Faith Christian Church
Reaching the unreached people
of the Ijaw Tribe
Summer 2007 Update
Report on January 2007 TripÉ
Dear Friends and Supporters of Nigeria-Ijaw Mission,
This past January Pastor Marty Span (Youth Pastor of Faith Christian Church), his 16-year-old son, Trae Span, and 2 young men from our church, Justin Beaty and Bobby Schubert, accompanied me down into the Egbema Kingdom of the Ijaw, in the Niger Delta (Nigeria, West Africa)É
Ijaw Crusades and Minister Training Conference
We held 9
crusades in 6 days, preaching in each village where we (HICC and NIM) have
planted a church with Ijaw Pastors we have trained. Marty took Trae, and
I took Bobby and Justin, as 
we divided into 2 teams in order to conduct 2 crusades per
day. On 2 occasions MartyÕs son Trae, preached the crusade messages and
did a fabulous job. In every village the people were amazed and provoked to
serve the Lord fervently, after seeing the dedication of our young men.
During our crusades many souls were added to the kingdom and we are happy to
report the growth of our churches as a result.
Our newest church plant, following the crusade in the distant village of Sekelewo, almost immediately jumped to over 150 (mostly young people), and the congregation is flourishing.
After our final crusade we conducted a Ministers and Church WorkersÕ Training Seminar in the village of Ofunama. We were happy to see well over 100 of our pastors and workers travel to make the conference. While in Ofunama we were invited to attend the special annual gathering of all the primary Chiefs of the Egbema Kingdom. This was a special honor, since we were the first outsiders to ever be permitted into such a meeting. We were asked to address the Council and were well received.
NEW Video of Jan. Õ07 Trip Into IjawLandÉ
To View our new Video simply go to Nigeria-IjawMission Home Page, and click the link at the top of the Contents section, that says,
"January 2007 Mission Trip Into Ijaw Land"
Featured Video (click here)
To view video clips of our other Ijaw travels, church dedications, crusades, and interviews, visit our Mission Video Clips page.
9 Ijaw Churches Planted!
These are the present 9 churches of HICC. 8 have church buildings that were provided by funds raised through NIM, and the 9th is currently being built in Sekelewo. And all of the Pastors have been trained and totally supported by your contributions through this ministry. The enormous fruit of your giving is difficult to calculate. Please pray for these churches and their Pastors.
1. Ajakurama Village Pastor DeRock Reje
2. Abere Village Pastor Gold Gagha
3. Ugbolukanga Village Pastor Alade Igbiriki
4. Gbeuba Village Pastor Daniel Ejeni
5. Ofunama Village Pastor John Kiliki
6. Jamagie Village Pastor Joseph Agwosi
7. Ogbudgbudu Village Pastor Oweijibor Goodluck
8. Opuama Village Pastor Ebitebe Reje
9. Sekelewo Village Pastor Imole Lagos
To see a video of these Pastors with their families visit our Mission Video Clips page and click the link entitled, Meet The IJAW Pastors.
New Ijaw Headquarters Church
In addition to our Lagos headquarters church, we are presently establishing our new HICC Ijaw Outreach Headquarters Church in the Delta city of Sapele. Our original plan called for the location of our Ijaw headquarters to be established in Benin. However, due to the high price of land, we have decided to locate in Sapele where land is cheaper and our location is right on the Benin River, and closer in to the bush.
Pastor Wilson has relocated to Sapele where he has purchased property and is planting the new congregation. Sapele is strategically located on the Benin River near the border of Edo and Delta States. There are many Ijaws in Sapele, which is the nearest city to the Egbema Ijaw Kingdom. From the docks of Sapele we enter our boats for the 3-4 hour trip down the river into the Egbema villages. And it is also perfectly situated for expanding ministry into the Warri-Ijaw Kingdom.
Bringing Education To The Egbema Ijaws
Presently there are no government certified schools operating in the Egbema Kingdom. Though the government had built a couple schoolhouses, the teachers ran off because of the harsh living conditions. HICC and NIM would like to be the first to bring accredited education to the children of the Egbema Ijaws (approximately 1 million people). The lack of education is one of the primary hindrances to their development.
We have decided to send 4 of our Ijaw PastorÕs wives to college for degrees in education. Armed with a federal teaching certificate, our PastorÕs wives will be the first to bring formal education to the youths of Egbema. And because they are indigenous and Christians, serving with HICC/NIM, they will stay in the land with a sense of mission and freely train the children and youth in the Gospel of Christ! The following 4 ladies began their classes this past winter semester:
Mrs. Praise Okotie,
Mrs. Mary Egeni,
Mrs. Mary Lagos
Mrs. Joseph Agossi
In approximately 3 years these ladies will have obtained their certification. In the meantime we are making efforts to set up our first school and investigating ways that we can begin admitting students and teaching, in anticipation of our certification.
