One Body, Many Saints (Unity Conference in Lagos)

FIELD NOTES • LAGOS & IBADAN

Our First Days in Nigeria

Teaching during the Unity Conference in Lagos

Three days of teaching, warm hospitality, and growing fellowship opened our 2026 journey through Nigeria.

We arrived in Nigeria on Friday evening and were immediately welcomed into wonderful fellowship with the new team from Lagos, our One Body Life representative Joel Olatubosun, and the team from Ibadan—the first two cities on this trip. 

We could not have asked for better hosts than Ezra and Frances. Together with their teams, they drove us from our hotel, shared many meals with us, and hosted a Unity Conference during our first three days. We also had several opportunities to spend time together informally. From the beginning, there was a sweet sense of peace and genuine fellowship among us.

A City Teeming with Life

I am always amazed when traveling through Lagos and Ibadan. Lagos is home to an estimated 17.5 to 20 million people (about the population of New York)—nearly half of the population of California concentrated in one city. Ibadan, where we traveled next, has a population of roughly four million and is also teeming with life.

We took a very comfortable train from Lagos to Ibadan after spending several days teaching, fellowshipping, and introducing our brothers and sisters to One Body Life Academy.

Some of the saints who gathered with us in Lagos

One of the highlights of our time in Lagos was our final evening of dinner and fellowship. Henry shared a devotional from 1 John 3:14, and the doors opened for a heartfelt conversation about the need for love among Christians.

There are so many believers in Lagos, and for that we thank God. Yet many remain separated within their individual churches and ministries. Although some organizational unity exists, there is very little fellowship across church lines.

A STRIKING CONTRAST

One minister told us that the road directly in front of the conference venue has many brothels—and, at the same time, 82 churches. They had counted them recently!

Against this backdrop, the teaching shared during the conference seemed to land like a spiritual “bomb” in our midst. The message of love, fellowship, and the practical reality of the one Body of Christ touched something deep in those who attended.

A Beautiful Response

At the end of the gathering, Frances, an elder from our host ministry, selected a young boy to choose ten people who would receive free copies of one of the books that form the foundation of our curriculum. These books carry, from the Scriptures, the message and heartbeat of One Body Life.

A joyful moment among the children and families at the gathering

A MOMENT TO REMEMBER

It was a beautiful moment, and the response was incredibly powerful.

The fellowship afterward was so rich that no one seemed to want to leave. Before sharing a final communion, I encouraged everyone who wanted to take the teaching home with them to enroll in One Body Life Academy and begin studying with us.

We hope to publish videos from some of the conference teaching as soon as possible. Although this ministry is still in its infancy, we were deeply blessed by the saints in Lagos.

Onward to Ibadan

After arriving in Ibadan, we prayed for more open hearts and open doors—and the Lord quickly provided both.

Our first engagement was with a fellowship that meets twice each week and is made up of Christians who work in the Oyo State correctional administration offices. On the grounds of this government campus, there is a dedicated church where employees can gather to fellowship and worship the Lord Jesus.

At the Oyo State correctional administration offices in Ibadan

I shared a message about “glory,” focusing on how Christ enables us to serve by becoming nothing, just as He did when He washed His disciples’ feet in John 13.

Fellowship With a City Elder

That evening, we traveled to the home of a respected city elder and his wife. The couple, now in their eighties, have been married for 57 years after first meeting while he was studying in the United States.

They received us warmly and expressed genuine appreciation for what was shared in their home. What a joy it was to form a friendship with these dear saints. Even in this season of life, they remain active in leading three Christian schools, including a Bible college.

Front: Henry Hon, Papa Olu, Janice, and Rod Page. Rear: Brother Emmanuel and Joel Olatubosun.

An Evening With Saints

Following that meeting, we traveled by car to the site of our evening conference. Approximately 250 saints of all ages gathered for worship, teaching, and fellowship. Our host was Pastor Titus of Knowledge Is Life Bible Ministry.

Pastor Titus and Henry fellowshipping before the conference

The community that gathered that evening was wonderfully vibrant. Henry taught from 1 Corinthians 4 about the true nature of kingdom power: spiritually giving birth to children and helping bring them to maturity.

A vibrant community gathered for worship, teaching, and fellowship

Approximately 300 saints of all ages joined the evening gathering

Please Pray & Praise With Us

These first days in Nigeria have been filled with warm hospitality, meaningful teaching, and a growing experience of fellowship among believers. We are grateful for every relationship the Lord is forming and every heart He is opening. Just last night, I heard from one of the brothers at the meeting in Pastor Titus’ ministry that he wanted the registration information sent to him so he could sign up for One Body Life Academy. Also, another brother from Lagos completed his scholarship application and was approved. In the middle of the night, these emails came to me, and I wept with joy. We have been truly praying for solid and committed saints to sign up for our course and be edified and built up in the Lord and in His gospel of grace and the almost forgotten (in times past) gospel of peace. This is so we can answer Jesus’ prayer for the Oneness of the Body and so we can pass on this message to faithful saints who can “tech others also.” (2 Tim 2:2). Late last evening one of our OBLA students here in Ibadan brought along a friend of hers she had been sharing and we all fellowshipped together hearing this student give testimony to what she has been learning and to see how this had blessed her friendship with her sister. Praise the Lord!

OUR PRAYER

Please pray that God will keep working in each person, give Joel wisdom as he leads and administers the work, and bind our entire team together in the name of Jesus.