The Genesis: Deeper Life Young Adults' Story

HOW DID THE DEEPER LIFE BIBLE CHURCH FAITH DISTRICT YOUNG ADULTS' CHURCH BEGIN?

There are several great advantages of belonging to the Deeper Life family; apart from the benefit of holy living and a fear of God breathed into you right from childhood, every young member of the church replicates the excellent spirit that is found in the DNA of the church founder, our father in the Lord, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi. From the undiluted word of God taught at every service, to the success academy programs designed to equip young people with practical tools to become extraordinary, the church has raised an army of Daniels, Esthers, and Josephs for the next generations- a movement of young adults who will achieve Heaven’s goal of holiness, prosperity and excellence in every sphere of career, profession and ministry.

Right from the beginning of Deeper Life, in that UNILAG flat where the vision was born and it all started, the demographic of those first 15 members was, for all intent and purposes, described as young adults who sought a balance between strengthening their spiritual lives while still excelling in their careers. And till today, the younger generation still seeks to attain this balance through a young adults church. Evidently, the church has always been committed to never leaving anyone behind, and right from the ‘80s, there have been the children church, the youth section, then the campus church and corpers’ fellowship: the identity of each of these sections was in the name, and it was easily defined. Children were considered to be anywhere between infancy and the age of twelve, the youths were generally considered to be between the ages of 13 and 17 (or up till the point a youth becomes an undergraduate), the campus section was for students of colleges, polytechnics, and universities, while the corpers were graduates who were serving the country through the NYSC scheme.

So what happens after graduation and completion of the NYSC? What happens to those young men and women who are in the first decade of building their careers? In the few years before a person becomes a full-fledged adult by all definitions, in those crucial years between 20 and 35, what happens within those fifteen years? The General Superintendent had expressed his deepest concerns for the gap that existed between the old and new generation of Deeper Life members. In congresses and services, the G.S. had emphasized the need to accommodate the young people, explaining the burden he felt whenever he traveled around the world and met young people who, though still children of God, had left the church of their birth, most of them as a result of minor differences that should not have mattered. Thus, to fulfil the desire of G.S., there was a need to create a close-knit community of young people fervently committed to their faith and still being relevant in other areas of their lives.

A few months into the COVID lockdown of 2020 and its severe heartache, loss, and pain, there sprung out a vision of a lifetime. Movement was restricted as a part of the precautionary measures put in place to limit the spread of that deadly virus, and all places of worship were required to stop meeting in large numbers. People had to meet in small units, usually less than 20 members, to form a congregation, and several churches were held in family sitting rooms. A living room in Gbagada was one of these house-churches when the Deeper Life Bible Church, Faith District, also dispersed in accordance with the government injunction. For several weeks, the house was a gathering point for mostly young people who decided to meet physically, albeit in small numbers, rather than stay back home. Eventually, when the lockdown was eased, and the house had become too small for the growing number of young people who attended the weekly meetings, the fellowship resumed in the church.

By the time the lockdown ended and normalcy returned to the country, the young adult church inadvertently had been birthed. There were already established members of about twenty, and the workforce of choristers and ushers had been formed. At dawn every Sunday, shortly before the main service was slated to kick off, these young brothers and sisters would come as early as 6:30 AM and hold their service before 8:00 AM, the time for regular service. These gatherings of young people were quite enriching to the young adults as the messages were tailored particularly to fulfil their need, and they felt a sense of belonging and community that had been missing in an adult church.

As news spread that there was a community of young adults who met and worshipped together, the numbers grew and the church quickly ran out of space. What started with about ten people gathered in a living room had grown to about 50 members within the first three months after the lockdown was lifted. The church sought for a bigger space to accommodate the burgeoning size and found a new venue at 37, Sholanke District, Akoka. The space was not entirely spacious in itself, but it was a great improvement from where the church was previously located at Modupe Street.

