Golden Jubilee of Grace: LAWMNA Celebrates 50 Years of Defining Spiritual Legacy

By Tunde Adebisi

When the trumpet of the Jubilee sounds this August, it will herald far more than the opening of another annual convention. It will announce the celebration of a remarkable spiritual journey spanning five decades—a journey marked by God’s faithfulness, visionary leadership, and the unwavering commitment of generations of believers.

For The Apostolic Church Nigeria’s LAWMNA Territory, the 2026 International Convention is a defining moment. The annual gathering has reached its Golden Jubilee, making it the 50th edition of what has grown into one of the Church’s most significant spiritual assemblies. It is an occasion that invites reflection on the past, thanksgiving for the present, and renewed commitment to the future.

Concept of jubilee

The concept of Jubilee is deeply rooted in Scripture. In Leviticus 25:8–11, God instructed the children of Israel to consecrate every fiftieth year as a sacred season of liberty, restoration, reconciliation, and divine renewal. The sounding of the trumpet signified a fresh beginning—a time when captives were set free, inheritances restored, and the land itself entered into rest.

It is this enduring biblical symbolism that gives profound meaning to LAWMNA’s Golden Jubilee Convention. Beyond commemorating fifty annual gatherings, the celebration points to God’s sustaining grace and His unfailing covenant with His people.

The anniversary

From Saturday, August 1, to Friday, August 7, 2026, thousands of worshippers from across Nigeria and different parts of the world will converge on the LAWMNA International Convention Ground for seven days of worship, prayer, biblical teaching, revival, and Christian fellowship.

Thousands more will participate virtually through internet broadcasts and Glorious Vision Television (GVTV), extending the reach of the convention to believers across continents.
Appropriately themed “The Militant Church on the Earth” (1 Timothy 6:12), this year’s convention is expected to challenge believers to contend earnestly for the faith, remain steadfast amid contemporary spiritual battles, and continue advancing the Gospel with courage and conviction.

The convention will be led by the Territorial Chairman, Pastor M. O. Ogunibe, alongside members of the Territorial Executive Council, the General Executive Council (GEC), and the General Council. Also expected are the National President of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, Pastor Dr. L. O. Oladele, members of the National Executive, ministers of God, and delegates from the Church’s various territories within and outside Nigeria.

The week-long programme promises a rich blend of revival services, Bible exposition, exhortation, corporate prayer, gospel music ministrations, thanksgiving, and other expressions of worship designed to strengthen the faith of God’s people and inspire a fresh passion for Christian service.

Beyond the jubilee

Yet the significance of this Golden Jubilee stretches beyond the events of one week. It is the culmination of a remarkable story that began more than half a century ago.
Although the Territory itself was established in 1972

following the amalgamation of four administrative Areas created during the formative years of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, the first territorial convention was held five years later, in 1977. That inaugural gathering laid the foundation for what would become an annual spiritual institution, shaping generations of ministers, workers, and members.

The Territory’s emergence was itself part of a broader vision of unity within the Church. In 1970, the Nigerian General Council was reorganised into the Federal and Western/Northern Areas Council (FAWNAC), an administrative restructuring aimed at strengthening coordination across the Church nationwide. During this historic transition, Pastor S. G. Adegboyega, one of the seven indigenous founding fathers of The Apostolic Church in Nigeria, became the first African National Council Chairman.

Two years later, on January 1, 1972, the Church inaugurated its first administrative territorial structure under the name Lagos, Western and Northern Areas (LAWNA). The development fulfilled an earlier prophetic call for unity and centralised administration delivered through Pastor S. O. Soetan on August 3, 1969.

History of convention

The first LAWNA Territorial Convention followed in 1977 though it was branded National Convention, held at the present site of The Apostolic Church Grammar School, Orisigun, along Ikorodu road in Ketu, Lagos State. Only a few people could have imagined then that the annual gathering would grow into a global convention attracting participants from within and beyond Nigeria.

History continued to unfold in 2025 when the Territory adopted the name LAWMNA—Lagos and Western/Mid-Western and Northern Areas—in recognition of the historical contributions of churches in the old Mid-Western Region, which had previously formed part of the old Western Region.

Today, LAWMNA stands as the largest and most vibrant territories within The Apostolic Church Nigeria. As of now, it comprises 190 Administrative Areas, three theological seminaries located in Ilesa, Jos and Kabbaland, a Bible College in Ilesa, and Glorious Vision University—formerly Samuel Adegboyega University—underscoring its enduring investment in theological education, leadership development, and nation-building.

Behind this remarkable growth lies a succession of dedicated leaders whose stewardship has shaped the Territory across the decades. From Pastor S. G. Adegboyega, the pioneering Territorial Chairman, through Pastor I. G. Sakpo, Pastor S. S. Jemigbon, Pastor (Dr.) G. O. Olutola, Pastor (Dr.) E. S. Awojide, Pastor (Dr.) S. G. O. Uyeh, to the current chairman, Pastor M. O. Ogunibe, each administration has built upon the vision of its predecessors while responding faithfully to the challenges of its time.

As the Golden Jubilee Convention begins, the celebration will be about much more than commemorating fifty annual gatherings. It will be a tribute to countless lives transformed, prayers answered, ministries nurtured, and communities impacted through the work of the Church.

More importantly, it will reaffirm the enduring mission of LAWMNA—to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, disciple believers, and prepare God’s people for His glorious Kingdom.
The trumpet of Jubilee is therefore not merely a reminder of fifty years gone by. It is also a call to a future filled with renewed purpose, deeper consecration, and greater possibilities as the Church continues its pilgrimage of faith under the unfailing grace of God.

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