The ICOP Bulletin and magazine cornered mercy land vigil coordinator prophet Ralp Adeyemi, he was interviewed about the vigil, challenges and what can be done to eradicate it.
By Pro Adetunbi Olufemi
Bulletin :Good morning, sir. My name is Prophet Adetunbi Olufemi,
ICOP bulletin and magazine. Can I meet you, sir?
Good morning. God bless you in Jesus' name. My name is
Prophet Ralph Adeyemi.
Thank you, sir. Briefly, who is Ralph Adeyemi?
Glory to the Lord God Almighty. At the grassroots level, I am a
branch leader of C&S Movement Church, Orisun Ayo Ile Anu Temi, under Red Street. At
the conference level, I serve in the prophetic ministry as the secretary to the clerk staff of
the ICOP Secretariat, International Council of Prophets Secretariat.
Bulletin: You are in charge of the night vigil of CSMC ICOP? How has it been organizing
people, and how is the Ministry of Vigil progressing?
Prophet Ralph Adeyemi: Glory to the Lord God Almighty. We bless the name of the Lord,
especially for the grace given to the ministry. The prophetic ministry of the church is
growing, and we pray that the gates of hell will never prevail against it in Jesus' name.
First, let me speak briefly about the beginning of the vigil. There is a place called Prayer
Ground or Mercy Land of Horeb, supervised by the Ministry of the Prophets, ICOP in
Galilee. The primary purpose of Mercy Land is to serve as a prayer ground. Each time
people come to pray, mercy prevails, regardless of the situation. Glory to the Lord.
Years ago, vigils and programs were held there. However, with the inception of the current
conference supervising prophet, our father, Special Apostle Dr. Prophet Joel Olayinka
Adeniran, one of his missions for the church is ensuring that the fire of the Spirit of God on
the altar is never quenched. Thus, continuous prayers must take place at Mercy Land,
leading to the establishment of the Monthly Prophetic Power Night.
The Monthly Prophetic Power Night is held every third Friday of the month, regardless of
the date or any other program. We invite different ministers of God from our various
districts, parishes, and branches, especially those from Ilorin, Ogbomosho, Rore Districts,
and the International Headquarters. It is mandatory for members from these places to
attend the program.
Ministers from these districts, as well as invited ministers, participate. This program is led
by the conference supervising prophet and the Council General Secretary, Special
Apostle Dr. Prophet Joel Olayinka Adeniran (CSP), and Special Apostle Prophet A.A.
Ogunsakin (Secretary)
Bulletin : Thank you, sir.
Can you reflect on your role as secretary to the CSP and
head of the vigil at Mercy Land? What challenges do you face, and what improvements do
you suggest?
Prophet Ralph Adeyemi: God bless you, sir. I give God all the glory for His goodness.
Most programs, at the initial stage, face similar challenges. However, given the structure of
this ministry, some challenges should not exist.
One major challenge is that many of our district leaders and parish ministers scheduled to
minister sometimes fail to notify us of their absence in advance. The program starts, and
just a few minutes to the program, we realize that the assigned district representative is not present.
Thank God we always have alternative ministers available from Ilorin District, Ogbomosho
District, Galilee, and the International Headquarters, but ideally, such occurrences should
be avoided.
For example, if the Bible reading is assigned to Spring District, we cannot prepare another
minister in advance. If both prepare, it creates confusion. Thus, we do not prepare
alternatives ahead of time.
Another challenges is that many district supervising prophets and parish coordinators have
yet to fully embrace the vision. This program belongs to the prophetic council of the CSMC world wide,
They should include it in District /Branches, announcements. If a member from a Lagos church is
traveling to Ilorin or Ogbomosho, hearing about the program may encourage them to
attend. However, due to a lack of awareness, participation is often lower than expected.
Additionally, the program is financed by ICOP, but we need more financial support. Apart
from district supervisors and parish coordinators, individuals can contribute by sowing
seeds into the program. It is disheartening when a major ICOP vigil struggles with
inadequate sound systems. We are grateful to a few individuals who rent equipment for us,
but proper awareness and financial support are necessary.
Various churches, units, such as the media unit, ICT unit, and vision recorders, should also
actively participate. I am not sure if they expect the CSP and Secretary to compel them, but
they should voluntarily bring their expertise. Even if they do not have personal equipment,
members of these units in the vicinity should be required to attend.
Financial assistance would also help us improve. When we invite different ministers,
sometimes there is little or no honorarium. At times, we struggle to buy fuel. These are
some of the challenges we face.
Despite these challenges, we witness testimonies every month, confirming that God is
present in our midst. The Bible says, "Come and see." When people experience the
program, they witness the glory of God. However, we must put in all the necessary effort to
make it successful. God bless you.
Bulletin: Briefly, can you tell us how you rose to this level and describe
your relationship with the CSP and General Secretary?
Prophet Ralph Adeyemi: Glory to God Almighty. When the CSP arrived, he met with the
executives and other colleagues. Given the size and influence of the International Council
of Prophets, we hoped to establish a secretariat where someone would always be available
to attend to people’s needs. That was when this office was created. At its inception, there
was a mini awareness campaign—not widely publicized in newspapers but shared
internally. I was informed that interested individuals should apply. By the grace of God, with
my education, experience, and qualifications, I applied. After the interview, I was given the
job.
Regarding my relationship with Baba Ogunshakin, the Council General Secretary—he has
been a wonderful man of God, a generous mentor. Knowing him and getting closer to him
has been a blessing. I first got to know him during the tenure of the former CSP when I was
facing challenges in my place at Orilegbon. I told prophet Adeniran (now CSP) that I needed prophets to
pray for me to discern God’s will. At that time, CSP Adeniran was the financial secretary,
and he informed pro Ogunshakin, who then invited me.
During a CWC meeting attended by Pro Zacheaus Emmanuel,(former CSP ) Pro Oduwaye, and
several others, Pro Ogunshakin asked them to pray for me and reveal God’s mind
concerning my situation. Since then, they have been wonderful mentors.
Now, regarding the CSP, he has been a father to me, and we are related in many ways.
First, he is my father-in-law—my wife is from the same area as the CSP. He is one of the
people to whom God gave the vision of planting a church in Orilegbon, even before he
foresaw his future role. When God instructed him to start a church, it happened within a
week.
Back when the church started in Omu-Aran, I was fortunate to minister during a week-long
program. Since then, I have been followed him closely. At a point, we faced challenges and
prayed about them. Instead of praying directly for us, he (CSP) reminded us of what the Bible
says about heeding God's instructions. I told him I was unsure what God was saying. He
then told me, “God says you should stop going up and down and start a church.”
He advised me to confirm this with other men of God. He even prayed that God would
reveal it to others so they would call me without knowing. To my surprise, someone from
Offa called, JAD Ajayi from Abuja called, and Moses Labade from Ogbomosho called—all of them are
saying the same thing: “God said you should start a church.”
We tried to set our own timeline, but God does not work on human schedules. That was
when we started. Initially, we were under the City of David, but when God instructed us to
relocate, It revealed that we should go to Rore District. However, he
hesitated to tell us because he was an officer there and didn’t want us to think he was trying
to place us under his authority. Ever since, we have been with him, and God has been
faithful.
He is a mentor, a father, and a father-in-law. I want to say that he is everything and truly
God-sent to us.
