In The Beginning, God.
Global Mandate Conference formerly known as “Homecoming” was established by members of Agape Generation International Church (AGIC) -Mende, Maryland Lagos state started in 2002 under the visionary leadership of Reverend Toyin Kehinde.
It was a vision fully supported and hosted in the then-church auditorium and the houses of members of the same ministry. The vision was to find Missionaries and bring them to Lagos to relax and enjoy a bit of city life before returning to their mission fields.
The Agape church (AGIC) through the assistance of the Christian Missionary Fund got the contact of three (3) Missionaries but ended up inviting four (4) to their first Mission conference (Homecoming) in 2002.
The number of Missionaries being hosted by AGIC has increased every year since 2002 and has now grown to 215 Missionaries in 2020.
Missionaries are hosted to refresh, eat good meals (spiritual and physical food), be accommodated, and give transport money back to their duty posts. In 2020, it cost the church over 4 million to transport Missionaries to and from Lagos state back to their mission fields.
The cycle of Butterfly.
Global Mandate Conference is a program much sought after by both the members of Agape church and field Missionaries. God has proven Hudson Taylor’s quote to the leadership and members of AGIC that “God’s work done God’s way will not lack God’s provision”.
In the last few years, the mission board of Agape church as a necessity raised the bar and thus decided to tag the conference as the Global Mandate Conference. Mission was at the center of the Agape church operations and has led to the emergence of strategic engagement by the leaders and a few members of the Agape church.
The senior Pastor of Agape Generation International Church, Rev Toyin Kehinde has gone on several mission outreaches within Nigeria and to foreign countries in the Far East of Asia, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and North America. Another member with his wife, Shade Toyin-Kehinde answered God’s call to serve with the YWAM in South Africa and later to the United Kingdom.
Besides, Agape church has sent Missionaries on short mission trips fully funded by GMC to Gambia, Sudan, Uganda, Benin Republic, South Africa, and to Sierra Leone.
The church also started supporting Missionaries in foreign mission fields as they present their challenges to the Agape church and as God provides, the church supports them once in a while.
Also, despite the apprehension of some Missionaries and some members of Agape on missionary support and the church-building project of the Agape church; God in his faithfulness and through the leadership of the Agape church continued to provide and ultimately finished the church cathedral embarked upon by the church without stopping the outbound monthly support to field Missionaries.
All Other Things.
Global Mandate Conference saw the need and stepped in to do several free services for field Missionaries which include; free medical checkups, clinical tests, provision of drugs, and physical exercise.
God has used GMC in several other ways to assist Field Missionaries with Motorcycles, building/roofing of mission houses, digging of wells and boreholes, empowerment of Missionary wives with cash and equipment, and payment for medical bills.
Indeed, the words of our Lord are fulfilled when it says “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all other things shall be added to you”.
God is doing much more than what you are reading in this article and is also funding the hosting of GMC every year. God is funding GMC and sending monthly support to field Missionaries through members of the Agape church, PFN leaders, and several other serious Christians who have heard about GMC.
If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? (Proverbs 24:12 KJV)
The Tripod Stand Model.
The Global Mandate Conference, Missionaries and City Pastors are the tripod model with which God is accelerating His Missional programs in multiple locations today within Nigeria and abroad.
The famous writer, Mark Twain once said “I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find anybody who can tell me what they want.”
It is right to admit that many churches want to do the will of God when it comes to the work of missions and evangelism, but many don’t even understand how to go about it. So, GMC became a good reference point to consider how to engage with the heartbeat of God.
It started with an invitation and encouragement to city pastors in Lagos to attend the Global Mandate Conference. Following that, the leaders of the Mission Board of Agape agreed to request from city pastors and send out Missionaries to their churches (of city pastors who attended the previous GMC conference) on Sunday worship service.
The invitation was extended to the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria -Lagos branch. Only God can reward the encouragement given by the likes of Bishop Abraham Olaleye and the leadership team of late Bishop Ore who embraced the vision in their hearts and began to fully participate in and support GMC and field Missionaries.
Therefore, the vision that began in a local assembly at Mende, Maryland today is no more a mission conference of Agape church alone.
The entire planning team of GMC now includes major ministries in Lagos state, and the GMC 2022 conference broke the barriers and myths hindering many ministries from engaging with mission fields and with Missionaries.
Vision being accomplished
Finally, the vision of the Global Mandate Conference is now being given a voice to speak for itself -and God is amplifying the vision. Now, every ministry connected and engaging with field Missionaries can boldly say that they are justifying their biblical right (not to just exist) but to be global in their sending capacities to the ends of the earth.
Pray for this great initiative, pray for the pioneer leaders, for the associate partners of GMC; and pray for the planning Committee and efforts toward 2024 GMC. Pray for more Christians and leaders to catch the vision. Pray that God will raise more vision supporters. Pray that help will come from above to strengthen all the weak hands. Amen. (Maranatha).