Good News Baptist Church Celebrates Platinum Jubilee, Renames Hall After Gamaliel Onosode

Good News Baptist Church, Surulere, Lagos, marked a significant milestone as it celebrated its Platinum Jubilee Anniversary.

The momentous occasion culminated in a Thanksgiving service held on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the church auditorium, which also saw the renaming of the multipurpose hall of the newly constructed educational and administration building in honour of Dn. Gamaliel Onosode.

The Guest preacher of the day, Revd Dr Sunday O. Oke, President, Charis Equip Foundations, delivered an inspiring message titled “The Silver Trumpet and Kingdom Advancement,” drawn from Numbers 10:1-10.

He exhorted the congregation to press forward and not relent in their pursuit of God’s purpose, emphasizing that while the church’s history is rich with testimonies, it should serve as a springboard for greater endeavours in advancing God’s kingdom. 

 “Forty years is a sacred number and should not be taken for granted. It is a number of exodus, new beginnings, deliverance and transition unto newness. All of these should revitalize the church on all sides. The church should be regenerated and continually stand in God’s presence.”

He said, as a Christian soldier, you should be ready to be summoned to worship, instruct and advance towards the Promised Land.

 During the service, Dr. Christopher Onosode read the testimony by the late Deacon G.O. Onosode titled “The Beginnings of Good News Baptist Church,” earlier published in 2006, which recounted the humble origins of the church’s inception when the first act of corporate worship was held on Wednesday, February 1, 1984, with only three residents of the Onosode household gathered for a prayer meeting. The church began as Adelabu Street Baptist Church under the leadership of Deacon Onosode and later Pastor (now Revd Dr) Kayode Ilupeju and has led the church to grow exponentially. The article chronicles the first set of members and leaders of the assembly. In 1994, the church was renamed Good News Baptist Church.

In his own testimony titled “Learning by Doing: A Foundation Member’s Chronicle in GNBC”, Deacon O.K. Belo said that the forty years he has spent in the church so far represents the longest period he has spent with any human organization except his genetic family.

Belo, who was also the first church secretary and the first and only Chairman of the Building Committee of the church, noted the evolution of various arms of the church such as Sunday School, Discipleship Programmes, Home Fellowship Ministry, Couples Fellowship, Single Parents Fellowship amongst others.

Belo said, “It is fit and proper to celebrate the vision that God gave to Dn Gamaliel and Mrs. Susan Onosode 40 years ago today that has continued to grow and develop in the hands and lives of a new generation.”

Good News Baptist Church has been deeply committed to missions since 1995, both locally and internationally, and remains dedicated to fostering spiritual growth, community, and purpose among its members.

The Platinum Jubilee celebration also featured various events, including an Anniversary Prayer Meeting, Donation and Opening of Community Projects, and a Variety Evening to commemorate the church’s rich legacy and vision for the future.