Pious people visit churches not only to practice their faith but also to see rare miracles occur, which signify the glory of God’s power on earth. To them, these are signs sent by the Divine from time to time to strengthen man’s faith in His existence. Moreover, these devotees explain that science can ever really find a logical answer to their occurrences and these manifestations do not obey the laws of nature. In fact, patients suffering from acute illnesses, which puzzle even the most intelligent doctors, go to such places of worship as they belief that Almighty will cure them of their ailments. These individuals say the hands of their Lord are at work when miracles occur in front of their eyes.
The Synagogue Church of All Nations or SCOAN has a reputation among churchgoers who visit this place of worship of curing individuals suffering from various diseases by anointing them with holy water. These devotees believe that such cures nothing short of a miracle especially when practitioners from the medical community do not have an answer to the diagnosis of such disorders. The followers of this place of worship explain that visitors who come here will not fail to notice the place has undergone many transformations. Moreover, previously this church was located in three separate areas before moving to its current location.
Prophet T.B. Joshua
The founder and overseer of this church is Prophet T.B. Joshua. He was born in Ondo State, Nigeria on 12th June, 1963 under extraordinary circumstances to parents of a poverty-stricken household. He dropped out of secondary school at an early age to find employment in a poultry farm. However, he did find time to teach young children while attending classes at an evening school and washing devotees’ legs on street of Lagos. He says major turning point in his life came when he received a divine call from the Lord after fasting for forty days to a create a congregation and ministry of eight members.
Stages of the church development
Prophet T.B. Joshua says many people are unaware that the divine hand of the Lord works in unusual ways to accomplish the acts of men who recognize His supreme power. He explains that the construction of The Synagogue Church of All Nations did not occur by accident or by chance. In the early days, he along with eight of his faithful followers began holding their first assembly in a modest shelter in Agodo-Egbe in Lagos, Nigeria but slowly the church began to grow brick by brick. Even during this period, people could see miracles happening when lame people started walking again, hopeless victims of cancer were being cured of the disease and adverse situations turned into scenes of joy. This went a long way increasing the awareness of among people of all nationalities and races who came to see the power of God in this church.
Prophet T.B. Joshua further says while many people may think that the church’s name is only a dream, in reality the Synagogue Church of All Nations or SCOAN has now branches in many parts of the world.These include South Africa, Britain, Greece and Ghana.