Watch ORTHODOX MORNING PRAYERS & READINGS for Monday, Aug. 31, 2026: https://robertdhosken.substack.com/p/watch-orthodox-morning-prayers-and-b81

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*ABUJA AND THE NEW ERA: AN ESCHATOLOGICAL VIEW OF THE GLOBAL ANGLICAN HEADQUARTERS*
_By Postulant C. O. Oyadosu_

*INTRODUCTION: NOT JUST GEOGRAPHY, BUT PROPHECY*

To the glory of God, the announcement on *29 August 2026 in Recife, Brazil*, that the headquarters of the *Global Anglican Communion* will be established in *Abuja, Nigeria*, is more than an administrative decision. It is a prophetic marker.

While some individuals in their opinion rightly calls for wisdom, humility, and global representation, we must also read this moment through the lens of *Scripture, history, and eschatology*. God is not surprised by geography. He ordains seasons.

What we are witnessing is not Africa “taking over” Anglicanism. It is the *return of Christianity to its ancient African roots* and the beginning of an *End-Time Revival that will be led from the Global South*.

*1. CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA PREDATES EUROPEAN MISSIONS*

The argument that Anglicanism must remain tied to Canterbury because “that is where it began” overlooks a deeper biblical and historical truth: *Africa was Christian before Europe was*.

1. *Ethiopia*: The Ethiopian eunuch in *Acts 8:26-39* took the Gospel to Africa in the 1st century. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church traces its roots to the 4th century, with the _Garima Gospels_ and a canon of 81 books preserved for 1600 years.
2. *North Africa*: Alexandria, Carthage, and Hippo produced giants like Athanasius, Origen, Tertullian, and Augustine. The Nicene Creed was hammered out in North Africa.
3. *Christianity is not a Western export*. It is an Eastern and African faith that later flourished in Europe.

Therefore, to locate the Global Anglican headquarters in *Abuja* is not innovation. It is *restoration*. It is God bringing the Communion back to a continent where the faith was planted by the Apostles themselves.

As *Colossians 3:16* declares for this last Sunday of August: _“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”_ That Word first dwelt richly in African soil.

*2. AN ESCHATOLOGICAL READING: THE SHIFT TO THE GLOBAL SOUTH*

Jesus said in *Matthew 24:14*: _“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”_

Church historians like Philip Jenkins in _The Next Christendom_ have documented what the Spirit is doing: *The numerical and spiritual centre of Christianity has moved to Africa, Asia, and Latin America.*

The decision to place the headquarters in *Abuja* fits this eschatological pattern:
1. *Numerical strength*: Over 60% of active Anglicans today are in Africa. Nigeria alone has more Anglicans than all of UK, US, Canada and Australia combined.
2. *Doctrinal clarity*: In a season where Western provinces are revising biblical teaching on marriage, life, and authority of Scripture, God is raising up a bastion of biblical orthodoxy in the South.
3. *Missionary sending*: For 500 years the West sent missionaries to Africa. In this season, Africa is sending missionaries back to Europe, America, and Asia.

This is not nationalism. This is *fulfillment*. The last shall be first, and the first last. *Mark 10:31*

*3. WHY ABUJA? WHY NOW? PROPHECY AND REVIVAL*

Many prophetic voices across Africa for the last 30 years have spoken of an *“End-Time Revival that will start from Nigeria and spread to the nations.”* Nigeria’s Anglican Church has been at the forefront of:
- Church planting movements
- Prayer and fasting culture
- Defense of Scripture under persecution
- Youth and evangelistic fervour

The *G26 gathering in Abuja, March 2026*, was not accidental. It was a divine alignment. Abuja, the centrally located capital of the most populous black nation, becomes a *new Upper Room* from where the Spirit will be poured out.

Just as Jerusalem was the geographic center for the 1st century Church in *Acts 1:8*, *Abuja can be a 21st century center* for a global outpouring — not because Nigeria is superior, but because God chooses weak and unlikely places to shame the wise. *1 Corinthians 1:27*

*4. ANSWERING THE CONCERNS: INFRASTRUCTURE, GLOBALITY, AND OWNERSHIP*

Some highly respected Anglican Church fathers in God raised legitimate practical concerns. But eschatology teaches us that *God provides infrastructure for what He ordains*.

