Celebrating Our Heroes and Heroines

The Celestial Church of Christ was established through the calling and anointing of God upon the Pastor Founder, Prophet Rev. Pastor Samuel Bilehou Joseph Oshoffa, and through the contributions of several people whom God used in different ways during the Church’s formation and early growth.

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Throughout this month of celebrating our heroes and heroines, we are remembering those contributions with gratitude. In our previous reflection, we honoured Moses Ajovi, the messenger whose repeated visits helped bring Papa Oshoffa to Lagos.

Today, we remember the pioneering fishermen whose contribution preceded that visit and helped introduce the Church into Lagos.

Their story invites us to appreciate the part working people can play in the life and growth of a spiritual community.

The people named in the account

In paragraph 42, the Constitution describes the Church spreading through Toffin and Gbaji before reaching Lagos. It credits about seven fishermen with introducing it into Lagos, naming Samuel François, Leyon, Johana from Gbaji, and the late Sepo among them. (CCC Constitution, paragraph 42)

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Meanwhile, some of the members in TOFFIN established another branch in GBAJI from where it spread to Lagos in Nigeria. Those who introduced the Church into Lagos were fishermen, about seven in number – people like the present LEADER SAMUEL FRANCOIS, the present Senior Leader Leyon who is right here among us, people like JOHANA from GBAJI and the late SEPO.

— Papa Oshoffa, Makoko, 18 January 1969
CCC Constitution (Nigeria Diocese, 1980), paragraph 42

The passage does not name all seven or give each person’s separate story. We can honour the named individuals while remembering that others shared in the effort.

Their worship attracted attention

The following paragraph explains that people in Lagos noticed their distinctive worship and spiritual activities. This generated persistent requests to meet the Founder. Moses Ajovi became the emissary who carried those requests, eventually accompanying Papa Oshoffa to Lagos in Passion Week 1951. (CCC Constitution, paragraph 43)

Reading these passages together helps us appreciate a sequence of contributions.

The fishermen’s presence and worship drew attention. Ajovi carried the invitation. The Founder made the journey.

Each person’s part belongs in the remembrance.

The first Leaders in Nigeria

The Constitution returns to two of these men later in its history. In 1954, at the Lagos Bar Beach, members of the Church in Nigeria were anointed, “amongst whom were LEYON, SAMUEL and a few others”, and the Founder adds: “LEYON and SAMUEL were the first to be elevated to the rank of LEADER in the Church in Nigeria.” (CCC Constitution, paragraph 70)

The fishermen who first carried the Church into Lagos became its first Leaders there. When Papa Oshoffa told the history at Makoko in 1969, he could point to Senior Leader Leyon, “right here among us”.

Faith within a working life

These pioneers are identified by their occupation. That detail gives us a meaningful subject for reflection.

Our working lives bring us into contact with people we might never meet within a parish. We build relationships through daily responsibilities, shared challenges, and ordinary conversations.

For believers, those relationships offer opportunities to practise the faith we profess.

How do we treat the people who work beside us?

Are we honest in our dealings?

Do we respond to difficulties with patience?

Can people trust our words and our commitments?

Our conduct gives others an experience of what we believe. The way we live can create an opening for a conversation about faith.

A contribution shared by several people

This story also encourages us to celebrate collective effort.

The Constitution remembers a group. Some names are preserved, while others remain unrecorded in this passage.

That should make our remembrance more generous and more careful. We can recognise the people identified without allowing the unnamed participants to disappear from our appreciation.

Many worthwhile achievements in a community depend on several people doing their part. One person makes an introduction. Another offers practical help. Someone maintains a relationship, and someone else responds when an opportunity opens.

Learning to recognise these connections helps us become more grateful for one another.

The value of a faithful presence

The account links the fishermen’s worship with the interest that followed. For devotional reflection, this invites us to consider the effect of a faithful presence.

We cannot control how everyone responds to us. We can take responsibility for the sincerity, care, and consistency of our own service.

A welcoming congregation can help someone feel able to return. A thoughtful conversation can make room for a question. A dependable act of kindness can strengthen trust.

These contributions may seem ordinary when they happen. Their significance can become clearer with time.

Making room in our history

As we teach the Church’s history, let us remember these pioneering fishermen by name:

Samuel François. Leyon. Johana. Sepo.

Let us also remember their companions whose names this passage does not supply.

We should preserve the distinction between what the Constitution records and what we reflect upon. It gives us a brief account of their contribution, rather than a full biography of each person.

That brief account still deserves a place in our teaching.

Our children and younger members should know that working people participated in the Church’s early growth. They should also learn that service can take place within the responsibilities and relationships of everyday life.

Our pioneers deserve remembrance

Today, we honour the fishermen credited in the Constitution with introducing the Church into Lagos.

As we remember them, may we become more thoughtful about the faith we carry into our workplaces, journeys, and daily encounters.

May we recognise shared effort, appreciate those who came before us, and serve faithfully wherever we find ourselves.

We remember the people. We honour their contributions. We give the glory to God.

Historical basis: Constitution of the Celestial Church of Christ (Nigeria Diocese, 1980), “Entry into Nigeria”, paragraphs 42–43, and paragraph 70. The passage names four of approximately seven fishermen. Reflections on work, witness, and collective service are devotional applications of the account. The picture is an illustration: no photograph of them is used.

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