The Daily Observer, Banjul – The leadership and members of the Abiding Word Ministries (AWM), over the weekend celebrated 25 years of existence at their church premises in Bakau.
The four-day celebration of the Silver Jubilee tagged ‘Destiny 2013’ hosted pastors and well-wishers from different countries and churches around the world. AWM is a church pioneered by a Gambian, Pastor Francis Soska Forbes, MRG, a presenter of the popular television preaching programme ‘Discovering Truth’ and as well as the CEO of ITS-IT Business School.
At the opening of the AWM Silver Jubilee anniversary Thursday, the founder and host Pastor Francis Soska Forbes, MRG, praised the Almighty God the Omnipotent and Omnipresent for his guidance and blessing not only on him but the entire members of the Abiding Word Ministries and the nation as a whole. He thanked everyone for their support and government of The Gambia for creating an enabling and conducive environment for the people to dwell and live together in peace irrespective of individual religion and beliefs. Pastor Forbes, as popularly called, gave the history of the church as it was started in 1988. “Eight people started the wonderful and amazing church; few remain while more have joined,” he said. He continued thanking the Almighty God for blessing the AWM, saying that “twenty-five years is not child’s play”. He recounted, the road has not been straight and smooth; that they have had potholes along the way; that some have journeyed the whole way, some joined along the way and some have left. “We have faced our trials, gone through the valleys and mountains, but the Lord has helped us, and we have come out victorious,” he told the gathering.
Taken from the words of God to support what keeps him up till date, Pastor Forbes read from the First King chapter 18 v 41-46 and said, “for anything to happen in your life that is worth celebrating it must be the voice of God”. He added that the church shall continue propagating and praising the Lord because it is the voice of God hence there is no looking back if one wants to move forward.
The celebration was punctuated by different gospel cultural activities as Pastor Alvin Slaughter, founder and president of Alvin Slaughter Music performed live and delivered a passionate, enthusiastic and entertaing message.
Adding to the flavor of the ceremony were Oaks of Righteousness; The Sweetest Perfume, Marie Gomez and Jerry Omole alias Jerry Sax, a multi-instrumentalist who learnt to play the flute at the age of six.
