For three days, commencing from Thursday, March 24 to Saturday, March 26, it would be the turn of Ikenne, an historical town in Ogun State, to host the restoration crusade organised by the Christ Livingspring Apostolic Ministry (CLAM), the Omole, Lagos-based prayer and deliverance ministry founded by Pastor Wole Oladiyun in 1998.
One thing is very dear to Pastor Wole Oladiyun, Senior Pastor of Christ Livingspring Apostolic Ministry (CLAM). That is organizing crusades and outreach programmes through which souls are won for Jesus. He would gladly tell you that for him, evangelism is the number one priority of the Ministry God has called him into. That is not surprising, though for a man who is very passionate about giving and helping the needy.
The Vision and the Larger Picture
CLAM is based in Lagos and is in its 24th year of existence. The vision of CLAM is “apostolic revival for global soul harvesting”. CLAM achieves its main vision of winning souls for God through its evangelical arm which is known as Christ Livingspring Apostolic Ministry Global Outreach (CLAMGO). The vision of CLAMGO is “rescuing the Dying World” in line with Luke 4: 18.
CLAMGO’s Activity Network
The first CLAMGO crusade was held in 2004 at Ikot-Ekem, Akwa Ibom State. Since then, it has ministered in over 35 locations. The choice of CLAMGO’s crusades and ministrations is usually determined by the Holy Spirit and also by requests from host pastors or people in a community.
Over the years, CLAMGO has ministered to the weary, the lost, sick, and oppressed in different communities in Nigeria and West Africa. God has used Pastor Wole Oladiyun to successfully organise crusades in the following towns and cities:
- Aba, Umuahia (Abia State)
- Ikot-Ekpene, Ikot Emem (Akwa Ibom State)
- Okija, Enugu (Anambra State)
- Warri, Asaba, Agbor, Umunede, Imbiri, Owerre Olubo, Ute Ogbeje (Delta State)
- Ikere-Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti, Iyin Ekiti (Ekiti State)
- Owerri (Imo State)
- Kabba, Mopa (Kogi State)
- Ilorin (Kwara State)
- Lekki, Festac (Lagos State)
- Abeokuta, Shagamu (Ogun State)
- Ile-Oluji, Idanre, Akure, Owo, Ikare (Ondo State).
- Gbongan, Ikirun, Igbajo, Shagamu, Oshogbo (Osun State)
- Togo (West Africa)
CLAMGO Funding
A unique dimension to, and a huge plus for, the CLAMGO brand is the fact that offerings are never collected during its crusades. Rather than collect money from people at crusades, CLAMGO actually blesses people through its medical ministrations and welfare outreach.
CLAMGO blesses the people by giving them food, clothes, bibles, Christian literatures, musical instruments, and even money rather than collect offerings from such meetings. According to Pastor Oladiyun, “God told me right from the day He called me into this assignment that I should never raise offering at any crusade. I have been obeying that instruction and I will not stop obeying”.
Consequently, CLAMGO’s activities are financed through offerings, tithes and donations, received from CLAM members and other Kingdom partners.
Medical Ministration
In line with the vision and mission of Christ livingspring Apostolic Ministry Global Outreach (CLAMGO), the medical chaplaincy department of the ministry has successfully integrated medical ministration activities into its outreach programmes. This involves the inclusion of laboratory investigations, medical treatment, surgeries, eye care, and dental care services as one of the strategies for soul winning in communities where such outreaches are taking place.
Some might specifically refer to CLAM as a “prayer ministry”, however, it has since been discovered that evangelism goes beyond mere praying for the people and preaching the gospel, but also involves meeting the people at their points of basic needs. This may sometimes involve providing food, clothing, shelter, financial assistance etc. However, CLAMGO has gone beyond mere provision of all of these to also include the sponsoring of medical and surgical ministrations to the people.
TESTIMONY
CLAMGO: Jesus’ Unique Arsenal for Human Liberation
Pastor Victor Uko-Abasi
My first contact with GLAMGO was in early 2004 vide a burden the Lord laid in my heart for the liberation of my people and community, Ikot Emem (Abak Oko) in Akwa Ibom State. CLAMGO then was just a young outreach formation girded with zeal, passion for souls, compassion for the oppressed but without commensurate facilities cum equipment. I had just joined CLAM a few months earlier (even though I had been a minister of the Gospel for many years). When I shared my burden with my then new found friend/pastor, I was completely overwhelmed by his raw zeal and compassion for lost souls in rural places and villages, a disposition rare with many city pastors/evangelists! Would a city man risk losing comfort and the glamour of city life to hold an outreach in an unknown village in an environment he has never before traversed even in a dream, but not Pastor Wole Oladiyun; a consummate soul winner. He was ready without a second thought to go with me a “stranger”, even though a Brother.
He had just bought a “new” Nissan Pathfinder (the only real car in his possession then) and the first outing was to convey the advanced team to a village in Akwa Ibom State for the liberation of a people he never heard about till then. A people “robbed and snared in holes” by the devil as the Bible puts it in Isaiah 42: 22! It was a tough outing but God was faithful. I could recollect the second night of the crusade when all hell broke loose on the crusade ground: it was with car headlamps we lit the field as the lighting and all other facility was under the onslaught of hell. We had probably under rated the dark powers we were out against. But God was very faithful and we became instantly wiser by it.
It was also the first crusade during which no offering was raised; rather books, Bibles, clothing materials and money were distributed to indigene natives, local missionaries and pastors. The set man said he was under instruction by God never to raise offerings on crusade ground as the Gospel should be given free, and over the years in crusades home and abroad he has remained faithful to that instruction. By September 2008, it was a revenge mission to Ikot Emem and a city wide crusade in Ikot Ekpene. The crusade held in Ikot Ekpene Stadium, with prophetic visits to Uyo, Ikono, Ini, Essien Udim and Uruan, all in Akwa Ibom State. In all the crusades, thousands of souls were saved and many notable miracles took place.
When we visited a particular community, Ikot Nto Ndiya, the Lord impressed it on the CLAMGO leadership to solve a generational water problem. Thus, a borehole water project was promised and within 60 days it was completed and commissioned. Today, the entire community has access to potable water. In his words of appreciation on behalf of himself and the people, the Village Head, Ikot Nto Ndiya, Chief Okon Ekpin expressed profound gratitude to God for bringing to them Christianity in practical terms through Pastor Wole Oladiyun. To God be the glory!
In Ikot Emem, the first Pentecostal pastor in the community could not hold back tears of joy as the set man shocked him with the provision of a brand new motorcycle, thus ending many years of mobility difficulties, pains and reproach. After the 2008 crusade, Ikot Ekpene has not been the same again as the wave of uncommon transformation has hit the town. The former CAN Chairman, Ikot Ekpene, Apostle M.T. Ukpong testified that as they were holding a programme in the Old Stadium ground, God gave him an open vision where he saw fire still burning on the spot where Pastor Wole Oladiyun stood to minister.
Lastly, the man Wole Oladiyun, is not just my pastor/friend but my father in ministry as I served under him and drank from his spirit God’s unique grace for end time ministry to the total man.
Pastor Victor Uko-Abasi is the Senior Pastor of Sure Foundation Apostolic Christian Ministry (SFAM), Ikot Emem, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.
