ESOCS: THE BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT MEMORIAL HOLY TEMPLE

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

SAINT MOSES ORIMOLADE TUNOLASE MEMORIAL

HOLY TEMPLE

The leader of the church, late Baba Aladura Gabriel Ade Ogunyadi was born on the 14^th September 1894, in Odogbolu Ogun State of Nigeria.

Baba Ogunyadi at the age of ten came to lagos in 1905 to start his education at the popular Faji School in Lagos.

After school in 1913, some Europeans took him and others for training. After the training he started working with their public work Department (PWD). While working at the PWD, he became one of the early disciples of Saint Moses Orimolade Tunolase.

In 1929, Baba Ogunyadi was to be sent to Enugu on transfer by his employer (PWD), he quickly consulted Saint Moses Orimolade Tunolase who told him to resign his appointment and come to stay with him to be praying for people who needed prayers where Moses Orimolade Tunolase was residing. Baba Ogunyadi has since then remained a disciple of Saint Moses Orimolade Tunolase until he (Orimolade) Passed away in 1933. He was a member of Board of Trustees constituted by Moses Orimolade, Baba Ogunyadi after the death of the founder (Moses Orimolade Tunolase) continue to be a loyal and steadfast member of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim & Seraphim under the new leader, the late Baba Aladura Williams Onanuga Whom Moses Orimolade had anointed even before his death.

In 1935, Baba Ogunyadi observed that the members of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim & Seraphim were disintegrating.

The Ilaje’s were no more coming to the National conference even the members in lagos Area were all scattered. Only Baba Ogunyadi who was the leader of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim remained in lagos Island, he was then in Richard Lane before this new trend, the praying Band of Ita Balogun who had in the days of Saint Moses Orimolade Tunolase broken away from the Holy Order had agreed to reunite with the Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim, upon this agreement, Baba Aladura Onanuga went back to Ita Balogun to stay, where Saint Moses Orimolade Tunolase himself had departed in 1929.

Though Baba Aladura Onanuga did these in good faith, he was thinking that things will work out well; he thought he should reunite the Holy Order. When things were not going the way it should Baba Ogunyadi approached Baba Aladura Onanuga about the unification of Cherubim and Seraphim. He sought for permission to start worshiping in the name of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim.

Baba Aladura Onanuga granted the permission, but unfortunately at one of the service being conducted by Baba Ogunyadi, a member from Ita Balogun where Baba Aladura Onanuga was, came to disturb the service. This development resulted into a fracas. Baba Ogunyadi decide not to be part of the unification any longer, he therefore went to Ojokoro and requested that Elder Peter Omojola should come and lead his own faction of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim.

A one room apartment was rented at Hotonou in lagos for worshiping. With this division, there were four factions of the Order in lagos.

1: The Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim led by Baba Aladura Onanuga.

2: The Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim led by Baba Ogunyadi & Elder Peter Omojola.

3: The praying Band of Cherubim and Seraphim led by E.A. Davies.

4: The Cherubim and Seraphim Society led by Captain Abiodun Emmanuel.

There was need for this four group to reconcile. The four groups were invited to Abeokuta by the Alake of Egba land for reconciliation.

The Alake advised that:-

1: Only Baba Aladura Onanuga should be recognised as the Baba Aladura

2: Elder E.A. Davies should be regarded as a leader.

3: Captain Abiodun Emmanuel to be regarded as the Mother.

The reconciliation and settlement term did not give or grant any position for Baba Ogunyadi’ group. Towards the end of 1936, the agreement was broken by the praying Band, and to this effect, Baba Aladura Onanuga departed lagos to Ebuta-Meta, while Baba Ogunyadi remained in lagos. The disagreement in the reconciliation process brought about two fractions of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim. One was led by Baba Aladura Onanuga at Mount Zion Ebuta-Meta, while the other was Baba Ogunyadi’s group led by Elder Peter Omojola at no. 10 Hotonou Street, lagos. Elder Peter Omojola was later dismissed by Baba Ogunyadi when his attitudes were becoming unbearable for the group.

Baba Ogunyadi’s group then moved from Richard lane in Isale Eko with Elder J.D. Fafowora and some members to No. 10, Hotonu Str, (KoroAgbede) Lagos.

The group later moved to 11, Martins Street, then to King George V Street, from there to 30, Macarthy Street, Lagos, before moving to Idi-Oro Court, Okesuna Street, Lagos.

When at Martins Street, the information of a land for sale at Idi-Oro Court came to them.

After putting it into prayer a message came through Elder J.D. Fafowora that if seven different fruit can be found on the land, the land is good for the group to worship.

On getting to the land, the fruits found on it were:-

1: Oro with which the Street was named after

2: Pineapple

3: Pawpaw

4: Orange

5: Guaver

6: Sugarcane

7: Fruit

The land was purchased surveyed and documented in 1946.

The trustees to land were:-

1: Elder G.A. Ogunyadi

2: Elder J.D. Fafowora

3: Elder P.A. Sewordoh

4: Elder B.T. Ogunko

After the entire document to the land has been obtained, in 1948, the foundation and the construction of the house of prayer started. In January in 1963, the group moved finally to Idi-Oro Court. At a special prayer conducted in the late 50’s, a message was delivered by late Snr. Ap. F.B. Obioson and confirmed by a dream through Elder J.D. Fafowora that the House of prayer should be named after the founder as it was the first concrete building owned by member of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim loyal to the founder in lagos Island where the order was first preached and established.

