Founder of Christ Foundation Evangelical Church based in Ota Ogun State, Pastor Jonathan Oriabure has said Ota, Ogun State is still largely a mission field.
Ota is also one of the most industrialised towns in Nigeria. It is the host of the headquarter church of Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel.
The church, which is one of the largest churches in Nigeria boasts of thousands of worshippers every Sunday. There are several other evangelical churches and orthodox churches in the town.
But Oriabure told Church Times in a brief interview that a larger percentage of those who worship in Winners Chapel come from outside the town noting also that many of the churches in the town are still far from their potential.
Pastor Oriabure used to serve at World Overcomers Church, Lagos before God led him to start a fresh work in Ota.
He recalled that only three people attended the crusade that led to the birth of the ministry noting however that the church has grown over the years.
He has been able to build a school alongside the church. But he noted that the gospel is yet to really penetrate the town the way he would have loved to.
“Sometimes you would think the place has been saturated with the gospel given the thousands of the people who come worship in the town on Sunday. But that is not the case. There is a need for us to really preach the gospel in the real sense and not our denomination so that people can experience genuine salvation. What I see is that we are yet to make the needed impact in this town,” he lamented.
While insisting that Ota is still a mission field, he urged mission-minded people not to be deceived by the crowd that come to worship in the town on Sunday.
“Our focus is to reach the indigenes who are yet to know Jesus. That should be our prayers and cry. They still carry out all kinds of demonic festivals in this town. The impact of the gospel still largely not felt,” he noted.
