THE ARK LEGACY PROJECT:

A LEGACY FOR INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECT DELIVERY

A LEGACY FOR THE CHURCH

A LEGACY FOR CHRISTENDOM

Daniel Breakforth

And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

Psalm 78:69

“Christians don’t believe in big things. They serve a big God and do small things and that’s an insult to God.”

Archbishop Benson Andrew Idahosa

The 14th of March 2024, was exactly 3 years since the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ark Legacy Project, Canaanland was announced and that groundbreaking itself was 3 years old on 25th March 2024.

Something was however amiss while at the Faith Tabernacle on Sunday 24th March. Nobody made any special announcement to remind the Church of the project or the need to give a very big seed ‘of completion’ towards it. Infact, there was no reference whatsoever to the project in the 3 services that held not to talk of mentioning it at the healing (4th) service. No, this was not how I grew up in my grandparents Church at Ebute Meta where a cathedral was constructed for over 20 years or the one at Ekotedo Ibadan where the Vicar once boasted that the walls of the 600 capacity parish which construction lasted over 10 years was built that way so that ‘our children’ will not dare pull it down. I am not even referring to our family Pentecostal church opposite North Gate ABU Zaria which took some 5 years to build or the one at Ekoro Road, Abule Egba, Lagos which lasted about 7 years (Interestingly we once had a dynamic minister from Uyo who said God told him to collect our building offering for his dynamic city church and on his way to the airport at Ikeja, he asked ‘Uncle Akeem’ our American deportee new convert staying with us and driver during that visit to divert to Obalende where he and ‘madam’ purchased a whole lot of ‘hollandis’ with the building money ...but that’s another story entirely).

Remembering Sunday 24th, I wondered why similar announcements by our governments don’t generate such excitement. It is 3 years since groundbreaking of the Ark and what was a routine pulpit announcement is getting ready to find its place in the annals of history for many reasons.

The curiousity in me made me check online for all National or State infrastructure projects in Nigeria announced or started in 2020 and 2021 with the same magnitude of the Ark Project (Any project between $150 and $200 million). I saw that none was even near the halfway mark not to talk of nearing completion. Interestingly, I went ahead to check projects from the private sector and none has grown as fast and efficiently as the Ark.

To put this in better and proper context. the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) a church in the Philippines which set out in 2012 to build a 75,000 capacity church costing $212 million is said to to be planning to dedicate it in April 2024...Some even say 2025.

What makes the Ark unique?

PROPHECY

The Ark is a prophetic structure.

Isaiah 2:2 says...

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

Isaiah 2:2

Prophet Isaiah saw clearly the coming of Jesus. He apparently also saw the gatherings in Nigeria. Today the Mountain of the Lord’s House is being established from Redemption City to Deeper Life International Conference Centre, to Prayer City, to the Lord’s Garden, Hand of God, LoveWorld Grounds and ofcourse the Ark.

Way back on 10 April 1982, it was prophesied during the Power House meetings that “At the base of this Church, a Sanctuary shall be built to contain 50,000 people. By 1999, Faith Tabernacle became that prophetic base with the cloud moving to rest on the Ark later this year.

In 1987, while on a trip to Oral Roberts University, a sight of the then Faith Mediplex Towers, consisting of one 60 floor, 30 floor and 20 floor high rise buildings respectively led David Oyedepo to mutter ‘It can happen anywhere’ because according to scriptures,

“God is no respecter of persons:

But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him”.

Acts 10:34-35

Shortly after, he was told to ‘get back home and make my people rich’.

By 12 December 1995, ‘I will yet relocate my church to another Rehoboth (her place of enlargement) was prophesied and a few days later, a search team found a location 30km away on Idi-Iroko Road Ota where the sweet words ‘This is the Place’ was sent as yet another prophetic assurance.

Fast forward to 2020, at the heat of COVID and the lockdown of churches, 3 years after the warning ‘don’t talk to me about the building project until I speak to you’, the words came again-Was it not you I told that Shiloh was the place of my appearance? I would not have followed you there (the earlier proposed site). By that instruction, Faith Tabernacle will always be relevant and conjoined to the Ark as long as Canaanland remains the headquarters of the Liberation Commission.

FUNDING

First of all, the Ark is one of the largest projects in this age built without any kind of bank facility. Thank God for men who offer churches interest free loans but that has not been used at the Ark as the Living Faith Church, builders of the project stands on the assurance of divine supplies for all projects embarked upon.

A closer look at the Mandate, the constitution of the Living Faith Church states this clearly in its project implementation chapter.

On no account should loans, borrowed funds or credit purchases be employed in financing any of Ministry projects.