1. *On Infrastructure*: Joseph was sent to Egypt, Daniel to Babylon, and Paul to Rome. God never waits for perfect roads before He moves. As the headquarters grows, God will raise partners, technology, and diaspora Anglicans to build it. The early Church had no “international banking” either.
2. *On Global Representation*: Yes, leadership must reflect Africa + Asia + Europe + Americas + Pacific. But global representation does not require a Western postcode. With virtual platforms and international flights to Abuja increasing daily, *global access is a matter of will, not geography.*
3. *On “Looking African”*: The Gospel has always looked like the people who carry it. When it was in Rome it looked Roman. In Canterbury it looked English. In Antioch it looked Middle Eastern. *Let it now look African, and let the world come and see the glory of God in it.* The goal is not to erase culture, but to submit every culture to Christ.

The headquarters in Abuja will not “own” the Communion. *Christ owns it.* But the location will be a sign that God is doing a new thing. *Isaiah 43:19*

*5. ABUJA MUST BE MORE THAN AN OFFICE — IT MUST BE AN ALTAR*

I agree fully with Venerable Dr Jesulola here. If Abuja is to host the headquarters, it must become:
1. *A Global Anglican Prayer Centre* - 24/7 worship like David’s tabernacle
2. *An International Theological Institute* - Raising the next generation of orthodox scholars
3. *A Missionary Training and Sending Base* - For Europe, Asia, and the Americas
4. *An Archives and Research Library* - To recover African, Ethiopian, and Global South contributions to Anglican theology

This will silence critics and prove that this is not about pride, but about *mission*.

*CONCLUSION: THE HEADQUARTERS MAY BE IN ABUJA, BUT THE VISION IS FOR THE WORLD AND FOR THE END*

Beloved, we are not in a time for timidity. We are in a time for faith.

The decision to place the Global Anglican Communion headquarters in Abuja is:
1. *Historical*: Returning to Africa’s ancient Christian roots in Ethiopia and North Africa
2. *Missional*: Placing leadership where the growth and sacrifice is greatest
3. *Eschatological*: A sign that God is shifting the centre of global Christianity for the final harvest

We must reject both Western paternalism and African triumphalism. Instead we must embrace *divine orchestration*.

*Canterbury will always be our mother.*
*Abuja can now be our mission outpost for the nations.*

As we close August and enter September, let us pray:
_“Lord, let the Word of Christ dwell richly in Abuja. Let this be the start of the End-Time Revival through the Anglican Communion. Let Nigeria serve with humility, and let the whole world see Jesus.”_

The headquarters may be in Abuja.
But the fire will reach the whole earth.

*Amen. Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus.*

_“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else... Saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” – Isaiah 46:9-10_

Shalom!

We (Nico & Karen Schouwenburg) answered the Lord’s call to ministry from a young age & served as missionaries in Eastern Europe & the former Soviet Union & other parts of the world.

We were involved in various ministries from Bible smuggling, teaching, supporting & equipping local churches, leading evangelistic teams, working with the poor & church planting.

It was during that time that we met, when we were both serving in the same mission’s team in Eastern Europe & Russia (church planting in Novosibirsk, Siberia). Since then we planted & pastored churches in the Netherlands ,New Zealand & Australia.

We passionately desire to see people saved & become mature believers & all Christ called them to be through equipping, teaching, prayer & pastoral care.

We focus on building into our flock 4 corners of truth:
*Loving God, loving His Word, loving His Church & loving Israel.
*Steadfastly continuing in the apostles’ teaching, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

We desire to be caring, loving, passionate, spirit-filled pastors, to us it is not merely a career but a calling, regardless of money, success or church size.

We strongly believe in signs, wonders & miracles following the preaching of the Word, healing & delivering God's people body, soul & spirit. But we also value testing the "spirits", true Christianity is first of all displayed in the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Do you want to join us & help build a local church, that reaches a wide area, from Brisbane North up till Noosa & touches believers on-line anywhere in the world, that are hungry for truth?