Because of the economic conditions among the Ijaw we cannot realistically charge tuition. They simply would not be able to afford it. Therefore we must operate a private Christian-Mission FREE school. This means that NIM will have to raise the finances for the operation and seek patrons who have it on their heart to help provide a solid leg-up to this people group. We see the advent of formal education as one of the greatest contributions we can make to their community development. If you would like to assist in this endeavor you may make a contribution or commit to regular support that will go directly to this endeavor. Simply click on our Donation button and indicate that you wish your gift to be earmarked for the Ijaw School Project or email me directly at nick@faithchristianchurch.net, and let me know of your interest.
2 New HICC Motorboats!
Over a year ago, NIM supporters raised funds to purchase the first motorboat for HICC. In the Delta, boat transportation is essential for travel between communities. This past October Countryside Christian Center of Clearwater, Florida, contributed the funds to purchase a 2nd motor to outfit another boat for our mission work. Our village churches raised their own funds to purchase a used boat to go with this 2nd motor. This helps us greatly in the following ways:
More efficient missions trips, with the ability to bring in more people, operate 2 teams simultaneously, cover all our village crusades, conduct ministry training and make important meetings with Ijaw Chiefs and community leaders, all within a reasonable amount of time.
It increases our abilities to evangelize the remote fishing communities.
It helps us to attract medical professionals down into the Delta, and us establish a Clinic, without fearing they would have access to the outside world and be stuck down in the bush.
The boats belong to our Ijaw churches, and when not being used for the ministry, they can generate an income by providing taxi service to the local Ijaws. This is a great benefit to villagers, who are otherwise left at the mercy of commercial boat-taxis that are very expensive.
We were able to use our first motorboat on this last trip, and it was a GREAT blessing to be free to travel at freely without having to wait and pay for commercial boat-taxi service.
We at NIM and HICC truly thank all of you who contributed towards this need!
This is the 1st motorboat.
Here are both our boats.
The HICC Clinic
From our last Õ06 ReportÉ
In 2004 we received a generous contribution of $7,000 towards the startup costs for the HICC Clinic we had planned to establish. In every village we entered the Chiefs requested that we build a hospital (clinic) in the land and bring in a Doctor and Nurses. Presently, our own Pastor DeRock and Pastor John Kiliki provide the only medical treatment available in the entire Egbema Kingdom. They attend to wounds, illnesses and maternity needs. Anything beyond that requires transporting the sick and injured on a long and difficult journey to the nearest city. We have spent the last several months in the planning stages, evaluating the need and cost, and have arrived at this conclusion:
The Clinic will require a professionally trained doctor, with a missionary heart, who is willing to leave the comforts of the city, and move down to the Ijaw Villages, as well as trained nurses, and assistants to handle administration, housekeeping and security. In addition we will need a proper facility. After inquiry with the Federal Authorities, we have found out that there are requirements that may place the opening of a full-service clinic, farther into the future than we had hoped. However, we are looking into various options that would allow is to conduct medical outreaches and/or set up ÒHealth CentersÓ that are more limited in scope.
Where we are todayÉ
With the acquisition of our new motorboats we will begin our search for healthcare professionals, who can help us get started. We would like to send some of our Ijaw PastorsÕ wives through Nursing School, to meet the staffing needs, once we have a clear picture of what we are able to do. In the meantime, we have the $7,000 towards the project set aside and it is certain that we will need more money. If you send in money towards the HICC Clinic/Medical Outreach your contribution will be set aside in the special Clinic Fund, and used when the project begins.
Our Next Upcoming Mission Trip: Dec Ô07 Ð Jan Ô08
We are planning a major trip into the Niger Delta at the end of this year and first half of January Õ08. This will be a large trip with an especially heavy itinerary. Along with me, I will be taking Pastor Marty Span (Youth Pastor of Faith Christian Church), and other young men from our church. We are also coordinating our planning with Dr. Daniel Bernard (Founder of Somebody Cares Tampa Bay), so that we might share the growing workload of conducting 9+ crusades, MinistersÕ Training Seminars, Church Dedications and ministering in all the villages as well as the headquarters churches in Lagos and Sapele. We are also planning to meet with Kings and Community leaders, to discuss future expansion of the mission into new Ijaw territories, and community development projects.
We all go to the mission field at our own expense and pay for the costs of our crusades, travel and accommodations while in country. Customarily missionaries are provided for as guests of their host churches. But since we are a Missionary Church-Planting organization, sent to the poor and remote unreached people groups, we minister at our own expense. It is the cost of taking the Gospel to those who have never heard. Your share in this support is deeply appreciated.
