His name is Uchenna
Okpala but he likes to call himself Bishop
Uchenna Oyedepo Okpala. As an Usher, it is part of his responsibilities to
make the books of the month and messages easily accessible to worshippers every
Sunday, so they don’t have to queue up at the bookstores. Uchenna has found an effective way of doing that - by shouting at
the top of his voice, reeling out compelling scriptures and punchy quotes of Bishop
Oyedepo, an indication that he does not only sell the books, he also reads
them. He has so mastered this "shouting" art of "marketing"
that he has become a delight to many a worshipper at Faith Tabernacle.
Interestingly, the Master's degree holder gives out one free book everytime he
is on duty with an ear-pulling instruction, "Make sure you read it".
One look at him will reveal the definition of a man who has discovered
something and is so convinced that it is working. As we debut the GRASS-TO-GRACE page this month, let's
hear the "Bishop's" story from the horse's mouth.
THIS IS YOUR PLACE!
"I joined
this commission on February 24, 2010; it was our Covenant Day of Favour. I
can’t forget that encounter. It was my neighbour and friend Mr. Tony Eze. He
kept inviting me to this church and I kept refusing. But on that fateful day,
23rd of February 2010, Mrs. Chinyere Ozumba, a neighbour, came to
invite my wife to this church. Since my wife had three kids then, I chose to
follow the woman instead of my wife, considering how difficult it would be for
her to bring three kids to church here. Before then, I had a dream on the 2nd
of January that I worshipped in this church even though I didn’t know the
place. Why we were leaving the church that day, I remembered that I had
worshipped here in the dream. And God told me, 'This is your place of worship'."
MASTER’S DEGREE AT 23 AND HAVING TRAVELLED WIDE, I HAD
NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT…
"I was an
object of caricature. At that time, I was doing menial jobs, including being a
brick-layer to feed my family after my 6million naira worth of goods were
seized. After that Sunday encounter, I attended WOFBI (BCC), did LCC and LDC.
My wife did the same. At WOFBI, I caught a Word from Exodus 23:25 that if you serve the Lord your God, He will bless
your bread and water. I knew I had become a millionaire, even though there was
nothing to show for it then."
I JOINED 2 SERVICE GROUPS THE SAME DAY; WORE ONE
TROUSER FOR A YEAR!
“When I was
about to join a service group, my Pastor took me to Environmental Group. As I
was about to sign my name on the register, God said to me, “Go and serve me at the Ushering
Unit.” I obeyed Him. My friends were asking how I would be able to
afford the Ushers’ usual uniforms. I wore one black trouser with one shirt for one year plus. I was
serving God at Zone 5 at Obadore. I was
the only one sweeping that zone and setting the communion table for four years.
Although I was not after positions, I served 7 people as assistant zonal
minister."
MY SOUL-WINNING INVESTMENTS AND WHY I CAN'T STOP
SHOUTING
“God has given
me wisdom, I have three cars. The last one came on May 11, this year. I promised
God I wanted to be taking people to Church. I even planned giving my zone a bus
very soon. Every Sunday I spend about N10,000 for people to come to church. So
this man can’t stop shouting. Papa
is in me; I took after him. If you give me 10 tapes, I will go and shout and
sell them. God will always give me wisdom to know what to say. If there is anything
‘unsellable’ at the ushering department, I, Bishop Uchenna Oyedepo Okpara will
sell it."
MY EXPERIENCE WITH PAPA’S BOOKS…
“There is no
book I will read that I will not have an encounter. And there is no title I
will sell that I will not read one. One experience is that for many years, I
was dealing in contraband goods. But some two years ago, I was reading a book
on prosperity – Covenant of Wealth
and God spoke to me, “Leave that business for the one I will show
you.” I obeyed. I abandoned goods worth over 4 million naira. Today,
God is building a house worth about 12 million naira for me. God said I will
build it in one year. It started on October 6 this year; it has got to the
roofing stage already. Papa’s books have made me to be bold. Before I read
anything, I will say, “God show me the mystery in this book.”
THE GIANT IN ME IS RISING...
"We used to
be sidelined in our family, but now before anything is done in our family, I
must be consulted. And when I dictate the pace, I also give the money to back
it up. Serving God pays and I have seen in my life. Today, I pay school fees
and house rent for people; I convey people to church and give them refreshment
after service. All my converts are being taken care of today. There is none of
them that will come to me with any challenge and go empty-handed, because God
has wiped away my tears."
THE DAY I PAID TITHE IN MILLIONS...
"I'm into
packaging and repackaging. I meet a company; I tell them I can repackage your
product. I will take it to India, get new moulds from there and take these
moulds to a company here in Nigeria. We will negotiate on how much they will
pay me as commission. Last year, one man gave me a cheque of over 10 million
naira. And I paid my tithe in millions. When I was about paying one of the
tithes – N433,000, God spoke to me in my toilet, ‘Uchenna, since you have packaged this tithe, I will give you an
open cheque.’”
TAKE THIS FROM
ME...IT IS WORKING!
"Since I
joined this commission, I have never laid my back on a sick bed. I serve God
with all my life, strength, and even my voice. It is a golden voice; it doesn't
crack. With service to God, you will have many things, not just money. Peace in
your home and children; some big men have children but they are misbehaving. My
spiritual father doesn't have any issue of concern over his children. Service
to God will give you peace in your marriage and good health. My first child is
11 years old. If you see my wife now you will think we got married yesterday.
Service makes me to forgive people easily."
POSTSCRIPT: Do you have a
grass-to-grace story to share, call 0803-2764-536.
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