The House of prayer was then named Saint Moses Orimolade Tunolase Memorial Holy Temple.

The branches under Memorial Holy Temple then were:-

1: Holy Trinity House of Prayer, Maroko

-Sup. Ap. Gen. Solomon Osemeha

2: Ogo Oluwa Tobi House of Prayer, Mushin

-Elder Bakare

3: Atunbi Jesu House of Prayer, Mushin

-Elder Okusanwo

4: Saint Jude, Maroko

-Elder Nweke

5: Saint Gabriel Ikoyi

-Sup. Ap. Gen. M.B. Macaulay

6: Mount of Mercy Apapa

-Elder Friday Nwagolam

7: Oluwa lo ran mi Orile

-Elder P. Iduhor

8: Oke Ite Anu Maroko

-Snr. Mother E. Dennis

9: Ile Igbala Maroko

-Snr. Ap. A. Ishola

10: Ifelodun House of Prayer Shogunle

-Snr. Ap. M.A. Alabi

With different trouble in the Holy Order which led to several divisions, there were so many cases at the Law Court. Each division or factions claiming Superiority over the other especially the exalted position of the Baba Aladura.

During the course of trial at the Law Court, it gets to a stage that the trail judge requested for the Article of Memorandum in of the Holy Order where the names of members of board of trustees of the Cherubim and Seraphim were listed. The Article of Memorandum was submitted and it was discovered that the names of the parties’ claiming Superiority over each other were not included in the board of trustees. This new development led to the search for those whose names appear in the board of the trustees list as directed by the trail Judge.

The board of trustee’s list contains sixteen names with only five survivors amongst them: - Mother Sabainah Roberts and Mother Jennie Winful. Elder G.A. Ogunyadi, Elder Isaac Adebulewo and Elder J.O. Coker for peace to regin in the Holy Order, the five survivors had to be sought for. Baba Ogunyadi was in lagos Island with his group as General Headquarters, while Elder J.O. Coker, Mother S. Roberts were of Mount Zion Ebute-Meta. The trail Judege ruled that a leader should be chosen amongst the five survivors on the list presented. The onus now fell on Baba Ogunyadi as the most senior amongst the survivor (Trustee). Emissaries were sent to Baba Ogunyadi but he said he be left alone as he did not want to get himself involved in the leadership tussle, but the Elders at Ebute-Meta continue to persuade him. Baba Ogunyadi soon become the only POWER BLOC who could reunite the active members of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim. Baba Ogunyadi was persuaded and invited for settlement with Mount Zion Ebute-Meta. He was also given the task to reorganize the board of trustees. A meeting was eventually held in July, 1961 and was attended by five (5) out of six living members of board of trustees, namely:-

1: Elder G.A. Ogunyadi - Macarthy

2: Elder Isaac Adebulewo - Macarthy

3: Mother Jenie Winful - Macarthy

4: Elder J.O. Coker - Mount Zion Ebute-Meta (MZ EB)

5: Mother S.A. Roberts - (MZ EB)

Two out of the five living members of Board of Trustees came from Mount Zion Ebute-Meta Group while the rest came from Macarthy Group (Idi-Oro Court) under Elder G.A. Ogunyadi who was infact the most Senior Elder in the Board of Trustees and the Holy Order. In order to allow for peace to reign in the Holy Order, Baba Ogunyadi had to magnanimously give out the leader to Elder J.S. Olugbusi to be ordained as the Baba Aladura.

In appreciation of Baba Ogunyadi’s graciousness in subordinating his own desires to the will of the members present at the meeting, he was appointed the first Deputy Baba Aladura On Thursday 6^th Dec 1962. Mount Zion Ebute-Meta and Memorial Holy Temple Idi-Oro Court came together to form the advisory Board.

The Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim has since then remained one large family. With the group under Baba Ogunyadi and the group under Elder Olugbusi coming together as one after the reorganization of the board, the parade-in-gala around Lagos in December 1962 took off from Idi-Oro Court and had remained so till date. After the passing on of Baba Olugbusi on the 17^th of June 1973, Baba G.A. Ogunyadi was inducted as Baba Aladura on the 3^rd December 1973 at Idi-Oro Court.

Memorial Holy Temple till date has remained a rallying point and a factor to the Holy Order. It is on record that Baba Ogunyadi composed from the spirit one of the greatest hymns of the Holy Order. Hymn No. 196 “Moses Orimolade is our Great Teacher”.

Baba Ogunyadi slept in the Lord on the 7^th day of October 1985. It is on record, that Memorial Holy Temple has produced some of the top high ranking Elder of the Holy Order which includes.

1: The 1^st deputy Baba Aladura

2: The 1^st Assistant Secretary to the Holy Order

3: Iya Egbe

4: Mother Seraphim

5: Mother Captain

6: Chairman Lagos Province

7: Chairman Lagos District

8: Board Members

9: Head of Army of Salvation

10: Baba Aladura

11: Deputy Baba Aladura