On Sunday, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos resumed normal services after being closed for 21 months because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
When the Federal Government announced efforts to control the spread of the disease in March 2020, TB Joshua, the late founder of the SCOAN, decided to end regular services.
“Everything is lovely in God’s time!” the church wrote on the official Facebook page of TB Joshua’s Ministries. All of God’s blessings, including healing and deliverance, come to pass! “Now is the time!” is a signal to resume the service.
While the government later loosened the policy, allowing worship centres to restart services as long as safety protocols were followed – TB Joshua’s church continued to hold online services. On multiple occasions, the clergyman stated that he was expecting divine guidance on his next decision.
Evelyn Joshua, the late preacher’s widow, was equally responsible for the closure, which came well before the cleric’s death in June of this year.
A search to the church’s web platform revealed videos and photos of attendees inside the Synagogue building in Lagos State’s Ikotun-Egbe neighbourhood.
Evelyn Joshua, who took over as the head of the Lagos-based church after a leadership issue, led the service. The COVID-19 guidelines were followed.
The return to regular Sunday church services comes five months after the death of the Ondo-born minister, who is credited with bringing many high-profile politicians to his church during the time he lived.
His funeral, which took place around a month after his death, drew hundreds of mourners from both within and beyond Nigeria, even though the ceremony was mostly overlooked by Nigeria’s leading pastors.
He died on June 5th, just hours after completing a service, although his cause of death was never revealed.