At about 1500, construction of St Peters Basilica by Pope Leo commenced for over a century and it soon became the largest church structure on earth. It took the autonomous and wealthy Vatican City over a hundred years of aggregation for the vision to see reality partly due funding. Today, it appears that the Ark will be done in less than 1/25 of the same period. No wonder Bishop Kwadwo Bempah of Ghana declared concerning the Ark Project-“A Church building something that look like (it’s) a Nation ( building).

SPEED

According to the (old version of the) Mandate, in (old) Section 17 (Project Policy), Para 17.2 (General Project Implementation Approach) vii. It says....”In all cases of construction, no church shall be allowed to embark on a project that will not be completed within 2 years”

One may say the Ark has taken 3 years already but note that the Ark is as good as at least 100 church projects in one so just over 3 years In construction for a project that should be considered quick even within 15 years is no mean testimony.

The only mega church building that has beaten the Ark is Faith Tabernacle which is less than a third of the full size of the Ark project and far less technologically equipped.

At foundation level, a Nigerian news outlet allegedly reported that the project would cost N160bn however due to the fluctuations of the Naira, that figure is unreliable. Other conservative sources have tagged the project to about $200m. These figures may not be sacrosanct. However Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of COZA announced 2 years ago that N100 Billion ($150 million) had been paid in advance

Be that as it may, the cost, size and timing of the project in the last 3 years is still a source of inspiration for nations filled with elephant projects or projects which take forever to build.

SIZE

The Ark has a span of 318m, the longest in the world, a height of over 90m, foundation depth of 69 feet (21m) or half the length of Burj Khalifa’s foundation, a footprint of 66,000+ Sqm, 1000 toilets, 129 escalators, translators and elevators (the structure with the most number of such in the world) and with ability to generate 1 Megawatt of Solar power from the roof. The mainbowl will take over 109,000 people while the basement can take 350 cars of 44,000 congregants. The Children Church seats 20,000 and Teen Church-5,000. The foyer takes another 30,000+. Indeed, if all the facilities within the Ark are filled up, it will take more than 200,000. At the foundation laying for Faith Tabernacle, Bishop Oyedepo announced a 24 storey Tower that would soon be built. Today, the twin 12 storey each Towers making a total of 24 storey are already up to roofing level and lest I forget, I observed the twin helicopter landing roof being emplaced above the twin towers on Sunday 24th March among many amazing features which will be revealed in a very short while.

Why else is the Ark Project unique?

PLANNING AND DELIVERY

From the onset and entrenched in her Mandate, no project should exceed 2 years. However while that has not happened as explained earlier, the Church made sure she purchased all necessary materials which would be required for the project in advance. By this act alone, she beat the challenge of erratic naira to dollar exchange rate which became a cause of great concern in the past 6 months. Very recently, Bishop Oyedepo indicated that every material required up to the roof to finish the project was already on ground.

TIMELINESS

During the groundbreaking, no completion date was announced unlike it happened at the Faith Tabernacle. However, last December, Church Gist broadcasted the video where Bishop Kwadwo Bempah revealed his conversation with Bishop Oyedepo in which he was told that the Ark will be dedicated in September and so we wait...hopefully and with bated breaths for the completion in 3 years and 6 months (by September).

NO PRESSURE ON MEMBERS, STAFF OR OTHER OBLIGATIONS

The Mandate states that:

The Church members or public must never be put under any kind of pressure to give towards any kind of project. Launching and appeal funds are prohibited.

Additionally it says:

All recurrent financial obligations must be given priority over project disbursement.

It goes further to instruct:

On no account should recurrent financial obligations to staff or third parties be delayed due to project execution.

It then concludes on projects :

Effort to provide appropriate facilities shall not be allowed to hinder spiritual growth of the Church.

This implies that salary payment have not been withheld for the sake of projects. Nobody has been told to sacrifice his income or family on the Altar of the Ark. Yet to God’s glory, the people have remained committed to seeing the project grow as it gradually comes to completion.

THE GLORY OF THE LATTER HOUSE

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

Haggai 2:9

Interestingly, it has been remarked humorously by none other than Bishop Oyedepo that Faith Tabernacle looks like ‘boys Quarters’ near the Ark. In my mind, I see the Ark and Faith Tabernacle like the Biblical Rose of Sharon. Faith Tabernacle like the branch while the Ark rests on it like the budding Rose itself.

Daniel Breakforth writes for Church Gist

NOTE:

*Factory beggars

*Members of ‘sell the alabaster ointment and Give to the Poor’ by Judas Iscariot and Company

* Preachers of Gospel by Envy Uyo Ltd

*Men that live by bread alone.

*Sons of belial

...Please go and face your Senators who shared 60 BILLION of your resources with 400 SUVs before you comment here or get BLOCKED immediately.