Contributing to the upcoming mission tripÉ
You may make a contribution to
this Dec-Jan missions trip and designate it towards the trip. Simply
click the ÒMake a DonationÓ button and write Upcoming Trip in the field
marked ÒPlease put towardsÉÓ. You may also donate towards any of
our projects by simply following the same procedure and indicating the purpose
of your donation in the ÒPlease put towardsÉÓ field.
Update Email Reports From Wilson Okotie
The following is a sequence of email updates I received from Wilson Okotie, in Africa, between Jan. and Jun. Õ07. In order to provide a chronological report since our January Crusades IÕve written headings and edited WilsonÕs emails, with only minimal spelling corrections.
Jan. 23 Ô07
Church Growth After CrusadesÉ
Dear Sir,
After you and the team departed for the States, l became very sick of cough and fever. The dusty wind increases after your departure. Thank God l am heal.
On Friday to Sunday this week l was in the village to give the pastors wives and the pastors the money given by the women of Faith Christian Church and Martin. I also gave the wrist watch and the letter to the King in Ajakurama. He was excited and he promise to write you personal.
Youths Are InspiredÉ
This year crusades was unique because more souls were
added to the churches according to the pastorsÕ (testimonies). MartinÕs sonÕs (Trae Span) presence in the mission field causes great desire among the youths to serve God the more. It was a challenge to them because for a young boy of sixteen years to risk his life for the gospel was a great thing to the Ijaw youths.
Thank you for bring the guys along ( Bobby, Trae, and Justin) to the mission field. I will be leaving for Benin City this month ending.
Wilson Okotie
Feb 22, Ô07
2nd Motorboat Is PurchasedÉ
Dear Sir,
I just came out from village to Lagos. Pastor Ebetebe bought the second motor boat engine last week from Port-Harcourt. The Ijaw pastors bought fairly used boat for the second engine boat when l was in Lagos. Now that l am in Sapele l will take the picture of the two boats with the engines on them and send them to you. You will see the two boats physically during your visit December 2007.
(This 2nd motor was purchased with donations from Countryside Christian Center in Clearwater, FL. HICC Ijaw Churches raised the money to purchase the boat themselves.)
New Church Planted In SekelewoÉ
148 Members Ð Mostly YouthÉ
The new church planted January 2007 in Sekelewo Village is presently 148 members, most of them are youths. It was amazing to me. I saw that God has already prepared the hearts of the people before our arrival. Thank God the church is planted and the chiefs has given us land to build the church building at the center of the community. Once the money is released Ebetebe will immediately start building the church in Sekelewo.
4 Of Our PastorsÕ Wives Begin TeacherÕs CollegeÉ
The pastorsÕ wives have been given admission in the University (of Benin). I think they will start school either March or April, but l will inquire from my wife because she was the one that went with the pastorsÕ wives to process the admission.
Here are the names of the pastorsÕ wives that gain admission:
Mrs. Praise Okotie,
Mrs. Mary Egeni,
Mrs. Mary Lagos
Mrs. Joseph Agossi
Thanks,
Wilson Okotie
(The tuition for university training and teacher certification is provided by contributions from NIM)
Feb 28, Ô07
Kings & Chiefs of 2 Kingdoms Encourage Our ExpansionÉ
Dear sir
It was great yesterday Tuesday for me and my wife meeting with King Gold Tiemo and other Chiefs of Egbema and Gbaramatu Kingdoms. I presented your letter and that of Rev. Bernard, they desire that you and Rev. Bernard to visit them at Warri anytime you or Bernard is in Nigeria. The king declared in the presence of others that the two kingdoms will stand to support High Impact and NIM in there territories. The chiefs and the King said we should try to plant church in Benin, Warri, Sapele, Port Harcourt, and Yanigwua in Bayasa state, because the Ijaws are spread across these towns and cities. They promise to support the work so long we believe in God's Word and the development of the people.
The King is happy for the training of the pastors wives in College of Education. Finally, more doors and opportunities are open before us to reach the Ijaws with the gospel of Christ.
Thanks,
Rev. Wilson Okotie
Apr 20, Ô07
Violence Connected to April ElectionsÉ
The political election in Nigeria is very rough. In Benin allot of people died. I left Benin for Ijaw villages monday 16th april this week and arrive Benin Wednesday 18th April.
Locations Considered For SchoolÉ
We may decide to have the school in Abere village. The reason is because the Ijaws (concentrated in Egbema) are the major targeted people group to develop. Also the capital involvement to start school in Benin City is too high, especially the infrastructure. Presently we have the 4 Ijaw PastorsÕ wives attending university to become trained teachers. l think it is better to concentrate on our targeted area. Putting the school in Abere is pure mission work and is going to affect the Ijaw people directly, especially after the PastorsÕ wives graduate from the University, to finally become certified teachers. Our goal is to reach the unreached (Ijaws of Egbema), not people with so many schools around them (in Benin). The school will be at Abere village. I will work out the modality.