Watch ORTHODOX MORNING PRAYERS & READINGS for Friday, Aug. 28, 2026: https://robertdhosken.substack.com/p/watch-orthodox-morning-prayers-and-a38

How to JOIN? See https://agape-biblia.org/Morning-Prayers.htm to JOIN US “LIVE” daily at 7 a.m. ET. Start YOUR OWN Morning Prayers! We’re retired missionaries in our 80s, preparing for eternity! Are you?

Missionaries are called to faithfully share the Gospel.

#FaithfulWitness #GospelTruth #MissionaryWork #TrustGodsResults #ShareTheGospel #FaithInAction #LordsbookApp

Did you know?
In 1868, a Japanese samurai named Takuma Sawabe confronted the Christian missionary Nicholas with one purpose: to kill him for preaching Christ. But Nicholas did not respond with fear. He calmly asked Sawabe to listen to the Gospel first and then make his decision. Sawabe listened—and something remarkable happened. The man who had come prepared to kill a Christian missionary became convinced by the message of Jesus Christ. In April 1868, he was baptized and took the name Paul.

Paul Sawabe didn’t simply change his mind about Christianity. His entire life changed direction. He went on to become Japan’s first native Christian priest and risked his life preaching Christ to his own people. Nicholas translated Christian writings into Japanese and helped establish a Christian mission in Japan, where Christianity had once been forbidden. Thousands of Japanese eventually embraced the Christian faith as the Gospel spread throughout the country.

This is what makes Sawabe’s story so remarkable. He did not begin as a seeker looking for Christianity. He came as an enemy intending to kill one of its missionaries. Yet after hearing the Gospel, he became a follower of Christ and devoted his life to proclaiming the very faith he had once opposed. The samurai who once wanted to kill a Christian missionary became a priest of Christ.

COMMUNISTS EXECUTED THEM FOR THEIR FAITH. THEIR HIDDEN BABY SURVIVED IN A RICE BASKET.

John and Betty Stam met at Moody Bible Institute, both individually feeling called to serve as missionaries in China, and married there in 1933 through the China Inland Mission. In September 1934, their daughter Helen Priscilla was born, and just two months later, the young family settled into a new post in Anhui Province, in the small town of Jingde. Two weeks after arriving, Communist soldiers unexpectedly overran the town and took the entire family prisoner.

John wrote a letter to mission headquarters that night, informing them of the Communists' $20,000 ransom demand, knowing full well the mission's strict policy against ever paying ransoms. He closed the letter with the words, "The Lord bless and guide you, and as for us, may God be glorified whether by life or by death." The next morning, the couple was marched to a hill outside the nearby town of Miaoshou to be executed, a Chinese medicine seller who pleaded on his knees for their release, and who was later found to own a Bible and hymnbook, executed alongside them for his own faith.

Before the couple was led away, Betty found a way to hide their three month old daughter, tucking her into a sleeping bag with a change of clothes and money pinned inside her diaper. Two days later, a Chinese evangelist named Dr. Lo found baby Helen alive, concealed her in a rice basket, and carried her to safety, eventually delivering her to Betty's parents, who were still serving as missionaries elsewhere in China. Helen grew up, became a teacher, and raised her own family in the eastern United States. News of the Stams' deaths spread around the world and, in the decades since, has continued to inspire generations of believers to serve overseas despite the risk.

Do you think you could have found the peace John wrote about, in that same letter, facing what he faced?

#JohnAndBettyStam #MissionaryMartyrs #FaithUnderFire

Watch ORTHODOX MORNING PRAYERS & READINGS for Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026: https://robertdhosken.substack.com/p/watch-orthodox-morning-prayers-and-603

How to JOIN? See https://agape-biblia.org/Morning-Prayers.htm to JOIN US “LIVE” daily at 7 a.m. ET - start YOUR OWN Morning Prayers! We’re retired missionaries in our 80s, preparing for eternity! Are you?

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