14/05/2026
Many years ago, while my father was pastoring Assemblies of God Church Ikenegbu in Owerri, Imo State, something happened during one Sunday service that I have never forgotten.
As at that time, our late Daddy Osueke was the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Nigeria, and my father was serving as the resident pastor of the church and also the District Treasurer of the then Owerri District.
That Sunday morning started like every other Sunday service,Church was full, Sunday school had ended And like we usually do in Assemblies of God churches, everybody gathered back inside the auditorium for what we call Sunday School Summary, where people from the various Sunday school classes come together for a general summary before the main service continues.
Now, while the summary was going on, a lot of members were still outside,Some were discussing, Some were moving around,Some were buying and selling one thing or the other Some were just standing outside instead of being inside the church participating in the service.
And my father noticed it….Immediately after the Sunday school summary and prayers ended, my father took over the microphone before handing over to the worship team I was still a teenager then, but I remember that morning very clearly.
He spoke seriously about the attitude of coming to church physically but not being fully involved in the worship, He talked about reverence in God’s house, He talked about orderliness.👌👌👌
He talked about people coming to church prepared and ready to participate fully from beginning to end instead of roaming around the church premises while service was going on.
He specifically mentioned how wrong it was for members to be outside discussing, selling things, or doing unnecessary activities while worship was already taking place inside the auditorium And after speaking, he instructed the ushers to go round immediately and ensure that everybody came inside, Nobody was to remain outside unnecessarily, Everything activities outside had to stop.😂😂😂
The ushers moved around the church compound, and within a short time, everywhere became organized.
Members settled inside the church properly and Then my father handed over the microphone to the worship team.
And while the worship team was ministering,something happened that nobody expected.
Daddy Osueke drove into the church compound unannounced, Nobody knew he was coming, My father did not know, The church leaders did not know, There was no prior information, No special preparation, Nothing.🥹🥹🥹🥹
He simply decided to visit the church unexpectedly and join the service.
Immediately my father saw him, he welcomed him properly into the service and later handed over the microphone to him.
And one of the first things Daddy Osueke said that morning was that he was impressed, He said as he drove into the church compound, he noticed there was nobody outside, The environment was orderly, Members were inside worshipping God, Everything was properly coordinated.
I remember sitting there quietly that day and watching everything unfold And years later, that memory still carries a powerful message.
Yesterday, while scrolling through social media, I saw a video of the current governor of Abia State walking unannounced into an Assemblies of God church during Mother’s Sunday after inspecting a road project close to the church environment And immediately, this old memory came back to me.😭😭😭
The governor walked into a church that was already organised, Members were worshipping, The atmosphere was orderly, Nobody was running around trying to arrange things because an important visitor had suddenly appeared, Everything was already in place before he entered.
And honestly, there is a lesson in that.❗️❗️❗️
There is a difference between preparing because somebody important is coming and living prepared at all times.✅✅✅✅
Some opportunities do not announce themselves before arriving, Some moments come suddenly, Some doors open unexpectedly And when they do, preparation speaks before explanations do.
That Sunday in Ikenegbu, my father did not put things in order because the General Superintendent was coming, He put things in order because excellence and reverence should already be the standard whether anybody important was visiting or not.
And truly, that lesson applies to every area of life.
Your work, Your character,Your business,Your home,
Your spiritual life…..Live prepared.
Do things properly even when nobody is watching and One day, opportunity may walk into your life unannounced.