Sekelewo Church Ready For BuildingÉ
The time to build Sekelewo church is now, please try to send the building money so that Pastor Imole should start building. l want the building to be dedicated by you in December this year. Also Pastor Blessing and GoldÕs salaries for April, May, and June need to be sent.
(The funds for the Sekelewo Church, raised by Keswick Christian School, were sent in May and the building is under construction.)
Thanks for all your efforts,
Wilson Okotie
May 17, Ô07
Fish-Farming Considered For Community DevelopmentÉ
(I had emailed Wilson about a contact I have with Morning Star Fishermen, a Missions Operation that teaches indigents the skills of fish farming, hydroponics and marketing.)
I think what we can do to affect the people is getting them jobs. If we can have somebody to train them on fish farming in a practical way and setup one in each community for practical purpose, we will look like little gods to them. I am presently searching for a Nigerian who knows very well fish farming.
Thanks
Wilson Okotie
May 5, Ô07
Sapele Chosen As New HICC Ijaw Headquarters ChurchÉ
Dear sir
Due to the cost of land in Benin City, l instructed Pastor Ebitebe to enquire the cost of land in Sapele. He reported that he saw a land inside Sapele main town measuring "150ft by 100ft" for 2,000,000 (Two million naira). The land measuring 100ft by 100ft my father inlaw saw in Benin goes for 4,000,000 (four million naira) excluding preparation of the document with the government. With the twenty thousand dollars given from the States l can easily purchase 150ft by 100ft land property in Sapele main town and also process the documents for the land with the government.
I will hereby suggest that the money should be use for land in Sapele since the main purpose of establishing the church is to effectively coordinate the entire work among the Ijaw people. Sapele is the center town between the Egbema Kingdom and the Warri Kingdom, l feel it can still fulfill the purpose.
Sapele is an important place to establish Hqt. Church because it will be easy to reach the chiefs in other Ijaw Kingdoms. Some Ijaw Chiefs in Gbaramatu Kingdom already know me. Americans that get into Egbema kingdom under High Impact Christian Center is 100% safer than any other tribes in Nigeria.
I will love to here your decision whether to move to Sapele and get the land there or stay in Benin and wait until we get the money to 4.0 million or 4.5 million naira for the land.
Thanks
Wilson Okotie
(Sapele is a wise decision and NIM agreed. It is the port town on the Benin River, from which we enter the River and head down into IjawLand.)
June 8, Ô07
Land Purchased For New Headquarters Church SapeleÉ
Dear sir
I finally paid for the land in Sapele after intensive investigation about its genuinety. All documents relating to the land as been made including an approved survey plan and stamp duty of all documents prepared by the lawyer in Delta State Government office. The government has given us an approve land code number. This implies that the landed property is fully secured for High Impact Christian Center.
Thanks,
Wilson Okotie
June 8, Ô07
One Of Our Ijaw Pastor Is Revealed As a Coven-Planted WitchÉ
Dear sir,
We dismiss Pastor Alade from ministry and from Egbema kingdom because of what happened last two Sunday. Pastor Ebitebe and I when to Opuama to officially transfer the leadership of the church to him, as we were praying the power of God was very strong in our midst and he (Alade Igbiriki) starting shouting that he was seeing fire with a sword about to kill him and he started confessing that he was sent from witchcraft coven to oppose and kill the ministry but since he can't stop the the ministry he decided to kill Pastor EbitebeÕs two children, paralyze Pastor DeRockÕs eldest son, and cause division among the pastors. He started pleading that we should pray for him and that he is a witch sent with a mission of destroying the entire work. AladeÕs confession causes surprises to the entire Kingdom. The confession makes people to believe that God is great. We need prayer more than ever before. Alade has been sent out of Egbema Ijaw kingdom.
Presently, the Ijaw people of the entire communities have sent him out of Egbema kingdom because the confessions are so numerous. In fact his confessions were horrible. Right now, l have return back Pastor Ebitebe from Lagos church to Opuama church while Elder Adekoya and Deacon Mike take over the leadership of Lagos Church and my wife and l remain in Sapele.
Wilson Okotie
(This experience surrounding Alade is like a combination of the story of Balaam, the false prophet, in Numbers 22-24, Simon the Sorcerer, in Acts 8, and the 7 sons of Sceva, in Acts 19. In these incidents the false prophets were revealed by the power of God, when they tried to oppose His work. As a result, the entire Kingdom is in awe and the fear of the Lord is upon the people.)
Thank you for your continued prayers and support of NIM and the wonderful efforts of HICC in the mission to the Ijaws of the Niger Delta!
Sincerely Yours In Christ,