And finally the D-Day came!
It started with melodious singing by The SCOAN Choristers, resplendent in red with splashes of white – as if hinting of the advent of Christmas. They reached into their rich repertoire of soul-lifting songs, some of them composed by God’s spectacularly anointed servant Prophet TB Joshua. Of course, they were preceded by members of the younger generation of worshippers, as Esther of The SCOAN Sunday School ministered with the support of a highly-skilled orchestra – all for the glory of the Lord!
The day was Sunday, December 3, 2023 – set aside for The Second SCOAN Thanksgiving Service.
It was another chance to worship and praise God specially in The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations – and a time to give substantially to God’s Kingdom. It was the second of two special events in the first week of December 2023. Two days earlier, a special healing and deliverance service had taken place in the church, with hundreds of instant testimonies shared and thousands of lives released for breakthrough. Indeed, God worked mightily through the faculties of His servants Pastor Evelyn Joshua and The SCOAN Evangelists.
The second event, being the Thanksgiving Service, was expectedly driven by Pastor Evelyn Joshua, the leader of The SCOAN. For congregants who had assembled from all over the world it was also a fitting opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Prophet TB Joshua, the founder of The SCOAN, who transited to glory on June 5, 2021 – an event that caused the church to stay shut for six months.
Since its reopening in December 2021 The SCOAN has moved from glory to glory, with God’s Right Hand Of Power and Mercy staying firmly upon it. “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song,” says the Bible in Psalm 95:1-2. It also says in verses 6-7, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” Bearing these scriptures in mind the people came in their numbers to dance as David did, lifting their voices to Heaven and offering a token from the abundance with which they had been blessed.
Anchored by Chioma and KC Brown, the event was spiced with Christian-themed humour that accentuated the many lessons from the exemplary life of Prophet TB Joshua. “Every time there is a grateful heart the Lord shows up,” Chioma noted at the start.
Saying the opening prayer was Pastor Siyabulela Zulu with his wife, both of whom had come in from South Africa. Right after them Pastor Jacky Marraud gave the opening remarks in English and French.
There was also a session of Bible reading, which was handled by Bishop Micheal Fleming of Church On The Street, a charity based in the United Kingdom. He read from Psalm 145:1-end.
In her address to congregants Pastor Evelyn Joshua cited Psalm 107:1 while urging the people to thank God for the gift of life. She thanked Emmanuel TV Partners for their endless support and highlighted major activities undertaken by The SCOAN throughout the year, including special meetings at The SCOAN Prayer Mountain, outreaches in Ghana, Spain, Zambia and Kenya, as well as numerous charity events in Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Malawi, Canada, Bolivia, Australia, Kenya and other parts of the world. Commending the different church groups, she declared: “The legacy of Prophet TB Joshua shall live forever.” Standing on the believer’s authority, she prayed for the people: “May the promised blessings, mercy, breakthrough and favour of the Lord dominate you and your household, in Jesus’ name.”
In line with the highlights given by the woman of God, congregants were shown a series of footage of God’s continuing work in The SCOAN for the year 2023, The Year Of Your Laughter.
Among the international guest artistes at the service were Christina Shusho from Tanzania and Nancy Amancio from Dominican Republic.
A number of Nigerian gospel artistes and ministration groups also performed, including Akintayo Akinwande, Salt of the Earth, and I FOR CHRIST (dance drama group).
Youths in the church were equally not left out. While some of them put up impressive choreographic displays to illustrate some of Prophet TB Joshua’s sermons, budding musical talents among them supplied original music.
For their part, The Women of Grace group made a special presentation to honour Pastor Evelyn Joshua for her effective leadership.
Of course, the day’s events could not end without the thanksgiving offering session, which was led by Pastor Evelyn Joshua and her family alongside The SCOAN Evangelists.
Next to present their offering were the different church groups as well as international visitors.
As they made their way forward, the people danced excitedly in their special attire , certain that the Lord would continue to be their Shepherd.
The service was watched live on Emmanuel TV by congregants from The SCOAN branches in Akure (Nigeria) and Ghana.
Taking the stage afterwards were Pastor Kirstan Nematandana from South Africa, who gave the closing remarks, and Pastor Joaquin Nsue Nsue, who said the closing prayer.
Thank You, Lord, for the success of The SCOAN Thanksgiving Service 2023!