Pastor Ashimolowo To Host 6-Day Mega Compassion Crusade In Ibadan

FUNSHO AROGUNDADE

Charismatic televangelist and founder, Kingsway International Christian Centre, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo is set to hold a six-Day mega compassion revival themed ‘This Is Love’ Crusade in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The Crusade, organised under the aegis of Ashimolowo’s foundation, Christ Compassion to the Rural World, CCRW, is a six-day outreach to be held from 25 -30 November at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan.

Speaking at a recent media briefing in Ibadan to unveil the programme for the crusade, Ashimolowo said the city of Ibadan is set to witness an historic impact as he will be hosting the largest compassion crusade ever in Nigeria.

The Christian leader said unlike the traditional crusade of gaining souls for Christ and healing the sick that many were familiar with, the coming revival will go beyond that as hundreds of thousands will be impacted through spiritual healings, medical assistance, food distributions and motivational activities aimed at easing the hardship of the city’s residents.

“This is not about political exigencies as it’s obvious people are passing through a challenging time. But our mission is to meet the urgent needs of these people and show God’s love through our compassionate actions,” Ashimolowo explained.

The Septuagenarian preacher added that he has always had a burden in his heart to deliver a compassion crusade that would provide both spiritual and practical support. For eight years, he journeyed with local evangelists through Ghana’s villages to learn and practice the approach of delivering both spiritual and physical support to underserved communities.

Following that experience, Ashimolowo decided to domesticate the Ghana initiative and launched the Christ Compassion to the Rural World Foundation (CCRWF) last year with the first compassion crusade held in Igbogbo-Ikorodu, Nigeria.

At the Ikorodu crusade —which Ashimolowo said cost him over N1 billion of his personal money— there was an unprecedented turnout of over 50,000 people that overwhelmed both the medical and other welfare teams.

To avert any disappointment of people not being able to access support they would have sought at the Ibadan Crusade, Ashimolowo said CCRW had since expanded its efforts to accommodate up to 150,000 people in Ibadan.

He disclosed that the CCRW will distribute over 130,000 articles of clothing and essential items, sourced specifically to address the current economic challenges faced by many Nigerians.

“This Ibadan Crusade will operate on a scale four times larger than our initial event in Ikorodu. During the Six-Day outreach, there will be routine check-ups, specialist consultations, prescription medications and medical surgery. That’s for medicals while we would be distributing over 150,000 packs of Rice, Beans, Garri, Noddles, Pasta, Vegetable oil, Sugar and salt,” Ashimolowo told P.M.EXPRESS.

He disclosed that on 29 and 30 November, CCRW will operate a large-scale medical camp at the Liberty Stadium, staffed by 200 doctors —including a team of 33 surgeons from Nigeria and overseas, 150 pharmacists, and 100 nurses all fully paid to provide various medical interventions and surgeries to those unable to afford the medical procedures.

“The initial target was 400 Surgeries, but due to overwhelming demand, the team has expanded it to 711 with four local hospitals including State General Hospital and Police Hospital partnering with us for this effort. The Surgeries will begin ahead of the main event, thanks to special arrangements with the surgical teams,” Ashimolowo explained.

As part of the crusade, there will also be a Special School of Ministry to equip interested local pastors with evangelical materials and Bibles. Between 5,000 and 10,000 pastors are expected to participate in this programme while hundreds of rural pastors will be supported with modern electronic equipment to continue serving their communities.

Ashimolowo has always been a philanthropist. His inspiration for compassionate ministry has deep roots. While acknowledging the high cost of importing and transporting these goods for the crusade, the CCRW Convener expressed his commitment to covering the expenses with over 80 % of the funding—running to over N3 billion— personally contributed by him.

Ashimolowo said the crusade was open to everyone, regardless of faith, adding that the outreach was to show the world that the Church of Christ is not only about collecting from members but also giving back to them.

“Our greatest motivation is God’s love and the salvation of souls. We aim to impact lives profoundly and bring lasting hope to the people of Ibadan,” Ashimolowo said.

The Ibadan Crusade is supported by all Christian denominations in Oyo State including the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, The Anglican, Methodist and other White Garment Churches. The Nigerian Police and other security agencies are also said to have made a commitment to ensure the crusade goes on unhitched.