From the Superintendent's DESK

There was much rejoicing on Thursday, May 1, as the first brick was laid for the Apostolic Faith headquarters church in Pakistan. The land was purchased just over a year ago for the purpose of housing a headquarters church and office block. Then in March, during the visit of Felix Panganayi, the Country Director of Pakistan, a ground-breaking ceremony was held. This past week, engineers came and outlined the measurements for the foundation, materials began to arrive, and laborers started digging. Before things went any further, though, the saints held a brick-laying ceremony to invite God’s blessing over the whole project. Shabeeb Nadeem, the pastor at the current headquarters location in Toba Tek Singh, sent this report of the ceremony.

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am pleased to share the joyful news that today marked the official brick-laying ceremony for the foundation of the Apostolic Faith headquarters church in Pakistan. We thank God for granting us this precious opportunity to begin construction on what will be a house of salvation for many lost souls in our nation.

Believers from Toba Tek Singh, Faisalabad, and surrounding areas gathered for this unforgettable and spiritually uplifting occasion. The congregation united in singing heartfelt songs of thanksgiving to the glory of God. Brother Zohaib led a beautiful song of gratitude, with one verse that translates as, “Thank you, Lord, for bringing this beautiful day into our lives. We offer ourselves to You with thanksgiving.”

Brother Zaigham, who traveled from Lahore, warmly welcomed the attendees and shared the purpose of our gathering at the construction site. Then I had the privilege of preaching from 1 Corinthians 3:11: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” I spoke on the humble beginnings of the Apostolic Faith work in Pakistan, which started with just one person and has, by God’s grace, grown into a large family of believers. This expansion created the need for a headquarters building and offices. Now God, in His perfect timing, has made this possible.

Following the message, we took a moment to acknowledge and give thanks to all our brothers and sisters overseas who have faithfully prayed for and supported the work in Pakistan. We were also reminded of a powerful prayer offered by Mother Crawford: “May each brick represent a soul saved.” We prayed this together for Pakistan and asked that the new building would be used mightily by God to transform the lives of thousands throughout the country.

Then I laid the first brick in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This was followed by other bricks being laid by several sisters from the Toba Tek Singh branch, members of my family, and other brethren who had gathered. We believe that because this project was begun in prayer and unity, God will see it through to completion.

The ceremony concluded with the distribution of sweets and rice to everyone present. It was a truly blessed and memorable day for the Apostolic Faith Church family in Pakistan, as we witnessed the tangible answer to many earnest prayers.

The saints in Pakistan now look forward, should the Lord tarry, to completing the perimeter wall around the property and constructing a small office block. These are essential for proceeding with the church's legal registration. As the saints continue forward, let us join them in Mother Crawford’s powerful prayer that each brick will represent a soul saved. By faith, God will do it!