Pastor Emmanuel Olufemi Oluseye Aleshin, pastor-in-charge of Christ Apostolic Church (C.A.C Sheraton), Lagos, shares his testimony of C.A.C belief of healing without medicine when he survived critical complications from food poison. He also shares how he suffered the wrath of God for his refusal to close his thriving printing business for full-time pastoral work and other testimonies of his birth, growth, journey and ministry assignment in Christ Apostolic Church (C.A.C) in the below interview with Christian Benefits magazine. Excerpts
Please, can we meet you sir?
My names are Emmanuel Olufemi Oluseye Aleshin. I was born in Ekiti state but raised in Ibadan, Oyo state. I started my education at Sacred Heart Private School, Ring Road, Ibadan, and furthered at Oluyole Grammar School, Ibadan and then University of Ibadan. I spent my first 26 years in Ibadan before I came to Lagos on September 20, 1997 to work as a manager of a printing & publishing firm at Shomolu, Lagos. I later started my own printing & publishing company which I successfully ran until 2010 when I shut down the business for full-time ministry.
Tell us more about your background and upbringing
I was born in a Christian home but formally gave my life to Jesus Christ in 1990. I grew up in Christ Apostolic Church (C.A.C), Oke Igbala Idikan, Ibadan, and also attended daily the early Morning Prayer devotion (Adura Owuro) of C.A.C Oke Ibukun, Oke Ado. My mother had had two children before me; a male and a female . She was expecting another female as third child but it turned out to me; another male child. She was disappointed but the then pastor-in-charge of C.A.C Oke Ibukun, Pastor M.B Oyeyemi (now late) encouraged her that the third child is a tithe of all her children. My mother further had two more males and females respectively after me. But sadly one of the males and females died. From the age of two years old my parents started taking me along with them to various prayer mountains because of what Baba Oyeyemi had told them about my birth. While growing up my parents encouraged us; their children to fast regularly. They encouraged us to observe the yearly Lenten fasting period. My mother taught us how to read Psalms. My father taught us how to tarry in prayer for days. From childhood I religiously observed all these religious practices until I got born again in 1990.
Briefly share with us your rebirth (born again) encounter
I formally got born again at C.A.C Oke Igbala Idikan Ibadan in 1990. I was an active member of the youth department and Egbe Imole Aye society in the church. As members of the society we regularly prayed together, held vigils and went out preaching the gospel. We usually held a 14-day prayer vigil monthly. On December 28, 1991 I took ill critically from food poison after our return from one Egbe Imole Aye outing. I had a very terrible stomach upset that I vomited the food that I ate at that outing. I writhed in pains all through the last days of that year into the New Year 1992. I refused to take drugs because of C.A.C belief of healing without medicine until Jesus appeared to me in a revelation as a medical doctor on January 2, 1992 and conducted operation on me. I was diagnosed of perforated typhoid at a private hospital at Odo Ona, Ibadan, and was referred to Adeoyo state hospital, where I was further diagnosed of also having anemia and ruptured appendicitis. I passed through this critical illness for nine months from December 1991 to September 1992.
After this incident, how did your journey into ministry begin?
My journey into ministry started when I was an active member of Christ Apostolic Church Students Association (CACSA) Ibadan zone. CACSA was the platform where I was groomed for ministry though I never desired to come into ministry. CACSA exposed me to regular evangelical outreaches and everyday vigils. I grew up in CACSA to become assistant evangelism secretary and later Bible study secretary. Later I left C.A.C Oke Igbala Idikan for C.A.C Oke Ife Adegoke, Ibadan. I started and headed the youth fellowship of C.A.C Oke Ife Adegoke. I was also a member of the church choir, head of the prayer band and head of the Sunday school. I so much enjoyed working for the Lord at C.A.C Oke Ife Adegoke till I left the church
When and how did you formally receive the call into ministry eventually?
Despite my commitment to church activities I never wanted to be a pastor. I just wanted to be a worker and financier in the church. After I left Ibadan for Lagos, I started having inkling of God’s calling me into ministry but I ignored it. In 2004 while at home at Idimu then, Lagos, a voice said to me; why don’t you attend Bible school to get more knowledge about God? At this time I had already floated my own printing & publishing company, Emmanuel Concepts Nigeria Ltd, at Shomolu, printing lots of books for many high profile clients. When I had the urge to attend Bible school I wanted to attend Latter Rain Bible School aside C.A.C Theological Seminary, Idimu. About the same time I was processing traveling to the U.K. I decided to attend C.A.C Theological Seminary just to gain more knowledge about God. But a voice kept telling me repeatedly, you are going to serve the Lord. I ignored that voice and continued my business at Shomolu until I ran into a terrible military ordeal. I finished my studies at the seminary in 2007. I was the chaplain of my set. Before I finished from the seminary, I was posted by the seminary as a trainee-evangelist to C.A.C (Victory Land) Ikotun, beside Mr. Biggs at Ikotun for my practical. I said within me if at all I want to be a pastor; not in C.A.C because C.A.C doesn’t pay their pastors adequate salary. When the pastor-in-charge of that assembly (C.A.C Victory Land) was transferred in December 2009, I was again posted back to that assembly to replace him. Immediately, I went to Ori Oke Akinkemi and I cried to God I’m ready to serve you only as a supporting minister, not as a full-time pastor but the Lord ignored me. So, I resumed work at that assembly in June 2006 but continued my printing business at Shomolu, printing and supplying text books to federal government schools and military schools. There was a particular text book of 2000 copies that we printed for a particular woman from the military school at Oshodi. During the book collation, we inadvertently omitted some pages of the book and also delayed the book delivery. When the woman discovered the omitted pages in the book despite the delay, she was enraged and sent four military boys to pick me up in my house. They boys dragged me to their military cantonment, ruthlessly dealt with me and locked me up in the guardroom. After I survived the military ordeal I knew it was the wrath of God upon me for my resistance to serve him full-time. That was how I shut down the business completely in 2010 and came into full-time ministry.