Once the church moved from Modupe to Sholanke in May 2021, it became only a matter of time before the attendance became impossible to manage. The setup and mode of service was particularly tailored to bless and enrich the lives of young adults, while still preserving the standard the church was built upon. Every service was targeted at preserving and enhancing a consciousness of God’s holiness in the minds of the members, and the church quickly became a lifeline for young people who had all but left their beloved church of birth in search of new communities that answered their peculiar spiritual needs as young men and women.

Getting new members was never a challenge for Faith District Young Adults Church. As the testimonies of the church’s balance mix of truly God-inspired demographic-tailored messages of life and truth, the deeply powerful yet excellent music of praise and worship, and most importantly, the sense of community and friendship shared amongst its members, spread throughout Lagos State and its environs, young people from far and wide trooped to Sholanke Street at the crack of dawn every Sunday, and most of those who came never left.

The trajectory of the church’s growth has been nothing short of remarkable, marked by an exponential increase in membership and a corresponding steady development of spiritual maturity amongst both new and existing members. The services became fuller, the worship experience became more complete, and the community had time to pray, meditate, interact, and share time together after each service. The results were tangible. Now that they had a place they could claim as their own place of worship, the young adults began to hold programs on the church premises, several units of the workforce could now meet in the venue, and existing members invited friends with renewed enthusiasm. Before the end of 2021, the church membership experienced a rapid multiplication, soaring to an impressive 150, sometimes 200, members.

In September 2021, seeing the burgeoning attendance and realizing that many members may lose the sense of community as the number becomes too high to manage, the church leadership split the church membership at that time into several smaller units. Fittingly termed “Squads,” these small units held about thirty members each at the time of inception, and it became easier for people to have a sense of belonging and recognition. Moreover, the squads represented the first line of community, a more nuclear family, that could meet the needs of the church members: spiritual, financial, mental, and otherwise. These squads- Charity, Crystal, Emerald, Diamond, Gold, Praise, Triumph & Pearl- have also reflected the exponential growth of the entire church, with some of them now recording a membership of as high as 200

.

Several other units, platforms and programs were created to better serve the young adults as emphasis was placed on Bible study, discipleship, prayers, career, relationships, community development, and several other initiatives that are of utmost importance to the demographic. These new exhibitions attracted a new wave of members who thirsted for the totality of God’s blessings as facilitated through the Faith District Young Adults Church. With the Sunday Service attendance now climbing to 300 without any signs of slowing down, it became necessary to expand the church further. By the beginning of 2022, young men and women could be seen mostly standing and sometimes sitting outside the church premises, on the road, and in front of the building on the other side of the street. Determined to draw from the stream of God’s goodness that is constantly poured out in abundant measures at every service, these young people didn’t mind staying out in the sun just to be counted as a member of the Lord’s special people. But the church leadership was concerned, and the solution was clear: either get a bigger hall elsewhere in the city or double the services. Since there was an impossible scarcity of space in the centre of Lagos State, the latter option seemed more practicable, particularly with the limitation of time and the need to make a decision quickly.

And thus, on April 7, 2022, the first double service was held in the Young Adults Church of Faith District, Akoka. The first service started at 7.00 AM precisely and ended at 9.30 AM before the second service began immediately and ended by noon. The implementation of double services on Sundays, both operating at full capacity allowed the church to effectively cater to the needs of the expanding membership, with current records indicating a congregation of approximately 1,000 members every Sunday. And this is just those who are physically present. With online attendance sometimes climbing to 200 for church programs, and more than 2000 members in the online community platform, the church now echoes with the joyous voices of a diverse and dynamic congregation, united in their service to God.

Deeper Life Young Adults Church

The survival, impact and growth of the Faith District Young Adults’ Church from a modest group of 20 members to a thriving community of over 2000 is nothing short of God’s miraculous backing of the overall Deeper Christian Life Ministry, and His intention to preserve this generation that will stay loyal to God’s will and command to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3).