECA) on December 12.

The European installation was held at our Bexley church in London, England, with many in attendance, including Superintendent General Darrel Lee and his wife, Debbie. Following a piano prelude, a pre-recorded children’s program was shown, featuring young musicians from our churches throughout Western Europe who joined online for an orchestra number, several choir songs, and a skit titled “Wake Up, the Harvest Is Ready.” The service also included inspiring music specials by the Midland youth orchestra and the Bexley choir and orchestra.

The ordination portion of the service began with Reverend Lee giving an exhortation from Titus 1:5 on the Biblical model for ordaining and appointing leaders within the church. He brought out that only those who are called by God and meet the criteria set forth in His Word are eligible, and said that the selection process is a collaborative effort by the regional leaders and board of trustees and the Portland headquarters. He also noted that this is not a political process that determines the will of the people, but a prayerful process designed to determine the will of God.

Following this, the Board of Trustees was introduced, and two new members were presented and then prayed over: Reverend Toyin Emitola, the pastor in Manchester, and Reverend Lazarus Simbanegavi, the pastor in Birmingham. Three ministers were also ordained: Delight Nyoni and Emmanuel Odejimi, who will serve at Birmingham, and Victor Idowu, who will serve at Manchester. They were ordained with the laying on of hands and prayer by the platform ministers and board members.

For the installation, Rev. Adigun gave a brief introduction of Rev. Mfandarahwa and his wife, Marble, and their daughters, Naomi and Ruth. He said Rev. Mfandarahwa had served faithfully in four locations and was now answering the call to serve as district superintendent. Then the board members and platform ministers gathered and laid hands on Rev. Mfandarahwa and prayed for God’s blessing upon him and his family, and for the Gospel to prosper under his leadership. He then said a few words, thanking God for the leaders who went before him and the expansion of the work.

The WECA installation was held at our church in Anthony Village, Lagos, and also opened with an energetic children’s program that included several songs and a skit of Joshua leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. This was followed by beautiful renditions from the choir and orchestra.

Rev. Lee again outlined the Biblical model for ordaining and appointing church leaders, and then thanked Reverend Gabriel Kayode Ajayi, the retiring WECA District Superintendent, for his many years of faithful service in Nigeria, which has included a variety of roles. He then presented Rev. Adigun and his wife, Stella, to the congregation, and he shared a portion of his testimony with the congregation. Rev. Adigun was born in Nigeria and moved to the UK to attend university in 1983. In 2000, he was appointed as the District Superintendent of the UK, and continued in that role for over twenty years, until he was recently asked to assume the leadership position in Lagos.

Rev. Lee and the WECA board members gathered to pray for Rev. Adigun, asking that God would give him strength and wisdom to carry out his new role, and that many souls in this district would be won for Christ. Before the conclusion of the service, Rev. Adigun also thanked the congregation for their prayers and support both now and in the days ahead. We thank God for the willingness of both Rev. Mfandarahwa and Rev. Adigun to offer their lives in God’s service.